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AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
InventorsWilliam B. Albery, Lloyd D. Tripp
Estimating the term…
A new portable apparatus and method for sequentially pumping blood headward to assist cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and other medical procedures is disclosed. A pair of autocycling retrograde inflation trousers comprise calf and thigh encircling air bladders and abdomen covering air bladders connected in pneumatic series so that as the air bladders are filled starting with the furthermost (from the heart) calf encircling air bladders, the bladders sequentially fill to force, or milk, blood headward. The trousers are filled from an adjustable autocycling air pressure regulator connected to a standard fire department self-contained breathing apparatus air bottle. The air pressure regulator adjusts the air pressure between a higher pressure sufficient to force blood flow headward and a lower pressure sufficient to maintain peripheral vascular resistance. The autocycling inflation and deflation controlled by the air pressure regulator aids a heath care provider in timing CPR. A pulmonary face mask can also be made part of the CPR apparatus.
A system for enhancing blood flow to and from the heart during cardiopulmonary resuscitation of a patient, comprising:
A method for enhancing blood flow to and from the heart during cardiopulmonary resuscitation of a patient, comprising peristaltically pumping blood headward from the legs and abdomen of the patient by cyclically inflating and deflating a plurality of leg and body encircling bladders connected in pneumatic series from encircling bladders furthermost from the heart to encircling bladders innermost toward the heart, the inflation starting at the encircling bladders furthermost from the heart and flowing headward toward the encircling bladders innermost toward the heart, wherein the cyclic inflation and deflation is between a preselected lower pressure and a preselected higher pressure, and wherein the lower preselected pressure is preselected to be sufficient to maintain peripheral vascular resistance in the body areas of the patient covered by the encircling bladders.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.