AU652301B2

AU652301B2 - A tourniquet device for extremities

Info

Publication number: AU652301B2
Application number: AU29813/92A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Wolfgang Wehking
Original assignee: Praemeta Praezisionsmetall und Kunststofferzeugnisse G Baumann and Co
Current assignee: Praemeta Praezisionsmetall und Kunststofferzeugnisse G Baumann and Co
Priority date: 1988-11-26
Filing date: 1992-12-01
Publication date: 1994-08-18
Anticipated expiration: 2009-11-24
Also published as: EP0375901A1; AU2981392A; DE3840007C2; DE3840007A1; AU4555289A; ATE118160T1; EP0375901B1

Abstract

The ligaturing device for parts of the body has a clamping lever for the strap passing through the lock housing. Free-standing side pieces are provided on the lock housing and limit the clamping lever laterally. The side pieces (2a; 2b) and the base (2c) of the lock housing (2) are arranged to project relative to the end face of the clamping lever (3). Furthermore, the end edge of the housing base may project relative to the end faces of the side pieces. <IMAGE>

Description

1i-: 1 652301

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 PRAMETA GESELLSCHAFT FUR PRAZISIONS- METALL- UND KUNSTSTOFFERZEUGNISSE mbH CO, KOMMANDITGESELLSCHAFT a

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ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT *6 00 *o 0 00 6 a 0 i Invention Title: t V St11 A Tourniquet Device for Extremities The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to us:- 'pi

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-2- A TOURNIQUET DEVICE FOR EXTREMITIES The present invention relates to a tourniquet device for applying pressure to body extremities.

Known tourniquet devices such as for e.g. the device disclosed in German Patent 25 41 433, have proven extremely reliable. Such devices allow for opening the strap loop by unlocking the shoe (which receives the strap end from the clamping lever) to be easily done with one hand, with the thumb. That is, the strap loop can be loosened from the clamping lever by simply disconnecting the shoe. A simple and secure opening of the tourniquet device is thus obtained without it being necessary to pass the strap loop along the extremity when taking the tourniquet device off.

In the known tourniquet devices, the front ends of the lateral walls or 'cheeks' of the casing and the front face of the lever that faces the belt loop) are commonly arranged a small distance only to the skin surface of the body extremity which is spanned by the device such that as may occasionally happen especially with slack skin on fatty tissue of an extremity, upon the tightening of the belt, the skin enters the opening of the tourniquet device between the end of the wall and the clamping lever in the form of a fold, and that is drawn into the gap between the clamping lever and the casing, or even into the space below the catch of the shoe which receives the strap end, which may lead to a pinching of the skin. The person concerned may feel a more or less effective pinching of the skin at the point where the S 30 front face of the tourniquet device merely faces the body extremity. At this point it is no longer possible to loosen the belt tension by pushing down the clamping lever since the skin is within the gap between the clamping lever and the casing. In some devices, trying to loosen the strap tension by pushing down the strap end shoe could p!

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4} 'v -3cause a further increase of pain because of the resulting pressure on the skin portions drawn into the space of the clamping lever which is beneath the shoe.

It would be advantageous to provide a tourniquet device of the above kind, but where the danger of a pinching of the skin at the point of application of the tourniquet device alleviated or eliminated.

In one broad form the present invention provides a tourniquet device for applying pressure to body extremities comprising: a casing; a clamping lever pivotally supported within the casing between side walls of the casing; o ~a buckle means selectively engageable with a forward end of the clamping lever; and a strap, one end of which passes a forward end of the casing and through a gap between the buckle means and a bottom of the casing which faces the buckle means, and then between the clamping lever and the bottom of the casing, the other end of the strap being attached to the Ltd: buckle means, whereby the strap forms a strap loop which extends forwards from the forward end of the casing; o wherein the clamping lever is adapted to clamp the strap S 25 against the bottom of the casing; the side walls and the bottom of the casing project beyond the forward end of the clamping lever in the direction of the strap loop; and wherein a front end edge of the bottom of the casing projects further forward than front end edges of the side walls; and wherein, in use, the buckle means and the front end edge of the bottom of the casing are spaced apart so as to form a gap between the ends of the strap at the forward end of the device.

Such an arrangement of the tourniquet device provides 7 C) Lu A~B~ rlk -4 4 sufficient space between both ends of the belt for a possible fold of the skin caused by the belt to relax and be loosened from the inner surface of the belt, the space being defined by the lateral side walls and the bottom.

The front face of the clamping lever is set back such that the skin, even if it is of a spongy kind, will be shielded against the possibility of entering the gap between the clamping lever and the lock casing. Further the skin should not be hurt either upon the actuation of the clamping lever nor by the actuation of the disengageable shoe.

Further, since the front end edge of the casing bottom, which faces the strap loop, projects beyond the front face of the clamping lever, this results in an 15 enlargement of the contact face of the skin at the front C B l end face of the tourniquet device such that the specific

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surface pressure is reduced.

*a In doing so, it is expedient to design the front face of the lateral cheeks and of the casing bottom with a 20 rounded shape seen in cross section. Further, the casing bottom, proximate its front edge, can extend in a B 04 °downward bend to correspond to the feed-in radius of the strap).

the side walls incline rearwardly away from the front end edge of the bottom of the casing.

The invention will be explained in detail with respect to a preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section and a schematic illustration of an embodiment of the tourniquet device according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the tourniquet device of Fig. i.

The tourniquet device 1 comprises a casing 2, having a cavity within which a clamping lever 3 is supported for :ria ~ac~P 0_.

being pivoted about an axis 4. The clamping lever 3 is advantageously subjected to the action of a spring 5 that at the same time serves to resiliently arrest a shoe 6, to which one end 7 of the strap is fastened, in the engaged position. To this avail, the shoe 6 has a groove 8 that, in the engaged state, catches behind a transversal rib 9 of the clamping lever 3. The other end 10 of the strap is passed through the lock casing 2 and can be held clamped by the clamping lever 3.

The lateral side walls or cheeks 2a and 2b, as well as the bottom 2c of the lock casing 2 are arranged so as to project beyond the front face of the clamping lever 3, as shown at 12, 13, 14. For this purpose, a range of 3 to 6 mm and more is sufficient. Moreover, the front end 15 edges of the lateral cheeks 2a, 2b and of the bottom 2c Pt seen in cross section are rounded.

f In order to reduce the specific contact pressure, the projecting front edge 15 of the casing bottom 2c may have a slight downward bent extension.

Providing a inset design of the front face of the clamping lever 3 leaves a sufficient space between the rec* front of the clamping lever 3 and the front edges of the side walls 2a, 2b and the bottom 2c such that, even if the :tourniquet device is pulled rather tight, even slack skin 8: 25 is not pinched and hurt under such conditions of use.

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Claims

2. The tourniquet device of claim 1 wherein the forward end face of the clamping lever extends towards the bottom 4 of the casing so as to generally close the gap between the ends of the strap.
3. The tourniquet device of claims 1 or 2 wherein the side walls incline rearwardly away from the front end edge of the bottom of the casing.
4. The tourniquet device according to claims i, 2 or 3, wherein, in cross-section, front end edges of the bottom :0 A Oy I ao 7 and the side walls are rounded. The tourniquet device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the bottom of the casing, proximate to the front end edge thereof, bends away from the strap loop.
6. A tourniquet device as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in the accompanying drawings. DATED this 10th day of June 1994 PRAEMETA GESELLSCHAFT FUR PRAEZISIONSMETALL- UND KUNSTSTOFFERZEUGNISSE mbH CO, KOMMANDITGESELLSCHAFT Patent Attorneys for the Applicant: F.B. RICE CO. t 0 C C t 1 C I- -i1| t i t C) l i U .j ;y. 11 Abstract A tourniquet device for extremities comprises a clamping lever for a strap passing through a lock casing The lock casing is provided with self- supporting lateral cheeks (2a,2b) laterally defining the clamping lever The lateral cheeks (2a; 2b) and the bottom (2c) of the lock casing are arran- ged projecting with respect to the front face of the clamping lever Moreover, the front edge of the casing bottom can project with respect to the lateral faces of the lateral cheeks. 0 CI.. 0 4i 0 0 0 0P 0 0 00 4 C 000 i i i; i i 1 1 a i