Surgical tourniquet cuff system

Abstract

A surgical tourniquet cuff system includes a tourniquet cuff with a cuff connector for communicating pneumatically with the cuff and for releasably connecting to a tourniquet instrument connector to establish a pneumatic passageway between the cuff connector and the tourniquet instrument connector. A tourniquet instrument supplies pressurized gas through the pneumatic passageway to the cuff. The tourniquet instrument connector includes a cuff pressure transducer for producing a cuff pressure signal indicative of the pressure of gas within the gas passageway near the connection. The cuff may include a cuff usage register for containing a cuff usage record and the tourniquet instrument connector may include a cuff usage register interface for reading the record. The tourniquet cuff may further include a cuff sheath forming a flexible conduit containing the cuff connector and sized to allow the connection of the cuff connector to the tourniquet instrument connector within the sheath.

1 . A tourniquet cuff apparatus comprising: 
 a cuff having an inflatable portion having a length sufficient to encircle a limb of a patient at a desired location;    a cuff port communicating pneumatically with the inflatable portion;    a cuff connector communicating pneumatically with the cuff port and adapted for releasably connecting to a tourniquet instrument connector to establish a pneumatic passageway between the cuff connector and the instrument connector; and    a cuff sheath forming a flexible conduit sized to allow an operator to connect the cuff connector to the tourniquet instrument connector within the sheath conduit.    
   
   
       2 . The apparatus as described in  claim 1  wherein the cuff is formed of materials having physical properties that are substantially unchanged by exposure to a predetermined sterilization process, and wherein one end of the sheath is attached to the cuff and the other end of the sheath is extendable away from the cuff.  
   
   
       3 . The apparatus as described in  claim 1  wherein the cuff is sterile and wherein the tourniquet instrument connector is non-sterile.  
   
   
       4 . The apparatus as described in  claim 1  including instrument tubing connected with the tourniquet instrument connector.  
   
   
       5 . The apparatus as described in  claim 4  wherein the sheath has a length sufficient to contain the cuff connector and the instrument connector and a portion of the instrument tubing when the cuff connector is connected to the tourniquet instrument connector.  
   
   
       6 . The apparatus as described in  claim 4  wherein the tourniquet instrument connector includes a cuff pressure transducer communicating pneumatically with the pneumatic passageway near the connection of the cuff connector and the tourniquet instrument connector, and wherein the cuff pressure transducer produces a cuff pressure signal indicative of the pressure in the pneumatic passageway.  
   
   
       7 . The apparatus as described in  claim 6  wherein the cuff pressure transducer is electrically operable, wherein an electrical conductor required for the operation of the cuff pressure transducer is connected between the cuff pressure transducer and a tourniquet instrument, and wherein the sheath is sized to contain a portion of the electrical conductor when the cuff connector is connected to the tourniquet instrument connector.  
   
   
       8 . The apparatus as described in  claim 1  wherein the cuff includes a cuff usage register containing a cuff usage record indicative of usage of the cuff and wherein the tourniquet instrument connector includes a cuff usage register interface for reading the cuff usage record and for producing a signal indicative of the usage.  
   
   
       9 . The apparatus as described in  claim 4  wherein the cuff includes a cuff usage register containing a cuff identification record that is uniquely indicative of the cuff among a plurality of cuffs; and a tourniquet instrument connected to the tourniquet instrument connector and adapted for reading the cuff identification record to identify the cuff among the plurality of cuffs.  
   
   
       10 . A surgical tourniquet cuff system, comprising: 
 a tourniquet cuff having an inflatable portion of sufficient length to encircle a limb at a desired location, wherein the cuff includes cuff connector communicating pneumatically with the inflatable portion and adapted for releasably connecting to a tourniquet instrument connector to establish a pneumatic passageway between the cuff connector and the tourniquet instrument connector;    tourniquet instrument including the tourniquet instrument connector and further including tourniquet instrument tubing forming a flexible pneumatic conduit attached to the tourniquet instrument connector, wherein the tourniquet instrument supplies pressurized gas through the pneumatic passageway established by the connection of the tourniquet instrument connector to the cuff connector to the inflatable portion of the cuff, and wherein the tourniquet instrument connector includes a cuff pressure transducer for producing a cuff pressure signal indicative of the pressure of gas within the gas passageway near the connection.    
   
   
       11 . The apparatus as described in  claim 10  and including a port having a predetermined length for connecting the inflatable portion to the cuff connector, wherein the inflatable portion communicates pneumatically with the cuff connector through the port.  
   
   
       12 . The apparatus as described in  claim 10  wherein the cuff further includes a cuff usage register adapted for containing a usage record indicative of a usage of the cuff and wherein the tourniquet instrument connector further includes a cuff usage register interface adapted for reading the record when the pneumatic passageway is established and for producing an indication of the usage of the cuff.  
   
   
       13 . The apparatus as described in  claim 10  wherein the tourniquet instrument connector is non-sterile, wherein the tourniquet cuff is sterile, and wherein the tourniquet cuff further includes a cuff sheath forming a flexible conduit containing the cuff connector and adapted to allow the connection of the cuff connector to the tourniquet instrument connector within the sheath.  
   
   
       14 . The apparatus as described in  claim 13  wherein the sheath is further adapted to contain the non-sterile instrument connector when the cuff connector is connected to the instrument connector.  
   
   
       15 . A sterile sheath adapted for containing a cuff connector of a tourniquet cuff, the cuff connector communicating pneumatically with an inflatable portion of the cuff, wherein the sheath containing the cuff connector is formed of a flexible material that is impervious to micro-organisms, and wherein the sheath containing the cuff connector further forms a barrier to micro-organisms surrounding the port at a port location between the connector and the inflatable portion of the cuff.  
   
   
       16 . The apparatus as described in  claim 15  and including a sterile tourniquet cuff having the cuff connector that communicates pneumatically with the inflatable portion of the cuff through a port, wherein sheath is further adapted for attachment by an operator to the cuff connector to contain the cuff connector within the sheath and to form the barrier to micro-organisms surrounding the port at the port location.  
   
   
       17 . The apparatus as described in  16 , wherein the cuff is formed of materials having physical properties that are substantially unchanged by sterilization with autoclaving.  
   
   
       18 . The apparatus as described in  claim 16  wherein the cuff connector is adapted for releasably connecting to a tourniquet instrument connector and including tourniquet instrument having tourniquet instrument tubing forming a flexible pneumatic conduit attached to the tourniquet instrument connector, wherein the tourniquet instrument supplies pressurized gas to the inflatable portion of the cuff through the pneumatic passageway established at the connection between the tourniquet instrument connector and the cuff connector, and wherein the tourniquet instrument connector includes a cuff pressure transducer for producing a cuff pressure signal indicative of the pressure of gas within the gas passageway near the connection.  
   
   
       19 . The apparatus as described in  claim 18  wherein the tourniquet cuff includes a cuff usage register containing a cuff usage record indicative of a usage of the cuff and wherein the tourniquet instrument includes means for reading the usage record while the pneumatic passageway is established and for producing an indication of the usage of the cuff.  
   
   
       20 . The apparatus as described in  claim 18  wherein the sheath has a length and size sufficient for containing the cuff connector and the instrument connector and a portion of the instrument tubing attached to the instrument connector when the cuff connector is connected to the instrument connector.