Patent Application
20220354738
The subject matter is related to systems and methods for providing mechanical cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a medical procedure performed on patients to maintain some level of circulatory and respiratory functions when patients otherwise have limited or no circulatory and respiratory functions. CPR is generally not a procedure that restarts circulatory and respiratory functions, but can be effective to preserve enough circulatory and respiratory functions for a patient to survive until the patient's own circulatory and respiratory functions are restored. CPR typically includes frequent torso compressions that usually are performed by pushing on or around the patient's sternum while the patient is lying on the patient's back. For example, torso compressions can be performed as at a rate of about 100 compressions per minute and at a depth of about 5 cm per compression for an adult patient. The frequency and depth of compressions can vary based on a number of factors, such as valid CPR guidelines.
Mechanical CPR has several advantages over manual CPR. A person performing CPR, such as a medical first-responder, must exert considerable physical effort to maintain proper compression timing and depth. Over time, fatigue can set in and compressions can become less consistent and less effective. The person performing CPR must also divert mental attention to performing manual CPR properly and may not be able to focus on other tasks that could help the patient. For example, a person performing CPR at a rate of 100 compressions per minute would likely not be able to simultaneously prepare a defibrillator for use to attempt to restart the patient's heart. Mechanical compression devices can be used with CPR to perform compressions that would otherwise be done manually. Mechanical compression devices can provide advantages such as providing constant, proper compressions for sustained lengths of time without fatiguing, freeing medical personnel to perform other tasks besides CPR compressions, and being usable in smaller spaces than would be required by a person performing CPR compressions.
Mechanical CPR devices, and other medical devices, may provide advantages to performing medical tasks manually, for example, on patients having average dimensions. However, adjustability is needed in these devices to accommodate smaller and larger patients, to provide assistance in performing medical operations on these patients, without causing added risk.
Illustrative embodiments of the present application include, without limitation, methods, structures, and systems. In one aspect, a mechanical CPR device may include a piston, for example, to drive chest compressions of a patient to perform CPR. The piston may have a suction cup attached to an end of the piston for contacting the sternum/torso of a patient. A drive component/controller may control the piston to extend the piston toward a patient's torso and retract the piston away from the patient's torso, to perform mechanical CPR. In order to accommodate patients having smaller dimensions, and particularly smaller chest or sternum heights, an extendable piston may be used to perform mechanical CPR. In one aspect, an extendable piston may include an inner piston having an outward surface, with at least one grove or recess disposed on the outward surface. An external piston sleeve, which may be part of or connected to a body of a mechanical CPR device, may be slidable over the inner piston. In some cases, the inner piston may be biased to at least partially slide into the external piston sleeve. A removable external piston spacer may be configured, when engaged to the at least one groove of the outward surface of the inner piston, to oppose the bias on the inner piston to prevent the inner piston from sliding into the external piston sleeve. The removable external piston spacer may, when attached to the inner piston, extend a length of the piston by a measurable distance, for example to enable the suction cup on an end of the piston to engage a smaller sternum of a patient. In some cases, the extendable piston, and/or mechanical CPR device, may include one or more sensors. The one or more sensors may detect the presence of the removable external piston spacer and/or determine the adjusted length of the piston itself, including the length of the inner piston and the external piston sleeve. This information may then be communicated to and used by a controller or motor of the mechanical CPR device to adjust motion of the piston to perform mechanical CPR.
In some cases, the sensor may be an inner piston sensor that detects the position of the inner piston relative to the external piston sleeve. In some implementations, the inner piston sensor may detect a displacement of the inner piston caused by the removable external piston spacer and communicate the displacement to a piston controller. The piston controller may subsequently modify movement or oscillation of the extendable piston to perform mechanical CPR.
In some examples, one or more spring members disposed about or around the inner piston may bias the inner piston to at least partially slide into the external piston sleeve. In some cases, a motor or drive component of the mechanical CPR device may bias the inner piston.
In some examples, the outward-facing surface of the inner piston may include two opposing grooves or recesses. The removable external piston spacer may correspondingly include two opposing flanges configured to engage the two opposing grooves of the inner piston. In some cases, the two opposing grooves may each define a substantially rectangular recess and each of the two opposing flanges may include a ridge having a substantially rectangular shape.
In another aspect, an extendable piston may include a center piston having at least one locking rod extending outwardly from the center piston. An external piston sleeve of the extendable piston may be rotatably connected to or disposed around the center piston. The extendable piston may additionally include an internal bayonet sleeve, having a length, that is rotatably disposed along an outside surface of the center piston between a compression spring and a decompression spring also positioned on the outside surface of the center piston. The internal bayonet sleeve may include a plurality of locking grooves, located at different angular positions and having different lengths along the internal bayonet sleeve, configured to engage the at least one locking rod. The at least one locking rod may be alignable with at least one of the locking grooves, for example, by rotating the center piston relative to the internal bayonet sleeve. Rotating the center piston relative to the internal bayonet sleeve may, as a result, adjust a length of center piston relative to the external piston sleeve, thus increasing or decreasing the length of the extendable piston. In some aspects, the extendable piston may include a sensor, such as a center piston sensor, that can detect a position or displacement of the center piston relative to the external piston sleeve. The sensor may communicate the displacement to a piston controller, which may modify an oscillation of the extendable piston based on the displacement. In some cases, detection of the position/displacement of the center piston may include detecting which of the grooves of the internal bayonet sleeve is engaged by the at least one locking rod. In some examples, the sensor may be part of or associated with a controller of a drive component (e.g., a motor or drive shaft) of a mechanical CPR device attached to the center piston and/or the external piston sleeve.
In another aspect, an extendable piston may be realized through a piston adapter. The piston adapter may include a suction cup or other patient engagement device and a body attached to the suction cup having a gas check valve. The piston adapter may further include a piston connection surface disposed on an end of the body, opposed to the suction cup, configured to temporarily adhere to a planar or other surface in response to activation of the gas check valve. In some examples, the piston connection surface may adhere to a piston, for example, of a mechanical CPR device. The gas check valve may, when activated, exert a suction pressure against a surface of the piston, between the surface of the piston and the piston connection surface of the piston adapter. In some cases, the mechanical CPR device may further include a drive component or motor, controlled by a controller. One or more sensors, either disposed on the piston adapter or on the piston or other part of the mechanical CPR device, may detect when the piston connection surface of the piston adapter contacts a surface of the piston. The sensor may indicate the connection of the piston adapter to the controller, such that the control may modify movement of the piston to accommodate the extra length of the piston added by the piston adapter.
Throughout the drawings, reference numbers may be re-used to indicate correspondence between referenced elements. The drawings are provided to illustrate example embodiments described herein and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure.
Mechanical CPR compression devices having an adjustable length piston can provide many advantages over manual CPR compressions and/or non-adjustable mechanical CPR compression devices. As will be described in greater detail below, the use of an adjustable piston with a mechanical CPR device may provide additional benefits, including adaptability to accommodate patients of different sizes. It should be appreciated that the devices and techniques described herein may similarly be used in other applications. These other applications may include other mechanical devices, particularly medical devices, where patients of different sizes may require treatment.
The main portion 115 can include a piston 140 with an end 145. The end 145 can be blunt, contoured, or otherwise configured to interact with a patient's torso. The end 145 can also have a suction cup that can temporarily attach to a patient's torso. The main portion 115 can include other components. For example, the main portion 115 can include a drive component, such as a motor or actuator, that can extend and retract the piston 140. The main portion 115 can include a power source, such as a rechargeable battery, that can provide power for the drive component. The main portion 115 can also include a controller that can control the movement of the piston 140 by controlling the drive component. In one embodiment, the controller can include a processor and memory, and the memory stores instructions that can be executed by the processor. The instructions can include instructions for controlling the piston 140 by controlling the drive component. The main portion 115 can also include one or more sensors that can provide inputs to the controller. The one or more sensors can include one or more of a force sensor to sense a force exerted by the piston 140, a spring sensor to sense a displacement of the piston 140, a current sensor to sense an amount of current drawn by the drive component, or any other type of sensor. The main portion 115 can also include one or more user input mechanisms, such as buttons, keys, displays, and the like. A user can input information to adjust the operation of the mechanical CPR device 100, such as a depth of compressions, a frequency of compressions, a maximum exertion force by the piston 140, and the like.
In addition to the mechanical CPR device 100,
In
From position 220, depicted in
From position 230, the piston 140 can be retracted to the position 210, as depicted in
In some cases, position 210, where the suction cup 145 engages the patient's torso 220, may be defined as a reference point or position. From this position 210, the compression and decompression stroke of the piston 140 can be determined. Defining and using reference position 210 as a position from which to measure the depth of CPR compressions and the height of CPR decompressions can help to avoid unintended injury to a patient. For example, a manual CPR device can be placed on a patient's torso and a user can manually push or pull on the manual CPR device to cause compressions or decompressions. However, the user of the manual CPR device does not have any reference position from which to measure the depth of compressions or the height of decompressions. Without a reference position, the user can cause additional injuries to the patient. For example, if the user pushes the manual CPR device down too far into the patient's chest during a compression, the compression might break one or more of the patient's ribs. When one or more of the patient's ribs are broken, it may be easier to compress the patient's chest and a subsequent compression by user of the manual CPR device can cause even more of the patient's ribs to be broken, and injury to the patient's internal organs. In contrast, establishing reference position 210 with respect to the patient's torso 220 can prevent CPR compressions from extending too deep. Moreover, even if one injury does occur (e.g., the breaking of a patient's rib), the reference position 230 will not change and the likelihood that a subsequent compression will cause even further injury can be reduced.
Using a reference position can also be beneficial is circumstances where the patient is not located in a stable or a flat position. For example, if a patient is being transported, such as on a stretcher or an ambulance, the patient may be jostled around or otherwise not in a stable position. However, if the mechanical CPR device is moving with the patient (e.g., if mechanical CPR is being performed in an ambulance while the patient is being transported), the reference position of the piston 140 or suction cup 145 can remain relatively fixed with respect to the patient and the mechanical CPR device can avoid over-compression and over-decompression. Thus, the benefits of avoiding unintended injury could still be realized if the patient is otherwise moving. In another example, the patient can be located in a position that is not flat, such as if the patient is being transported down stairs or the patient is on rough terrain. In these cases, if the mechanical CPR device is located with the patient in the same non-flat position, the reference position used by the mechanical CPR device would reflect the patient's non-flat position and the mechanical CPR device could avoid over-compression and over-decompression. A user performing manual CPR under such conditions may have difficulty in maintaining a desired compression depth and/or decompression height.
In some cases, the patient's torso may be of a smaller dimension, such that its maximum height is below position 210. This position is depicted in
In some cases, the external piston spacer 555, the inner piston 510, and/or the external piston sleeve 505 may be defined by a circular or oval cross-section. In other cases, the external piston spacer 555, the inner piston 510, and/or the external piston sleeve 505 may be defined by other cross-sections, such as, rectangular, polygon, and so forth, such that the external piston spacer 555, the inner piston 510, and the external piston sleeve 505 have the same shaped-cross section (but not necessarily the same dimensions). In other examples, the external piston spacer 555, the inner piston 510, and/or the external piston sleeve 505 may have different-shaped cross-sections, that are engagable or slidable about each other.
As depicted in
A removable external piston spacer 555, as depicted in
As depicted in
In some examples, the one or more sensors 570 may be part of the drive component or motor of the mechanical CPR device 100. In this scenario, the sensor(s) 570 may be wipers that detect the angular position of the motor or drive component, for example of a drive shaft of a motor. The drive component may be configured, for example via instructions such as computer code and the like, to adjust at least one of a stroke compression and stroke decompression based on the detected change in resting angular position of the drive shaft.
In the example illustrated, the flanges 560 and 565 may be spaced at 180 degrees apart from one another, each positioned at an external edge of the external piston spacer 555. In this example, the external piston spacer 555 may also wrap approximately 180 degrees or less around the inner piston 510.
In some examples, the external piston spacer may have a length that is less than the length of the inner piston 510, so as to be engagable about the outward face 512. In the example illustrated, the flanges 560, 565 may prevent the inner piston 510 from sliding, at least partially, into the external piston sleeve 505, for example by opposing a bias created by spring 545, a drive component, or any number of spring or elastic members. In other examples, a body of the external piston spacer 555 may prevent the inner piston 510 from sliding, at least partially, into the external piston sleeve 505.
The inner piston 510 may include a center piston 615, which may include one or more aspects of center piston portion 535 described above. The center piston 615 may be axially positioned relative to the external piston sleeve 505. The center piston 615 may contact a compression spring 605 at one end proximate to the piston end 515 and may contact a decompression spring 610 at an opposing end proximate to the external piston sleeve 505. The compression spring 605 and/or the decompression spring 610 may bias the center piston 615 to at least partially slide into the external piston sleeve 505. In some cases, the compression spring 605 may detect a force applied between the piston end 515, for example against a patient, and the center piston 615. The compression of the spring 605 may inform a controller or drive mechanism of the mechanical CPR device 100 when a fully compressed position has been reached. Similarly, the decompression spring 610 may detect a force applied between the center piston 615 and the external piston sleeve 505. The decompression of the spring 610 may inform a controller or drive mechanism of the mechanical CPR device 100 when a fully decompressed position has been reached. The center piston 615 and/or the inner piston 510 may be rotatably connected to a mechanical CPR device (not shown), such as device 100, by a retaining ring 640. In some cases, the center piston 615 may be connected to and driven by a drive shaft or other drive component of the mechanical CPR device 100. The drive component may drive the center piston 615 to extend away from and retract toward the CPR device 100 and the external piston sleeve 505.
An internal bayonet sleeve 620 may slidably surround or engage a portion of an outside surface 616 of the center piston 615. The internal bayonet sleeve 620 may form a ring or partial ring around the center piston 615. The bayonet sleeve 620 may have a length 621 and may have a plurality of grooves 625, 630 on one end. The plurality of grooves 625, 630 may be located at different angular positions around the bayonet sleeve 620 and may have varying lengths relative to length 621 of the bayonet sleeve 620. For example, groove 625 may only define a space having a short length, while groove 630 may define a space having a length equal to length 621 of the bayonet sleeve 620. Any number of grooves 625, 630 having varying lengths may similarly define spaces on bayonet sleeve 620.
One or more locking rods 635 may be positioned on the outside surface 616 of the center piston 615. The locking rod(s) 635 may have any number of shapes, such as circular, rectangular, polygon, etc., and may extend beyond the outside surface 616 a distance. The distance may be short enough to allow the center piston 615 and the locking rods 635 to rotate 645 relative to the outward surface 512 and/or the internal bayonet sleeve 620. In some cases, the one or more locking rods 635 may be connected to the outward surface 512, such that rotating the inner piston 510 may rotate the center piston 615.
The one or more locking rods 635 may have a width that is similar to or slightly smaller than a width of grooves 625, 630 of the internal bayonet sleeve 620, such that the locking rod(s) 635 may engage one or more grooves 625, 630. When one or more locking rods 635 engage one or more grooves 625, 630, the center piston 615 may be locked or rotationally fixed relative to the internal bayonet sleeve 620 and/or the outward surface or plate 512.
As depicted in
In some cases, one or more sensors 665 may be positioned on the outer piston 505 to detect a change in the length of the inner piston 510/the entire piston 140 (including the inner piston 510 and the external piston sleeve 505), caused by positioning the locking rods 635 in different grooves 625, 630. In some cases, the one or more sensors 665 may include an n electrical sensor, such as a wiper or potentiometer, a mechanical sensor, and/or an optical sensors. In some cases, the one or more sensors 665 may detect a position of the inner piston 510 relative to the external piston sleeve 505, may detect the angular position of a drive component of the mechanical CPR device 100, and/or may detect contact between the locking rods 635 and one or more grooves 625, 630. In some examples, each contact position between a groove 625, 630 and a locking rod 635 may be associated with a predetermined or pre-measured distance or displacement. Upon detection by sensor(s) 665, the corresponding displacement value may be accessed and used to calibrate a controller or drive component of the mechanical CPR device.
To attach the piston adapter 700 to the piston 140, the piston adapter 700 may be positioned beneath the piston surface 750 and the piston connection surface 715 may be moved to contact the piston surface 715. Upon contact, a gas check valve 725 may be engaged to temporarily or removably adhere the piston connection surface 715 to the piston surface 750. In some examples, the piston surface 750 or other part of piston 140 may include one or more sensors 755. The one or more sensors 755 may detect when the surfaces 750 and 715 come into contact. The one or more sensors 755 may include any of pressure sensors, optical sensors, force sensors, etc. In some aspects, upon detecting contact between surfaces 750 and 715, the piston 140 or a controller thereof may send an indication (e.g., via a wireless connection by a transceiver, a wired connection, etc.) to the piston adapter 700. Upon receiving the indication, the gas check valve 725 may be made operational. A controller of the piston 140 may detect when the piston adapter 700 is attached to the piston 140, and may prevent attachment of the piston adapter 700 to the piston 140 until the piston controller has detected and acknowledged, for example, the change in length of piston 140 due to the attachment of the piston adapter 700. In this way, injury to a patient may be reduced or eliminated that may be caused by the piston 140 being extended toward a patient without proper calibration (e.g., accounting for the length added by the piston adapter 700).
In some cases, a length of the piston adapter may be detected by the piston/sensor 755 or communicated to the piston controller by the piston adapter 700. The piston controller may then adjust a stroke of the piston 140 to account for the changed length of the piston 140.
At block 810, a reference point of the piston 140 may be adjusted based on the detected height of the patient. In some cases, the reference point may be adjusted and/or set according to the techniques described in reference to
In some cases, method 800 may include operations performed at block 815, including adjusting a length of the piston to contact the patient, for example according to the adjusted reference point. The operations at block 815 may be performed by placing an external piston spacer 500 on the piston, as described in reference to
At block 820, the stroke of the piston may be determined based on the adjusted reference position. Mechanical CPR may then be performed on a patient using the configured mechanical CPR device according to the determined stroke of the piston. In this way, compression and decompression of the piston may be calibrated to account for the added piston length. This may increase the number of patients that may be treated by a mechanical CPR device 100. Additionally or alternatively, the use of an adjustable piston may help reduce risk associated with mechanical CPR, including injury to a patient due to the compression stroke of the piston not being adjusted to a patient having a smaller torso.
The adjustable piston 904 can include an outer piston sleeve 906, which is connected to the compression device 902 and an inner piston sleeve 908 that can move relative to the outer sleeve 906 in the direction of arrow 910. In
The adjustable piston 904 can be locked at a particular length by locking the outer sleeve 906 to the inner sleeve 908. The adjustable piston 904 may include an internal locking mechanism, including a pin or ball bearing, as shown in
An end of the adjustable piston 904 may contain a suction cup 918 to temporarily attach to a patient. However, in some examples, instead of suction cup 918, an adhesive pad may be provided or the end of the adjustable piston 904 may be flat and not temporarily attach to the patient.
The adjustable piston 904 can be extended along the axis 924 to a length that is approximately double the length of the central unit 900. That is, since the adjustable piston 904 is telescoping, almost the entire outer sleeve 906 can be extended out from the central unit 900 until near the end of the screw shaft 914. Enough distance needs to be left on the screw shaft 914 to provide a compression to the patient once the adjustable piston 904 is touching or attached to the chest of the patient. The inner sleeve 908 can extend to a length that is approximately the length of the outer sleeve 906, as illustrated in
While
The compression device 902 may also include one or more distance sensors in some examples. In the example of
In the examples of
While a pin bearing and ball bearing locking mechanism are shown in
The compression device 1200 includes a two-stage telescopic linear piston that can extended longer than the height of the compression device 1200. The compression device 1200 can include a central housing 1202, a motor 1204, such as a frameless brushless torque motor, which includes a fixed outer stator 1206 and a hollow rotor 1208. The rotor 1208 can have axial splines on the inner surface which can engage and transfer torque to a cylinder 1210, also referred to as a compression housing, that has similar splines along the outer surface (not shown). This can allow torque to be transferred from the rotor 1208 to the cylinder 1210 independent of the axial position of the cylinder 1210.
The central housing 1202 is fixed to the stator 1206 and includes threads 1212 on an inner surface that engage with threads 1214 on an outer surface of cylinder 1210. The threads 1214 on the outer surface of cylinder 1210 do not need to be on the entire outer surface. As seen in
The cylinder 1210 also includes threads 1218 on an inner surface that are in contact with corresponding threads 1220 on an outer surface of a plunger 1222. The plunger 1222 is connected to an inner cylinder 1224, also referred to as a piston, which has an external pressure pad 1226. As will be understood by one skilled in the art, the end of the piston could have a suction cup in other examples, or a suction cup could attach to the pressure pad 1226.
The plunger 1222 is also in contact with sleeve 1228 and a center rod 1230. The sleeve 1228 can slide axially on the center rod 1230 and in the plunger 1222. The center rod is fixed to the central housing 1202. The cross-section of the sleeve 1228 and the center rod 1230 are non-circular to prevent the plunger 1222 from rotating when the cylinder 1210 is rotating.
The thread 1218 on the inner surface of the cylinder 1210 is an opposite direction of the thread 1212 on the inside of the central housing 1202. When the rotor 1208 rotates, the cylinder 1210 will also rotate and move up or down with respect to the stator 1206 by means of the threads 1214 of the central housing 1202. In the same rotation, the inner cylinder 1224 will also move up or down with respect to the cylinder 1210 by means of the threads 1218. Therefore, the rotation of the rotor 1208 is converted to a linear motion of the inner cylinder 1224 and the pressure pad 1226 when it compresses a patient. The cylinder 1210 also moves axially. The total movement of the external pressure pad 1226 is within the range of approximately 100% to 200% of the height of compression device 1200.
During operation, a user can select to set a height of the compression device 1200 according to a chest height of the patient. A user may manually set the height, such as by pressing a button (not shown) to rotate the motor 1204 in a first direction to retract the pressure pad 1226 or a second direction to extend the pressure pad 1226. When the pressure pad 1226 is at the desired position, compressions can begin. In some examples, the user may operate the compression device 1200 by a remote device and the instructions are received wirelessly by a controller (not shown) in the compression device 1200.
In an alternative example, the pressure pad 1226 may include a sensor. A user may select a mode to automatically set a height of the compression device 1200. A controller may instruct the motor 1204 to rotate until the sensor on the pressure pad 1226 indicates the pressure pad is in contact and/or attached to a chest of a patient. The height of the compression device 1200 can be recorded and used to begin compressions, similar to block 820 in
The compression device 1300 includes a two-stage telescopic linear piston that can extended longer than the height of the compression device 1300. The compression device 1300 can include an outer housing 1302 that would be stored in the main portion 115, a motor that includes a fixed outer stator 1304 and a hollow rotor connected to a large diameter hollow ball nut 1308. In
A piston 1314 fits within the hollow spindle 1310 and the piston 1314 has an end portion 1316 which can attach to or touch a patient's chest, or can have a suction cup or other device attached. The piston 1314 is connected to the outer housing 1302 by a spur gear 1318 and pinion 1320 mechanism.
The linear movement of the spindle 1310 also causes the spur gears 1318 to turn and can extend the piston relative to the spindle 1310. This results in a simultaneous telescopic extension of the piston 1314 with respect to the spindle 1310 and the spindle 1310 relative to the outer housing 1302.
The rotor and hollow ball nut 1308 can rotate to extend the length of the compression device 1300 until the end portion 1316 attaches to or touches as patient. The compression device 1300 can rotate the rotor and hollow ball nut 1308 to extend and retract the spindle 1310 and piston 1314 toward the patient along arrow 1312 to provide compressions. The total movement end portion 1316 is within the range of approximately 100% to 200% of the height of outer housing 1302.
As will be understood by one skilled in the art, a controller can instruct the rotor and hollow ball nut 1308 to rotate to cause the compression device 1300 to either extend to a desired height and/or to provide compressions. Although not shown, the compression device 1300 can also include a sensor for detecting the height and that information can be used to for performing compressions, similar to block 820 in
In this example, a compression mechanism 1408 is disposed in the central housing 1400. The compression mechanism 1408 can move relative to the central housing 1400 along the axis 1406. That is, the compression mechanism 1408 can extend and retract toward a patient by a driving component.
In some examples the driving component can be a worm drive to translate the compression mechanism 1408 along the axis 1406. One or more worms 1410 are provided in the central housing 1400. Worm gears 1412 are provided at the top portion of the compression mechanism 1408. The worm gears 1412 can be connected with a timing belt, illustrated in
A piston 1416 can be extended and retracted from the compression mechanism 1408. A piston driving component can be included within the compression mechanism 1408, as shown in
The piston 1416 can move separate from the compression mechanism 1408 along the axis 1406 to extend and retract from within the compression mechanism 1408 by the piston driving component. In some examples, the piston driving component could be located in the central housing 1400. In such examples, the driving component would not move with the compression mechanism 1408 but would be fixed to the central housing 1400.
The piston driving component is a linear actuator that can cause the piston to extend and retract from the compression mechanism 1408 toward and away from a patient. In the example shown in
Using the example of
Similar to the example of
In an alternative example, the end portion 1424 may include a sensor. A user may select a mode to automatically set a height of the compression device. A controller in the electronic circuitry 1404 may instruct one or both of the driving components to move the compression mechanism 1408 and/or the piston 1415. The height of the compression device can be recorded and used to begin compressions.
In this example, a compression mechanism 1604 is disposed in the central housing 1600. The compression mechanism 1604 can move relative to the central housing 1600 along the axis 1602. That is, the compression mechanism 1604 can extend and retract toward a patient by a driving component.
In this example, the driving component includes two screw shafts 1606 in the central housing 1600 attached to the compression mechanism 1604 by two ball bearings 1608. A motor 1610 causes the ball bearings 1608 to rotate to move the compression mechanism 1604 along the axis 1602.
A piston 1612 can be extended and retracted from the compression mechanism 1604. In this example, the piston is attached to a screw shaft 1614 by a ball bearing 1616. The motor 1610 also rotates the ball bearing 1616 when rotating ball bearings 1608 which causes the compression mechanism 1604 and the piston 1612 to extend and retract at the same time. Ball bearings 1608 and 1616 may be attached by a timing belt 1622. Although not shown, as will be readily understood by one skilled in the art, a second motor could be provided to drive the ball bearings 1608 separately from the ball bearing 1616. In such an example, a timing belt may be provided to ensure that the ball bearings 1616 are rotating at the same speed.
In this example, the piston 1612 may include a telescoping portion 1618 that can be manually extended from the piston 1612 to provide even greater length to the compression mechanism 1604. The telescoping portion 1618 can be manually extended using any known technique, including, but not limited to, those discussed above in
During operation, the motor 1610 rotates until a suction cup 1620 or any other end portion of the piston 1612 touches or attaches to a patient. The motor 1610 can then extend and retract both the compression mechanism 1604 and the piston 1612 in conjunction to provide compressions.
The compression mechanism 1700 includes a cover 1714 two telescopic screw shafts 1702 connected with a cog 1704 and belt mechanism 1706. A motor 1708 rotates the screw shafts 1702 by rotation of the cogs 1704. Rotational of the cogs 1704 causes the telescopic screw shafts 1702 to extend in a linear motion. Another motor 1710 may be provided within the compression mechanism 1700 as well. A plate 1712 can be connected to the frame of the compression device and can hold and/or support the motor 1708 and the cogs 1704.
The compression mechanism also includes a piston 1810. The piston 1810 is connected to a screw shaft 1812 by a ball bearing 1814. The screw shaft 1812 is connected to a second motor 1816 which rotates to drive the piston 1810 to extend and retract from the inner cover 1800. The piston 1810 includes an end portion 1818 that touches or attaches to a patient. The end portion 1818, in some examples, may be a suction cup or can allow a suction cup to be attached.
The motor 1710 can be instructed to rotate by a controller to position the end portion 1818 to attach to or touch a patient. If additional length is needed, the motor 1710 can rotate to extend the piston 1810 downward.
An assembly 1904 is provided to lower and raise the compression mechanism 1900. A ball nut 1906 can be attached to the compression mechanism 1900 by a plate 1908. A ball screw 1910 is driven by a motor 1912 and a belt 1914. On the other side of the assembly 1904, two slide shafts 1916 are provided. The plate 1908 can include two slide brushings 1918 that interact with the slide shafts 1916.
The motor 1912 rotates and causes the screw 1910 to rotate so the ball nut 1906 travels up or down the screw 1910, which causes the compression mechanism 1900 to move up and down. The compression mechanism 1900 can include any known type of compression mechanism 1900, such as driving the piston 1902 by a ball screw or any other linear actuator.
A compression mechanism holder 2002 can include a handle 2004 that is accessible outside the compression device. The handle 2004 can be pulled to cause a release lever 2006 to release the compression mechanism 2000 from the holder 2002. The handle 2004 can include a cam mechanism to allow the handle 2004 to stay open until pushed back in to lock the compression mechanism 2000 to the holder 2002.
In
When release lever 2006 is unlocked, the compression mechanism 2000 can move toward and away from a patient relative to the compression mechanism holder 2002. In some examples, as shown in
The compression mechanism 2000 can have a spring-loaded lock 2100 that can engage with the release lever 2006 lock the compression mechanism 2000 in place, as illustrated in
When the release lever 2006 is unlocked, the release lever 2006 moves upward. Pulling the handle 2004 and pushing the lever 2006 upwards causes the lock 2100 to release from the lever 2006. The spring-loaded lock 2100 is longer than the lever 2006. The sides 2012 of the compression mechanism holder 2002 include a step pattern that aligns with step pattern of the lever 2006 when in the locked position.
When the lever 2006 is in the unlocked position, the spring-loaded lock 2100 is prevented from entering any of the grooves of the lever 2006 as the step patterns of the sides 2012 and the lever 2006 no longer align. The compression mechanism 2000 can be guided by a user to a desired position and then the handle 2004 can be pushed in to cause the lever 2006 to drop in place, which then engages with the lock 2100, as shown in
In a number of embodiments discussed here, a suction cup has been described on the end of a piston. The suction cup can attach to a patient's torso so that, among other benefits, active decompression is possible. However, other mechanisms could be used to attach an end of the piston to a patient's torso. For example, a sticker plate configured to stick to patient's torso could be used on the end of the piston to attach to a patient's torso to the piston. In many of the above embodiments, the suction cup could be replaced with a sticker plate. Similarly, the suction cup in many of the above embodiments could be replaced with any number of other mechanisms that can attach to a patient's torso to the piston.
Conditional language used herein, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” “may,” “e.g.,” and the like, unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain examples include, while other examples do not include, certain features, elements, and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are in any way required for one or more examples or that one or more examples necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without author input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular example. The terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” and the like are synonymous and are used inclusively, in an open-ended fashion, and do not exclude additional elements, features, acts, operations, and so forth. Also, the term “or” is used in its inclusive sense (and not in its exclusive sense) so that when used, for example, to connect a list of elements, the term “or” means one, some, or all of the elements in the list. Relative terms, such as “about,” “approximately,” “substantially,” and “generally,” are used to indicate a possible variation of ±15% of a stated or understood value.
In general, the various features and processes described above may be used independently of one another, or may be combined in different ways. For example, this disclosure includes other combinations and sub-combinations equivalent to: extracting an individual feature from one embodiment and inserting such feature into another embodiment; removing one or more features from an embodiment; or both removing a feature from an embodiment and adding a feature extracted from another embodiment, while providing the advantages of the features incorporated in such combinations and sub-combinations irrespective of other features in relation to which it is described. All possible combinations and subcombinations are intended to fall within the scope of this disclosure. In addition, certain method or process blocks may be omitted in some implementations. The methods and processes described herein are also not limited to any particular sequence, and the blocks or states relating thereto can be performed in other sequences that are appropriate. For example, described blocks or states may be performed in an order other than that specifically disclosed, or multiple blocks or states may be combined in a single block or state. The example blocks or states may be performed in serial, in parallel, or in some other manner. Blocks or states may be added to or removed from the disclosed example examples. The example systems and components described herein may be configured differently than described. For example, elements may be added to, removed from, or rearranged compared to the disclosed example examples.
Each of the processes, methods and algorithms described in the preceding sections may be embodied in, and fully or partially automated by, code modules executed by one or more computers or computer processors. The code modules may be stored on any type of non-transitory computer-readable medium or computer storage device, such as hard drives, solid state memory, optical disc and/or the like. The processes and algorithms may be implemented partially or wholly in application-specific circuitry. The results of the disclosed processes and process steps may be stored, persistently or otherwise, in any type of non-transitory computer storage such as, e.g., volatile or non-volatile storage.
It will also be appreciated that various items are illustrated as being stored in memory or on storage while being used, and that these items or portions of thereof may be transferred between memory and other storage devices for purposes of memory management and data integrity. Alternatively, in other embodiments some or all of the software modules and/or systems may execute in memory on another device and communicate with the illustrated computing systems via inter-computer communication. Furthermore, in some embodiments, some or all of the systems and/or modules may be implemented or provided in other ways, such as at least partially in firmware and/or hardware, including, but not limited to, one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), standard integrated circuits, controllers (e.g., by executing appropriate instructions, and including microcontrollers and/or embedded controllers), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), etc. Some or all of the modules, systems and data structures may also be stored (e.g., as software instructions or structured data) on a computer-readable medium, such as a hard disk, a memory, a network or a portable media article to be read by an appropriate drive or via an appropriate connection. Such computer program products may also take other forms in other embodiments. Accordingly, the present invention may be practiced with other computer system configurations.
While certain example or illustrative examples have been described, these examples have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventions disclosed herein. Indeed, the novel methods and systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of certain of the inventions disclosed herein.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 63/184,687, entitled “ADJUSTABLE PISTON,” filed May 5, 2021, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63184687 | May 2021 | US |
