Remarks On Operation; The Treatment Head: A Precision Instrument; The Contact Medium; Broken Contact In The Cc-Mode - Enraf Nonius Sonopuls 491 Gebrauchsanweisung

REMARKS ON OPERATION

The treatment head: a precision instrument

A treatment head is a precision instrument. Great
care is taken in the development and production in
order to obtain the best possible beam characteris-
tics. Rough treatment (jarring or dropping) can ad-
versely affect these characteristics, and must there-
fore be avoided.

The contact medium

In order to ensure efficient transfer of energy, a con-
tact medium is required between the treatment head
and the body. Air causes virtually total reflection of
the ultrasound energy. The best medium for the
transfer of ultrasound energy is a gel.
• For preference, use Enraf-Nonius Contact-Gel®,
as this allows the excellent characteristics of the
treatment heads to be used to their full advan-
tage.
• The gel should be applied to the part of the body
to be treated and then spread out with the treat-
ment head.
• Never apply the gel to the treatment head. The
treatment head will register this as contact and
may emit ultrasound energy, which could dam-
age the treatment head.
If the body surface is very irregular, making it diffi-
cult to obtain good contact between the treatment
head and the body, or if direct contact must be
avoided (e.g. due to pain), the affected area may be
treated under water (subaqual method). The water
should be degassed (by previous boiling) in order to
prevent air bubbles arising on the treatment head
and the body.
Enraf-Nonius Contact-Gel® is a registered trademark

Broken contact in the CC-mode

When contact is broken in the CC-mode, the equip-
ment will indicate this with a beep-tone. In order to
avoid an unpleasant sensation for the patient, when
the treatment head or electrode is placed back onto
the surface that is to be treated, the current will ramp
down to 0. To continue the treatment, you will have
to set the current again.

Variations in intensity/power

The Sonopuls contains a control circuit which en-
sures that the ultrasound intensity in the tissue (=
wave motion of the "micro-massage") is kept at a
constant level as far as possible.
In three situations there is a deviation in intensity as
indicated on the display of the Sonopuls:
Situation 1: Incomplete contact
When the treatment head only contacts partially with
the body, the set intensity is automatically reduced
to prevent too much energy being introduced into
the patient's body via the small surface. When less
than 80% of the surface of the treatment head makes
contact with the patient the intensity is interrupted
(=contact control). The display starts flashing and
the treatment time is interrupted.
Situation 2: Differences in tissue density
The Enraf-Nonius treatment heads are factory-set
to issue energy in water (according to the IEC- stand-
ards). However, body tissue reacts differently to ul-
trasound than water; it is harder to set body tissue
into vibration. Furthermore, the various tissue struc-
tures of the body (fat tissue, muscles, bone struc-
tures) all react differently to ultrasound. In case of a
certain intensity setting the Sonopuls automatically
adapts the supplied energy to maintain the wave
motion of the micro-massage (in the various tissues).
During this treatment the display indicates this in-
tensity variation.
Situation 3: Reflections
Bone structures in particular reflect ultrasound.
These reflections result in an increased intensity and
an intensification of the micro-massage. The in-
creased intensity is limited at a maximum of 20% of
the set value.
A maximum safety limit ensures that the intensity
can never exceed 3 W/cm² specified in the IEC
standard.

MAINTENANCE BY THE USER

Apparatus
Before performing any user maintenance, switch off
the apparatus and disconnect it from the power sup-
ply. The apparatus can be cleaned with a damp cloth.
Use lukewarm water and a non-abrasive liquid
household cleaner (no abrasive, no alcohol content
solution).
Charging
We advice charging the battery overnight. The charg-
ing time will then generally be more than adequate.
However, in the case of a completely exhausted bat-
tery (lamp [6] is out), the charging time can be longer,
e.g. 15 - 20 hours. The Sonopuls can be used dur-
ing the charging period. Switching off of the Sonopuls
will shorten the charging time. Ensure that the
charger indicator lamp [7] is lit, indicating that the
charger is functioning correctly.
Treatment heads
The treatment heads and cables should be regularly
inspected for damage, e.g. hairline cracks, which
could allow penetration by liquids. Clean the contact
surface immediately after each treatment. Make sure
that no ultrasound gel remains on the treatment head.
We further recommend cleaning the head and cable
daily, using lukewarm water.
The treatment heads can be disinfected using a cloth
moistened with 70% alcohol.
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