THIS INVENTION relates to a medical apparatus.

One problem which is encountered by medical personnel when carrying out external cardiac massage is fatigue which makes it difficult for persons to carry out external cardiac massage for extended periods of time.

It is an object of the invention to provide means which the inventor believes will at least alleviate this problem. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

According to the invention there is provided a medical apparatus which includes a compression member for contacting a patient's body in the chest region; displacement means for displacing the compression member downwardly to compress a patient's chest and upwardly to relieve the compression; and control means for controlling'the operation of the displacement means.

The compression member may have a contact pad which is formed of a resiliently deformable material to spread the load applied to the patient's chest-and reduce the-risk of injury thereto.

The displacement means may be electrical or electromechanical, eg in the form of a solenoid.

Instead, the displacement means may be powered by a pressurized fluid, eg in the form of a pneumatic piston and cylinder assembly.

The'control means may include a timer to control the operation of the displacement means. The timer may be adjustable. Typically, the timer has a default setting in which the displacement means is activated to effect twenty compressions per minute.

The control means may in addition, or instead, be manually operable so as to permit operation of the displacement means to be controlled manually.

The apparatus may include a stand on which the displacement means is mounted.

The apparatus may include a stabilizer member which is connected to the stand and is insertable under the back of a patient directly below the. compression member.

The relative positions of the stabilizer member and the compression member may be adjustable.

The stroke of the displacement means and hence the distance through which the compression member is displaced may be adjustable.

Typically, the stroke is between 20 mm and 50 mm..

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing.

In the drawings: Figure 1 shows a three-dimensional view of a medical apparatus in accordance with the invention; and Figure 2 shows part of the medical apparatus of Figure 1, in use.

In the drawings, reference numeral 10 refers generally to a medical apparatus in accordance with the invention. The apparatus 10 includes a stand, generally indicated by reference numeral 12, a compression member 14 and displacement means, generally indicated by reference numeral 16 for displacing the compression member.

The stand 12 includes a base 18 from which a post 20 extends upwardly. The stand 12 further includes an upper arm 22. which has a sleeve 24 connected to one end and slidable along the post 20. A locking element, eg in the form of a pin or screw 26, extends through the sleeve 24 into engagement with the post 20 to lock the sleeve 24 and hence the arm 22 releasably at a desired position on the post 20 and to permit vertical adjustment thereof in the direction of arrow 28. A sleeve 30 is slidably mounted on the arm 22 for displacement relative thereto in the direction of arrow 32. A locking element 34, eg in the form of a locking pin or screw, extends through the sleeve 30 into engagement with the arm 32 to lock the sleeve releasably in a desired position relative to the arm 32.

The compression member 14 is in the form of a disc, typically of a resiliently deformable material. In the embodiment shown, the displacement means is in the form of a solenoid 36 having a core 38 to an operatively lower end of which the compression member 14 is mounted. The solenoid 36 is connected to the sleeve 30 by means of an arm 40.

The medical apparatus 10 includes control means, generally indicated by reference numeral 42 for controlling the operation of the displacement means 16. In this regard, it will be appreciated that instead of a solenoid 36 the displacement means could take any other suitable form, eg it could be in the form of a pressurized fluid, eg pneumatic, piston and cylinder assembly. The control means 42 includes a housing 44 within which a timer (not shown) is contained. The control means 42 is connected to the solenoid 36 by a cable 48. The timer typically has a default setting so that the solenoid 36 is actuated twenty times per minute. The timer, however, is typically adjustable, using the knob 49 so that the solenoid is operated a desired number of times per minute.

Further, if desired, the solenoid may be actuated manually using the button 50 so that the user can select the frequency of operation of the solenoid.

The stand 12 further includes a lower arm 52 the one end of which is connected to a sleeve 54 which is slidably mounted on the post 20 for displacement in the direction-of arrow 28. The sleeve 54 is releasably lockable. in a desired position on the sleeve by a locking element 56. The arm 52 is in the form of a planar stabiliser member.

As illustrated, particularly with reference to Figure 2 of the drawings, in use, with a patient 60 lying on a support surface 62, eg formed by a bed, the stabiliser member 52 is positioned under the patient's back and, with the core 38 in its retracted position, the position of the arms 22 and 40 are adjusted so that the compression member 14 is in contact with the patient's chest, typically in the lower sternal region. The arms 22,40 are locked in this position. Depending upon the size of the patient, the stroke of the solenoid. is selected as well as the position of the timer and the apparatus 10 is activated. This causes the solenoid 36 to operate to displace the core 38 and hence the compression member 14 downwardly to compress the patient's chest and then upwardly to release the compression on the patient's chest at desired intervals thereby carrying out external cardiac massage on a . patient.

The inventor believes that a major advantage of the invention is that the apparatus 10 can carry'out external cardiac massage for indefinite periods of time thereby permitting medical personnel to attend to other needs of the patient avoiding the problem with fatigue when the cardiac massage is carried out manually. In addition, the Inventor believes that the simple construction of the medical apparatus 10 will permit it to be manufactured'in a cost effective manner.