APPLIANCE FOR MONITORING THE COMPRESSION THERAPY PROVIDED BY A COMPRESSION MEANS

Abstract

An appliance (10) for monitoring the compression therapy provided by a compression means comprises a measuring device made of a textile material for placing on a wearer and having two end portions (20, 22) which enclose between them a central portion (28), wherein two electrodes (12-18) are arranged in each end portion (20, 22) and each form an electrode pair with an electrode (12-18) of the other end portion (20, 22), wherein one electrode pair determines a flow of electric current and the other electrode pair determines an electrical voltage between the electrodes (12-18) of a pair, wherein the electrodes (12-18) are designed such that, when the measuring device is placed on a wearer, the electric current between the electrodes (12-18) of a pair flows through the body of the wearer underneath the skin. The compression therapy is monitored here by monitoring, through determination of impedance, the decrease in liquid in tissues that are treated by the compression.

Claims

1. An appliance for monitoring the compression therapy of a compression means comprising a measuring device made of a textile material to be applied to a wearer having two end sections, which enclose a middle section between them, and wherein, two electrodes are arranged in each end section, which each form an electrode pair with one electrode of the other end section, wherein an electrical current flow is determined via the one electrode pair and an electrical voltage is determined via the other electrode pair between the electrodes of one pair, wherein the electrodes are designed so that the electric current, when the measuring device is applied to a wearer, flows between the electrodes of one pair through the body of the wearer below the skin.

2. The appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein a direct current source is used as the current source, and wherein an oscillator is arranged between the direct current source and the electrode pair.

3. The appliance as claimed in claim 1 further comprising an evaluation device, which determines the impedance of the body of a wearer via a phase shift.

4. The appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the textile material of the measuring device is a woven material and the electrodes are woven electrodes.

5. The appliance as claimed in claim 1 wherein the measuring device is a wrapping.

6. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the electrodes can be contacted via electrically conductive threads.

7. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the end sections are inelastic and the middle section is elastic.

8. The appliance of claim 1, wherein an electrically conductive coating is applied in the region of the electrodes.

9. A method for determining the compression of a compression means by means of a measuring device made of a textile material, wherein the measuring device is applied to a body, so that two end sections of the measuring device accommodate a region of a body to be measured between them, wherein each end section has two electrodes, which each interact with the electrodes of the other end section in pairs, and wherein an electrical current flow between the electrodes of a pair is determined via the one electrode pair and an electrical voltage between the electrodes of a pair is determined via the other electrode pair, wherein the electrical current, when the measuring device is applied to a wearer, flows between the electrodes of a pair through the body of the wearer below the skin.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the bioimpedance of the body is determined via a phase shift.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the measuring device is wound onto the body as a bandage.

12. The appliance of claim 5, wherein the wrapping is a compression wrapping.

13. The appliance of claim 6, wherein the electrically conductive threads are guided in the textile material.

14. The appliance of claim 13, wherein the electrically conductive threads are guided in the textile material and are connected via this guiding to a current source and/or an evaluation device.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the body to which the measuring device is applied is a limb of a wearer.

Description

[0056] The invention is explained in more detail hereinafter on the basis of a drawing. In the figures:

[0057] FIG. 1 shows a so-called body hydration model;

[0058] FIG. 2 shows a mathematical model;

[0059] FIG. 3 shows an appliance according to the invention in the form of a compression bandage;

[0060] FIG. 4 shows a further representation of the invention;

[0061] FIG. 5 shows a bandage according to the invention; and

[0062] FIG. 6 shows a representation of the experimental result.

[0063] FIG. 1 shows a body hydration model, which represents how the liquid is distributed in the body, namely both in the intracellular space and also in the extracellular space, thus between the individual cells. The intracellular liquid can enter through the pores in the cell membranes into the extracellular space and can be transported further from there.

[0064] FIG. 2 shows the dependence of the bioimpedance on the interface pressure and thus the compression as explained above. A patient having edema therefore has a lower impedance value Z before the therapy than during the compression therapy. If, for example, a venous insufficiency is treated using a compression pressure of approximately 50 mmHg in a typical manner, it is to be expected that the patient will have a decreasing impedance value when the compression pressure is increased, for example, to 80 mmHg. Monitoring the bioimpedance therefore supplies information about the transport of the liquids away in the intracellular and extracellular space.

[0065] FIG. 3 shows a first design of the appliance 10 comprising a measuring device for a compression means, which is designed here as a wrapping and at the same time forms the compression means. In two end sections, which are shown in more detail in FIG. 5, two electrodes are provided here in each case, wherein the current is provided as direct current via a battery 30 in order to restrict the mobility of the wearer as little as possible. The direct current is converted in an oscillator 32 so that the amplitude remains constant. The current is then conducted via the skin of the wearer into the body so that the current flow through the limbs and not through the skin can be determined. The compression effect is indicated at the same time by arrows 40. In addition to the input, the output of both the current and also the electrical voltage is also measured. The evaluation device bears the reference sign 50. This is also shown in particular in FIG. 4, where both the current measurement I and also the voltage measurement U are symbolized. The bioimpedance through the limb can be determined via this.

[0066] FIG. 4 shows a bandage according to the invention or also a wrapping, which is used synonymously, applied to a leg of a wearer in the context of the application, in which woven electrodes 12, 14, 16, 18 are provided at a first end section 20 and a second end section 22, wherein each end section 20 has two electrodes 12, 14, 16, 18 and these each form a pair with one electrode 12-18 of the other end section 22. The activation or the current introduction into the electrodes 12-18 takes place by means of electrically conductive threads 24, 26, which are woven into the bandage/wrapping.

[0067] The woven electrodes 12-18 also consist here of electrically conductive threads. The end sections 20, 22 are one or both formed from an inelastic textile, wherein the middle section 28 arranged in between is made elastically stretchable and thus also permits the use not only as a measuring device, but also as a compression means. The threads 24, 26 are woven in so that the elasticity is not impaired.

[0068] To achieve a better transition of the current into the body, it can be provided that a coating is provided to compensate for irregularities in the region of the electrodes. This can consist of or comprise an electrically conductive silicone or a graphite paste. In this way, the contact surface with the body of the wearer is enlarged.

[0069] The distance d between the electrodes of an end section 20, 22 is at least 5 cm here.

[0070] The warp thread direction preferably corresponds to the wrapping longitudinal direction and the weft thread direction corresponds to the transverse extension of the wrapping.

[0071] The inelastic end sections 20, 22 can be made inelastic here according to one design via a coating, special thread selection, or by the technical variation Tv.

[0072] FIG. 6 shows once again, as explained above, the result of the test.