| abstract |
The invention is an electrostatic charge resistant instrument system comprising at least one instrument, a lead extending from the instrument, and at least one connector associated with the lead. In accordance with the invention, each component of the instrument system is made to have an electrically grounded conductive outer surface so that electrostatic charges are prevented from building up substantially throughout the entire instrument system. A lead of the system can be made to have a conductive outer surface by forming about the lead a flexible conductive housing provided by at least one small diametered wire arranged to encircle the lead a plurality of times in a spiral, mesh or braided mesh configuration. Conductive outer surfaces of instruments and connectors, meanwhile, may be provided by forming the instruments and connectors of the system from conductive polymeric materials containing a polymeric base material and conductive fibers and or particles embedded therein. A connector may be formed on a lead by first forming an elongated conductive flexible housing on a lead and then overmolding a conductive material directly onto the lead conductive housing during the formation of the connector. |