Compression device
AssigneeThe Kendall Company
InventorJohn F. Dye
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This invention relates to venous blood flow in a patient's limb which is promoted by repeating a cycle of sequentially applying compressive pressures against a patient's limb through a flexible, pressurizable sleeve having pressure chambers progressively arranged along the limb in relation to the patient's heart. Specifically, the pressure chambers from the distal to proximal are pressurized until they are at their appropriate pressures so as to collapse the veins in the limb. At the end of the most proximal compression, a foot chamber is compressed at a substantially higher pressure than the other chambers to force a bolus of blood from the foot into the limb causing the collapsed veins to open, the support of the chambers minimizing distention of the veins and enhancing the transmitting of blood up the limb.
Claims17
In the method of promoting venous blood flow in a patient's limb, the limb being a leg having a foot having a sole essentially between the ball and the heel of the foot, the method having repeating compression cycles of applying compressive pressure to the lower and upper portions of the limb and decompression cycles where the compressive pressure is released;
- the improvement wherein at the end of each compression cycle, a significantly higher pressure is applied at the sole of the foot whereby to compress the veins in the foot and thereby provide enhanced blood flow up the limb.
A method of promoting venous blood flow in a patient's limb, the limb being a leg having a foot having a sole essentially between the ball and the heel of the foot, which method comprises repeating cycles of application of pressure against a patient's limb, the application of pressure in each cycle comprising the steps of:
- applying pressure sequentially to pressure chambers progressively arranged along the limb from a lower portion of the limb to an upper portion of the limb;
- and
- after the pressure chambers from said lower portion to the upper portion have reached their appropriate pressures, applying, a significantly higher pressure to a pressure chamber at the sole of the foot so as to compress the veins in the foot whereby to provide enhanced flow of blood up the limb.
A method of promoting venous blood flow in a patient's limb, the limb being a leg having a foot having a sole essentially between the ball and the heel of the foot, by applying compressive pressure to the limb, comprising the steps of:
- covering the limb of a patient from a lower portion of the limb to an upper portion of the limb proximal the patient's heart with a pressure garment providing a pressure gradient to the limb decreasing proximally from the lower portion to the upper portion;
- and
- applying repeating compression cycles to the foot to provide, in each compression cycle, a significantly higher pressure at the sole of the foot so as to compress the veins in the foot whereby to enhance blood flow up the limb.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.