Device for pressurizing limbs

• US 6,478,757 B1
• Filed: 03/11/1998
• Issued: 11/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Zimmer Surgical Incorporated (Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Medical Compression Systems
• Inventors: Barak, Jakob
• Primary Examiner(s): YU, JUSTINE ROMANG
• Application Number:
  US09/038,157
• Time in Patent Office: 1,707 Days
• Field of Search: 601/148-152, 128/DIG.20, 602/13, 606/201, 606/202
• US Class Current: 601/151
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/012 inflatable
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/20 Inflatable splint

Abstract

A device for applying pressure to a body limb comprises a sleeve containing individually inflatable cells, each cell being subdivided into longitudinally extending confluent compartments that are inflated and deflated essentially simultaneously. A messaging sleeve, an inflation unit for intermittent inflation of selected cells of the sleeve, and a detecting unit for detecting a temporo-spatial regime of cell inflation are provided. Applications include immobilization of fractured bones, and messaging of limbs to promote blood flow.

Claims

1. A device for applying pressure to a body limb having a primary axis comprising:

first and second inflatable cells, each of the first and second cells including at least three intra-cell compartments;

said intracell compartments being confluent, each compartment being elongated along a longitudinal axis and being substantially rectangular in shape when deflated and substantially cylindrical in shape when inflated, the longitudinal axes of the compartments substantially aligning with the primary axis of the limb, the first and second cells being longitudinally adjacent each other, and arranged coaxially with respect to the primary axis of the limb, the first and second cells being intermittently inflatable to apply pressure to the limb, wherein the inflatable cells each comprise inner and outer shells of durable flexible material, said inner and outer shells being bonded together about a perimetric cell bond to define the inflatable cell therebetween, said inner and outer shells being further bonded together along compartmental bonds within the perimetric cell bond to define the plurality of intra-cell compartments, wherein the perimetric cell bond includes upper and lower perimetric cell bonds extending substantially in a lateral direction, and left and right perimetric cell bonds extending substantially in the longitudinal direction, and wherein the compartmental bonds partly extend between the upper and lower perimetric cell bonds, wherein the compartmental bonds include perforations to allow for confluent air flow between compartments within a cell, neighboring compartments along a lateral axis sharing a common border and being spatially fixed relative to each other, such that upon inflation of a cell, the cell becomes circumferentially constricted, the first and second cells being non-confluent such that that the first and second cells are separately inflatable, said intra-cell compartments of the first and second cells being interdigitated;

means for laterally coupling outermost compartments so as to form a sleeve, such that the sleeve has a circumference of Nπ

r when the cell is deflated, and such that the sleeve has a circumference of 2Nr when the cell is inflated, where N is the number of compartments in the cell, and where r is the cross-sectional radius of each compartment when inflated, so as to provide for circumferential constriction;

inflating means for intermittently inflating the first and second cells; and

control means for determining the temporo-spatial regime of cell inflation.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the fractional decrease in the circumference upon inflation is 0.36.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the bond comprises a weldment.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein adjacent compartments are contiguous.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the perforations are located adjacent the perimetric cell bond.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein the perforations are located between compartmental bonds extending from the upper and lower perimetric bonds.

7. The device of claim 1 further comprising a fluid inlet to provide for inflation and deflation of the cell.