Adaptive tourniquet cuff system

• US 20030167070A1
• Filed: 02/04/2003
• Published: 09/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Western Clinical Engineering Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Western Clinical Engineering Ltd.
• Inventors: McEwen, James A., Jameson, Michael, Inkpen, Kevin B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,331,977 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/203
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/135 inflatable for measuring blood pressure A61B5/022; inflatable pressure pads A61F5/34
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1355 Automated control means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00482 with a code
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/08 Sensors provided with means for identification, e.g. barcodes or memory chips
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/92 coded with colour

Abstract

An adaptive tourniquet cuff system comprises: a tourniquet cuff having a physical characteristic and including an inflatable bladder of a length greater than the circumference of a limb at a selected location; a cuff connector carried on the cuff and communicating pneumatically with the bladder for releasably connecting to a tourniquet instrument to establish a gas-tight passageway between the bladder and the tourniquet instrument; and an identifying collar including identification means indicative of the physical characteristic and detectable by the tourniquet instrument upon establishment of the gas-tight passageway. The tourniquet instrument may supply gas to the bladder through the gas-tight passageway at a pressure sufficient to stop arterial blood flow into the limb distal to the cuff at the selected location, and may adapt its operation in response to the detected physical characteristic of the cuff.

Claims

1. An adaptive tourniquet cuff system, comprising:

a tourniquet cuff having a plurality of predetermined physical characteristics including a cuff shape, a cuff width dimension, a cuff length dimension that is greater than the circumference of a limb at a selected location, and an inflatable bladder having a size dimension; and

a cuff connector carried on the cuff and communicating pneumatically with the bladder for releasably connecting to a tourniquet instrument to establish a gas-tight passageway between the bladder and the tourniquet instrument,

wherein the cuff connector includes identification means indicative of the one predetermined physical characteristic of the plurality of predetermined physical characteristics of the cuff and detectable by the tourniquet instrument upon establishment of the gas-tight passageway.

2. The adaptive tourniquet of claim 1 wherein the identification means comprises a collar of the cuff connector.

3. The adaptive tourniquet cuff system of claim 1 and including the tourniquet instrument, wherein the tourniquet instrument includes means for supplying gas to the bladder through the gas-tight passageway in accordance with the settings of a plurality of parameters of safety and operation, and at a maximum pressure not greater than a maximum pressure level.

4. The adaptive tourniquet cuff system of claim 3 wherein the tourniquet instrument further produces a signal indicative of the detected predetermined physical characteristic of the cuff.

5. The adaptive tourniquet cuff system of claim 3 wherein the tourniquet instrument further adapts the setting of one of the plurality of parameters of safety and operation in response to the detected physical characteristic of the cuff.

6. The adaptive tourniquet cuff system of claim 3 wherein the tourniquet instrument further adapts the maximum pressure level in response to the detected physical characteristic.

7. The adaptive tourniquet cuff system of claim 2 wherein the connector and collar are integrated and entirely formed of electrically insulating material.

8. The tourniquet cuff of claim 2 wherein the identification means is a selected color of the collar.

9. The adaptive tourniquet cuff system of claim 2 wherein the collar further includes a flange portion adapted to block ambient light from illuminating the identification means.

10. The adaptive tourniquet cuff system of claim 1 wherein the predetermined physical characteristic is the length dimension of the cuff.

11. The adaptive tourniquet cuff system of claim 1 wherein the predetermined physical characteristic is the size dimension of the inflatable bladder.

15. The adaptive tourniquet cuff system of claim 4 wherein the identification means is a selected color from a predetermined number of predetermined colors, each color corresponding to a predetermined physical characteristic, and wherein the instrument produces the signal indicative of the selected color.

12. An adaptive tourniquet cuff system, comprising:

a sterile tourniquet cuff having a shape, a width, a length, an inflatable bladder and a plurality of predetermined physical characteristics formed by the process of manufacturing and sterilization of the cuff;

a cuff connector carried on the cuff and communicating pneumatically with the bladder for releasably connecting to a tourniquet instrument to establish a gas-tight passageway between the bladder and the tourniquet instrument,

wherein the cuff connector includes identification means indicative of the one predetermined physical characteristic of the plurality of predetermined physical characteristics of the cuff and detectable by the tourniquet instrument upon establishment of the gas-tight passageway.

13. The adaptive tourniquet cuff system of claim 12, wherein the predetermined physical characteristic is indicative of the sterilization of the cuff.

14. The adaptive tourniquet cuff system of claim 12, wherein the predetermined physical characteristic is one of the plurality of predetermined parameters formed by the process of manufacturing the cuff.

16. An adaptive tourniquet cuff system, comprising:

a tourniquet cuff having an inflatable bladder of a length sufficient for encircling a limb at a selected location and having a predetermined physical characteristic;

a connector carried on the cuff and communicating pneumatically with the bladder for releasably connecting the cuff to a tourniquet instrument to establish a gas-tight passageway between the bladder and the instrument,

an identifying collar including identification means indicative of the predetermined physical characteristic and detectable by the tourniquet instrument upon establishment of the gas-tight passageway; and

a tourniquet instrument for supplying pressurized gas to the bladder through the gas-tight passageway established by the connector, wherein the instrument includes detection means responsive to the identification means after establishment of the gas-tight passageway for producing a signal indicative of the physical characteristic.