US3633567A - Pneumatically actuated pressure dressing - Google Patents

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.

Description

United States Patent Inventor Appl. No.

Filed Patented Assignee Stanley J. Sarnoff Bethesda, Md.

Aug. 11, 1969 Jan. 11, 1972 Survival Technology, Inc.

Bethesda, Md.

Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 587,336, Oct. 17, 1966, now abandoned. This application Aug. 11, 1969, Ser. No. 849,1 12

PNEUMATICALLY ACTUATED PRESSURE DRESSING 6 Claims, 10 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl

Int. Cl

................................................ l28/2.05 C, 128/327 A6lb 5/02 [50] Field of Search 128/2.05 A, 2.05 C, 2.05 O, 2.05 M, 2.05 P, 2.05 O, 2.05 R, 2.05 V, 155, 325, 327

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 598,343 2/1898 Hill et al. 128/2.05 G 1,743,452 1 1930 Hatch 128/327 2,405,265 8/1946 McAlpine. 128/2.05 G 2,934,061 4/1960 Speelman 128/2.05 G 3,171,410 3/1965 Towle, Jr. et al. 128/155 3,279,459 10/1966 Schenker 128/2.05 C

Primary Examiner-William E. Kamm Altorney- Fred L. Withcrspoon, .lr.

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.

PATENTED JAN"! 1 SHEET 1 [1F 3 INVENTOR. Gram/5r J SHRNOFF BY W ,2? 52M ATTORNEY PATENTED JAPH 1 1572 SHEET 2 OF 3 INVENTOR. STANLEY J GAR/van ATTORNEY PNEUMATICALLY ACTUATED PRESSURE DRESSING This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 587,336, filed Oct. 17, 1966, entitled Pneumatically Activated Pressure Dressing, now abandoned.

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 66 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 99 of FIG. 8, and

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line 10l0 of FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring particularly to FIGS. 1, 5 and 6, the pressure actuated bandage comprises a mainelongated support 22 made up of the twocoextensive strips 24 and 26 of flexible material such as nylon, muslin or the equivalent stitched together around all four edges to form apouch 28. The overall length of themain 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 cufi. It is desirable that the width of the main support be approximately 13 cm., although such is not mandatory. Aninflatable bladder 30 is positioned within thepouch 28 and is generally coextensive therewith.

As will be apparent from FIGS. 5 and 6, thestrip 24 of themain support 22 is the outer face of said support to which is securedparallel strips 32 and 34 of Velcro" fastening material. Thesefastening strips 32 and 34 run almost the entire length of the main support and are stitched to thesupport strip 24 in such a manner as to provide a pocket into which is introduced a longitudinally extendingleaf spring 38 fonned so as to cause themain support 22 to assume a generally semicircular shape. The advantages attendant such shaping are immediately apparent when it is considered that in several instances thepressure 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 themain support 22 is provided with aretaining bar 40 extending transversely of the support and generally coextensive with the width thereof. Thisretaining bar 40 has aslot 44 extending throughout most of its length to form anopen end portion 46. Alocking clip 48 is pivotally mounted atpoint 50 on thebar 40 and is adapted to swing upwardly to fit overpoint 52 to close off theopen end portion 46. q

The end of themain support 22 opposite to that provided with retainingbar 40 has anextension band 54 secured thereto. More specifically, thisband 54 is actually asingle 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. Thestrip 56 is maintained in two ply form with both exposed sides having the Velcrofastening surface thereon by means of a plurality of pressure sensitive strips 60 extending generally throughout the full folded length of thestrip 56. Adjacent thefold line 62 on theextension 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 themain support 22 and it is to this surface that thesterile dressing packet 68 is secured. Thedressing packet 68 includes abase sheet 70, adressing 71 adhered thereto and a coveringsheet 72. Thebase sheet 70 may be secured to the face ofstrip 26 by any suitable adhesive means particularly those of the pressure sensitive type. In use, the coveringsheet 72 is readily removable to expose the sterile dressing.

In order to inflate thebladder 30, the bandage is provided with a fluid pressure system comprising apump bulb 82 having a one-way inlet valve 84 at its bottom and having its upperopen end 86 secured to inlet 87 of a four-way junction 88. Thejunction inlet 87 is provided with a screen 90 and a one-way valve 92 of the type wherein pressure from belowcauses end 93 to open to allow air to pass therethrough from thebulb 82. Aflexible tube 94 is secured overjunction outlet 96 and has its other end connected to thebladder 30. Thejunction 88 is also provided with anexhaust outlet 98 threadedly mounting anexhaust valve cap 100 having asealing disc 102 carried therein to seal theoutlet 98. The threads of the cap and/or the threads of theoutlet 98 may be slotted to provide egress for air if necessary.

Thejunction 88 is additionally provided with a gage outlet which also threadedly mounts apressure valve assembly 112 comprising a body 114 with acylindrical base 115 threadedly mounted ongage outlet 110, saidbase 115 having an upwardly extendingcylindrical portion 116 of a diameter less than that ofbase 115 to provide anannular shoulder 118. The supper open end of thecylindrical portion 116 is closed by avalve 120 having astem 122 and an enlargedstem base 124 at the bottom thereof. Ahelical spring 126 is fitted aroundstem 122 betweenbase 124 and an offset portion of thecylindrical portion 116 to bias thevalve 120 to the closed position. Avalve cap 130 is threadedly mounted on the upper end ofcylindrical portion 116 and is maintained in spaced relation from the top of the saidportion 116 by means of a C- shapedspacer 132.

When it is desired to use the pressure bandage for blood pressure checking, the pressure valve assembly 1 12 is removed from gage outlet 1 l and apressure gage 140 assembled therein as illustrated in FIG. 7. The C-shapedspacer 132 has aflexible line 134 secured thereto with the other end being attached tojunction outlet 96. By this means, the C- shaped spacer and valve assembly is tethered to thejunction 88 to prevent loss thereof. Thepump 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 onextension band 54 for stowage.Exhaust valve 98 is useful in allowing the exiting of pressure from thebladder 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 ofsprings 38 will cause the bandage to lightly grip the forearm. Theextension band 54 is slipped into theslot 44 in retainingbar 40 and a slight pull applied thereto to initially tighten the bandage on the forearm. After this, theextension band 54 is wound counterclockwise around themain support 22 so that the Velcro-lockingstrips 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 thatextension band 54 is too long, it may be folded back and secured on itself byVelcro tab 64. With the bandage so applied, thebulb 82 is pumped to inflatebladder 30 and force the dressing 7] into contact with the wound. It is obvious that prior to application, the bandage is made ready by strippingcover sheet 72 from the dressing packet to expose the sterile dressing 7].

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, thespacer 132 is removed from the assembly and thecap 130 screwed further down on threadedcylindrical portion 116 so that the inner face of the cap will preventvalve 120 from rising and relieving the pressure in thebladder 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, theextension band 54 is unfolded so as to assume its full unfolded length asstrip 56. Thisstrip 56 is passed through theslot 44 in retainingbar 40 and secured to the Velcro fastener strips 32 and 34 on themain support 22 to form a loop utilized in the manner illustrated in FIG. 4. it should be noted that thebulb 82 may be secured to thestrip 56 by means ofVelcro tab 65 mounted on the bulb.

When using this bandage as a means of checking blood pressure, thefluid pressure assembly 80 is modified in the manner illustrated in F IG. 7 wherein apressure gage 140 has been substituted forpressure 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 F lGS. 2 and 3. Pressure is introduced intobladder 30 by pumpingbulb 82 and theexhaust valve 98 is used to adjust pressure for accurate reading.

Additionally, with theextension 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.

I claim:

1. A pressure actuated bandage adapted to be wrapped around a body portion and fluid pressure applied to a dressin to force it into contact with a specific body location, sai

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.

Claims (6)

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.

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