Patent Application
20230091212
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The disclosure relates to cuff devices and more particularly pertains to a new cuff device for enhancing visibility of veins for phlebotomy. The device includes a cuff, a bladder integrated into the cuff and a bulb in fluid communication with the bladder. The cuff is positioned around a patient's arm and the bulb is compressed to inflate the bladder. In this way the bladder compresses against the patient's arm to enhance visibility of veins for performing phlebotomy.
The prior art relates to cuff devices including a variety of electronic tourniquets in communication with a display unit for checking blood pressure. The prior art discloses an inflatable band that is positionable around a patient's limb for forming a tourniquet. The prior art discloses a modular wound treatment device that includes a cuff and a variety of pneumatically actuated components that are attachable to the cuff.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a cuff that can be wrapped around a patient's limb and a bladder is integrated into the cuff. A first mating member is coupled to the cuff, a second mating member is coupled to the cuff, and the second mating member is matable to the first mating member for forming the cuff into a closed loop around the patient's limb. A hose is fluidly coupled to the bladder and a bulb is fluidly coupled to the hose such that the bulb can be compressed by a caregiver for inflating the bladder. In this way the bladder can compress against the patient's limb to make veins in the patient's limb more visible.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
A first mating member 28 is provided and the first mating member 28 is coupled to the cuff 12. The first mating member 28 is positioned on the first surface 20 and the first mating member 28 is positioned adjacent to the first end 16. A second mating member 30 is provided and the second mating member 30 is coupled to the cuff 12. The second mating member 30 is matable to the first mating member 28 for forming the cuff 12 into a closed loop. In this way the cuff 12 can be retained around the patient's limb 14. The second mating member 30 is positioned on the second surface 22 and the second mating member 30 is positioned adjacent to the second end 18. Each of the first mating member 28 and the second mating member 30 may comprise complementary portions of a hook and loop fastener or other type of releasable, multiple use fastener.
A hose 32 is fluidly coupled to the bladder 24 and the hose 32 extends outwardly from the cuff 12. The hose 32 has a first end 34 and a second end 36, and the first end 34 of the hose 32 is fluidly coupled to the inlet 26 on the bladder 24. A bulb 38 is fluidly coupled to the hose 32 such that the bulb 38 can be compressed by a caregiver. The bulb 38 urges air inwardly through the hose 32 for inflating the bladder 24 to compress against the patient's limb 14 to make veins in the patient's limb 14 more visible. In this way a caregiver, such as a phlebotomist, can more easily identify and penetrate a vein for the purposes of phlebotomy.
The bulb 38 is comprised of a deformable material such as rubber or the like, and the bulb 38 has a primary end 40 and a secondary end 42. The primary end 40 is fluidly coupled to the second end 36 of the hose 32. The primary end 40 has a one way valve 44 that is integrated into the primary end 40 to pass air into the bulb 38 for inflating the bladder 24 while inhibiting air from passing out of the primary end 40 when the bulb 38 is compressed. Moreover, the bulb 38 may be an inflation bulb that is commonly employed on blood pressure cuffs, for example.
A valve 46 is provided and the valve 46 is fluidly integrated into the bulb 38. The valve 46 is positionable in an open condition to pass air outwardly from the valve 46 for deflating the bladder 24. Conversely, the valve 46 is positionable in a closed condition to inhibit air from passing outwardly from the valve 46 for retaining inflation of the bladder 24. The valve 46 is positioned at an intersection between the primary end of the bulb 38 and the second end 18 of the hose 32. Additionally, the valve 46 includes a knob 48 that is rotatably integrated into the valve 46 for positioning the valve 46 between the open condition and the closed condition. The valve 46 may be a two way air valve of any conventional design, such as is commonly employed on blood pressure cuffs or the like.
In use, the cuff 12 is wrapped around the patient's limb 14 such that the cuff 12 is strategically positioned with respect to a phlebotomy location on the patient's limb 14. The valve 46 is closed and the bulb 38 is repeatedly compressed to inflate the bladder 24. In this way the bladder 24 compresses against the patient's limb 14 in order to make veins in the patient's limb 14 more visible. Thus, the caregiver can more efficiently and precisely perform phlebotomy for medical purposes on the patient's limb 14. The valve 46 is opened to deflate the bladder 24 and the cuff 12 is removed from the patient's limb 14 when the phlebotomy is completed.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
