Patent ID: 6852089

Claim:
A compression garment for application to various extremities of the body of a patient to provide for treatment of lymphedema and related forms of edema, said garment being formed having an upper layer and a lower layer of flexible material, of sufficient size and length to provide for covering of the extremity being treated, and having sufficient width to provide for its wraparound of the treated extremity, said upper and lower layers of flexible material being sealed together around their margins and intermediate thereof to provide various segments of internal pockets into which pressurized air may be injected during usage of the garment, there being a plurality of additional connections between the upper and lower layers of flexible material within each segment of internal pocket to form a plurality of further segment air pockets to provide for a plurality of pressure points within each segment of an internal pocket for exertion by the compression garment upon the extremity of the body being treated, pump means for supplying pressurized air to garment segment, valve means operatively associated with each segment of the garment, there being one valve means for each segment of internal pocket, to allow for injection of pressurized air into each segment of the garment during usage, a pressure sensor operatively associated with each segment of the garment, and provided for determining the amount of pressure maintained in each garment segment, and each valve means capable of being manipulated to provide for release of the pressurized air from each segment of the garment after completion of the treatment of lymphedema through usage of said compression garment, said plurality of segmented air pockets maintaing uniform distribution of pressurized air within each segment of an internal pocket during usage of said compression garment, electronic controller means operatively associated with each segment of the garment, and responsive to the measurements of each pressure sensor, to continuously determine the amount of pressure exerted by each segment of the garment, and said controller means in combination with each said pressure sensor selectively operating the addition of air from said pump means to select segment pockets, or initiating functioning of the valve means to discharge air from any segment of the garment, to provide for equalization of the pressure exerted by the garment in response to the location of the edema upon the extremity of the body being treated.