CA1291386C - Medical appliance - Google Patents
Medical applianceInfo
- Publication number
- CA1291386C CA1291386C CA000467448A CA467448A CA1291386C CA 1291386 C CA1291386 C CA 1291386C CA 000467448 A CA000467448 A CA 000467448A CA 467448 A CA467448 A CA 467448A CA 1291386 C CA1291386 C CA 1291386C
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- bag
- foot
- appliance
- air
- deflate
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Lifetime
Links
Abstract
MEDICAL APPLIANCE
A medical appliance for applying pumping pressure to the sole (10) of a human foot (11) comprises an inflatable bag (1) which in use is held in engagement with the foot (11), for example by means of a sling (4), a plaster cast or an article of footwear, and which can be inflated rapidly by means of, for example, a pump (3).
At leant the part of the bag (1) in contact with the foot (11) can be of air permeable material allowing controlled deflation of the bag. The appliance serves to stimulate venous blood flow in the limb carrying the foot (11).
A medical appliance for applying pumping pressure to the sole (10) of a human foot (11) comprises an inflatable bag (1) which in use is held in engagement with the foot (11), for example by means of a sling (4), a plaster cast or an article of footwear, and which can be inflated rapidly by means of, for example, a pump (3).
At leant the part of the bag (1) in contact with the foot (11) can be of air permeable material allowing controlled deflation of the bag. The appliance serves to stimulate venous blood flow in the limb carrying the foot (11).
Description
r 1~: U 1'~ 1 7 1 0 ' ~ . '~ 7 3~36 , C~L A$'P~I~C~13 Thi~ $n~ent1on rel~es Jco a medlcal appliance, and partlcularly 'co a medlcal ~ppliance for ~pplying p~s~ure to a part of a human bvdy ~or the purpo~e of stimulatlnq blood circul~tlon.
S Such medl~al ~ppllances ar~ known which ~mprise a ~ou~ w~ d ~heath adapted ~o ilt over ~ lisnb, ~or example an ann or a lower leg portl~n, to be treatYd, and a pump apparatu~ ar~a~nged to inf late ~nd def~ ~te the sheath c!~c:llcally thereby to apply a pumping ~ctlon to the llmb and ~h~s ~ssist venous ~31~od-flow thereln.
particular ~isadv~nt~e o~ ~uch known appllanaes ~ hat they c~nnot be u~ed wh~n ~he lir~
to be treated is a~ ~o to ~e en~Qsed ~ ~ pl ~ter c t, or s~etime~ wheh t'ne l i~ h~ been ~ub~ e~ted to 6u~gery.
: A further dlsadvantage of known applia~ces ls that ~hey are~ not su$ted ~o ~ontinuous wear by ~ u~er.
hese dlsadvantages Are particularly : ~ ~ 20 i~l1cant in ~el~tion to applian e~ ~or use on ~eet ;
~91386 2 2~056-1 and legs where a~ is known stimulation of blood flow is desirable when the limb cannot be used for walking.
We have discovered a venous pump mechanism in the sole of the human foot, which under normal walking conditions for the foot, serves to :return blood from the leg into the ahdomen with no assistance from muscular action.
According to one aspect oE this invention there is provided a medica]. appliance having a single inflatable bag, said bag being shaped for engagement tn the plantar arch oE a human foot; means adapted to engage over the instep oE a human foot thereby to secure the bag to the :Eoot in the plantar arch thereof;
inElation means connected to the bag and capable of cyclically inflating the bag within two seconds such that when being inflated the bag applies a pumping pressure to the plantar arch of the foot, the pumping pressure serving to drive blood from the veins of the foot; and means cycli.cally to deflate the bag between inflations thereof in a time necessary Eor return of blood to the veins of the foot.
Preferably said active device includes means to render said device active when said oot is not in use for ambulation.
According to another aspect of this invention there is provided a medical appliance, comprising circumferential-tie means adapted to peripherally envelop essentially only and to conform generally to the instep region of a :Eoot and to the plantar region of the foot within the span between the ball and heel of the foot, a single inflatable bag adapted for retention within and by said circumferential-tie means, said bag having a first active-surEace portion longitudinally limited to said span and conformable to the lX~t~3~36 3 2~056-1 sole oE the foot within said span, said bag also having as an integral in-flatable Eormation therewith a further portion of lesser longitudinal extent than said span and having inner lateral-aspect connection to the said first portion, and means to inflate and deflate said bag in a recurrent cycle wherein single-pulse delivery of inflating pressure fluid is within two seconds, with deElation commencing at terminatlon of the single-pulse delivery, the deflation being for such period of tim~ as is necessary for the return of blood to the veins oE the Eoot.
Two medical appliances embodying this invention will now be described by way of example with reEerence to the drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a view of a first appliance with part broken away in position on a human foot;
Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing a sectional view of the second appliance; and Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line III-III in Figure 2.
Referring to Figure 1, the appliance here shown comprises an inflatable bag 1 formed of plastics material and shaped Eor engagement with the sole 10 of a human foot 11 in the plantar arch thereof~ The bag 1 is connected by way of a flexible pipe 2 to a pump apparatus 3 by which the bag 1 can be inflated.
The bag 1 is secured to the foot 11 by means of a cloth sling 4 which embraces the bag 1 and is secured over the instep 12 of the foot 11. Padding material can be located between the sling 4 and the instep 12 if necessary or desirable.
The sling 4 and bag 1 are covered by a cloth slipper 6 ~L~9~386 3a 28056-1 which covers the majority of the foot 11.
In use of the appliance when secured to a foot as shown in Figure 1, the pump apparatus 3 ~9138 -- 4 ..
~perat~s rapidly to ln~l~te the ~Ag 1 whlch then applie~ a p~mpin~ pressu~e to the sole lO of the oot ll, and also urges the ball and heel o~ thA
foot ~way from each other, thu~ fla~tenlng the 5 plan~ar ~rch a~ would occur i~ the ~oot l~ was pl aced on the ground dtlrlng normal ambulatlon, thereby stimulatlng ~renous ,blood~-flow. A valve Arran~e~en~ (not shown~ ln the pwnp apparatu~ 3 theh allo~s ~he bag l to de1~te whereafter the 4ag 0 1 i8 ~gain ln~lated, the inflAtlon/de~latlon cycle b~3ing repeated a~ ~ony a5 trea~nent wl~h the appl iance 1~ requ ired .
Prefexab~y inflatiorl of ~he bag 1 is efected ln two ~e~onds or le~s to provlde a sati~acto~y 15 purnpin~ Action, while defla~ion of the bag 1 can ~ake as long as 15 ~ces8ary or the r~turn o~ blood to the vein~ of ~he foot ~l.
Th~ treatment thus pro~lded slmulates walking on tl~ oo~ nd there~y ~nproves venous blood 20 circulatlor~ ~ n ~ pe~50n being tr~ated who would no~m~lly be un~ble to walk or po~ ly even ~tand on he foot~ ¦
~ s a m~difl~at~on of ~he above descrlbeà
appli~rlce, the ~lve ~rran~ner t in pwnp apparatu~
25 can be ~18pens~d w~th, the pwnp app~ra~us ~r-~tinq , -~3~1386 . - 5 -only fox cycllc lnflation of the bag 1, and at least the surf ace of the bag 1 ln contact wlth the foot 11 being formed with air lea~age orifices thereby to be permeable to air, or belng made of a material which is inherently permeable to air, such material being sold under the name VALMIC* Microporous Fllm by Van Leer o~ the United States o:E Amerlca. Such a surfac~
can be pxovided as will give the requixed period for deflation o~ the bag l.
Such a~ appliance gives the advantages that the a1r leaving the permeable sur~ace of the bag 1 serves to prevent accummulation of moisture between the bag l and the foot ll, this enhancing the comfort of the user of the appliance and making sXin problems less likely.
A particular advantage of the appliance of this invention is that it can be used when a foot is : to ~e e~cased in a plaster cast, or when the leg carrying the foot ll has been subjected to surgery.
Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings show an appliance in position for use on a human foot ll under a plaster cast lO0, the same reference numerals as used in Figure 1 being used for corresponding parts.
The appllance shown in Figures 2 and 3 is ~5 similar to that shown in ~igure l but is larger and *Trade Mark ..
3~6 extende no~ only undex the ~ole 10 of the foot 11 ~ut ~180 a~ound the ln~lde o~ the ~oot 11 ~nd o~r the ~nstep 1~ of ~he ~oot 11, For u~e, the appllance ls positioned on the foot 11 and the pla~ter c~st 100 1~ the~ ~ormed over the ~a~ 1 a~ required, wlth the pipe 2 from the pump apparatu~ 3 p~s~in~ elther throu~h A hol~ in the ca~t 100 ox out o~ one end of the ~A5t 100.
The b~ 1 can b~ m~lntained ln a pArt~ally ln~la~ed conditlon while the plaster ca ~ 100 1 formed whereby allowance ~or ~ubsequant pos~ibl~
~welll~ o~ the foot 11 i~ made.
A~ a modl~icatlon of the appli~nce shown ln ~i~ure 1 or ~igures 2 and 3 of the drawlngs the ba~ 1 can be lncorpor~ted in ~n artlcle o footwe~, such as ~ con~entlon~l boo~, to be worn ~y ~ person needlng t~ u~e ~h~ appliance.
S Such medl~al ~ppllances ar~ known which ~mprise a ~ou~ w~ d ~heath adapted ~o ilt over ~ lisnb, ~or example an ann or a lower leg portl~n, to be treatYd, and a pump apparatu~ ar~a~nged to inf late ~nd def~ ~te the sheath c!~c:llcally thereby to apply a pumping ~ctlon to the llmb and ~h~s ~ssist venous ~31~od-flow thereln.
particular ~isadv~nt~e o~ ~uch known appllanaes ~ hat they c~nnot be u~ed wh~n ~he lir~
to be treated is a~ ~o to ~e en~Qsed ~ ~ pl ~ter c t, or s~etime~ wheh t'ne l i~ h~ been ~ub~ e~ted to 6u~gery.
: A further dlsadvantage of known applia~ces ls that ~hey are~ not su$ted ~o ~ontinuous wear by ~ u~er.
hese dlsadvantages Are particularly : ~ ~ 20 i~l1cant in ~el~tion to applian e~ ~or use on ~eet ;
~91386 2 2~056-1 and legs where a~ is known stimulation of blood flow is desirable when the limb cannot be used for walking.
We have discovered a venous pump mechanism in the sole of the human foot, which under normal walking conditions for the foot, serves to :return blood from the leg into the ahdomen with no assistance from muscular action.
According to one aspect oE this invention there is provided a medica]. appliance having a single inflatable bag, said bag being shaped for engagement tn the plantar arch oE a human foot; means adapted to engage over the instep oE a human foot thereby to secure the bag to the :Eoot in the plantar arch thereof;
inElation means connected to the bag and capable of cyclically inflating the bag within two seconds such that when being inflated the bag applies a pumping pressure to the plantar arch of the foot, the pumping pressure serving to drive blood from the veins of the foot; and means cycli.cally to deflate the bag between inflations thereof in a time necessary Eor return of blood to the veins of the foot.
Preferably said active device includes means to render said device active when said oot is not in use for ambulation.
According to another aspect of this invention there is provided a medical appliance, comprising circumferential-tie means adapted to peripherally envelop essentially only and to conform generally to the instep region of a :Eoot and to the plantar region of the foot within the span between the ball and heel of the foot, a single inflatable bag adapted for retention within and by said circumferential-tie means, said bag having a first active-surEace portion longitudinally limited to said span and conformable to the lX~t~3~36 3 2~056-1 sole oE the foot within said span, said bag also having as an integral in-flatable Eormation therewith a further portion of lesser longitudinal extent than said span and having inner lateral-aspect connection to the said first portion, and means to inflate and deflate said bag in a recurrent cycle wherein single-pulse delivery of inflating pressure fluid is within two seconds, with deElation commencing at terminatlon of the single-pulse delivery, the deflation being for such period of tim~ as is necessary for the return of blood to the veins oE the Eoot.
Two medical appliances embodying this invention will now be described by way of example with reEerence to the drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a view of a first appliance with part broken away in position on a human foot;
Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing a sectional view of the second appliance; and Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line III-III in Figure 2.
Referring to Figure 1, the appliance here shown comprises an inflatable bag 1 formed of plastics material and shaped Eor engagement with the sole 10 of a human foot 11 in the plantar arch thereof~ The bag 1 is connected by way of a flexible pipe 2 to a pump apparatus 3 by which the bag 1 can be inflated.
The bag 1 is secured to the foot 11 by means of a cloth sling 4 which embraces the bag 1 and is secured over the instep 12 of the foot 11. Padding material can be located between the sling 4 and the instep 12 if necessary or desirable.
The sling 4 and bag 1 are covered by a cloth slipper 6 ~L~9~386 3a 28056-1 which covers the majority of the foot 11.
In use of the appliance when secured to a foot as shown in Figure 1, the pump apparatus 3 ~9138 -- 4 ..
~perat~s rapidly to ln~l~te the ~Ag 1 whlch then applie~ a p~mpin~ pressu~e to the sole lO of the oot ll, and also urges the ball and heel o~ thA
foot ~way from each other, thu~ fla~tenlng the 5 plan~ar ~rch a~ would occur i~ the ~oot l~ was pl aced on the ground dtlrlng normal ambulatlon, thereby stimulatlng ~renous ,blood~-flow. A valve Arran~e~en~ (not shown~ ln the pwnp apparatu~ 3 theh allo~s ~he bag l to de1~te whereafter the 4ag 0 1 i8 ~gain ln~lated, the inflAtlon/de~latlon cycle b~3ing repeated a~ ~ony a5 trea~nent wl~h the appl iance 1~ requ ired .
Prefexab~y inflatiorl of ~he bag 1 is efected ln two ~e~onds or le~s to provlde a sati~acto~y 15 purnpin~ Action, while defla~ion of the bag 1 can ~ake as long as 15 ~ces8ary or the r~turn o~ blood to the vein~ of ~he foot ~l.
Th~ treatment thus pro~lded slmulates walking on tl~ oo~ nd there~y ~nproves venous blood 20 circulatlor~ ~ n ~ pe~50n being tr~ated who would no~m~lly be un~ble to walk or po~ ly even ~tand on he foot~ ¦
~ s a m~difl~at~on of ~he above descrlbeà
appli~rlce, the ~lve ~rran~ner t in pwnp apparatu~
25 can be ~18pens~d w~th, the pwnp app~ra~us ~r-~tinq , -~3~1386 . - 5 -only fox cycllc lnflation of the bag 1, and at least the surf ace of the bag 1 ln contact wlth the foot 11 being formed with air lea~age orifices thereby to be permeable to air, or belng made of a material which is inherently permeable to air, such material being sold under the name VALMIC* Microporous Fllm by Van Leer o~ the United States o:E Amerlca. Such a surfac~
can be pxovided as will give the requixed period for deflation o~ the bag l.
Such a~ appliance gives the advantages that the a1r leaving the permeable sur~ace of the bag 1 serves to prevent accummulation of moisture between the bag l and the foot ll, this enhancing the comfort of the user of the appliance and making sXin problems less likely.
A particular advantage of the appliance of this invention is that it can be used when a foot is : to ~e e~cased in a plaster cast, or when the leg carrying the foot ll has been subjected to surgery.
Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings show an appliance in position for use on a human foot ll under a plaster cast lO0, the same reference numerals as used in Figure 1 being used for corresponding parts.
The appllance shown in Figures 2 and 3 is ~5 similar to that shown in ~igure l but is larger and *Trade Mark ..
3~6 extende no~ only undex the ~ole 10 of the foot 11 ~ut ~180 a~ound the ln~lde o~ the ~oot 11 ~nd o~r the ~nstep 1~ of ~he ~oot 11, For u~e, the appllance ls positioned on the foot 11 and the pla~ter c~st 100 1~ the~ ~ormed over the ~a~ 1 a~ required, wlth the pipe 2 from the pump apparatu~ 3 p~s~in~ elther throu~h A hol~ in the ca~t 100 ox out o~ one end of the ~A5t 100.
The b~ 1 can b~ m~lntained ln a pArt~ally ln~la~ed conditlon while the plaster ca ~ 100 1 formed whereby allowance ~or ~ubsequant pos~ibl~
~welll~ o~ the foot 11 i~ made.
A~ a modl~icatlon of the appli~nce shown ln ~i~ure 1 or ~igures 2 and 3 of the drawlngs the ba~ 1 can be lncorpor~ted in ~n artlcle o footwe~, such as ~ con~entlon~l boo~, to be worn ~y ~ person needlng t~ u~e ~h~ appliance.
Claims (12)
1. A medical appliance having a single inflatable bag, said bag being shaped for engagement in the plantar arch of a human foot; means adapted to engage over the instep of a human foot thereby to secure the bag to the foot in the plantar arch thereof;
inflation means connected to the bag and capable of cyclically inflating the bag within two seconds such that when being inflated the bag applies a pumping pressure to the plantar arch of the foot, the pumping pressure serving to drive blood from the veins of the foot; and means cyclically to deflate the bag between inflations thereof in a time necessary for return of blood to the veins of the foot.
inflation means connected to the bag and capable of cyclically inflating the bag within two seconds such that when being inflated the bag applies a pumping pressure to the plantar arch of the foot, the pumping pressure serving to drive blood from the veins of the foot; and means cyclically to deflate the bag between inflations thereof in a time necessary for return of blood to the veins of the foot.
2. An appliance as claimed in Claim 1, characterised in that the bag is substantially totally impervious to air, said deflation means comprising a valved outlet from the bag.
3. An appliance as claimed in Claim 1, characterised in that said deflation means comprises a surface of the bag, which is permeable to air and which in use of the appliance contacts the foot.
4. An appliance as claimed in Claim 3, characterised in that said surface is formed with air leakage orifices.
5. An appliance as claimed in Claim 3, characterised in that said surface is formed of inherently air permeable material.
6. A medical appliance, comprising circumferential-tie means adapted to peripherally envelop essentially only and to conform generally to the instep region of a foot and to the plantar region of the foot within the span between the ball and heel of the foot, a single inflatable bag adapted for retention within and by said circumferential-tie means, said bag having a first active-surface portion longitudinally limited to said span and conformable to the sole of the foot within said span, said bag also having as an integral inflatable formation therewith a further portion of lesser longitudinal extent than said span and having inner lateral-aspect connection to the said first portion, and means to inflate and deflate said bag in a recurrent cycle wherein single-pulse delivery of inflating pressure fluid is within two seconds, with deflation commencing at termination of the single-pulse delivery, the deflation being for such period of time as is necessary for the return of blood to the veins of the foot.
7. An appliance as claimed in Claim 6, in which said further portion extends circumferentially to the instep region of the foot.
8. An appliance as claimed in Claim 6 or Claim 7, in which the bag is substantially totally impervious to air, said means to deflate said bag comprising a valved outlet.
9. An appliance as claimed in Claim 6 or Claim 7, in which said means to deflate said bag comprises an air-permeable surface of the bag, which in use of the appliance is the surface nearest to the sole of the foot.
10. An appliance as claimed in Claim 6 or Claim 7, in which said means to deflate said bag comprises an air-permeable surface of the bag wherein said surface is formed of inherently air-permeable material.
11. The appliance as claimed in Claim 6 or Claim 7, in which said means to deflate said bag comprises an air-permeable bag surface which is formed with air-leakage orifices.
12. An appliance as claimed in Claim 6 or Claim 7, in which said means to inflate and deflate said bag is operative in a recurrent cycle wherein single-pulse delivery of inflating pressure fluid is within one second.
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB838330138A GB8330138D0 (en) | 1983-06-22 | 1983-11-11 | Medical appliance |
| GB8330138 | 1983-11-11 | ||
| GB8415268 | 1984-06-15 | ||
| GB08415268A GB2141938B (en) | 1983-06-22 | 1984-06-15 | Medical appliance |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1291386C true CA1291386C (en) | 1991-10-29 |
Family
ID=26286995
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000467448A Expired - Lifetime CA1291386C (en) | 1983-11-11 | 1984-11-09 | Medical appliance |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1291386C (en) |
-
1984
- 1984-11-09 CA CA000467448A patent/CA1291386C/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |