Pneumatic massage apparatus for treatment of edema and method for massaging patient's body with the apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10130544-B2
Application number	US-201514627475-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 20, 2015
Priority date	Feb 20, 2015
Publication date	Nov 20, 2018
Grant date	Nov 20, 2018

Abstract

A pneumatic massage apparatus making it possible to perform even more efficient drainage is provided.
A pneumatic massage apparatus includes a massage device to be fitted to wrap around at least one of an arm or leg of a patient and having a plurality of air chambers disposed in series in a proximal direction from a distal position of the at least one of an arm and a leg toward the center of the patient's body, and a compressed air control unit configured to supply compressed air into the plurality of air chambers to pressurize them, and discharge compressed air from the plurality air chambers to depressurize them. The compressed air control unit is configured to depressurize the pressurized air chambers in such a manner that, of any pair of mutually adjacent air chambers, a proximal air chamber of the pair first starts to be depressurized, and then a distal air chamber of the pair starts to be depressurized.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A pneumatic massage apparatus comprising:
a massage device to be fitted to wrap around at least one of an arm and a leg of a patient and having a plurality of air chambers disposed in series in a proximal direction from a distal position of the at least one of an arm and a leg toward a center of a body of the patient when the massage device is fitted around the at least one of an arm and a leg; and
a compressed air control unit configured to supply compressed air into the plurality of air chambers to pressurize the plurality of air chambers, and discharge compressed air from the plurality air chambers to depressurize the plurality of air chambers,
the compressed air control unit having a control circuit and a pressurization means configured to pressurize each of the plurality of air chambers by supplying compressed air into each of the plurality of air chambers, and a depressurization means configured to depressurize each of the plurality of air chambers having been supplied compressed air by the compressed air control unit in such a manner that, when after all the plurality of air chambers have been supplied compressed air by the compressed air control unit, the plurality of air chambers being numbered sequentially in the proximal direction so that a distal end air chamber disposed at a distal-most position of the air chambers is given number one, even-numbered air chambers first start to be depressurized in descending order of numbers given thereto, and then odd-numbered air chambers start to be depressurized in descending order of numbers given thereto.

2. The pneumatic massage apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the compressed air control unit is configured such that the plurality of air chambers start to be pressurized in ascending order of numbers given thereto.

3. The pneumatic massage apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the compressed air control unit is configured to maintain a pressurized state of each of the plurality of air chambers having been supplied compressed air by the compressed air control unit for a predetermined period of time after all the plurality of air chambers have been supplied compressed air by the compressed air control unit.

4. The pneumatic massage apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the compressed air control unit is configured to start pressurizing the plurality of air chambers simultaneously.

5. The pneumatic massage apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the compressed air control unit is configured to maintain a pressurized state of each of the plurality of air chambers having been supplied compressed air by the compressed air control unit for a predetermined period of time after all the plurality of air chambers have been supplied compressed air by the compressed air control unit.

6. The pneumatic massage apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the compressed air control unit is configured to maintain a pressurized state of each of the plurality of air chambers having been supplied compressed air by the compressed air control unit for a predetermined period of time after all the plurality of air chambers have been supplied compressed air by the compressed air control unit.

7. A pneumatic massage apparatus comprising:
a massage device to be fitted to wrap around at least one of an arm and a leg of a patient and having a plurality of air chambers disposed in series in a proximal direction from a distal position of the at least one of an arm and a leg toward a center of a body of the patient when the massage device is fitted around the at least one of an arm and a leg; and
a compressed air control unit configured to supply compressed air into the plurality of air chambers to pressurize the plurality of air chambers, and discharge compressed air from the plurality air chambers to depressurize the plurality of air chambers,
the compressed air control unit having a control circuit and a pressurization means configured to pressurize each of the plurality of air chambers by supplying compressed air into each of the plurality of air chambers, and a depressurization means configured to depressurize each of the plurality of air chambers having been supplied compressed air by the compressed air control unit in such a manner that, when after all the plurality of air chambers have been supplied compressed air by the compressed air control unit, the plurality of air chambers being numbered sequentially in the proximal direction so that a distal end air chamber disposed at a distal-most position of the air chambers is given number one, odd-numbered air chambers first start to be depressurized in descending order of numbers given thereto, and then even-numbered air chambers start to be depressurized in descending order of numbers given thereto.

8. The pneumatic massage apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the compressed air control unit is configured such that the plurality of air chambers start to be pressurized in ascending order of numbers given thereto.

9. The pneumatic massage apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the compressed air control unit is configured to start pressurizing the plurality of air chambers simultaneously.

10. The pneumatic massage apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the compressed air control unit is configured to maintain a pressurized state of each of the plurality of air chambers having been supplied compressed air by the compressed air control unit for a predetermined period of time after all the plurality of air chambers have been supplied compressed air by the compressed air control unit.

Assignees

• Nitto Kohki Co

Inventors

• Takagi Norikazu
• Nakao Haruki
• Maegawa Jiro

Classifications

• A61H9/0078

  with intermittent or alternately inflated bladders or cuffs (mattresses for preventing bed-sores with alternated pressurized chambers A61G7/05776) · CPC title

• A61H2201/1409

  Hydraulic or pneumatic means · CPC title

• A61H2209/00

  Devices for avoiding blood stagnation, e.g. Deep Vein Thrombosis [DVT] devices · CPC title

• A61H2201/164

  Feet or leg, e.g. pedal · CPC title

• A61H2205/06

  Arms · CPC title