Patent ID: 6984215

Claim:
A method for providing rapid compression to at least one appendage, the method comprising the steps of: (a) positioning the at least appendage within an inflatable sleeve using a cylinder having a first end and a second end and a piston movably positioned within the cylinder between the fist end and the second end to define a pressure cavity having a volume coupled to the inflatable sleeve; (b) filling the inflatable sleeve with a gas; (c) withdrawing the piston from the cylinder from a first position within the cylinder to a second position to withdraw a portion of the gas from the inflatable sleeve into a cavity a distance between the first position and the second position defining a stroke length for the piston within the cylinder; (d) inserting the piston into the cylinder from the second position to the first position to insert the withdrawn portion of gas from the cavity back into the inflatable sleeve; (e) repeating steps (c) and (d) to apply a compression therapy to the at least one appendage; (f) monitoring a pressure associated with the inflatable sleeve; (g) altering at least one of (i) the first position and (ii) the second position responsive to the monitored pressure to adjust in different intervals the stroke length of the piston within the cylinder to accommodate pressure fluctuations; and (h) monitoring a front position of the piston and a rear position of the piston within the cylinder.