Tourniquet effector
First Claim
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1. A tourniquet effector for applying pressure to a body through which arterial blood flows, comprising:
- an effector having a back face and a front face that includes at least two pressure sensors;
a fixture structure for supporting the effector adjacent to a surface on the body;
an actuator attached between effector back face and the fixture structure, the actuator being movable and controllable for advancing the effector to press the effector front face against a contact area on the body surface at a particular orientation of the front face relative to the contact area;
wherein the pressure sensors produce a pressure signal indicative of the pressure applied by the front face to the contact area; and
a controller for controlling the actuator, the controller being in communication with the pressure sensors for receiving the pressure signal, the controller operable for estimating and indicating a pressure gradient in the body that is produced by the front face of the effector when pressed against the contact area of the body surface, whereby the pressure gradient is a rate of change of pressure across a distance in the body.
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Abstract
Tourniquet effector system estimates and indicates the pressure gradients produced on the surface of the body by an effector, thereby allowing the pressure gradients to be minimized. The system also detects and monitors blood flow beneath the effector, thereby allowing the pressure applied by the effector to be regulated near the minimum necessary to stop blood flow past the effector.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A tourniquet effector for applying pressure to a body through which arterial blood flows, comprising:
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an effector having a back face and a front face that includes at least two pressure sensors; a fixture structure for supporting the effector adjacent to a surface on the body; an actuator attached between effector back face and the fixture structure, the actuator being movable and controllable for advancing the effector to press the effector front face against a contact area on the body surface at a particular orientation of the front face relative to the contact area; wherein the pressure sensors produce a pressure signal indicative of the pressure applied by the front face to the contact area; and a controller for controlling the actuator, the controller being in communication with the pressure sensors for receiving the pressure signal, the controller operable for estimating and indicating a pressure gradient in the body that is produced by the front face of the effector when pressed against the contact area of the body surface, whereby the pressure gradient is a rate of change of pressure across a distance in the body. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A tourniquet effector for stopping arterial blood flow in a body, comprising:
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an effector having a front face sized to overlie an artery in a region of the body and having a predetermined area, the effector also having a back face; actuation means for applying force to the back face to position the effector front face at a surface of the body to overlie the artery and for applying the effector front face to the body surface with a level of pressure sufficient to stop blood flow in the artery; pressure sensors mounted at the front face for estimating at least two levels of pressure applied by the effector front face to at least two locations between which is defined a distance across the body surface; and means for communicating with the sensors and for producing a user-perceptible indication of a pressure gradient, wherein the pressure gradient is a rate of change of pressure across a distance in the body. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
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Specification