Patent ID: 9301701
Filing Date: 2016-04-05
CPC Classification: A61B

Claim Text:
1. A method of determining for a patient an occlusion pressure of a limb to which an inflatable and deflatable cuff is attached to encircle the limb; comprising steps of: connecting to the cuff a tourniquet instrument that includes a sensor for sensing a level of pressure in the cuff; regulating pressure in the cuff by directing through a port in the cuff a flow of fluid into and out of the cuff; detecting an arterial pulsation of blood flow past the cuff and producing a blood flow signal indicative of the blood flow; using a controller for responding to the detection of the arterial pulsation by suspending regulation of the pressure in the cuff for a measurement time period; and for sensing a level of pressure in the cuff during the measurement time period thereby to provide a cuff pressure signal indicative of the sensed level of pressure in the cuff during the measurement time period; and for increasing the cuff pressure level in response to the blood flow signal and cuff pressure signal until blood flow indicated by the blood flow signal decreases to a level less than a minimum detection threshold thereby to produce a limb occlusion pressure value that is a based upon pressure in the cuff sensed during the measurement time period.