Hypobaric chamber treatment system
First Claim
1. An appliance for administering reduced pressure treatment to an object or a portion of an object, the appliance comprising:
- a flexible chamber having an opening, wherein the flexible chamber is sized to enclose substantially all of the object or the portion of the object to be treated and adapted to maintain reduced pressure within the volume of the flexible chamber, wherein the chamber is a single chamber, said object or portion of the object extending through the opening into the volume defined by the flexible chamber;
a collapsible frame, wherein the collapsible frame supports the flexible chamber away from the object or the portion of the object to be treated while the appliance is in use, and wherein the collapsible frame comprises one or more longitudinal frame members extending longitudinally along the length of the chamber and one or more circumferential frame members extending circumferentially across the chamber generally transverse to a longitudinal axis of the chamber, at least one of the one or more longitudinal members being movable between a collapsed configuration and an extended configuration, and wherein the longitudinal and circumferential frame members are inflatable and are in fluid communication with each other;
a sealing mechanism to seal the opening so that reduced pressure may be maintained within the volume of the flexible chamber; and
a reduced pressure supply mechanism to operably connect the flexible chamber to a reduced pressure supply source that provides a supply of reduced pressure to the flexible chamber, so that the volume within the flexible chamber is supplied with reduced pressure by the reduced pressure supply source in an amount sufficient to treat a wound, and wherein the chamber has a substantially uniform pressure throughout the volume defined by the flexible chamber;
wherein the flexible chamber and the collapsible frame may be collapsed to a smaller size when the appliance is not in use.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A reduced pressure treatment appliance is provided for enclosing and providing reduced pressure treatment to an object or a portion of an object. In some embodiments, the reduced pressure treatment appliance may be used to treat wounds and other conditions, such as lymphedema, varicose veins, venous insufficiency and stasis, and other infirmities. In other embodiments, the appliance may be used to provide reduced pressure (or vacuum) treatment for non-medical purposes. In some embodiments, the appliance comprises a flexible chamber and a collapsible frame that may be collapsed while the appliance is not in use. In yet other embodiments, the appliance also includes a vacuum system to supply reduced pressure to the volume within the chamber, a pressurized fluid system to inflate the collapsible frame, a drainage system to remove fluids from the appliance, and a treatment port and a forced entry treatment system to introduce fluids and other treatment instrumentalities into the volume within the chamber. In still other embodiments, the chamber is designed for use with distal extremital portions of a body. In further embodiments, the appliance also comprises a semi-permeable liner positioned between the chamber and the portion of a body to be treated. Finally, methods are provided for using various embodiments of the appliance.
280 Citations
36 Claims
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1. An appliance for administering reduced pressure treatment to an object or a portion of an object, the appliance comprising:
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a flexible chamber having an opening, wherein the flexible chamber is sized to enclose substantially all of the object or the portion of the object to be treated and adapted to maintain reduced pressure within the volume of the flexible chamber, wherein the chamber is a single chamber, said object or portion of the object extending through the opening into the volume defined by the flexible chamber; a collapsible frame, wherein the collapsible frame supports the flexible chamber away from the object or the portion of the object to be treated while the appliance is in use, and wherein the collapsible frame comprises one or more longitudinal frame members extending longitudinally along the length of the chamber and one or more circumferential frame members extending circumferentially across the chamber generally transverse to a longitudinal axis of the chamber, at least one of the one or more longitudinal members being movable between a collapsed configuration and an extended configuration, and wherein the longitudinal and circumferential frame members are inflatable and are in fluid communication with each other; a sealing mechanism to seal the opening so that reduced pressure may be maintained within the volume of the flexible chamber; and a reduced pressure supply mechanism to operably connect the flexible chamber to a reduced pressure supply source that provides a supply of reduced pressure to the flexible chamber, so that the volume within the flexible chamber is supplied with reduced pressure by the reduced pressure supply source in an amount sufficient to treat a wound, and wherein the chamber has a substantially uniform pressure throughout the volume defined by the flexible chamber; wherein the flexible chamber and the collapsible frame may be collapsed to a smaller size when the appliance is not in use. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. An appliance for administering reduced pressure treatment to an object or a portion of an object, the appliance comprising:
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a flexible chamber having an opening, wherein the flexible chamber is sized to enclose substantially all of the object or the portion of the object to be treated and adapted to maintain reduced pressure within the volume of the flexible chamber, wherein the chamber is a single chamber, said object or portion of the object extending through the opening into the volume defined by the flexible chamber; a collapsible frame, wherein the collapsible frame supports the flexible chamber away from the object or the portion of the object to be treated while the appliance is in use, and wherein the collapsible frame comprises one or more longitudinal frame members extending longitudinally along the length of the chamber and one or more circumferential frame members extending circumferentially across the chamber generally transverse to a longitudinal axis of the chamber, at least one of the one or more longitudinal members being movable between a collapsed configuration and an extended configuration; a sealing mechanism to seal the opening so that reduced pressure may be maintained within the volume of the flexible chamber; and a reduced pressure supply mechanism to operably connect the flexible chamber to a reduced pressure supply source that provides a supply of reduced pressure to the flexible chamber, so that the volume within the flexible chamber is supplied with reduced pressure by the reduced pressure supply source in an amount sufficient to treat a wound, and wherein the chamber has a substantially uniform pressure throughout the volume defined by the flexible chamber; wherein the flexible chamber and the collapsible frame may be collapsed to a smaller size when the appliance is not in use, and wherein the one or more longitudinal frame members and the one or more circumferential frame members of the collapsible frame comprise at least one inflatable member, wherein the at least one inflatable member is inflated with a pressurized fluid when the appliance is in use and may be deflated when the appliance is not in use; and
the appliance is further comprised of a pressurized fluid supply source and pressurized fluid supply mechanism to operably connect the collapsible frame to the pressurized fluid supply source, so that the at least one inflatable member is supplied with the pressurized fluid by the pressurized fluid supply source. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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Specification