Western Clinical Engineering Ltd.

Other

Kenneth L Glinz

James Allen McEwen

Michael Jameson

Jeswin Jeyasurya

Allen Upward

Kevin Bryant Inkpen

Tom Yu Chia Lai

Allen J Upward

A low-cost contour cuff for surgical tourniquet systems comprises: a sheath containing an inflatable bladder, the sheath having an arcuate shape, an outer surface and a centerline equidistant between first and second side edges; a securing strap non-releasably attached to the outer surface and formed of substantially inextensible material having a shape that is predetermined and substantially flat, wherein the strap includes a bending portion near a first strap end and a fastening portion near a second strap end, and wherein the bending portion is adapted to allow twisting of the bending portion out of the substantially flat shape to facilitate positioning of the fastening portion into any of a plurality of positions in the substantially flat shape; and fastening means for releasably attaching the fastening portion of the securing strap to the outer surface whenever the sheath is curved into a position for surrounding a limb.

Method and apparatus for shielding engagement of a tourniquet cuff

An apparatus for intermittent vascular occlusion based on a personalized tourniquet pressure (PTP) includes a dual-purpose tourniquet cuff having an inflatable bladder, a sensor module having a pulsation sensor communicating pneumatically with the inflatable bladder for sensing and characterizing pressure pulsations indicative of a distal occlusion pressure (DOP) to identify a minimum pressure at which penetration of blood past the cuff is stopped, a PTP estimator responsive to the pulsation sensor for producing an estimate of a PTP, wherein the estimate of the PTP is a function of the DOP, an effector module communicating pneumatically with the inflatable bladder for maintaining pressure in the bladder near the PTP during a first time period and for maintaining pressure in the bladder near a second level of pressure during a second time period, and a controller selectively operating the inflatable bladder in conjunction with the sensor module and the effector module.

Personalized tourniquet for intermittent vascular occlusion

Disclosed is a system and method for regulating tourniquet cuff pressure to restrict blood flow penetration past the cuff based on a personalized restrictive pressure (PRP). The system includes mechanisms for estimating a limb occlusion pressure (LOP) by determining a minimum pressure at which arterial blood penetration past an applied tourniquet cuff is stopped and measuring a pulsation characteristic associated with the LOP. Thereafter, the system establishes a PRP by determining a second pressure that restricts but does not stop arterial blood penetration past the cuff and that corresponds to a second pulsation characteristic differing by a percentage from the pulsation characteristic associated with the LOP. During a limb-activity time period, the system maintains pressure in the applied tourniquet cuff near the PRP, thereby restricting but not stopping arterial blood penetration past the cuff during the activity time period.

Tourniquet system for personalized restriction of blood flow

Engagement shield for a tourniquet cuff

Disclosed are methods and apparatus for regulating tourniquet cuff pressure based on a personalized tourniquet pressure (PTP) to facilitate safe performance of surgical and medical procedures. The apparatus includes a dual-purpose tourniquet cuff adapted to encircle a region of a patient to provide both a sensor during a first time period and an effector during a second time period. An effector module communicates pneumatically with an inflatable bladder of the cuff for maintaining pressure in the bladder near a PTP during the second time period to safely stop penetration of arterial blood past the cuff. A pulsation sensor that communicates pneumatically with the inflatable bladder during the first time period senses and characterizes pressure pulsations that are indicative of penetration of arterial blood into the region of a patient encircled by the cuff. A PTP estimator is responsive to the pulsation sensor for producing an estimate of the PTP, such that the estimate of the PTP is a function of the sensed pulsations.

Personalized tourniquet methods and apparatus

Disclosed is a method and apparatus for regulating tourniquet cuff pressure based on a personalized tourniquet pressure (PTP) to facilitate safe performance of a surgical procedure. The apparatus includes a dual-purpose tourniquet cuff adapted to encircle a region of a patient limb to provide both a sensor during a pre-surgical time period and an effector during a surgical time period. An effector module communicates pneumatically with an inflatable bladder of the cuff for maintaining pressure in the bladder near a PTP during the surgical time period to safely stop penetration of arterial blood past the cuff. A pulsation sensor that communicates pneumatically with the inflatable bladder during the pre-surgical time period senses and characterizes pressure pulsations that are indicative of penetration of arterial blood into the region of the limb encircled by the cuff. A PTP estimator is responsive to the pulsation sensor for producing an estimate of the PTP, such that the estimate of the PTP is a function of the sensed pulsations.

Personalized tourniquet apparatus

A tourniquet cuff includes a first sheet, a second sheet, and a seal joining the first sheet and second sheet to form an inflatable bladder. A securing strap is attached to the cuff. The cuff encircles the limb so that the bladder overlaps upon itself. A stiffener fits inside the bladder and sized to extend substantially the length of the bladder but not the entire bladder length, and to fit completely within the seal. A tubular port is connected to the bladder for directing gas into the bladder from a tourniquet instrument to which the port may be releasably connected, and a cuff marking weld is located on an outer surface of the cuff, having a shape selected to form a symbol or indicia that is visible to a user.

Low cost tourniquet cuff with integrated manufacture indicia

A tourniquet cuff has minimal flow restrictions within its pneumatic passageway under normal operating conditions, has a substantially reduced likelihood of partial or complete obstructions or interruptions of the pneumatic passageway under foreseeable operating conditions, can indicate exposure of the cuff to external agents that are capable of affecting the integrity of the pneumatic passageway before use, and can be manufactured economically.

Tourniquet cuff with improved pneumatic passageway

Personalized tourniquet system having dual-purpose cuff

A surgical tourniquet cuff that includes a stabilizer component that facilitates application of an overlapping cuff around the limb of a patient. The stabilizer is fixed to the cuff, and requires no tying or similar user manipulation to secure the overlapping cuff in alignment with the underlying cuff. The stabilizer improves the stability of the inflated cuff to prevent sideways shifting motion of overlapping cuff portions as the cuff is applied to the limb. The stabilizer also provides a handle mechanism to enable the user to snugly apply the overlapping cuff around the patient's limb while the overlapping portions remain properly aligned along their long axes. The stabilizer is designed to also facilitate attaching together two tourniquet cuffs end-to-end, with respective bladders overlapping and in proper alignment so that those attached cuffs can be used as a single, extended surgical cuff applied around a patient's limb.

Extendible tourniquet cuff with stabilizer for improved utility and safety

Disclosed are methods of manufacturing and inflating an elongated bladder of a tourniquet cuff that may be secured around the limb of a patient. The method includes sealing together side edges of layers of material to form the bladder, and stiffening the cuff with a stiffener for compressing the portion of the bladder underlying the stiffener inwardly toward the limb while preventing two layers of the cuff from contacting each other at a location adjacent to an edge of the cuff to thus provide a continuous pneumatic passageway in the bladder between the overlying stiffener and the sealed edge for distributing inflating gas through the passageway along the length of the bladder. The method also includes separating the layers that form the bladder with a flange member that together with the bottom layer of the bladder defines a channeled passageway extending away from a port opening in the bladder for delivering gas through the channeled passageway, beyond the flange member and into the inflatable bladder, such that pressurized gas received in the port opening is directed through the channeled passageway and toward the continuous pneumatic passageway that is adjacent to the sealed edge.

Manufacture and use of tourniquet cuff with improved pneumatic passageway

Manufacture of disposable tourniquet cuffs for various non-cylindrical limb shapes

A disposable tourniquet cuff for encircling a patient's limb includes first and second sheets; a gas-tight peripheral seal joining the first sheet to the second sheet around a perimeter of those sheets to form an inflatable bladder within the perimeter. A stiffener fits inside the bladder and is sized to extend substantially the length of the bladder and to fit completely within the peripheral seal. The stiffener is separate from the second sheet and the stiffener surface is welded to the first sheet at a location within the bladder and away from the peripheral seal. A tubular port is provided for directing gas into the bladder from a tourniquet instrument to which the port may be connected. The port defines a passageway therethrough and includes a flange made of a thermoplastic polymer that is compatible for welding the flange to the first sheet.

Disposable tourniquet cuff

A low-cost disposable tourniquet cuff includes: a first sheet formed of flexible material that is impermeable to gas; a second sheet facing the first sheet and formed of flexible material impermeable to gas; a bladder seal joining the first sheet to the second sheet around a perimeter to form an inflatable bladder within the perimeter; port means communicating pneumatically with the bladder and releasably connectable to a tourniquet instrument; stiffener means contained within the inflatable bladder and formed of gas-impermeable material less flexible than the first sheet, wherein the stiffener means has a stiffener width dimension less than the bladder width dimension and is joined to the first sheet to form a non-inflatable portion of the first sheet; and securing means attached to the non-inflatable portion of the first sheet and adapted to allow a surgical user to releasably secure the cuff around the limb at the desired location so that the bladder overlaps upon itself.

Low-cost disposable tourniquet cuff

Low-cost tourniquet cuff apparatus includes: an inflatable bladder formed of flexible material having a bladder width dimension when the bladder is uninflated and a having a bladder length dimension sufficient for encircling a limb of a surgical patient at a desired location on the limb and for overlapping upon itself, wherein the bladder includes a bladder first inner surface facing a bladder second inner surface along the bladder length dimension and across the bladder width dimension when the bladder is uninflated; securing means for securing the overlapping bladder around the limb at the desired location; port means communicating pneumatically with the inflatable bladder and releasably connectable to a tourniquet instrument for supplying the bladder with pressurized gas; and stiffener means having a predetermined stiffness and having a stiffener width dimension less than the bladder width dimension, wherein the stiffener means is non-releasably attached to the bladder first inner surface within the inflatable bladder. The stiffener means may have a stiffener length dimension that is at least equal to the limb circumference. A method of making the low-cost tourniquet cuff allows the cuff elements to be simply assembled and then sealed in one operation using radio-frequency welding or a similar process.

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Richmond, CA, United States of America

Kenneth L Glinz