EP1450746A1

EP1450746A1 - Medical shoe

Info

Publication number: EP1450746A1
Application number: EP02792777A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Marco Bernacchia; Enzo Bernacchia
Original assignee: MBC Srl
Current assignee: MBC Srl
Priority date: 2001-11-21
Filing date: 2002-11-20
Publication date: 2004-09-01
Also published as: ITAN20010049A0; ITAN20010049A1; WO2003043561A1; AU2002358518A1

Abstract

A medical shoe for activating blood circulation is disclosed. It is made of an activation section (1; 2; 3), a hydraulic section (4; 5; 6, 7; 8, 9) for circulating a compression fluid and an anatomic section (10), containing the lower ends of the user. Advantageously, the activation section is able to reverse its motion and to work forward-backward alternately. Said anatomic section includes a balloon (10) having the shape of a shoe with a recess (11) which can be inflated with the fluid coming from the hydraulic section.

Description

MEDICAL SHOE

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The present invention relates to a medical shoe, which is particularly indicated for activating and re-activating blood circulation, especially in people with reduced mobility.

As it is well known, the Italian population, as the population of almost all the Northern hemisphere in general, is progressively ageing, mainly due to the decreased birth rate, but also due to the increased average lifespan, made possible by the outstanding progress of modern medicine. In this situation, the problem of people with age- or disease-induced reduced mobility is constantly increasing. This results not only in serious psychological problems, but also in significant practical health problems, such as fluid stagnation and retention, muscular-tendinous atrophies of the lower limbs, decubitus ulcers, and other serious problems, which tend to make life worse for people who cannot take even the slightest exercise. On the other hand, the onset of circulatory diseases in sedentary people and/or frequent travellers is also constantly increasing; such conditions may sometimes be aggravated by the particular morphology of the subject's foot lower surface.

In order to avoid the risks connected to fluid stagnation during long intercontinental flights, an airline has recently provided its passengers with a cushion to put under their feet and to be occasionally squeezed, so as to reactivate their blood circulation just enough to make them feel relieved. However, for such a solution to work, it is necessary that the patient still retain some mobility: it is thus not suitable for the even slightly paralysed.

The above reported drawbacks are brilliantly solved by the present invention, relating to a medical shoe for activating the blood circulation, characterised in that it is made of an activation section, a hydraulic section for the circulation of a compressing fluid and an anatomical section hosting the user's lower limbs.

Preferably, said activation section is electrical and is made of an electrical motor driving a hydraulic pump; said hydraulic section is made of a hydraulic pump and of a transport circuit of a compression fluid; and said anatomical section is made of a shoe within which the compression fluid is made to circulate.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment, said hydraulic pump is made of a centrifugal pump whose direction-of-travel is alternated.

The present invention is now illustrated more in detail, with reference to the appended drawings illustrating exemplary embodiments wherein: fig. 1 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of the medical shoe according to the present invention; fig. 2 is a side view of a detail contained in the circle II of fig. 1 ; fig. 3 is a side view - similar to fig. 2 - of the anatomical section of the shoe according to the present invention; fig. 4A is a sectional view of the part illustrated in fig. 3 in the absence of fluid; fig. 4B is a sectional view similar to fig. 4A, but in the presence of fluid; fig. 5 is an alternative embodiment of a shoe according to the present invention; fig. 6 is another alternative embodiment of a shoe according to the present invention; and figs. 7A and 7B separately show the embodiment in fig. 5, in two different phases of work.

The shoe according to the present invention is depicted in the drawings like a normal shoe; however, in the present invention, the term "shoe" has a wider and more generic meaning, comprising any shape, apt to partially or totally host the ends of the lower limbs.

The shoe according to the present invention comprises an activation section, which is electrical in this case, made of a plug 1, a power lead 2 and an electrical motor 3. The motor 3 is a motor apt to reverse its flow and to work forward/backward alternately. For example, it may be a small stepper motor.

The activation section has the function of starting the hydraulic part. This is made of a pump 4, for example a centrifugal pump, a tank 5 for the compression fluid and a pair of tubes 6, 7 supplying the fluid from the tank 5 to the anatomical section. Valves 8, 9, connecting the respective tubes 6, 7 to the anatomical section, complete the hydraulic section.

The anatomical section is made of a pair of balloons 10, which, in the embodiment illustrated, have the shape of real shoes. In balloon 10 there is a recess 11 which may be filled with the fluid coming, through valve 8, 9, from the hydraulic section. The balloon 10 may be advantageously divided into arch support and upper, connected to each other in order to let the fluid flow. The arch support and upper may in turn be divided into sectors that may be connected in order to let the fluid flow, even if this is not strictly necessary.

In the embodiment of figs. 5 to 7, the activation section is substituted by the walk of the person wearing the shoe, while the hydraulic section is entirely made up of recess 11 of the anatomical section. In particular, the shoe shown in fig. 6 may work both as the one shown in figs. 1 to 4 and as the one shown in fig. 5: the passage from one working type to the other occurs by connecting a tube coming from a hydraulic section and from an activation section to valve 8 or by simply closing said valve.

In order to use the shoe according to the invention, the patient should wear the deflated shoes or balloons 10. The plug is inserted into the power socket and the driving motor 3 is started. The motor 3 drives the centrifugal pump 4 in a certain direction, for example rightward, as in fig. 1.

The pump 4 pumps the fluid from the tank 5 into the tube 7, and hence, through valve 9, into the balloon 10 shown in fig. 1 on the right. As seen in fig. 4B, the fluid, usually a liquid such as water or oil, fills the recess 11, compressing the foot in the directions illustrated by the arrows. This way, the body fluids are forced to rise from the compressed foot. The balloon 10 shown in fig. 1 on the left, instead, maintains the same shape as in fig. 4A, not exerting any pressure on the foot: therefore, the blood and the other body fluids may freely flow to the foot. Once the end stop is reached, when the pressure on the foot is maximum, the motor 3 reverses its flow, aspiring fluid from the balloon 10 in fig. 1 on the right and, through valve 9, sending it into the tube 7, hence to the pump case and to the tank 5 and hence again to the pump case and into the tube 6. From the tube 6, the fluid is sent, through valve 8, to the balloon 10 shown on the left. This way, the situation will be exactly reversed, and the foot shown in fig. 4A is the right foot, where new blood and body fluids may now freely flow, while the foot in fig. 4B is the left foot, from which the body fluids are pumped off again.

Using the shoe according to the present invention for a certain lapse of time, the blood circulation is facilitated in the same way as if walking normally. This way, even non-walking people may avoid, or at least alleviate, all the drawbacks connected with stasis, such as swellings, pains, phlebitis, decubitus ulcers and the like. When, on the other hand, an embodiment as those shown in figs. 5 and 6 is used, when valve 8 is disconnected and closed, the walking movement will pump the fluid into the recess 11, causing the activation thereof and greatly amplifying the compression effects on the foot, so as to enormously increase the advantages thereof. Depending on the walking phase, the fluid in the recess 11 moves according to fig. 7A or fig. 7B, so as to significantly activate the circulation. It is also apparent that, in this case, the shoe is apt for sedentary people, but not for people who are unable to walk and, if used for short walks, provides the same advantages as medium-long walks.

It is clear that there are many alternative ways, all available to an expert in the art, to carry out the present invention. For example, the balloons may have any shape, even if the shoe shape shown is certainly preferable from the anatomical point of view, because it is comfortable to use and because it allows to compress the foot best on the entire exposed surface.

Furthermore, the pump may be different from a centrifugal pump, for instance it may be a peristaltic pump, a reciprocating pump, one or more hand pumps or pumps of any other type. If instead of a liquid a gas is used, a blower or a compressor and a vent hole may also be used. In the embodiment shown, the alternate use for both feet has been described. Of course, according to the present invention, a synchronous use instead of an alternate use is also possible. Finally, instead of an electrical motor, especially for large entities such as hospitals and clinics, use of a centralised spark-ignition motor or the like may be provided.

Claims

I ) Medical shoe for activating blood circulation, characterised in that it is made of an activation section (1 ; 2; 3), a hydraulic section (4; 5; 6; 7; 8; 9) for the circulation of a compression fluid and by an anatomical section (10), hosting the lower ends of the user. 2) Medical shoe as in claim 1 ), characterised in that said activation section (1 ; 2; 3) is electrical.

3) Medical shoe as in claim 2), characterised in that said activation section (1 ; 2; 3) is made of a plug (1), a power lead (2) and an electrical motor (3).

4) Medical shoe as in claim 1 ), characterised in that said activation section is provided with a spark-ignition motor.

5) Medical shoe as in claims 3) or 4), characterised in that said motor (3) is apt to reverse its flow and to work forward/backward alternately.

6) Medical shoe as in claim 5), wherein said motor (3) is a stepper motor.

7) Medical shoe as in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that a centralised motor is provided driving several hydraulic and anatomical sections.

8) Medical shoe as in claim 1), characterised in that said activation section is the normal walking movement of the shoe user.

9) Medical shoe as in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said hydraulic section comprises a pump (4), a tank (5) for the compression fluid and a pair of tubes (6, 7) which supply the fluid from the tank (5) to said anatomical section.

10) Medical shoe as in claim 9), characterised in that said pump (4) is a centrifugal pump.

I I) Medical shoe as in claim 9), characterised in that said pump (4) is chosen from the group comprising peristaltic pumps, reciprocating pumps and hand pumps. 12) Medical shoe as in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said hydraulic section comprises valves (8, 9) to connect the respective tubes (6, 7) to the anatomical section.

13) Medical shoe as in any one of the claims 1) to 8), characterised in that said hydraulic section is made of recesses (11) of said anatomical section. 14) Medical shoe according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said anatomical section comprises a pair of balloons (10) with a recess (11 ) which may be inflated with the fluid coming from the hydraulic part.

15) Medical shoe as in claim 14), characterised in that said balloons (10) are shoe shaped. 16) Medical shoe as in claim 15), characterised in that said anatomical section is divided into arch support and upper, the latter being connected to each other in order to let the fluid flow.

17) Medical shoe as in claim 16), characterised in that said arch support and upper are divided into sectors.

18) Medical shoe as in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the fluid supply to and from the balloons (10) is synchronous.

19) Medical shoe as in any one of the claims from 1) to 17), characterised in that the fluid supply to and from the balloons (10) is alternate. 20) Medical shoe as in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said fluid is a liquid.

21) Medical shoe as in claim 20), characterised in that said fluid is water or oil.

22) Medical shoe as in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said activation and hydraulic sections may be changed with others, depending on the need.