Patent Application
20180098911
The present invention generally relates to a device and a method for treating external chest compression using a shock absorbing procedures. In particular, the present invention relates to the hand held chest physiotherapy device relieving user's lungs and respiratory system clogging from phlegm.
Certain respiratory disorders, such as cystic fibrosis, emphysema, asthma, and chronic bronchitis, may cause mucous and other secretions to build up in a person's lungs. It is essential to remove the secretion build-up from the lungs to enable improved breathing. For example, chest physical therapy (CPT or Chest PT) is an airway clearance technique (ACT) to drain the lungs, and may include percussion (clapping), vibration, deep breathing and huffing or coughing. Different devices are used in place of the traditional cupped palm method for percussion where they consume lot of time. Generally treatment session will last between 20 to 40 minutes and can extend to hour.
There are a number of different devices and designs for performing chest physiotherapy and pulmonary percussion to help dislodge, and loosen secretions their mucus from the lungs and respiratory system. Traditional methods and devices to treat conditions and diseases such as asthma and cystic fibrosis, uses chest physiotherapy treatment for the reduction and removal of accumulated mucus. Some shock absorbing cushion devices were used for chest physiotherapy treatment. Such methods and devices were often primitive, and applied with higher physical force to achieve optimal efficacy, resulting in unwarranted physical injury to the patient undergoing treatment.
Existing prior arts uses a method of repeated squeezing, giving shock to the patient to release mucus from the entire chest region. Shock absorbing may be provided by a variety of means such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,428,865 (the '865 patent) issued to Huang is an exemplary application of such early forms of shock-absorbing cushion. This device is a molded shock-absorbing cushion device. This shock-absorbing cushion comprising two sheets peripherally sealed, a plurality of half-through holes and or grooves whose circumferential walls constitute a cubic supporting structure. The large contact area of this apparatus and similar devices made them unsuitable for the treatment of infants and young children whose soft bones and delicate skin rendered them susceptible to significant injury from repetitive engagement of this device.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,881,527 issued to Lerman describes a chamber which may be placed over a patient's chest to alternately apply pressure and force to compress and expand the chest. However, this device causes ineffective treatment of the suffering area and possible inflammation of the unaffected surrounding area causing pain to the user, and control of these devices are inherently difficult.
A wide variety of hand-held vibrators have been described for treating asthma, cystic fibrosis patients, and other respiratory ailment sufferers. Many of these hand-held units are not particularly portable, which possess a large external mechanical power source. Other existing approaches use the patient's breathing pressure creating vibrations, which are then transmitted down the patient's airways. This technique is limited by the strength and pressure at which the patient's breathe can oscillate.
There exists a need for hand held chest physiotherapy easy-to-use device, suitable for loosening phlegm from the lungs without causing any injury to the patient.
The present invention is generally directed to a device for performing chest physiotherapy for a patient. The hand held chest physiotherapy device comprises a hand grip member for portably handling the device. The hand grip member comprises a plurality of vents with a first end and a second end. The hand grip member is configured to adaptively receive a user hand via a strap member, which is attached to a first end of the hand grip member. The second end of the hand grip member is removably attached to one or more venting members configured to incorporate a pressure difference in the device. The hand held chest physiotherapy device comprises a plurality of pad members, which is removably attached to an end of the venting members of the hand grip member. The pad members of the hand held chest physiotherapy device are configured to provide pressure to the user.
In exemplary embodiment, the hand held chest physiotherapy device is a sheet material such as plastic, metal, or the like, which helps in generating pressure against the back or chest of the patient. The user could undergo chest physiotherapy using their hands in a gentle manner by slapping the back, or chest area with the device. The pad members of the device absorb shock, and provide force to help the user breath better as an asthma relief medication, or asthma relief breather. The hand held chest physiotherapy device reduces the risk of injury to the patient.
In a preferred aspect of this embodiment, the pad members of the hand held chest physiotherapy device is configured to have the dimension of 5 inches long and 4.5 inches wide, preferably being in the range from about 10 to 15 cm. For children, the dimensions vary accordingly. Preferably, the shape of the device is oval and non-circular geometries. The pad members could be shaped to provide a desired force distribution over the user' supper chest, and rear side for allowing the user to breath freely after providing sufficient shock or pressure.
In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the hand grip member material is selected from the group consisting of a santoprene, a neoprene, a butyl rubber, a nitrite rubber, a silicone rubber, or a combination thereof. The pad members are removably attached to the second end of the hand grip portion via a fastening member. The fastening member is selected from the group consisting of screws, bolts, and pins. The pad member material is selected from the group of material consisting of different hardness and sizes.
The foregoing has outlined, rather broadly, the preferred feature of the present invention so that those skilled in the art may better understand the detailed description of the invention that follows. Additional features of the invention will be described hereinafter that form the subject of the claims of the invention. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they can readily use the disclosed conception and specific embodiment as a basis for designing or modifying other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention and that such other structures do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest form.
As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure.
Referring now to
In a preferred embodiment, the hand grip member 102 comprises a material selected from the group consisting of a santoprene, a neoprene, a butyl rubber, a nitrite rubber, a silicone rubber, or a combination thereof. The plurality of pad members 112 are removably attached to the second end of the hand grip member 102 via a fastening member (108 and 110). The fastening member (108 and 110) are selected from the group consisting of screws, bolts, and pins. The pad members 112 are selected from the group of material consisting of different hardness and sizes.
According to
According to
The hand grip member 102 used in the hand held chest physiotherapy device 100 creates enough pressure or shock energy to be applied on patient 118 back and chest to achieve desired results. The strap member 104 allows to easily grip the hand held chest physiotherapy (HHCPT) device, which in return gives the patient 118 a more effective treatment.
Although the present invention has been described herein in the context of a particular implementation in a particular environment for a particular purpose, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that its usefulness is not limited thereto and that the present invention may be beneficially implemented in any number of environments for any number of purposes. Accordingly, the claims set forth below should be construed in view of the full breadth and spirit of the present invention as described herein. Although specific terms may be employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
