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US-12616639-B2 - Automated CPR chest compression device

US12616639B2US 12616639 B2US12616639 B2US 12616639B2US-12616639-B2

Abstract

An automated chest compression device has a shaped actuator rotatably mounted about a shaft and a chest compression plate configured to move linearly based on the shape of the actuator, wherein engagement of the actuator with the chest compression plate converts rotary motion of the actuator into linear motion of the chest compression plate, and whereby, when the device is positioned against the chest of a patient in need of CPR, rotation of the actuator causes the chest compression plate to move linearly in a direction towards and away from the patient's chest and to thereby induce compression and to allow decompression, respectively, of the patient's chest.

Inventors

  • Efraim Schwartz
  • Ariel Fabian

Assignees

  • Efraim Schwartz
  • Ariel Fabian

Dates

Publication Date
20260505
Application Date
20240123

Claims (18)

  1. 1 . An automated chest compression device for providing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to a patient, comprising: an actuator plate rotatably mounted about a rotation shaft, wherein the rotation shaft is mounted off a center of area of the actuator plate; a power delivery unit operable to rotate the actuator plate about the rotation shaft; a chest compression plate configured to move linearly in a direction orthogonal to the rotation shaft as a result of rotation of the actuator plate and based on a shape of the actuator plate; wherein engagement of the actuator plate with the chest compression plate converts rotary motion of the actuator plate into linear motion of the chest compression plate; at least one linear rail mounted directly to the chest compression plate at a location spaced away from the actuator plate rotation shaft, said at least one linear rail being configured by its direct mounting to the chest compression plate to stabilize the linear motion of the chest compression plate as it moves linearly, without the linear rail deriving any power from the rotation of the actuator; wherein a first portion of the shape of the actuator plate occupies a first segment of the rotation of the actuator plate, and a second portion of the shape of the actuator plate occupies a second segment of the rotation of the actuator plate; whereby, when the device is positioned against a chest of the patient in need of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), rotation of the actuator plate causes the actuator plate to engage with and exert pressure against the chest compression plate during the first segment of rotation of the actuator plate, causing the chest compression plate to move linearly towards the patient's chest and to thereby induce compression of the patient's chest, and causes the actuator plate to disengage from and exert no pressure against the chest compression plate during the second segment of rotation of the actuator plate to thereby allow decompression of the patient's chest.
  2. 2 . The automated chest compression device of claim 1 , wherein the shape of the actuator plate determines a timing, a force and a depth of the linear movement of the chest compression plate and thereby also a timing and a depth of the chest compression.
  3. 3 . The automated chest compression device of claim 1 , wherein the first portion of the shape of the actuator is curved outward.
  4. 4 . The automated chest compression device of claim 3 , wherein the second portion of the shape of the actuator is not curved outward.
  5. 5 . The automated chest compression device of claim 4 , wherein the first and second segments of the actuator's rotation together total 360 degrees.
  6. 6 . The automated chest compression device of claim 4 , wherein the second portion of the shape of the actuator is flat or concave.
  7. 7 . The automated chest compression device of claim 4 , wherein the device comprises no mechanism to move the chest compression plate away from the patient's chest during the second segment of rotation of the actuator.
  8. 8 . The automated chest compression device of claim 1 , wherein the first and second segments of the actuator's rotation are both approximately 180 degrees.
  9. 9 . The automated chest compression device of claim 1 , wherein either: the first segment of the actuator plate's rotation is greater than 180 degrees, and the second segment of the actuator plate's rotation is less than 180 degrees, or the first segment of the actuator plate's rotation is less than 180 degrees, and the second segment of the actuator plate's rotation is greater than 180 degrees, or both the first and second segments of the actuator plate's rotation are less than 180 degrees, and one or more additional segments of the actuator plate's rotation complete the 360 degrees of rotation.
  10. 10 . The automated chest compression device of claim 1 , further comprising a rotating or sliding body situated between the actuator plate and the chest compression plate, wherein the rotating or sliding body controls lateral and/or frictional forces between the actuator plate and the chest compression plate.
  11. 11 . The automated chest compression device of claim 10 , wherein the rotating body is arranged substantially directly under the rotation shaft of the actuator plate.
  12. 12 . The automated chest compression device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one linear rail comprises two linear rails that stabilize the chest compression plate and keep it level as it moves linearly.
  13. 13 . The automated chest compression device of claim 1 , wherein at least two actuator plates, each having a different shape or size that determines a timing, a force and a depth of the linear movement of the chest compression plate and thereby also a timing a force and a depth of the chest compression, are mounted to the shaft concurrently, and wherein each actuator plate can be alternatively selected by a user for use at a particular time.
  14. 14 . The automated chest compression device of claim 1 , wherein the chest compression plate has a protruding portion surrounded by a flat perimeter.
  15. 15 . The automated chest compression device of claim 14 , wherein the flat perimeter of the chest compression plate is sufficiently wide to enable its placement across the chest of the patient during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) compression to capture tips of the ribs of the patient.
  16. 16 . The automated chest compression device of claim 15 , wherein the protruding portion is configured to move towards the sternum of the patient as the flat perimeter is compressed against the ribs of the patient during a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) compression/decompression cycle.
  17. 17 . The automated chest compression device of claim 1 , wherein the device is configured to be mounted to, and to be detached from, a positioning apparatus that is attachable to the patient to provide counterpressure at the patient's back to enable cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) compression of the chest of the patient.
  18. 18 . The automated chest compression device of claim 17 , wherein the positioning apparatus is configured to be mounted around the patient's body, and wherein the device, when mounted to the positioning apparatus mounted around the patient's body, is configured to deliver cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) compression to the patient even when the patient is in a sitting position or is lying sideways.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention is related to the Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) field and, more particularly, to a device for the automated delivery of chest compression via a non-invasive CPR positioning apparatus. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The term cardiac arrest refers to a set of conditions that deny the brain from getting enough oxygenated blood (hypoxia) due to inefficiency of the heart (known as fibrillation) or heart stoppage (known as a heart attack). As stated in the AHA Journal article “Optimizing Outcomes After Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest With Innovative Approaches to Public-Access Defibrillation: A Scientific Statement From the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation”, published Feb. 15, 2022, more than seven people experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest every minute globally. This is about 3.8 million people annually, of whom only 8% to 12% survive to hospital discharge. Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a time-sensitive, life-threatening emergency that occurs millions of times annually. The probability of survival after OHCA can be markedly increased if immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is provided and an automated external defibrillator (AED) is used. According to this article, six minutes is the global median response time for professional EMS responders to arrive after the call for help, while even in developed urban settings with optimized EMS, it takes more than six minutes from the time of cardiac arrest until professional assistance arrives. This delay is critical because, according to the AHA, the neurological damage from brain hypoxia starts after four minutes. Only blood circulation will maintain a survivable level of oxygenated blood in the brain and avoid neurological damage or death. Without a natural heartbeat, the only way to achieve that is through CPR. According to the AHA, when cardiac arrest occurs, the first and immediate aid to the patient is CPR. According to the AHA, even bad CPR is better than no CPR. The basic position to administer CPR is by leaning above the patient's chest, putting both palms (one on top of the other) on the patient's sternum, and compressing the patient's chest approximately 2.5 inches in depth and at a pace of 100 to 120 compressions per minute. In order to achieve that efficiency, the opposite side of the compression (mostly the patient's back) must be supported by a firm base opposed to the compression side. The National Institute of Health (NIH) recommends that EMS personnel and physicians perform active CPR for 20 minutes before calling the time of death. Disruptions of efficient human CPR for those who try to administer CPR are the physical inability of sustaining a consistent rate of depth and frequency of chest compression, difficult surrounding conditions, concomitant risks to the CPR operator, a simultaneous need to help others, difficulty communicating with professional help, and more. Another hurdle for a bystander is the commitment to continue with CPR until professional help arrives, which may take some time. Inconsistency in application or stoppage of the CPR may result in hypoxia that will lead to neurological damage (beginning four minutes after the cardiac arrest) and ultimately the patient's death. For most cases in which (especially untrained) bystanders are not able or willing to try CPR on a patient (for any reason), the existence of a CPR device may be the sole factor that will promote the chance that a bystander will take action and help the cardiac arrest patient. An automated CPR apparatus allows even an untrained bystander to perform CPR simply by arranging the apparatus around a patient and starting the device. An automated CPR apparatus includes two elements: an automated chest compression unit that compresses the chest of the patient, and a positioning structure to position the compression device above the patient's Sternum. See, for example, the automated CPR apparatuses disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,690,804, 9,320,678, 10,022,295, 10,406,068 and 10,849,820, and in US Patent Application Publications Nos. 2004/0162510, 2009/0187123 and 2010/0063425A1. The automated chest compression unit delivers the compression pressure and relief in an automated fashion without further action by the operator. The positioning structure, otherwise described herein as a CPR positioning frame, for example, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 11,744,772 by the inventors hereof, is erected against or around the patient and allows the automated chest compression unit to be positioned in the appropriate location to deliver automated CPR. The automated chest compression device is a mechanical CPR apparatus that mimics manual CPR activity while correcting the potential deficiencies of human-performed CPR, mainly sustaining the depth and rate of chest compression over time. Once positioned against the patient's chest, generally via a frame to which the automated chest compression device is attached, the