Patent ID: 7935066

Claim:
A medical dressing for an appendage comprising: a bladder formed by an inner wall shaped in the form of an elongated receptacle having a first opening defining a first cavity and an outer wall shaped in the form of a second elongated receptacle having a second opening defining a second cavity, wherein the second cavity formed by the outer wall surrounds the first cavity formed by the inner wall, and a seam joins the inner and outer walls together at the first and second openings such that the inner wall forms a single elongated cavity for receiving an appendage; a closure device secured to the outer wall and being operable to close the bladder around the appendage disposed in the cavity; an air pressure relief valve secured to the outer wall and being operable to relieve pressure in the bladder in excess of 51 mmHg; a ventilation valve secured to the outer wall and being operable to enable a controlled amount of air to escape from the bladder and thereby reduce moisture within the cavity; an air supply delivering air to the bladder thereby inflating the bladder around the appendage disposed in the cavity; a sensor monitoring air pressure within the bladder and providing feedback indicating the air pressure within the bladder; an air pressure control receiving the feedback from the sensor and controlling the air supply to substantially match a rate of air delivered to the bladder with a rate of air leaked from the bladder into the cavity; wherein the dressing provides uniform air pressure to the appendage.