Patent ID: 9433525
Filing Date: 2016-09-06
CPC Classification: A61F,A61H

Claim Text:
1. A method for contiguously providing compression therapy and thermal therapy to a patient, the method comprising: providing a blanket having a fluid bladder and a plurality of air chambers; coupling a valve assembly to each air chamber of the plurality of air chambers; securing the blanket around an appendage of a patient such that the fluid bladder is in thermal contact with the appendage and the plurality of air chambers are disposed outwardly of the fluid bladder relative to the appendage; compressing the fluid bladder against the appendage at a first pressure when the plurality of air chambers are deflated; thermally conditioning a heat-transfer fluid to a predetermined temperature using one or more thermoelectric coolers; flowing the heat-transfer fluid through the fluid bladder to provide thermal therapy to the patient; and selectively inflating and deflating, via the valve assembly, each of the plurality of air chambers in a predetermined pattern to compress selective portions of the fluid bladder against the appendage at a second pressure greater than the first pressure while the thermally conditioned heat-transfer fluid is flowed therethrough.