Air compression massager specs: chambers, pressure, garments

The AMD 12-chamber and 8-chamber systems are $401 apart at dealer price. The spec sheet tells you what that money buys, provided you know which lines to read and which ones are decoration.

What the hardware is

An air compression massager has two parts, a pump and a garment. The pump holds a small compressor and the valves that route air to each chamber, plus the controls. The garment is a sleeve, cuff or wrap divided into separate air chambers, each fed from the pump by tubing. On a leg garment the chambers inflate one after another, starting at the foot and moving up toward the thigh, then release, and the cycle starts again. Almost every line on a spec sheet describes part of that cycle or the garment it runs in.

Chamber count: 4, 6, 8 and 12

Chamber count is the number of separately inflated sections along the garment. The garment does not get longer when the count goes up; each chamber gets shorter. On a garment with 80 cm of inflatable length (a round number for the arithmetic, not a measured AMD figure), the split looks like this:

Shorter chambers move the inflation up the garment in smaller steps. That is the mechanical difference, and it is the accurate way to explain the step up to a customer. Whether it is worth $401 more at dealer is a merchandising call. Our view: put the 12-chamber at the top of the range and expect the 8-chamber to do the volume.

Garment and pump have to agree on chamber count and connector. The AMD arm and waist garments are listed for the 8-chamber system, so if you stock the 12-chamber pump, ask us which garments pair with it before you order.

One more word to look for is "overlapping". The AMD 90 x 60 cm arm cuff has overlapping chambers, meaning the edge of each chamber sits over the next one instead of meeting it at a seam. The 88 x 50 cm cuff is not listed as overlapping.

Pressure range

Pressure is given in mmHg, millimeters of mercury, the same unit a blood pressure cuff uses. A useful spec sheet states the range a user can set, lowest to highest, and the step between settings. Better ones also say whether pressure is set once for the whole garment or chamber by chamber.

Read pressure figures with some suspicion. A factory brochure can print a wider range than the labeling for the same model, and when the two disagree, the labeling is the number that counts, and it is the one your product page and your staff should quote. Ask for the labeled range in writing and file it with the instructions for use (IFU).

The AMD catalog pages list chambers, garments and sizes. For pressure settings and modes, ask us for the current labeling and IFU, so the numbers you publish come from the document they belong to.

Cycle modes and timers

Modes are preset inflation patterns. Pumps label them by letter or number, which tells a buyer nothing, so ask for a one-line mechanical description of each mode: which chambers fill, in what order, whether filled chambers hold or let go as the next one inflates, and how long each step lasts. A pump whose modes differ only in speed is a different proposition from one where each mode runs its own sequence.

Check the session timer as well. You want the preset session lengths, whether there is a continuous setting, and whether the pump keeps its last settings after it is switched off. Some pumps let the user switch individual chambers off. If a spec sheet mentions that, ask how it is set, because a feature buried three menus deep does not exist as far as most customers are concerned.

Garments and sizes

Garment dimensions are listed in centimeters, which catches out buyers who think in inches. Ask for a flat drawing that shows which measurement is the length and which is the width, and for the closing range: the smallest and largest circumference the garment fastens around. That range decides whether a garment fits your customer far more than the letter on the label does.

Both pumps ship with leg sleeves in M and XL. Arm and waist garments are sold separately, and each of the three cuffs comes with a tube cover. Keep a few waist cuff extensions next to the waist cuffs, because the customer who needs one usually finds out during the fitting.

What a store should keep in stock

• One pump set up on display with a garment, so staff can show the inflation sequence instead of describing it.
• Boxed stock of the pumps you sell, which already include M and XL leg sleeves.
• Both arm cuffs. The 90 x 60 cm overlapping cuff is the larger of the two.
• Waist cuffs, with extensions on the same shelf.
• Carry bags, offered at the counter with every pump.
• A printed copy of the labeling and IFU for each model, so what your staff say matches the document.

The garments also carry a higher margin than the pumps; the numbers are worked through in our post on wholesale DME pricing.

Questions to put to any supplier

1. What pressure range is on the label, and in what steps does it adjust?
2. What does each mode do, described mechanically?
3. What are the garment dimensions and the closing range for each size?
4. Which garments fit which pump, and is the connector the same across models?
5. What is the power input, and does the pump run from mains, a battery or both?
6. Can you send the labeling and IFU for this exact model, with its regulatory paperwork?
7. Are tubes and connectors sold as spare parts?

Dealer price and MSRP for every AMD pump, garment and accessory are on the sequential compression systems page. Add what you need to a quote list and we confirm availability and lead time; how to order covers the rest.

Articles are general information for trade buyers, not medical, legal, tax or reimbursement advice. We make no health claims for any product, and each product's labeling controls.