Claims
- 1. An apparatus for applying pressure to a body part of a patient, said apparatus comprising:
- an outer sleeve configured to encircle and extend the entire length of said body part;
- a multiplicity of pressure-applying resilient protrusions within the outer sleeve, the protrusions being configured to encircle and extend over the entire surface of the body part and to apply pressure to a surface of said body part of said patient; and
- strap means spaced along said outer sleeve for radially compressing the resilient protrusions onto the body part.
- 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said multiplicity of pressure applying protrusions are spaced apart to provide a multiplicity of high pressure points or lines within said body part.
- 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the fingers have a height from a base to a tip in the range from 0.5 cm to 15 cm.
- 4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the protrusions comprise fingers arranged in a generally cylindrical envelope with individual fingers being aligned radially with respect to the axis of the cylindrical envelope.
- 5. The apparatus of claim 4 intended for applying pressure to an arm wherein the length of the cylinder is in the range from 3 cm to 200 cm, the bases of the fingers are distributed over a generally cylindrical surface having a diameter in the range from 7.5 cm to 75 cm, and the tips of the fingers are distributed over a generally cylindrical surface having a diameter in the range from 2 cm to 25 cm.
- 6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the outer sleeve secures the bases of the finger over a generally cylindrical surface.
- 7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the outer sleeve is formed form a non-distensible fabric which can be rolled to form the cylindrical surface.
- 8. The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising an axial fastener which allows the rolled fabric to be opened and closed.
- 9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the structure for radially compressing the resilient protrusions comprises a plurality of straps which allow the rolled fabric to be adjustably radially inwardly compressed.
- 10. The apparatus of claim 4 further comprising an inner sleeve which covers the tips of the fingers over a generally cylindrical surface.
- 11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said multiplicity of protuberances comprises a sheet of convoluted plastic foam.
- 12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said multiplicity of pressure applying fingers are configured to apply pressure in a pattern encircling a limb of a patient to provide a multiplicity of high pressure points or lines within said limb of said patient.
- 13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said outer sleeve is configured to encircle an arm of said patient.
- 14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said outer sleeve is configured to encircle a leg of said patient.
- 15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said outer sleeve is configured to encircle a torso of said patient.
- 16. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an inner sleeve interposed between said multiplicity of pressure applying fingers and said limb of said patient.
- 17. The apparatus of claim 5 further comprising a pair of opposed plates arranged to engage opposite sides of a patient's hand when the cylindrical envelope is disposed over an arm.
- 18. An apparatus for treating lymphedema in a limb of a patient comprising:
- an outer sleeve configured to encircle and extend along the entire length of said limb of said patient,
- a sheet of convoluted plastic foam within said outer sleeve having a multiplicity of protuberances defining a multiplicity of inwardly directed pressure applying fingers configured to apply pressure in a grid-like pattern to a surface of said limb of said patient, said pressure applying fingers being spaced apart to provide a multiplicity of high pressure points within said limb of said patient and a multiplicity of lower pressure channels between said multiplicity of high pressure points,
- an inner sleeve interposed between said multiplicity of pressure applying fingers and said limb of said patient, and
- a plurality of strap means configured to tighten said outer sleeve about said pressure applying fingers upon said limb of said patient.
- 19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said outer sleeve is configured to encircle an arm of said patient.
- 20. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said outer sleeve is configured to encircle a leg of said patient.
Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 08/390,866 filed on Feb. 17, 1995, abandoned the full disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
PCT Information
Filing Document |
Filing Date |
Country |
Kind |
102e Date |
371c Date |
PCT/US96/02409 |
2/20/1996 |
|
|
9/5/1997 |
9/5/1997 |
Publishing Document |
Publishing Date |
Country |
Kind |
WO96/25108 |
8/22/1996 |
|
|
US Referenced Citations (4)
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
390866 |
Feb 1995 |
|