Measuring and testing – Fluid pressure gauge – Mounting and connection
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-01
2004-02-24
Hirshfeld, Andrew H. (Department: 2854)
Measuring and testing
Fluid pressure gauge
Mounting and connection
C600S490000, C600S500000, C600S485000, C600S492000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06694821
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cuff of a blood pressure monitor for measuring the blood pressure as being mounted on the body of a subject, and more particularly relates to a structure of the cuff of a wrist-mount blood pressure monitor used in a wrist-mount blood pressure monitor for measuring the blood pressure on the wrist.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, importance of self-control of blood pressure has recognized, and the wrist-mount blood pressure monitor capable of measuring more easily than the brachial type is widely used at home as a household blood pressure monitor. A schematic configuration of a conventional wrist-mount blood pressure monitor
100
is explained by referring to FIG.
12
and FIG.
13
.
FIG. 12
is a general perspective view showing the appearance of the wrist-mount blood pressure monitor
100
, and
FIG. 13
is a block diagram showing an internal structure of the wrist-mount blood pressure monitor
100
. Referring to both diagrams, the wrist-mount blood pressure monitor
100
comprises a main body
101
incorporating a control device for measuring the blood pressure, and a cuff
102
of a wrist-mount blood pressure monitor which the main body
101
is attached.
A display
103
and a start switch
104
are provided on the outer surface of the main body
101
, and a pressure sensor
105
, a pressurizing pump
106
, an exhaust valve
107
, and a CPU
108
for controlling these devices are provided in its inside.
The cuff
102
of wrist-mount blood pressure monitor comprises an air bag
109
for collecting the air sent out from the pressurizing pump
106
and oppressing an artery of the wrist, a band
110
having the air bag
109
disposed at its inner side for mounting on the wrist, and a fastener
111
for winding and fixing the band
110
on the wrist.
Measurement of blood pressure by using the wrist-mount blood pressure monitor
100
having such configuration is explained by referring to
FIG. 14
to FIG.
16
. In
FIG. 14
to
FIG. 16
, for the sake of convenience, only the cuff
102
of the wrist-mount blood pressure monitor is shown, and the main body
101
is not shown.
FIG. 14
is a schematic sectional view of the cuff
102
of the wrist-mount blood pressure monitor along the longitudinal direction before mounting on the wrist, and air is not supplied into the air bag
109
yet.
FIG. 15
is a sectional diagram showing a deflated state of the cuff
102
of the wrist-mount blood pressure monitor mounted on the wrist
1
.
FIG. 16
is a sectional view showing an inflated state of the cuff
102
of the wrist-mount blood pressure monitor mounted on the wrist
1
.
The cuff
102
of the wrist-mount blood pressure monitor shown in
FIG. 14
is fixed by using the band
110
so that the air bag
109
comes to a position confronting the radial artery
5
and ulnar artery
7
of the wrist
1
. Herein, the principal constituents of the wrist
1
include, as shown in
FIG. 15
, the radius
2
positioned at the thumb side, the ulna
3
positioned as the little finger side, the deep flexor digital tendon
4
a
and palmar long flexor tendon
4
b
positioned near the radius
2
, the radial artery
5
, the superficial flexor digital tendon
6
a
and ulnar carpal tendon
6
b
positioned near the ulna
3
, and the ulnar artery
7
.
When the cuff
102
of the wrist-mount blood pressure monitor is completely mounted on the wrist
1
, by supplying air from the pressurizing pump
106
into the air bag
109
as shown in
FIG. 16
, the radial artery
5
or the ulnar artery
7
(or both) of the wrist
1
is oppressed, and the exhaust valve
107
is released, and in the process of discharging air from the air bag
109
, the pressure in the air bag
109
is measured by the blood pressure sensor
105
, and the blood pressure measurement data is obtained.
The wrist-mount blood pressure monitor is said to be inferior in precision to the brachial type blood pressure monitor. One of the causes is lack of oppression force on the artery of the wrist. Lack of oppression force on the artery means that the pressure of the vascular inner wall to be measure (hereinafter called vascular inner wall pressure) is smaller as compared with the air bag inner pressure. When the vascular inner wall pressure and air bag inner pressure are equal, by measuring the air bag inner pressure, an accurate vascular inner wall pressure is obtained, so that an accurate blood pressure can be measured.
However, when the oppression force is insufficient, the air bag inner pressure becomes higher than the vascular inner wall pressure, and the air bag inner pressure is directly measured as the blood pressure, so that a higher blood pressure than the actual pressure is measured. One of the causes of such lack of oppression force is lack of oppression width (hereinafter cuff width) in the wrist by the air bag.
The guideline of cuff width of brachial type blood pressure monitor is specified by AHA (American Heart Association), but there is no guideline for the cuff width of wrist-mount blood pressure monitor. Accordingly, the definition of cuff width of the brachial type blood pressure monitor (width of specific multiple of diameter of applicable brachial girth) is directly applied to the wrist. At the present, the cuff width of wrist-mount blood pressure monitor is set at about 50 to 60 mm. If the cuff width of the wrist-mount blood pressure monitor is determined according to this definition, lack of oppression force occurs. One of the causes is that the wrist contains many muscles and tendons not existing in the brachium, and the bones are present relatively near the cuticle, and the oppression of artery by the air bag is impeded.
As shown in a sectional view in
FIG. 16
, a sufficient air is supplied in the air bag
109
, and the air bag
109
is inflated toward the wrist
1
side. However, due to the presence of the radius
2
and palmar long flexor tendon
4
b
, the inflation of the air bag
109
is impeded, and the radial artery
5
is not oppressed sufficiently, and also the inflation of the air bag
109
is impeded by the presence of the superficial flexor digital tendon
6
a
and ulnar carpal tendon
6
b
, and the ulnar artery
7
is not sufficiently oppressed.
If the oppression of artery by the air bag
109
is not impeded at all, as schematically shown in
FIG. 17
, a specified cuff width W
1
can be obtained by sufficiently inflating the air bag
109
, but in the presence of the radius
2
, palmar long flexor tendon
4
b
, and others, as schematically shown in
FIG. 18
, inflation of the air bag
109
is impeded by the presence of the radius
2
, palmar long flexor tendon
4
b
, and others, and hence the cuff width W
2
is insufficient.
It is hence a primary object of the invention to present a cuff of wrist-mount blood pressure monitor capable of oppressing the artery positioned at the wrist securely without having effects of muscle, tendon and bone existing in the wrist area.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The cuff of a wrist-mount blood pressure monitor according to the invention comprises an inflatable bag receiving a predetermined amount of a fluid for pressurizing an artery of the wrist, and mounting means for mounting the inflatable bag on the wrist, in which the inflatable bag includes a first inflatable portion, and a second inflatable portion disposed between the first inflatable portion and the wrist, being made of a material having a higher stretchability than the material of the first inflatable portion.
In this configuration, when a fluid is supplied into the inflatable bag, both the first inflatable portion and second inflatable portion are inflated by the supply of the fluid. Since the second inflatable portion is made of a material having a higher stretchability than the material of the first inflatable portion, a specified pressure to the wrist side is assured by inflation of the first inflatable portion. Moreover, the second inflatable portion is inflated in a state of tight contact with the wrist, the second inflatab
Kato Hiroyuki
Oku Shojiro
Sano Yoshihiko
Tanaka Takahide
Yamakoshi Ken-ichi
Ferguson Marissa
Hirshfeld Andrew H.
Morrison & Foerster / LLP
Omron Corporation
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