IMPROVED VEST DESIGN FOR A CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION SYSTEM

摘要

An improved vest design (10) for cardiopulmonary resuscitation is disclosed. The vest (10) includes an inflatable bladder (22) capable of radial expansion to first conform to a patient's chest dimensions and then to apply circumferential pressure. The improved vest design (10) affords ease of placement on a patient without concern for how tightly the vest (10) is initially applied. Also disclosed are various vest designs (88, 90, 92) that reduce the amount of compressed air that must be used for each compression/decompression cycle of the vest (10). These improvements lower the energy consumption and make smaller and portable cardiopulmonary resuscitation systems possible.