PUMP APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR EXPRESSION OF HUMAN BREAST MILK
Improved devices, systems and methods for the expression of milk from a breast are disclosed herein. A device for expression of milk may comprise a peristaltic pump configured to move a fluid to or from a breast interface, so as to apply pressure at the breast interface and thereby express milk from the breast. The peristaltic pump can be removably coupled to a tube carrying the fluid, so as to maintain a separation between the peristaltic pump and the fluidly coupled components of the device. A device for expressing breast milk may further comprise an adjustable breast interface configured to engage and fluidly seal against the human breast. The adjustable breast interface may be manually or automatically adjustable to fluidly seal against a plurality of sizes or shapes of human breasts.
1 . A device for expression and collection of breast milk, said device comprising:
a breast interface configured to engage a breast and fluidly seal thereagainst, the breast interface having a movable member disposed within at least a portion thereof;
a tube filled with fluid and fluidly coupled with the breast interface; and
a peristaltic pump coupled with the tube, wherein actuation of the peristaltic pump moves the fluid in a first direction or a second direction opposite the first direction, and
wherein movement of the fluid in the first direction moves the movable member in the breast interface in the first direction and thereby causes the breast interface to apply vacuum pressure at the breast to express milk therefrom, and
wherein movement of the fluid in the second direction moves the movable member in the breast interface in the second direction and thereby applies pressure at the breast interface.
2 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the peristaltic pump is removably coupled with the tube.
3 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the movable member of the breast interface comprises one or more of a flexible membrane, a deformable portion of a sealing element coupled to a flexible membrane, or an expandable membrane, configured to move in response to actuation of the peristaltic pump.
4 . The device of claim 1 , wherein movement of the movable member in the second direction returns the breast interface to atmospheric pressure, thereby allowing the expressed milk to drain into a collection vessel coupled to the breast interface.
5 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the device further comprises a collection vessel fluidly coupled to the breast interface, and wherein movement of the movable member in the second direction applies positive pressure at breast interface, thereby forcing the expressed milk out of breast interface into the collection vessel.
6 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the device further comprises a collection vessel fluidly coupled to the breast interface, and wherein the breast interface comprises a first breast interface configured to engage a first breast and a second breast interface configured to engage a second breast, and wherein actuation of the peristaltic pump simultaneously causes the first breast interface to express milk from the first breast and the second breast interface to collect expressed milk from the second breast into the collection vessel.
7 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the tube comprises a central compliant region configured to engage the peristaltic pump and a less compliant region that is less compliant relative to the central compliant region disposed adjacent to the central compliant region, such that the central compliant region compresses in response to actuation of the peristaltic pump, while the less compliant region transmits pressure along the tube to the breast interface.
8 . A method for expressing milk from a breast, said method comprising:
engaging and fluidly sealing a breast interface with the breast;
actuating a peristaltic pump coupled with a tube filled with a fluid and fluidly coupled to the breast interface, thereby applying vacuum pressure at the breast; and
expressing milk from the breast.
9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein actuating a peristaltic pump comprises actuating the peristaltic pump so as to move the fluid in a first direction or in a second direction opposite the first direction, wherein moving the fluid in the first direction causes a movable member within the breast interface to move away from the breast and thereby apply vacuum pressure at the breast to express milk therefrom, and wherein moving the fluid in the second direction causes the movable member to move toward the breast and thereby causing the expressed milk to drain into a collection vessel fluidly coupled to the breast interface.
10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein moving the fluid in the second direction returns the breast interface to atmospheric pressure, thereby allowing the expressed milk to drain into the collection vessel.
11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein moving the fluid in the second direction applies a positive pressure at breast interface, thereby forcing the expressed milk out of the breast interface into the collection vessel.
12 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the breast interface comprises a first breast interface configured to engage a first breast and a second breast interface configured to engage a second breast, and wherein actuating a peristaltic pump comprises simultaneously moving the fluid away from the first breast interface to express milk from the first breast, and moving the fluid toward the second breast interface to collect expressed milk from the second breast into a collection vessel fluidly coupled to the second breast interface.
13 . A device for expressing breast milk from a breast, said device comprising:
a breast interface comprising a flange configured to engage and fluidly seal against the breast, and an expression area where milk is expressed from the breast;
wherein the breast interface is manually or automatically adjustable to fluidly seal against a plurality of sizes or shapes of breasts.
14 . The device of claim 13 , wherein the flange comprises one or more resilient materials conformable to the breast and adapted to fluidly seal against the plurality of sizes or shapes of breasts.
15 . The device of claim 13 , wherein the flange comprises a pocket fillable with a filling material, and wherein addition of filling material to, or removal of the filling material from the pocket adjusts a size of the flange.
16 . The device of claim 15 , wherein the filling material comprises a plurality of bead-like elements, and wherein application of a vacuum to the pocket substantially locks the plurality of bead-like elements and the flange into a fixed configuration for fluidly sealing against a particular size or shape of human breast.
17 . The device of claim 15 , wherein the filling material comprises a fluid.
18 . The device of claim 17 , wherein the breast interface further comprises a fluid pump fluidly coupled to the pocket, the fluid pump configured to add or remove the fluid from the pocket.
19 . The device of claim 13 , wherein the device further comprises
an actuatable assembly operatively coupled to the breast interface;
an expression reservoir disposed within the breast interface; and
an adjustable reservoir fluidly coupled to the expression reservoir and operatively coupled to the actuatable assembly;
wherein the actuatable assembly is configured to deliver fluid from the adjustable reservoir to the expression reservoir or remove fluid from the expression reservoir and return the fluid to the adjustable reservoir, and
wherein the adjustable reservoir comprises a mechanism to adjust a volume thereof, so as to adjust a volume of the expression reservoir and thereby adjust a size of the expression area to fluidly seal against a particular size or shape of breast.
20 . The device of claim 19 , wherein the mechanism is manually adjustable.
21 . The device of claim 19 , wherein the mechanism is automatically adjustable to adjust the volume of the adjustable reservoir in response to a feedback from the actuatable assembly indicating a degree of fluid seal between the breast interface and the breast.
22 . The device of claim 21 , wherein the feedback comprises a current produced by the actuatable assembly as the volume of the adjustable reservoir is adjusted, wherein an increase in the current indicates an increased degree of fluid seal between the breast interface and the breast.
23 . The device of claim 21 , wherein the adjustable reservoir is integrated with the actuatable assembly, such that the volume of the adjustable reservoir may be adjusted by changing a setting of the actuatable assembly.
24 . The device of claim 23 , wherein the actuatable assembly comprises a piston assembly and wherein the adjustable reservoir comprises a reservoir of the piston assembly, such that changing a resting position of the piston assembly adjusts the volume of fluid in the adjustable reservoir.
25 . A method for expressing breast milk from a breast, said method comprising:
providing a device for expressing breast milk comprising an adjustable breast interface having a flange and an expression area;
engaging the adjustable breast interface with the breast;
adjusting a size of the adjustable breast interface;
fluidly sealing the breast interface against the breast; and
expressing milk from the breast.
26 . The method of claim 25 , wherein adjusting the size of the adjustable breast interface comprises adding a fluid to or removing the fluid from a pocket disposed within the flange.
27 . The method of claim 25 , wherein adjusting the size of the adjustable breast interface comprises:
providing a plurality of bead-like elements disposed in a pocket in the flange;
molding the plurality of bead-like elements against the human breast;
applying a vacuum to the pocket; and
locking the flange into a particular size or shape.
28 . The method of claim 25 , wherein the breast interface comprises an expression reservoir fluidly coupled with an actuatable assembly and an adjustable reservoir, and wherein adjusting the size of the adjustable breast interface comprises:
actuating the actuatable assembly, thereby delivering a fluid from the adjustable reservoir to the expression reservoir or removing the fluid from the expression reservoir and returning the fluid to the adjustable reservoir; and
adjusting a volume of the adjustable reservoir so as to adjust a volume of the expression reservoir, thereby adjusting a size of the expression area.
29 . The method of claim 28 , wherein adjusting a volume of the adjustable reservoir comprises manually adjusting the volume of the adjustable reservoir.
30 . The method of claim 28 , wherein adjusting a volume of the adjustable reservoir comprises automatically adjusting the volume of the adjustable reservoir in response to a feedback from the actuatable assembly indicating a degree of fluid seal between the breast interface and the breast.
31 . The method of claim 30 , wherein the adjustable reservoir is integrated with the actuatable assembly, and wherein automatically adjusting the volume of the adjustable reservoir comprises changing a setting of the actuatable assembly.
32 . The method of claim 31 , wherein the actuatable assembly comprises a piston assembly and wherein the adjustable reservoir comprises a reservoir of the piston assembly, and wherein automatically adjusting the volume of the adjustable reservoir comprises changing a resting position of the piston assembly.