U.S. patent number 3,633,567 [Application Number 04/849,112] was granted by the patent office on 1972-01-11 for pneumatically actuated pressure dressing.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Survival Technology, Inc.. Invention is credited to Stanley J. Sarnoff.
United States Patent |
3,633,567 |
Sarnoff |
January 11, 1972 |
PNEUMATICALLY ACTUATED PRESSURE DRESSING
Abstract
A pneumatically actuated pressure bandage adaptable for use as a
compression bandage, tourniquet or cuff wherein the pressure is
applied by a manually operated pump and further wherein regulating
means are provided to selectively bleed off the pressure.
Inventors: |
Sarnoff; Stanley J. (Bethesda,
MD) |
Assignee: |
Survival Technology, Inc.
(Bethesda, MD)
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Family
ID: |
25305090 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/849,112 |
Filed: |
August 11, 1969 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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587336 |
Oct 17, 1966 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
600/499;
128/DIG.15; 606/202 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61B
5/02233 (20130101); A61B 17/135 (20130101); A61B
5/02141 (20130101); Y10S 128/15 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A61B
17/135 (20060101); A61B 17/12 (20060101); A61B
5/022 (20060101); A61b 005/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;128/2.5A,2.5C,2.5G,2.5M,2.5P,2.5Q,2.5R,2.5V,155,325,327 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Kamm; William E.
Parent Case Text
This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No.
587,336, filed Oct. 17, 1966, entitled "Pneumatically Activated
Pressure Dressing," now abandoned.
Claims
I claim:
1. A pressure actuated bandage adapted to be wrapped around a body
portion and fluid pressure applied to a dressing to force it into
contact with a specific body location, said bandage comprising an
elongated flexible support consisting of two layers of flexible
material peripherally connected to form a pouch, spring means
mounted on the flexible support to resiliently retain said support
in a semicircular position, a dressing packet affixed to the
concave face of the flexible support, an inflatable bladder
positioned in the pouch beneath the dressing packet, an extension
band secured to one end of the flexible support, cooperating
Velcro-fastening means affixed to the extension band and the convex
face of the flexible support whereby the extension band may be
secured to the convex face of the flexible support when it is
wrapped therearound in applying the bandage to a body portion, and
a fluid pressure system connected to the bladder for inflating same
and causing a radially inward pressure to be exerted on the
dressing packet to cause it to firmly bear upon a specific body
portion.
2. The invention as set forth in claim 1 and wherein the fluid
pressure system includes a manually operated pump in the form of a
bulb.
3. The invention as set forth in claim 2 and wherein the fluid
pressure system includes a variably adjustable exhaust valve for
releasing pressure in the inflated bladder.
4. The invention as set forth in claim 1 and wherein the fluid
pressure system includes a gage port and a pressure gage mounted
therein.
5. The invention as set forth in claim 1 and wherein a retaining
bar is secured to the end of the flexible support opposite to that
from which the extension band extends, said retaining bar having a
slot coextensive with the width of said band whereby in the
application of the bandage to a body portion the band will be
introduced into the slot with its direction reversed so as to
initially tension the flexible support.
6. A pressure actuated bandage adapted to be wrapped around a body
portion and fluid pressure applied to a dressing to force it into
contact with a specific body location, said bandage comprising an
elongated flexible support consisting of two layers of flexible
material peripherally connected to form a pouch, spring means
mounted on the flexible support to resiliently retain said support
in a semicircular position, a dressing packet affixed to the
concave face of the flexible support, an inflatable bladder
positioned in the pouch beneath the dressing packet, a retaining
bar on one end of the flexible support, said retaining bar having a
transverse slot with an opening at one side of the bar so that the
other end portion of the flexible support may be slidably inserted
into the slot through said opening and its direction reversed so as
to initially tension the flexible support in wrapped condition,
means for securing the reversed flexible support portion in wrapped
condition, and a fluid pressure system connected to the bladder for
inflating same and causing a radially inward pressure to be exerted
on the dressing packet to cause it to firmly bear upon a specific
body portion.
Description
The pneumatically actuated pressure bandage of this invention
overcomes many of the objections and inadequacies of prior related
devices in many respects as set forth in the following objects.
It is an object of this invention to provide a bandage which can be
variously used as a pressure dressing, as a tourniquet for stemming
the flow of blood or as a cuff in the checking of blood
pressure.
It is another object of this invention to provide a pressure
actuated bandage which may be completely applied by the patient
himself.
It is yet another object to provide a pressure actuated bandage
having means for causing it to assume a semicircular position in
order to make application of the bandage much easier particularly
when the bandage is being applied by the patient who may have only
one useable hand.
It is still a further object of this invention to provide a
pressure actuated bandage including a flexible support with means
thereon to resiliently retain the support in a semicircular
position, a dressing packet affixed to the concave face of the
flexible support, an inflatable bladder carried by the flexible
support and adapted to apply pressure to the dressing packet when
inflated, means for securing the ends of the flexible support
together and a fluid pressure system for supplying fluid pressure
to the inflatable bladder.
The above and other objects and advantages will become more
apparent when taken in conjunction with the following detailed
description and drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of
this invention.
IN THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of the pressure bandage of the present
invention;
FIG. 2 is a pictorial view illustrating the one-handed application
of the pressure bandage to the forearm;
FIG. 3 is a pictorial view illustrating the complete application of
the bandage and use of the pump to apply pressure;
FIG. 4 is a pictorial view of the bandage when used as a sling;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5--5 of FIG.
1;
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6--6 of FIG.
5;
FIG. 7 is an elevational view of the pressure bulb assembly with a
pressure gage assembled therewith for the checking of blood
pressure;
FIG. 8 is an enlarged elevational view, partly in section,
illustrating the pressure bulb assembly components without the
pressure gage;
FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line 9--9 of FIG. 8, and
FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line 10--10 of FIG. 8.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring particularly to FIGS. 1, 5 and 6, the pressure actuated
bandage 20 comprises a main elongated support 22 made up of the two
coextensive strips 24 and 26 of flexible material such as nylon,
muslin or the equivalent stitched together around all four edges to
form a pouch 28. The overall length of the main support 22 should
be such that it can be readily fitted over the arm of the patient
since one of the various uses of the device of this invention is
that of measuring blood pressure wherein the main support becomes a
cuff. It is desirable that the width of the main support be
approximately 13 cm., although such is not mandatory. An inflatable
bladder 30 is positioned within the pouch 28 and is generally
coextensive therewith.
As will be apparent from FIGS. 5 and 6, the strip 24 of the main
support 22 is the outer face of said support to which is secured
parallel strips 32 and 34 of "Velcro" fastening material. These
fastening strips 32 and 34 run almost the entire length of the main
support and are stitched to the support strip 24 in such a manner
as to provide a pocket into which is introduced a longitudinally
extending leaf spring 38 formed so as to cause the main support 22
to assume a generally semicircular shape. The advantages attendant
such shaping are immediately apparent when it is considered that in
several instances the pressure bandage 20 will be applied to the
patient by himself with the use of only one hand. This curved shape
tends to cause the bandage to preliminarily fit around the limb
making it much easier to complete the wrap around with the use of
one hand.
One end of the main support 22 is provided with a retaining bar 40
extending transversely of the support and generally coextensive
with the width thereof. This retaining bar 40 has a slot 44
extending throughout most of its length to form an open end portion
46. A locking clip 48 is pivotally mounted at point 50 on the bar
40 and is adapted to swing upwardly to fit over point 52 to close
off the open end portion 46.
The end of the main support 22 opposite to that provided with
retaining bar 40 has an extension band 54 secured thereto. More
specifically, this band 54 is actually a single strip 56 of
flexible material mounting a Velcro-fastening surface 58, adapted
to cooperate with Velcro-fastening strips 32 and 34, throughout its
exposed length when folded over in two ply from as illustrated in
FIG. 1. The strip 56 is maintained in two ply form with both
exposed sides having the Velcro-fastening surface thereon by means
of a plurality of pressure sensitive strips 60 extending generally
throughout the full folded length of the strip 56. Adjacent the
fold line 62 on the extension band 54 there is provided a small
Velcro-fastening element 64 for purposes to be discussed later.
Main support strip 26 constitutes the inner concave face of the
main support 22 and it is to this surface that the sterile dressing
packet 68 is secured. The dressing packet 68 includes a base sheet
70, a dressing 71 adhered thereto and a covering sheet 72. The base
sheet 70 may be secured to the face of strip 26 by any suitable
adhesive means particularly those of the pressure sensitive type.
In use, the covering sheet 72 is readily removable to expose the
sterile dressing.
In order to inflate the bladder 30, the bandage is provided with a
fluid pressure system 80 comprising a pump bulb 82 having a one-way
inlet valve 84 at its bottom and having its upper open end 86
secured to inlet 87 of a four-way junction 88. The junction inlet
87 is provided with a screen 90 and a one-way valve 92 of the type
wherein pressure from below causes end 93 to open to allow air to
pass therethrough from the bulb 82. A flexible tube 94 is secured
over junction outlet 96 and has its other end connected to the
bladder 30. The junction 88 is also provided with an exhaust outlet
98 threadedly mounting an exhaust valve cap 100 having a sealing
disc 102 carried therein to seal the outlet 98. The threads of the
cap and/or the threads of the outlet 98 may be slotted to provide
egress for air if necessary.
The junction 88 is additionally provided with a gage outlet 110
which also threadedly mounts a pressure valve assembly 112
comprising a body 114 with a cylindrical base 115 threadedly
mounted on gage outlet 110, said base 115 having an upwardly
extending cylindrical portion 116 of a diameter less than that of
base 115 to provide an annular shoulder 118. The supper open end of
the cylindrical portion 116 is closed by a valve 120 having a stem
122 and an enlarged stem base 124 at the bottom thereof. A helical
spring 126 is fitted around stem 122 between base 124 and an offset
portion of the cylindrical portion 116 to bias the valve 120 to the
closed position. A valve cap 130 is threadedly mounted on the upper
end of cylindrical portion 116 and is maintained in spaced relation
from the top of the said portion 116 by means of a C-shaped spacer
132.
When it is desired to use the pressure bandage for blood pressure
checking, the pressure valve assembly 112 is removed from gage
outlet 110 and a pressure gage 140 assembled therein as illustrated
in FIG. 7. The C-shaped spacer 132 has a flexible line 134 secured
thereto with the other end being attached to junction outlet 96. By
this means, the C-shaped spacer and valve assembly is tethered to
the junction 88 to prevent loss thereof. The pump bulb 82 is
provided with a small section of Velcro-fastening material like
that of Velcro-fastening strips 32 and 34 in order that the bulb
may be affixed to the Velcro-fastening material on extension band
54 for stowage. Exhaust valve 98 is useful in allowing the exiting
of pressure from the bladder 30 when the bandage is used for
checking blood pressure.
Although the various modes of use of this pressure actuated bandage
are more or less apparent, a brief description follows. One of the
most important uses of this bandage is the application of the
bandage by the patient himself. In this connection reference is
made to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 wherein with the bandage in the condition
illustrated in FIG. 1, the open portion of the bandage is passed
over the forearm whereby the resilient nature of springs 38 will
cause the bandage to lightly grip the forearm. The extension band
54 is slipped into the slot 44 in retaining bar 40 and a slight
pull applied thereto to initially tighten the bandage on the
forearm. After this, the extension band 54 is wound
counterclockwise around the main support 22 so that the
Velcro-locking strips 32 and 34 will engage the Velcro-fastening
material on the extension band to retain the bandage in wrapped
condition as shown in FIG. 3. In the event that extension band 54
is too long, it may be folded back and secured on itself by Velcro
tab 64. With the bandage so applied, the bulb 82 is pumped to
inflate bladder 30 and force the dressing 71 into contact with the
wound. It is obvious that prior to application, the bandage is made
ready by stripping cover sheet 72 from the dressing packet to
expose the sterile dressing 71.
In order to provide pressure control, pressure valve assembly 112
is preset to bleed off air when a prescribed pressure is reached.
If in a given situation it is necessary to apply greater pressure
than that allowed by such setting, the spacer 132 is removed from
the assembly and the cap 130 screwed further down on threaded
cylindrical portion 116 so that the inner face of the cap will
prevent valve 120 from rising and relieving the pressure in the
bladder 30. Such additional pressure might be required when using
the bandage as a tourniquet.
A secondary utilization of the pressure bandage is illustrated in
FIG. 4 wherein the bandage has been arranged as a sling. In this
application, the extension band 54 is unfolded so as to assume its
full unfolded length as strip 56. This strip 56 is passed through
the slot 44 in retaining bar 40 and secured to the Velcro fastener
strips 32 and 34 on the main support 22 to form a loop utilized in
the manner illustrated in FIG. 4. It should be noted that the bulb
82 may be secured to the strip 56 by means of Velcro tab 65 mounted
on the bulb.
When using this bandage as a means of checking blood pressure, the
fluid pressure assembly 80 is modified in the manner illustrated in
FIG. 7 wherein a pressure gage 140 has been substituted for
pressure valve assembly 112. The bandage is applied to the upper
arm in the same manner as previously described in connection with
the application of the bandage to the forearm as in FIGS. 2 and 3.
Pressure is introduced into bladder 30 by pumping bulb 82 and the
exhaust valve 98 is used to adjust pressure for accurate
reading.
Additionally, with the extension band 54 fully let out as used in a
sling, this bandage can be applied around the trunk of the body to
protect wounds in this area. The bandage in its fully extended
configuration is particularly useful in closing a penetrating wound
of the chest and thereby preventing air from entering the thorax
and collapsing the lungs.
* * * * *