1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to compression apparatus. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a compression apparatus configured for applying compressive forces to a portion of a patient's anatomy.
2. Description of the Related Art
Compression devices for applying compressive forces to a selected area of a person's anatomy are generally employed to improve blood flow in the selected area. Compression devices that provide intermittent pulses of a compressed fluid (i.e. air) to inflate at least one inflatable chamber in a sleeve are particularly useful. This cyclic application of pressure provides a non-invasive method of prophylaxis to reduce the incidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and the like. These compression devices find particular use during surgery on patients with high-risk conditions such as obesity, advanced age, malignancy, or prior thromboembolism. Patients who develop this condition often have swelling (edema) and tissue breakdown (venous stasis ulcer) in the lower leg. When a DVT occurs, the valves that are located within the veins of the leg can be damaged, which in turn can cause stasis and high pressure in the veins of the lower leg.
Generally, these compression devices are fluidly coupled to a source of pressurized fluid by one or more air tubes. Additionally, each compression device includes a flexible shell having one or more inflatable members disposed therein. The compression device is placed around the patient's foot or other selected portion whereupon a pressurized fluid is delivered into the inflatable member creating pressure at the part or parts of the body in contact with the inflatable member.
Compression sleeves adapted for use with a patient's foot may be combined with one or more additional compression sleeves that are disposed on portions of a patient's leg for improving the treatment regimen. In general, each of the additional compression sleeves includes a plurality of separate inflatable chambers that are progressively arranged along a longitudinal axis of the sleeve from a lower portion to an upper portion of the limb. A pressure source, e.g. a controller, is provided for intermittently forming a pressure pulse within these inflatable chambers from a source of pressurized fluid during periodic compression cycles. The compression sleeves provide a pressure gradient along the patient's limbs during these compression cycles which progressively decreases from the lower portion to the upper portion of the limb (e.g. from the ankle to the thigh).
Compression sleeves that are adapted for use with a patient's foot generally include a heel strap with a tab portion that is adapted to fit around a portion of the patient's heel. This arrangement allows the compression sleeve to be releasably attached to the patient's foot.
Examples of compression sleeves are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,013,069 and 4,030,488 to Hasty, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,029,087 and 5,795,312 to Dye, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,626,556 to Tobler et al., all of which are currently owned by Tyco Healthcare Group LP and are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. Other examples of compression sleeves are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,696,289 to Gardner et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,989,204 to Lina. An example of compression treatment method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,231,532 to Watson et al., which is currently owned by Tyco Healthcare Group LP, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
Some prior art devices are bulky and may irritate portions of the limb undergoing treatment which may increase patient discomfort and may increase the possibility that the patient may not complete the treatment regimen.
The present disclosure is directed towards a compression apparatus for applying compressive forces to a selected portion of a patient's anatomy. The compression apparatus includes a sleeve and at least one inflatable member disposed within the sleeve, the at least one inflatable member being freely movable or repositionable in relation to the foot sleeve. The compression apparatus further includes hook and loop features attached thereto for securing the compression apparatus to the selected portion of the patient's anatomy.
In one embodiment, the compression apparatus includes a foot sleeve for applying compressive forces to a patient's foot. The foot sleeve includes an inflatable member disposed therewithin, the inflatable member being freely movable in relation to the foot sleeve. The foot sleeve includes a contact layer and an outer layer. The contact layer and the outer layer are fixedly joined by radio frequency (RF) welding, or by other suitable methods, along their corresponding perimeters thereby defining a space therebetween. The outer surface of the contact layer contacts the bottom portion of the foot and it may be fabricated from a chemically treated material having a mesh-like fabric with wicking ability. The outer layer may be fabricated from a laminated material having a soft material for cushioning effect against the skin. In addition, the outer layer provides the attachment surface for the hook and loop features.
The inflatable member is configured for receiving and retaining a pressurized fluid from a pressurized fluid source for exerting compressive pressure on a portion of the patient's foot during successive pressure applying cycles. In addition, the inflatable member is dimensioned for being disposed within the space defined by the contact and outer layers of the foot sleeve. The inflatable member includes an upper layer having a two part laminated material for sliding against the foot contact layer and a lower layer configured for anchoring to the outside layer of the foot sleeve. Alternatively, the inflatable member is configured and adapted to be freely movable with respect to the contact and outer layers of the foot sleeve.
In a second embodiment, the compression apparatus includes a compression sleeve for applying compressive pressure against a portion of a patient's limbs, such as, for example, the legs. The compression sleeve includes a sleeve having a pair of opposed sheets attached to one another along their respective perimeters and defining at least one chamber. The at least one chamber is configured for receiving at least one inflatable member wherein the at least one inflatable member is freely movable or repositionable in relation to the sleeve. The inflatable member is configured for receiving and retaining a pressurized fluid from a pressurized fluid source for exerting compressive pressure on a portion of a patient's leg during successive pressure applying cycles.
Other features will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the presently disclosed compression apparatus.
The features of the presently disclosed compression apparatus will become more readily apparent by referring to the following detailed description of embodiments, which are described hereinbelow with reference to the drawings, wherein:
With reference to the drawing figures, in which like references numerals identify identical or corresponding elements, various embodiments of the presently disclosed compression apparatus will now be described in detail.
With initial reference to
Foot sleeve 12 includes a contact layer 16 and an outer layer 18 fixedly joined at seams adjacent corresponding perimeters thereof and defining a space for receiving inflatable member 14 therein. Contact layer 16 and outer layer 18 may be joined by radio frequency (RF) welding, sewing, adhesives, etc. Contact layer 16 and outer layer 18 include strap portions 13a and 13b respectively. Strap portions 13a, 13b have a longitudinally projecting configuration for wrapping about a portion of the foot adjacent to the ankle. Contact layer 16 is adapted for contacting the bottom portion of the foot and providing a fabric on fabric slide with inflatable member 14, in accordance with the present disclosure. Strap portions 13a, 13b (
Outer layer 18 includes an opening 20 for permitting a pressurized fluid inlet passage therethrough, in a manner described herein below. Outer layer 18 is configured for providing the attachment surface for a hook and loop feature of compression apparatus 10, as will be described in detail hereinbelow. Moreover, outer layer 18 provides a soft material for cushioning effect against the top portion of the feet and may be fabricated from similar materials as contact layer 16 and in similar dimensions therewith for corresponding geometry. Alternatively, outer layer 18 may be fabricated from a laminated material, such as, for example, sontara fabric, open cell urethane foam, or loop fabric.
With particular reference to
A first surface 23 of upper inflatable layer 22 is positioned just below contact layer 16 for providing the largest compression effect on the foot. Surface 23 of upper inflatable layer 22 releasably engages contact layer 16 for facilitating application of pressure for vascular therapy to the foot. Upper inflatable layer 22 includes material for wicking away moisture from the bottom of the feet. In one embodiment, upper inflatable layer 22 includes a two-part laminated material that is formed from a chemically treated wicking fabric or sontara material combined with a suede finish thereby allowing layer 22 to move with respect to contact layer 16.
Lower inflatable layer 24 includes a single material such as a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) having a suede finish. It is envisioned that the material used to fabricate lower inflatable layer 24 may include at least two different thicknesses for providing directional inflation of inflatable member 14. Thus, inflation of inflatable member 14 yields different shapes as determined by the thickness of inflatable member 14.
An adhesive layer 28 is provided for anchoring an outer surface 25 of lower inflatable layer 24 to an interior surface 29 of outside layer 18 of foot sleeve 12. Therefore, inflatable member 14 is freely movable or repositionable with respect to contact layer 16. An opening 30 positioned on adhesive layer 28 is aligned with opening 20 of outer layer 18 of foot sleeve 12 for permitting the pressurized fluid inlet therethrough. Adhesive layer 28 may be fabricated from a double sided adhesive material. In an alternative embodiment, inflatable member 14 may be freely movable or repositionable with respect to both contact layer 16 and outside layer 18, eliminating adhesive layer 28. Additionally, adhesive layer 28 may be positioned between contact layer 16 and surface 23. This arrangement allows outer layer 18 to move freely with respect to outer surface 25.
With continued reference to
Referring now to
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With particular reference to
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With reference to
In use, compression apparatus 10, in accordance with the present disclosure, is configured to apply compressive forces to a patient's foot. With reference to
With reference to
With particular reference to
Sealing lines 516, 518 define a plurality of spaces or chambers 520a, 520b, and 520c that are adapted for receiving movable inflatable members 522a, 522b and 522c. Inflatable members 522a, 522b, and 522c are configured for moving independently relative to sleeve 510. Similar to inflatable member 14 of compressive sleeve 10, inflatable members 522a, 522b and 522c are adapted for receiving and retaining a pressurized fluid, such as, for example, air, for exerting compressive pressure to the leg of the patient during successive pressure applying cycles. A plurality of lumens 524a, 524b, 524c, and 524d having a valve connector 525 is included for operably connecting inflatable members 522a, 522b and 522c to a controller (not shown) having a source of pressurized fluid, such as, air.
First or outer sheet 512 may, for example, comprise a suitable flexible polymeric material, such as, for example, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) on the order of 5-10 mils thick. Second or inner sheet 514 will preferably comprise a similar polymeric material, e.g. 5-10 mil PVC having laminated to the inner surface to be placed against the limb a non-women material such as polyester for added comfort to the wearer.
Compression apparatus 500 further includes a plurality of hook fasteners for attaching the sleeve about the patient's limb. Hook fasteners include a set of spaced strips, such as loop material, positioned on first or outer sheet 512 and cooperating with a set of spaced hook material 526a, 526b, and 526c disposed on second or inner sheet 514 for releasably fastening compression apparatus 500 encircling the limb.
With particular reference to
It will be understood that numerous modifications and changes in form and detail may be made to the embodiments of the present disclosure. It is contemplated that numerous other configuration of the compression apparatus and geometries and orientation of the inflatable member may be used, and the material of the sleeve and/or inflatable member may be selected from numerous materials other than those specifically disclosed. Therefore, the above description should not be construed as limiting the disclosed compression apparatus but merely as exemplifications of embodiments thereof. Those skilled in the art will envision numerous modifications within the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims appended hereto.