Medical electrode and method

DETAILED DESCRIPTION In general, it is an object of the present invention to provide a medical electrode and method which can be readily manufactured.
Another object of the invention is to provide a medical electrode and method of the above character which utilizes a hydrogel as a conductive medium.
Another object of the invention is to provide an electrode and method of the above character in which an aluminum substrate is utilized.
Another object of the invention is to provide a medical electrode and a method of the above character in which erosion of the aluminum has been reduced to a minimum by utilizing a predetermined pH for the materials surrounding the aluminum substrate.
Another object of the invention is to provide a medical electrode that utilizes a hydrogel having high cohesiveness and high adhesive properties.
Another object of the invention is to provide a medical electrode which has a good shelf life.
Another object of the invention is to provide a hydrogel material which is compatible with an aluminum substrate.
Another object of the invention is to provide an electrode of the above character which is segmented into at least three areas with a center area and eliminating the need for a resistor for the center area while still obtaining approximately equal current flow in all of the segments of the electrode.
Another object of the invention is to provide an electrode of the above character which eliminates the need for wire connections to the electrodes.
Additional objects and features of the invention will appear from the following description in which the preferred embodiments are set forth in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.