Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
- BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to therapeutic and pro-
phylactic devices,and more particularly to sleeves for applying
compressive pressures against a patient's limb.
It is known that the velocity of blood flow in a
patient's extremities, particularly the leys, markedly decreases
during confinement of the patient. Such pooling or stasis of
blood is particularly pronounced during surgery, immediately
after surgery, and when the patient has ~een confine~ to bed for
ex~ended periods of time. It is also known that stasis of blood
is a significant cause leading to the formation o thrombi in the
patient's extremities, which may have a s~vere deleterious effect
- on the pAtient, including death. A~ditionally, in certain
patients it is desirable to move flui2 out of interstitial spaces
in extremity tissues, in oraer to reduce swelling associated with
edema in the extremities~
Devices have been proposed for use in increasing the
~elocity of blood ~low through the patient's limbs and minimizing
edema, such as the devices disclosed in applicani's copending
applications Serial Nos. ~25,990 and 6?6,018, filed October 28,
1975, and incorporated herein by reference. These devices com-
prise a compression sleeve and a controller for sequentially
inflating and deflating pressure chambers in the sleeve~ It is
; desirable that such sleeves may be adjusted to the size of a par-
ticular patient in order to permit use of thè sleeve on patients
of varying leg sizes~ Additionally, the sleeves may tightly
enclose the patient's limb, and it is desirable to increase ven-
tilation o~ the patient's limb beneath the sleeve.
: . ' .
.~ ' ' ' ' ' ~' ' .
'' ' : . .
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
. . . _ . .
A principal feature of the present invention is the -
provision of an improved compression sleeve for applying compres-
sive pressures against a patient's limb.
The sleeve of the present invention comprises, a plural-
ity of separate fluid pressure chambers arranged longitudinally
along the sleevej-and a sizer portion located intermediate a pair
of adjoining pressure chambers. The sizer portion has a suf~i-
cient length to permit adjustment of the sleeve between a first
position with the adjoining chambers being spaced apart a rela-
tively small distance and a second position with the adjoining
chambers being spaced from each other a relatively large distance.
A feature of the present invention is that the sizer
portion permits adjustment of the sleeve pressure chambers on
limbs of varying sizes.
~nother feature of the present invention is that the
sizer portion may comprise a ventilation chamber having a plural-
ity of openings communicating with the ventilation chamber an~
facing the patient's limb.
Thus, a feature of the present invention is that air
may be passed into the ventilation chamber and through the open
~` ings to ventilate the patientis limb during use of the sleeve.
~ Further features will become more fully apparent in the
`~ following descriE~tion of the embodiments of this invention and
` 2~ from the appendecl claims.
:- .
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawinqs:
'~
: -2-
`: ` `: `
,
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a com~ression device
having a pair of compression sleeves of the present invention;
Fig. ~ is a fragmentary front plan view of the compres-
sion sleeve of Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is a back plan view of the sleeve of Fi~. 2;
Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially as indi-
cated along the line 4--4 of Fig~ 3;
Fig. 5 is a sectional view-of a sixer portion in the
sleeve as folded to reduce thQ length of the sleeve; and
Fig. 6 is a fragmentary front plan view of another
embodiment o the sleeve of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION O~ T~E PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
.... ..
Referring now to Fig. 1, there is shown a compression
device generally designated 20 for applYlng compressive pressures
: 15 against a patient's extremities, such as the legs. The compres-
sion device 2~ has a control apparatus 22, and a pair of compres-.
sion sleeves 26 for enclosing lengths of the patient's legs. As
disclosed in applicantls copending aPplications Serial Nos.
625,990 and 626,018~ the control apParatuS intermittently forms
one or more fluid pressure pulses from a source S of pressurized
gas during periodic compression or inflation cycles, and the
pulses are ~eParately applied to the sleeves 26 through two sets
of conduits 34a and 34b which are separately connected to the
sleeves. Also, the sleeves are intermittently deflated b~ the
control apParatUS 2~ during periodic deflation or decompression
cycles between the compression cycles.
As shown in Figs. 2-4, the sleeves 26 have a pair of
~` '
.
~` ' ' ~ ' ' '
i~,,
~ .
~.
7 '~
flexible outer and inner sheets 36 and 38 which are made from a
fluid imper~.ious mate~ial~ such as pol w inyl chloride. The
sheets 36 and 38 have a pair of s:ide edges 40a and 40b, and a
pair of end edges 42a and 42b connecting t~e side edges 40a and
: 5 bt A~ shown in Fig$~ 3 and 4, the sheets have a plurality of
laterally extending lines a4, such as line~ of sealing~ and a
pair of longitudinally extending lines 46, such as lines of seal-
in~r connectin~ the sheets 36 an~ 38 to~ether and connecting enls
of the lateral line~ 44~ ~s shown. The connecting lines 44 and
46 define a plurality of pressuxe chambers 48a~ 48b, 48Cr 48d,
48er and 48f which extend laterall~ ~n the sheet~ and which are
disposed longitudinallv in the sleeve between the end edaes 42a
and 4~b~ ~hen the sleeve ~s placed an the patient's leg~ the
lowermost chamber 48a i5 located on a lower part o~ the leg adja-
cent-the atient'~ ankle, while the uppermost chamber is located
on an upper part of the leg adjacent the mid-thigh..
- As shown, the sleeve 26 has a pair of lines 44' and 44"
defining a vent~lation chamber or sizing portion 50 which extends
between the adjoining pressure chambers 48d and 48e, such that
the ventilating chamber 50 separates the pressure chambers into
a set of lower contiguous chambers 48a, b, c, and d, and a set of
upper contiguous chambers 48e and f. The inner sheet 38 has a
plurality of ventilation openings 52 extending through the sheet
38 and communicating with the ventilation chamber 50~ In addi-
tionj the ventilation chamber 50 has a sufficient length to permitmovement of the sleeve between a first position with the adjoining
; chambers 48d and e being spaced apart a relatively small distance
and a second position with the adjoining chambers 48d and e being
.
!
.
` '
_4_
.
spaced from each other a relatively large distance. In one form,
the ventilating chamber 50 may have a lenyth approximately the
same as the pressure chambers 48a-f.
In a preferrea embodiment, the side edges 4Oa and 4Ob
and the connecting lines 46 are tapered from the end edge 42a
toward the end edge 42b. Thus, the sleeve 26 has a reduced con-
figuration adjacent its lower end to facilitate placement of the
sleeve on the more narrow regions of the leg adjacent the patient's
ankles. Moxeover, it will be seen that the connecting lines 44
and 46 define chambers having volumes which progressively increase
in si~e from the lowermost pressure chamber 48a to the uppermost
pressure chamber 48f. The relative size of the chambers facili-
tates the device to develop a compressive pressure gradient dur-
ing the compression or inflation cycles which decreases from a
1~ lower part of the sleeve adjacent the end edge 42b toward an
upper part of the sleeve adjacent the end edge 42a. As shown in
Fig. 2, the sleeves 26 have a plurality of connectors 58 which
are secured to the sheet 36 and which communicate wi~h the sepa-
rate pressure chambers and ventilation chamber in the sleeve 26.
As illustrated in Fig. 1, the connectors 58 are secured to the
conduits 34a and b, such that the conduits separately communicate
with the pressure chambers and ventilation chamber in the sleeve
through the connectors 58.
As best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the sleeves 26 may have
a plurality of hook and loop strips 60 and 62, respectively, to
releasably secure the sleeves about the patient's legs. The hook
strips 60 extend past one of the side edges 4Ob of the sleeve,
while the loop strips 62 are secured to the outside of the outer
: , .
_5_
sheet 36. During pla~ement, the sleeves 26 are wrapped around
the patient's legs with the inner sheet 38 and ventilating open-
ings 52 facing the legs, and the hook strips 60 are releasably
attached to the associated loop strips 62 on the outside of the
sleeves in order to secure the sleeves on the legs and confine
movement of the sleeves away from the patient's legs when
inflated during operation of the device.
In use, the control apparatus 2Z intermittently
inflates the pressure chambers 48a-f in a manner producing.a com-
pressive pressure gradient which progressively decreases from aIower to upper portion of the sleeve. After the compression
cycles have been completed, the control apparatus 22 deflates the
pressure chambers during periodic decompression cycles between
the compression cycles, after which the control apparatus 22
repeats the compression cycles.
In addition, the control apparatus passes air through
the conduits 34a and b associated with the ventilation chambers
50 in the sleeves 26, and the air passes from the ventilation
chambers 50 through the openings 52 against the patient's legs.
In this manner, the compression device 20 causes passage of air
between the sleeves 26 and the patient's limbs in order to venti- -
late the patient's lègs during use of the device. The air may be
continuously supplied to the ventilating chambers, or, if desired,
only during the decompression cycles when the sleeves are more
loosely fitted about the limbs.
The ventilation chamber 50 also comprises a sizing por-
tion of the sleeve in order to permit adjustment of the sleeve on
limbs of varying lengths. Thus, for a patient having relatively
~ .
-6-
415~
long legs, the sleeves ~6 are secured about the patient's limbs
with the ventilation chambers 50 in a generally planar configura-
tion such that the adjoining chambexs 48d and e are spaced apart
a relatively large distance in their second position. For a
patient having relatively short legs, the ventilation chambers
or sizing portions 50 are folded about a laterally extending cen~
tral fold line 54, such that the effective length of the sleeves
26 between the ~djoining chambers 48d and e is reduced in their
first position. Thus, the sleeves 26 are secured about the
patient's legs with the sizing portions 50 folded into a configu-
- ration of reduced longitudinal dimensions, and with the pressure
chambers located at the proper position on -the patient's l~gs.
ID this manner, the compression sleeves 26 may be readily adjusted
to the particular size of the patient's limbs in order to obtain
proper placement of the pressure chambers on the patient's limbs
` and minimize the number of sleeves of differing lengths which
~; would otherwise be required to properly fit patients of varying
leg sizes. In a preferred form, the sleeve sizing portions 50
are located in the region of the patient's knees whether the
sleeves are secured about the patient's legs in their reduced
or enlarged configuration.
Another embodiment of the present invention is illus-
trated in Fig. 6, in which like reference numerals designate like
~ parts. In this embodiment, the sizing portion 50' is uninflated
; 25 during use of the device. The sizing portion may comprise a
closed chamber, or, if desired, may comprise a seal extending
between the adjoining chambers 48d and e. The sizing portion 50'
may be utllized to shorten or lengthen the compression sleeves
.
~ -7~
?,~7
for patients with varying leg si~es in a manner as previously
described.
The foregoing detailed descriptic~n is given for clear-
ness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should
be understood therefrom, as modifications will be obvious to
those skilled in the art~
' :
.
.
