Chest compression apparatus

1. A chest compression apparatus providing air pulses to a user-worn air bladder comprising:

an air valve assembly having an air port in fluid communication with a pressurized air source and a vent port in fluid communication with an air vent, and a pair of bladder-side ports, said air valve assembly providing selective communication between said air vent and one of the pair of bladder-side ports and between said vent port and the other bladder-side port;

an air manifold being in fluid communication with said air port and said vent port, said air manifold receiving air pulses from said air valve assembly; and

at least one air line coupled between said air manifold and said air bladder and adapted to communicate a series of said air pulses established by a flow of pressurized air from said air source and through said air valve assembly to said air manifold.

2. The chest compression apparatus of claim 1 wherein the air valve assembly comprises a rotating valve which periodically interrupts air flow between said air port and said one of the pair of bladder-side ports and said vent port and said other bladder-side port to provide a periodic pressure waveform to the air bladder.

3. The chest compression apparatus of claim 2 wherein the waveform includes one or more minor perturbations or fluctuations within the pressure waveform.

4. The chest compression apparatus of claim 2 wherein said rotating valve includes a motor-driven blade.

5. The chest compression apparatus of claim 4 wherein said blade is rotated in order to provide pulses having a substantially sinusoidal wave form.

6. The chest compression apparatus of claim 5 wherein the substantially sinusoidal wave form has a frequency selected between the range of 6 to 15 Hz.

7. The chest compression apparatus of claim 4 wherein the motor-driven blade is electronically controlled to allow for an automatic timed cycling of frequencies.

8. The chest compression apparatus of claim 4 wherein the motor-driven blade includes an offset aperture and is rotationally balanced about a center axis.

9. The chest compression apparatus of claim 1 wherein the pressurized air source includes a variable speed air fan.

10. The chest compression apparatus of claim 1 wherein the pressurized air source is in communication with an air intake plenum providing a generally decreasing cross-sectional area as said plenum approaches an inlet of said air source.

11. The chest compression apparatus of claim 10 wherein at least a portion of said at least one air line includes a flexible tubing having quick-connect air fittings with a latch to facilitate immediate connection and disconnection of said flexible tubing into said apparatus.

12. The chest compression apparatus of claim 1 wherein the air bladder is defined within a patient vest, said vest including at least one user-adjustable fitting strap having a temporary loop structure to facilitate proper fitting of said vest upon the patient.

13. The chest compression apparatus of claim 12 wherein the temporary loop structure is defined by length of strap material separated by a pair of selectively connected hook and loop fasteners.

14. A chest compression apparatus for providing a series of pressure pulses to a user-worn air bladder via a pair of air lines, said apparatus comprising:

an air valve assembly and an air manifold and providing intermittent fluid communication between one of the pair of air lines and a vent port to atmosphere resulting in a series of pressure pulses applied to the thoracic region by the air bladder, said air manifold being defined by an air chamber in fluid communication with said pair of air lines, said vent port and said air bladder, with said series of pressure pulses established by a flow of pressurized air from a source of pressurized air and through said air valve assembly to said air manifold.

15. The chest compression apparatus of claim 14 wherein the air valve assembly comprises a rotating valve which periodically interrupts air flow between the vent port and the other of the pair of air lines.

16. The chest compression apparatus of claim 15 wherein the waveform includes one or more minor perturbations or fluctuations within the pressure waveform.

17. The chest compression apparatus of claim 16 wherein the rotating valve includes a motor-driven blade.

18. The chest compression apparatus of claim 16 wherein the blade is rotated in order to provide pulses having a substantially sinusoidal wave form.

19. The chest compression apparatus of claim 18 wherein the substantially sinusoidal wave form has a frequency selected between the range of 6 to 15 Hz.

20. The chest compression apparatus of claim 19 wherein the motor-driven blade is electronically controlled to allow for an automatic timed cycling of frequencies.

21. The chest compression apparatus of claim 14 wherein the air bladder is defined within a patient vest, said vest including at least one user-adjustable fitting strap having a temporary loop structure to facilitate proper fitting of said vest upon the patient.

22. The chest compression apparatus of claim 21 wherein the temporary loop structure is defined by length of strap material separated by a pair of selectively connected hook and loop fasteners.

23. The chest compression apparatus of claim 14 wherein said pair of air lines include a flexible tubing having quick-connect air fittings with a latch to facilitate immediate connection and disconnection of said flexible tubing into said apparatus.

24. The chest compression apparatus of claim 14 wherein said source of pressurized air is in communication with an air intake plenum providing a generally decreasing cross-sectional area as said plenum approaches an inlet of said air source.

25. A chest compression apparatus for providing air pulses to a user-worn vest, said apparatus comprising:

an air valve assembly and an air manifold, with said air valve assembly and said air manifold generating series of air pulses established by a flow of pressurized air through said air valve assembly to said air manifold, said air valve assembly, said air valve and said air manifold being in fluid communication with a pair of air lines, with said air manifold bypassing at least some air between the pair of air lines, and said air valve assembly being in fluid communication with said vest to provide said series of air pulses to said vest, and

a source of pressurized air in communication with said air valve and said manifold.

26. The chest compression apparatus of claim 25 wherein said source of pressurized air is in communication with an air intake plenum providing a generally decreasing cross-sectional area as said plenum approaches an inlet of said air source.