Surgical tourniquet cuff for limiting usage to improve safety

• US 20070032818A1
• Filed: 08/05/2005
• Published: 02/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Western Clinical Engineering Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Western Clinical Engineering Ltd.
• Inventors: Jameson, Michael, McEwen, James
• Granted Patent: US 7,955,352 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/202
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1322 comprising a flexible encircling member A61B17/135 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1355 Automated control means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/0803 Counting the number of times an instrument is used

Abstract

A surgical tourniquet cuff for limiting usage to improve safety, comprises: an inflatable portion having a length sufficient for encircling a patient'"'"'s limb at a desired location; cuff connector means communicating pneumatically with the inflatable portion and adapted near an end for connecting to a tourniquet instrument to establish a releasable pneumatic connection; and a cuff usage register located at a predetermined distance from the end of the cuff connector means and adapted for containing a usage amount record indicative of an amount of a predetermined usage of the cuff. The cuff usage register may further contain a usage limit record indicative of a predetermined limit of the predetermined usage of the cuff. The cuff usage register may be further adapted for enabling the cuff usage record and the usage limit record to be read by a tourniquet instrument that is pneumatically connected to the inflatable portion through the cuff connector means.

Claims

1. A tourniquet cuff for limiting usage to improve safety, comprising

an inflatable portion having a length sufficient for encircling a patient'"'"'s limb at a desired location;

cuff connector means communicating pneumatically with the inflatable portion and adapted near an end for connecting to a tourniquet instrument to establish a releasable pneumatic connection; and

a cuff usage register located at a predetermined distance from the end of the cuff connector means and adapted for containing a usage amount record indicative of an amount of a predetermined usage of the cuff.

2. The apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein the cuff usage register further contains a usage limit record indicative of a predetermined limit of the predetermined usage of the cuff.

3. The tourniquet cuff as described in claim 2 wherein the cuff usage register is further adapted for enabling the cuff usage record and the usage limit record to be read by a tourniquet instrument that is pneumatically connected to the inflatable portion through the cuff connector means.

4. The apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein the predetermined usage is the number of cycles of inflation above a predetermined minimum pressure for at least a predetermined minimum period of time before deflation below the predetermined minimum pressure.

5. The apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein the predetermined usage is the cumulative time of inflation to a pressure level greater than a predetermined minimum pressure.

6. The apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein the predetermined usage is the maximum pressure of inflation.

7. The apparatus as described in claim 2 and including a tourniquet instrument having means for reading the usage amount record and the usage limit record while the pneumatic connection is established and for producing a usage alert signal if the amount indicated by the usage amount record is not less than the predetermined limit indicated by the usage limit record.

8. The apparatus as described in claim 1 and including a tourniquet instrument adapted for reading an initial usage amount record indicative of an initial amount of the predetermined usage upon establishment of the pneumatic connection, for calculating an incremental amount of the predetermined usage while the cuff is connected to the tourniquet instrument, and for writing a cumulative usage amount record into the cuff usage register that is indicative of the sum of the initial amount and the incremental amount.

9. The apparatus as described in claim 2 wherein the predetermined usage is the maximum pressure of inflation and including a tourniquet instrument adapted for reading the usage amount record indicative of a first amount of the predetermined usage upon connection to the tourniquet cuff, for reading the usage limit record indicative of the predetermined limit and for calculating a second amount of the predetermined usage while the cuff is connected to the tourniquet instrument, wherein the tourniquet instrument is operable to produce a usage alert signal if the second amount exceeds the predetermined limit.

10. The apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein the cuff is formed of materials having physical properties that are substantially unchanged at an elevated temperature sufficient to sterilize the cuff by autoclaving.

11. A tourniquet cuff for limiting usage to improve safety, comprising

a tourniquet cuff having an inflatable portion and including a cuff connector means adapted near an end for connecting to a tourniquet instrument to establish a pneumatic passageway between the tourniquet instrument and the inflatable portion, wherein the cuff has an outer surface;

and

a cuff usage register enclosed within the outer surface of the cuff and adapted for containing a usage amount record indicative of an amount of a predetermined usage of the cuff.

12. The apparatus as described in claim 11 and including a tourniquet instrument adapted for connection to the tourniquet cuff to establish the pneumatic passageway wherein the tourniquet instrument is further adapted for reading the usage amount record while the pneumatic passageway is established.

13. The apparatus as described in claim 12 wherein the usage amount record is indicative of an initial amount of the predetermined usage upon connection to the tourniquet cuff and wherein the tourniquet instrument includes means for calculating an incremental amount of the predetermined usage of the cuff while the cuff is connected to the tourniquet instrument.

14. The apparatus as described in claim 12 wherein the tourniquet instrument includes means for calculating a cumulative amount of the predetermined usage equal to the sum of the initial amount and the incremental amount and wherein the tourniquet instrument is further adapted to write into the cuff usage register a cumulative usage amount record indicative of the cumulative amount.

15. The apparatus as described in claim 13 wherein the tourniquet instrument includes means to calculate a remaining amount of the predetermined usage equal to the difference between the initial amount and the incremental amount and wherein the tourniquet instrument is further adapted to write into the cuff usage register a remaining usage amount record indicative of the remaining amount of the predetermined usage.

16. The apparatus as described in claim 12 wherein the cuff usage register further contains a usage limit record indicative of a predetermined limit of the predetermined usage of the cuff, wherein the tourniquet instrument is further adapted for reading the usage limit record while the pneumatic passageway is established, wherein the tourniquet instrument includes means for setting a level of the predetermined usage for a surgical procedure, and wherein the tourniquet instrument is further adapted to limit the setting of the level to less than the predetermined limit indicated by the usage limit record.

17. The apparatus as described in claim 12 wherein the cuff usage register further contains a cuff identification record that is uniquely indicative of the cuff among a plurality of cuffs and wherein the tourniquet instrument is further adapted for reading the cuff identification record while the pneumatic passageway is established to uniquely identify the cuff among the plurality of cuffs.