The present invention relates to blood pressure cuffs used for taking blood pressure measurements, more particularly, to self applied cuffs used with the arms of human patients.
Blood pressure cuffs are well known in the prior art and comprise an elongated flexible band having a predetermined length and width, a body side face and an outward face. The band is adapted to be wrapped around a limb, such as an arm or leg, to measure blood pressure. Attachment means such as VELCRO.TM. is provided with the band to hold the band on the limb. Some self applied cuffs include a buckle to which one end of the band is attached and through which the other end of the band is passed to form a sleeve.
The front and back faces of the band are joined together around their peripheries to form a compartment into which an inflatable bladder is inserted. A hose portion coupled to the bladder and usually integrally formed therewith extends out from the compartment through an opening in the periphery.
When wrapping the band around the arm, it is desirable for accuracy of measurement that the center of the bladder be located over the brachial artery on the inner side of the upper arm. It has been found most convenient in ambulatory measurement applications when wrapping the band around the arm that the hose portion extend through a top periphery or edge of the cuff such that a hose coupled between the cuff and monitoring device is then routed up the front of the arm across the back of the neck to the other side of the body to the monitoring device which is usually strapped to the patient's waist. In order to accomplish this the slot in the periphery of the cuff is offset from the center of the bladder and located solely on one side thereof so that the hose portion of the bladder extends along the front of the arm. Prior art cuffs of which the inventor is aware have only a single opening offset as described above. When applying a self-applied cuff to an arm of a patient, e.g. the left arm, it has been found most convenient to insert a tapered end of the cuff through the buckle of the cuff at the opposite end with the fastener material on one face of the cuff facing out. This forms a sleeve into which the arm is inserted. To tighten the cuff, the user reaches under the inserted arm and pulls the tapered end of the cuff away from the body trunk. Then the cuff is pulled over the buckle toward the trunk and the loop and hook fastener material is pressed together. If the user now attempts to use the cuff on the other arm, i.e. the right arm, in order to align the bladder and hose portion as described above, the user must tighten the cuff by first pulling the band toward the trunk and then folding the band over the buckle away from the trunk to attach the band. This is less convenient and more difficult for the user.
It is desirable therefore to provide a single self applied cuff design which is suitable for use on either arm.