Apparatus and method for movement of blood by external pressure

• US 4,865,020 A
• Filed: 08/09/1988
• Issued: 09/12/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Horace Bullard
• Original Assignee: Horace Bullard
• Inventors: Bullard, Horace
• Primary Examiner(s): Burr, Edgar S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US07/230,339
• Time in Patent Office: 399 Days
• Field of Search: 128/64, 128/40, 128/24 R
• US Class Current: 601/152
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2205/06 Arms
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2205/10 Leg
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 9/0078 with intermittent or alternately inflated bladders or cuffs mattresses for preventing bed-sores with alternated pressurized chambers A61G7/05776

Abstract

In a program of regular vascular exercise involves repeating cycles of blood movement, for example, each vascular exercise period of one hour may involve twenty cycles. In each cycle pressurizing apparatus under control of a timing arrangement inflates and deflates a series of pressure cuffs around each limb, for example, each limb has seven cuffs. The cuffs at the limbs are inflated in sequence starting with the cuff nearest the limb extremity to provide a peristaltic-like action. The inflation of all the limb cuffs forces blood toward the trunk of the body. The trunk cuff is pulsed at the same time the limb cuffs are maintained inflated.

Claims

1. The method of vascular exercise and increasing the quantity of blood in the trunk of a human above the normal amoung by causing blood to flow from the legs and arms toward the trunk, including performing, within an exercise period of one hour or less, at least five vascular exercise cycles, each cycle comprising the steps of:

encircling the four limbs of a person with first to fourth pressure applying means,

each of said pressure applying means having differentially actuatable sections extending in an array from an outermost section positioned along the limb toward the limb extremity to an innermost section toward a junction with the trunk,

activating the sections in sequence to individually constrict each lime one at a time in a peristaltic-like sequence from the outermost to the innermost section and holding each limb constricted until all the limbs are constricted by all the sections simultanesouly and holding the constrictive activation of all the sections for a predetermined time greater than 20 seconds.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the legs are placed under constrictive pressure in sequence, first one leg and then the other, by activation of all the sections encircling the legs and subsequently the arms are placed under constrictive pressure in sequence, first one arm and then the other, by activation of all the sections encircling the arms.

3. The method of claim 1 and including the further step, in each of said cycles, of applying a fifth pressure applying means to the buttock region and applying pressure to said buttock region during the predetermined time that all said sections are held activated.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the pressure is applied by said fifth pressure applying means in a series of pulses of pressure.

5. Medical apparatus comrising in combination five pressure applying means, each of said first to fourth pressure applying means being adapted for encircling one of the four limbs of a person, each of said first to fourth pressure applying means having differentially actuatable section for application to said limb in an array extending along said limb between a limb extremity and a junction with the body trunk, and actuating means having sequencing mesans for constrictively activating said sections to individually constrict each limb one at a time in a peristaltic-like sequence from the section nearest said extremity to the section nearest said body and to hold each limb constricted until all the limbs are constricted and to then hold all of said sections constrictively actuated simultaneously for at least 20 seconds and to then deactivate all of said sections;

said fifth pressure applying means adapted for encircling the trunk of the person, and said actuating means activating said trunk pressure applying means after all of said sections have been constrictively activated and during the holding of said section.

6. Medical apparatus according to claim 5 wherein when each actuatable section of said first through fourth pressure applying means is constricted from a relaxed state all sections closer to said limb extremity are in a constricted state.

7. Medical apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said actuatable sections of said first through fifth pressure applying means comprise a plurality of inflatable bladder pressure cuffs, and said actuating means comprise for each said pressure cuff a separate solenoid controlled pressurizing valve and a separate solenoid controlled venting valve coupled to a respective inlet and outlet of said pressure cuff, a pressure regulated source of pressurized air coupled to all of said pressurizing valves, and a vacuum container coupled to all of said venting valves, and program means for actuating said valves in a controlled sequence.

8. Medical apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said fifth pressure applying means is an air bladder, and further including means to pulse the bladder of said fifth pressure applying means with bursts of air pressure.

9. Medical apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said actuatable sections comprise a plurality of inflatable bladders.

10. Medical apparatus according to claim 9, wherein each of said actuatable sections consist of at least four of said bladders adapted to be applied to said limb.

11. Medical apparatus according to claim 9, and further including air pressure valve means which connect each of the bladders within said first to fourth pressure applying means to each other, said valve means operating in sequence to permit air flow in sequence into each bladder.