INTRODUCTION
Fisiopress SRL is a manufacturer of sequential pressotherapy equipment with thirty years of experience. He began his activity by making a 12-output device for the professional field which received great approval in the medical world towards which the company was projected.
Its founder, Alessandro Offidani, is a bioengineer, and, in designing this device, takes advantage of all your experience in the cardiovascular sector, gained in activities previously carried out, precisely in this area.
He knows very well the vascular problems that afflict a large part of the population, the physiopathology of the venous, arterial and lymphaticsystems, but also the so-called aesthetic problems due to venous insufficiency and water stagnation.
From personal experiences in the medical sector and from engineering background, he can exploit all knowledge of physics and fluid dynamics to create a tool suitable for correctly and effectively draining stagnant liquids by introducing a BICOMPRESSIVE sequential compression therapy.
It is an only system which, without the need for special programs, simulating certain types of massages, which are not always able to beeffective if done mechanically, in a completely innovative way, generates an effective and very pleasant action.
Let's start from the common characteristics which are the strong point of Fisiopress projects:
- Truly sequential cycle
- Partially overlapping internal pneumatic sacs
- D.A.S.C. (Distribution through internal communicating sectors)
- Display of the pressure actually applied
REALLY SEQUENTIAL OPERATING CYCLE
The operating cycle represents the sequence of operations that the device performs and consists of two distinct phases: the compression and the decompression phases.
The truly sequential term expresses the modality in which the compression phase takes place: it begins with the inflation of the first chamber (themost distal or peripheral one) which in the case of the leg corresponds to the foot, while in the case of the arm to the hand, and continues with the inflation of the second chamber (the next one in the periphery-center or distal-proximal direction) keeping the first chamber under pressure.
It still continues with the inflation of the third chamber, then the fourth, always keeping the previous ones under pressure, up to the last chamber of the garment (leg or arm). At this point the deflation of the chambers takes place (decompression phase) for few seconds, and then the compression phase starts again.
The term "real" was added to "sequential" to differentiate this cycle (recognized as valid in international scientific literature) from others which, for example, which inflate one sector at a time (inflating of the irst sector, inflating of the second sector and deflation of the first, inflating of the third sector and deflation of the second, etc....).
PARTIALLY OVERLAPPING COMPRESSION BAGS
In all Fisiopress systems, the internal pneumatic bags are contained in special housings inside the garments (leg, arm) which keep them parallel and partially overlapped.
The partial overlapping determines a continuity in the progressive application of the pressure, eliminating any its discontinuity, between sector and sector, which would create an accumulation of liquids between a compressive sector and the following one if there was no overlapping. The image below gives a very precise idea of what has been said:
The description how the difference between garments with partially overlapping internalpneumatic sacs and garments with parallel internal pneumatic sacs work on treated limb. The pressure is "spread" in a very different way.
The partial overlapping system,in the application of pressure, guarantees the continuity necessary for a perfect thrust in distal to proximal direction, set by the previously described sequential operating cycle.
In this way, partial stagnation of liquids in the intermediate areas between pneumatic bag andpneumatic bag is avoided. Another important consequence of he partial overlap is the way the air bags are arranged during the compression phase sequence. The following image gives a precise idea of how pressure is applied:
The partial overlap causes that the compression bag to be placed obliquely with respect to the skin where the pressure is applied, in such a way that the pressure vector has two components: a radial one (perpendicular to the skin) and a tangential one to the skin itself.
The resulting compression allows an excellent distribution of the pressure along the depth of the area where it is applied and at the same time a correct thrust in the desired direction. From a maintenance point of view, the internal structure of the terminals, which keeps the pneumatic bags partially overlapping, allows, if one of them wears out over time, their simple replacement without having to change the whole garment, thus permitting its maintenance with negligible costs.
Replacing the pneumatic bag is a simple, easy and immediate operation and can be performed by the same operator who uses the device without any additional cost for a specialized technician or long waiting times. The immediate availability of replacement pneumatic bags has been a Fisiopress prerogative for years and a source of pride for the company and customer satisfaction.
DASC SYSTEM (Distribution through internal communicating sectors)
This system is a Fisiopress exclusive projectand has been studied to perform a homogeneous pressure in all sections of the garment so that it adapts itself to the geometry of the limb where it is applied, while maintaining equal pressure in all sections.
In fact, the D.A.S.C. eliminates any possible pressure discontinuity along the entire length of the treated limb, thus allowing effective thrust along the desired direction.
Il sistema D.A.S.C. funziona in questo modo: durante la fase realmente sequenziale compressiva, una volta gonfiato il primo settore, mentre viene gonfiato il secondo, esso viene messo, all’interno dell’apparecchio, in comunicazione con il primo in modo che l’aria potendo defluire tra un settore e l’altro, mantiene perfettamente omogenea la pressione tra i due settori. Lo stesso avviene al gonfiaggio del terzo settore che viene unito ai primi due mantenendo omogenea la pressione ora tra i tre settori e così via sino all’ultimo settore.
DISPLAY OF THE PRESSURE REALLY APPLIED
This is a really important point. Being certain that the pressure displayed is the one actually applied is essential for an instrument that uses pressure as a therapeutic element.The pressure value displayed on the graphic scale or via the analogue manometer is exactly the one applied as the instrument directly reads the pressure on all the pneumatic bags inflates as if it were the pressure value read on the manometer of a sphygmomanometer applied to the patient's limb.
Furthermore, the D.A.S.C. , by connecting all the sectors as they are inflated, ensures that the real pressure read is the one common to all the sectors inflated at that moment.
