Compression Sleeve

The present invention relates to therapeutic and prophylactic devices, and more particularly to sleeves for applying compressive pressures against a patient's limb.

It is known that the velocity of blood flow in a patient's extremities, particularly the legs, markedly decreases during confinement of the patient. Such pooling or stasis of blood is particularly pronounced during surgery, immediately after surgery, and when the patient has been confined to bed for extended periods of time. It is also known that stasis of blood is a significant cause leading to the formation of thrombi in the patient's extremities, which may have a severe deleterious effect on the patient, including death. Additionally, in certain patients it is desirable to move fluid out of interstitial spaces in extremity tissues, in order to reduce swelling associated with edema in the extremities.

Devices have been proposed for use in increasing the velocity of blood flow through the patient's limbs and minimizing edema, such as the devices disclosed in applicant's copending applications Ser. Nos. 625,990 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,013,069 and 626,018 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,030,488, filed Oct. 28, 1975, and incorporated herein by reference. These devices comprise a compression sleeve and a controller for sequentially inflating and deflating pressure chambers in the sleeve. It is desirable that such sleeves may be adjusted to the size of a particular patient in order to permit use of the sleeve on patients of varying leg sizes. Additionally, the sleeves may tightly enclose the patient's limb, and it is desirable to increase ventilation of the patient's limb beneath the sleeve.

A principal feature of the present invention is the provision of an improved compression sleeve for applying compressive pressures against a patient's limb.

The sleeve of the present invention comprises, a plurality of separate fluid pressure chambers arranged longitudinally along the sleeve, and a sizer portion located intermediate a pair of adjoining pressure chambers. The sizer portion has a sufficient length to permit adjustment of the sleeve between a first position with the adjoining chambers being spaced apart a relatively small distance and a second position with the adjoining chambers being spaced from each other a relatively large distance.

A feature of the present invention is that the sizer portion permits adjustment of the sleeve pressure chambers on limbs of varying sizes.

Another feature of the present invention is that the sizer portion may comprise a ventilation chamber having a plurality of openings communicating with the ventilation chamber and facing the patient's limb.

Thus, a feature of the present invention is that air may be passed into the ventilation chamber and through the openings to ventilate the patient's limb during use of the sleeve.

Further features will become more fully apparent in the following description of the embodiments of this invention and from the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a compression device having a pair of compression sleeves of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary front plan view of the compression sleeve of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a back plan view of the sleeve of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially as indicated along the line 4--4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a sizer portion in the sleeve as folded to reduce the length of the sleeve; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary front plan view of another embodiment of the sleeve of the present invention.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a compression device generally designated 20 for applying compressive pressures against a patient's extremities, such as the legs. The compression device 20 has a control apparatus 22, and a pair of compression sleeves 26 for enclosing lengths of the patient's legs. As disclosed in applicant's copending applications Ser. Nos. 625,990 and 626,018, the control apparatus intermittently forms one or more fluid pressure pulses from a source S of pressurized gas during periodic compression or inflation cycles, and the pulses are separately applied to the sleeves 26 through two sets of conduits 34a and 34b which are separately connected to the sleeves. Also, the sleeves are intermittently deflated by the control apparatus 22 during periodic deflation or decompression cycles between the compression cycles.

As shown in FIGS. 2-4, the sleeves 26 have a pair of flexible outer and inner sheets 36 and 38 which are made from a fluid impervious material, such as polyvinyl chloride. The sheets 36 and 38 have a pair of side edges 40a and 40b, and a pair of end edges 42a and 42b connecting the side edges 40a and b. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the sheets have a plurality of laterally extending lines 44, such as lines of sealing, and a pair of longitudinally extending lines 46, such as lines of sealing, connecting the sheets 36 and 38 together and connecting ends of the lateral lines 44, as shown. The connecting lines 44 and 46 define a plurality of pressure chambers 48a, 48b, 48c, 48d, 48e, and 48f which extend laterally in the sheet, and which are disposed longitudinally in the sleeve between the end edges 42a and 42b. When the sleeve is placed on the patient's leg, the lowermost chamber 48a is located on a lower part of the leg adjacent the patient's ankle, while the uppermost chamber is located on an upper part of the leg adjacent the mid-thigh.

As shown, the sleeve 26 has a pair of lines 44' and 44" defining a ventilation chamber or sizing portion 50 which extends between the adjoining pressure chambers 48d and 48e, such that the ventilating chamber 50 separates the pressure chambers into a set of lower contiguous chambers 48a, b, c, and d, and a set of upper contiguous chambers 48e and f. The inner sheet 38 has a plurality of ventilation openings 52 extending through the sheet 38 and communicating with the ventilation chamber 50. In addition, the ventilation chamber 50 has a sufficient length to permit movement of the sleeve between a first position with the adjoining chambers 48d and e being spaced apart a relatively small distance and a second position with the adjoining chambers 48d and e being spaced from each other a relatively large distance. In one form, the ventilating chamber 50 may have a length approximately the same as the pressure chambers 48a-f.

In a preferred embodiment, the side edges 40a and 40b and the connecting lines 46 are tapered from the end edge 42a toward the end edge 42b. Thus, the sleeve 26 has a reduced configuration adjacent its lower end to facilitate placement of the sleeve on the more narrow regions of the leg adjacent the patient's ankles. Moreover, it will be seen that the connecting lines 44 and 46 define chambers having volumes which progressively increase in size from the lowermost pressure chamber 48a to the uppermost pressure chamber 48f. The relative size of the chambers facilitates the device to develop a compressive pressure gradient during the compression or inflation cycles which decreases from a lower part of the sleeve adjacent the end edge 42b toward an upper part of the sleeve adjacent the end edge 42a. As shown in FIG. 2, the sleeves 26 have a plurality of connectors 58 which are secured to the sheet 36 and which communicate with the separate pressure chambers and ventilation chamber in the sleeve 26. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the connectors 58 are secured to the conduits 34a and b, such that the conduits separately communicate with the pressure chambers and ventilation chamber in the sleeve through the connectors 58.

As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the sleeves 26 may have a plurality of hook and loop strips 60 and 62, respectively, to releasably secure the sleeves about the patient's legs. The hook strips 60 extend past one of the side edges 40b of the sleeve, while the loop strips 62 are secured to the outside of the outer sheet 36. During placement, the sleeves 26 are wrapped around the patient's legs with the inner sheet 38 and ventilating openings 52 facing the legs, and the hook strips 60 are releasably attached to the associated loop strips 62 on the outside of the sleeves in order to secure the sleeves on the legs and confine movement of the sleeves away from the patient's legs when inflated during operation of the device.

In use, the control apparatus 22 intermittently inflates the pressure chambers 48a-f in a manner producing a compressive pressure gradient which progressively decreases from a lower to upper portion of the sleeve. After the compression cycles have been completed, the control apparatus 22 deflates the pressure chambers during periodic decompression cycles between the compression cycles, after which the control apparatus 22 repeats the compression cycles.

In addition, the control apparatus passes air through the conduits 34a and b associated with the ventilation chambers 50 in the sleeves 26, and the air passes from the ventilation chambers 50 through the openings 52 against the patient's legs. In this manner, the compression device 20 causes passage of air between the sleeves 26 and the patient's limbs in order to ventilate the patient's legs during use of the device. The air may be continuously supplied to the ventilating chambers, or, if desired, only during the decompression cycles when the sleeves are more loosely fitted about the limbs.

The ventilation chamber 50 also comprises a sizing portion of the sleeve in order to permit adjustment of the sleeve on limbs of varying lengths. Thus, for a patient having relatively long legs, the sleeves 26 are secured about the patient's limbs with the ventilation chambers 50 in a generally planar configuration such that the adjoining chambers 48d and e are spaced apart a relatively large distance in their second position. For a patient having relatively short legs, the ventilation chambers or sizing portions 50 are folded about a laterally extending central fold line 54, such that the effective length of the sleeves 26 between the adjoining chambers 48d and e is reduced in their first position. Thus, the sleeves 26 are secured about the patient's legs with the sizing portions 50 folded into a configuration of reduced longitudinal dimensions, and with the pressure chambers located at the proper position on the patient's legs. In this manner, the compression sleeves 26 may be readily adjusted to the particular size of the patient's limbs in order to obtain proper placement of the pressure chambers on the patient's limbs and minimize the number of sleeves of differing lengths which would otherwise be required to properly fit patients of varying leg sizes. In a preferred form, the sleeve sizing portions 50 are located in the region of the patient's knees whether the sleeves are secured about the patient's legs in their reduced or enlarged configuration.

Another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 6, in which like reference numerals designate like parts. In this embodiment, the sizing portion 50' is uninflated during use of the device. The sizing portion may comprise a closed chamber, or, if desired, may comprise a seal extending between the adjoining chambers 48d and e. The sizing portion 50' may be utilized to shorten or lengthen the compression sleeves for patients with varying leg sizes in a manner as previously described.

The foregoing detailed description is given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, as modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.