DELIVERY PREPARATION AND FACILITATION DEVICE AND PREPARATORY GYMNASTICS

• US 20020010441A1
• Filed: 10/15/1999
• Published: 01/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wilhelm Horkel
• Original Assignee: Wilhelm Horkel
• Inventors: HORKEL, WILHELM
• Granted Patent: US 6,648,842 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/279
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/42 Gynaecological or obstetrical instruments or methods ligaturing clamps or clips for the umbilical cord A61B17/122; curettage A61B17/320708; dilators A61M29/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00544 pneumatically
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00557 inflatable A61B2017/22051 takes precedence

Abstract

The present invention pertains to a device for preparing a pregnant woman to delivery and facilitating the delivery itself. Said device comprises an entirely expandable stretch body, which is positioned in the expulsion area of the urogenital canal in such a way that it is partly inside the vagina and partly outside. The invention also relates to preparatory gymnastics method involving the inventive device.

Claims

1. Device for preparing to give birth and making delivery easier for a pregnant woman, the device having an expandable elongated body which is positionable in the area of the vaginal orifice such that it is located partly inside the vagina and partly outside the vagina, characterized in that,

the body is constructed to be expandable in its entirety wherein it comprises a waist portion (15;

23) expandable along with the body, the waist portion being self-centering in the area of the vaginal orifice (4) during use.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the body is expandable by means of a variable air or fluid inflation.

3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the body is formed as a balloon (1;

20) having at least one inflation hose (12;

28) on its end directed during use outwardly.

4. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that the balloon (1;

20) is an assembly of two half-shells (13, 14;

21, 22) connected together along a circumferential seam (15;

23).

5. Device according to claim 4, characterized in that the circumferential seam is arranged in the area of the waist region (15;

23).

6. Device according to claim 4, characterized in that the wall strength of the outer half-shell is larger during use than the inner half-shell.

7. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that the device includes an air-pump (5;

32) with an air-pressure gauge (6;

31) connected to the inflation hose (12;

30) of the balloon.

8. Device according to claim 7, characterized in that an air-release screw (33) is provided between the air-pump (5;

32) and the air pressure gauge (6;

31), the pressure in the balloon (1;

20) being adjustable by means of the air release screw.

9. Device according to claim 7, characterized in that a safety valve is provided to limit the maximum pressure.

10. Device according to claim 4, characterized in that the half-shells (21, 22) form two air tight chambers separated from one another.

11. Device according to claim 10, characterized in that the half-shell (21) positioned in the vagina is inflatable by means of a separate inflation hose 26.

12. Device according to claim 10, characterized in that the device comprises a three-way valve (29) for selecting the inflation mode of the two half-shells (21, 22).

13. An exercice method for preparing to give birth using a device according to claim 1, characterized in that,

the expandable body is positioned partly outside and partly inside the vaginal orifice (4), thereafter the expandable body is expanded to a desired dimension and finally in the expanded state maintained a predetermined time in its position.

14. Method according to claim 14 (sic), characterized in that the expansion of the expandable body is increased with repeated use in order to achieve an increasing preparatory stretching of the birth canal.

15. Method according to claim 15 (sic),characterized in that the expandable body is pulled from the vagina (2) after a period of time.

17. Method according to claim 15, characterized in that the expansion of the waist region is selected to be up to a diameter of 10 cm.

16. Method according to claim 16 (sic), characterized in that the time period is between 10 to 20 minutes, preferably 15 minutes.