U.S. patent application number 12/306449 was filed with the patent office on 2010-08-26 for medical modesty garment.
This patent application is currently assigned to Geisinger Clinic. Invention is credited to David Baucom, Linda Zaleski.
Application Number | 20100212063 12/306449 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38846442 |
Filed Date | 2010-08-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100212063 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Baucom; David ; et
al. |
August 26, 2010 |
MEDICAL MODESTY GARMENT
Abstract
A medical modesty garment is disclosed which allows easy access
to and removal from a patient's body while providing improved
patient modesty and privacy. The medical modesty garment may
comprise a lower garment shaped like shorts, and/or an upper
garment shaped like a tee shirt. The medical modesty garment of the
invention may comprise perforations that may be torn to provide
selective access to a patient's body or that may be torn to easily
remove the garment from the patient.
Inventors: |
Baucom; David; (Danville,
PA) ; Zaleski; Linda; (Lewisburg, PA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WOODCOCK WASHBURN LLP
CIRA CENTRE, 12TH FLOOR, 2929 ARCH STREET
PHILADELPHIA
PA
19104-2891
US
|
Assignee: |
Geisinger Clinic
Danville
PA
|
Family ID: |
38846442 |
Appl. No.: |
12/306449 |
Filed: |
June 25, 2007 |
PCT Filed: |
June 25, 2007 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/US2007/071995 |
371 Date: |
April 23, 2009 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60816476 |
Jun 26, 2006 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
2/114 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A41D 13/1254
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
2/114 |
International
Class: |
A41D 13/12 20060101
A41D013/12 |
Claims
1. A lower garment for a person's lower torso for use in a
health-care setting, the lower garment comprising: a body having a
waist opening forming an upper margin, a first leg opening, and a
second leg opening; a crotch perforation extending between the
first and second leg openings, the leg openings and the crotch
perforation defining a lower margin; a first lateral perforation
extending between the upper margin and the first leg opening and a
second lateral perforation extending between the upper margin and
the second leg opening and located approximately opposite the first
lateral perforation, the lateral perforations at least partly
define an anterior portion and a posterior portion of the garment,
the lateral perforations and the crotch perforation enable (i)
removal of the anterior portion of the garment if a wearer is
supine and (ii) removal of the posterior portion of the garment if
the wearer is prone; a closure located either in the anterior
portion or the posterior portion and capable of drawing together
portions of the garment near the waist opening to change the waist
opening dimension; a pair of front perforations formed in the
anterior portion of the garment and extending upward from the lower
margin, the front perforations at least partly defining a front
panel, the front perforations enable at least partial opening of
the front panel relative to a remainder of the garment to enable
access to the groin area of the person; and at least one rear
perforation extending between the upper margin and the lower
margin.
2. The lower garment of claim 1 wherein the body comprises a pair
of short pant legs.
3. The lower garment of claim 2 further comprising at least one leg
perforation in each one of the legs, the leg perforation is capable
of rupturing to accommodate leg sizes.
4. The lower garment of claim 2 further comprising a closure
located in each one of the pant legs, the closure is capable of
drawing together portions of the garment of or near the leg to
change the leg opening dimension.
5. The lower garment of claim 1 wherein the closure includes a
first closure portion located on a first body portion and at least
one second closure portion located on a second body portion, the
first closure portion and the at least one second closure portion
are capable of being brought together to reduce the waist opening
dimension.
6. The lower garment of claim 5 wherein the first closure portion
is one of a hoop portion or a loop portion, and at least one second
closure portion is the other one of the hoop portion or the loop
portion.
7. The lower garment of claim 6 wherein the at least one second
closure portion is a plural number of the hook portions or the loop
portions, thereby enabling the closure to be adjustable as to waist
opening dimension.
8. The lower garment of claim 1 wherein the closure includes
elastic.
9. The lower garment of claim 1 wherein the closure includes a
frangible pleat that is ruptured to expand the waist opening.
10. The lower garment of claim 1 wherein each one of the
perforations is a series of holes formed in the body.
11. The lower garment of claim 1 wherein the body is formed of a
radiolucent material.
12. The lower garment of claim 1 wherein the first lateral
perforation and the second lateral perforation are
longitudinal.
13. The lower garment of claim 2 wherein the first lateral
perforation and the second lateral perforation are disposed at
midpoints of the sides of the garment.
14. The lower garment of claim 1 wherein the front perforations
extend to the upper margin.
15. The lower garment of claim 1 wherein the rear perforation is
centrally located.
16. The lower garment of claim 1 wherein the crotch perforation has
a lower tear strength than each one of the tear strengths of the
lateral perforations.
17. An upper garment for a person's upper torso for use in a
health-care setting, the upper garment comprising: a body having a
waist opening, a neck opening, a first arm opening, and a second
arm opening; a first upper perforation extending between the neck
opening and the first arm opening and a second upper perforation
extending between the neck opening and the second arm opening, the
neck opening and first and second upper perforations defining an
upper margin, a first lateral perforation extending from the waist
opening to the first arm opening and a second lateral perforation
extending from the waist opening to the second arm opening, the
first and second upper perforations and the first and second
lateral perforations enable (i) removal of an anterior portion of
the garment if a wearer is supine and (ii) removal of a posterior
portion of the garment if the wearer is prone; at least one front
perforation extending downwardly from the upper margin, whereby
rupturing of the front perforation enables or enhances access to
the chest of the wearer.
18. The upper garment of claim 17 wherein the front perforation
extends downwardly from the neck opening and has an end that is
spaced apart from the waist opening.
19. The upper garment of claim 17 further comprising at least one
rear perforation extending downwardly from the upper margin.
20. The upper garment of claim 19 wherein the rear perforation
extends downwardly from the neck opening and has an end spaced
apart from the waist opening.
21. The upper garment of claim 17 further comprising a pair of
short arms located on opposing sides of the neck opening and
terminating in the arm openings, the upper perforations extending
along an upper portion of the arms.
22. The upper garment of claim 17 further at least one of a
perforation in the body, the perforation is capable of rupturing to
accommodate torso sizes.
23. The upper garment of claim 17 further comprising a closure
located either in an anterior portion or a posterior portion of the
upper garment and capable of drawing together portions of the
garment to change a dimension thereof.
24. The upper garment of claim 23 wherein the closure is located
near the waist opening and is capable of changing the waist opening
dimension.
25. The upper garment of claim 23 wherein the closure includes a
first closure portion located on a first body portion and at least
one second closure portion located on a second body portion, the
first closure portion and the at least one second closure portion
are capable of being brought together to reduce the waist opening
dimension.
26. The upper garment of claim 25 wherein the first closure portion
is one of a hoop portion or a loop portion, and at least one second
closure portion is the other one of the hoop portion or the loop
portion.
27. The upper garment of claim 26 wherein the at least one second
closure portion is a plural number of the hook portions or the loop
portions, thereby enabling the closure to be adjustable as to
garment dimension.
28. The lower garment of claim 23 wherein the closure includes
elastic.
29. The lower garment of claim 23 wherein the closure includes a
frangible pleat that is ruptured to expand the waist opening.
30. The lower garment of claim 17 wherein each one of the
perforations is a series of holes formed in the body.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C.
.sctn.119(e) to U.S. provisional application No. 60/816,476 filed
Jun. 26, 2006, which is incorporated by reference herein in its
entirety.
TECHNOLOGY FIELD
[0002] The invention relates generally to medical garments. More
particularly, the invention relates to a medical modesty garment
that provides easy access to and easy removal from a patient's
body.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Patients in hospitals, clinics, and physicians' offices are
often asked to undress to improve surgical and medical access. In
an effort to improve patient modesty and privacy, nonsurgical and
some surgical patients are provided with medical gowns.
Conventional medical gowns are designed as simple gowns which
loosely cover the anterior part of the body, require ties
posteriorly, and significantly compromise patient privacy. Further,
when conventional gowns are worn by a patient, they do not allow
nurses, anesthesiologists and surgeons the necessary access they
need to all or part of a patient's body before, during, and
immediately after surgical procedures. As a result, conventional
gowns must be removed prior to surgical procedures and surgical
patients are usually asked to undress completely.
[0004] There is a need for a medical modesty garment that is
safely, rapidly, and easily removed, regardless of patient
positioning, and provides a medically sound balance between the
needs of nurses/physicians and a patient's desire for
modesty/privacy.
SUMMARY
[0005] This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of
concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in
the Detailed Description of Illustrative Embodiments. This Summary
is not intended to identify key features or essential features of
the invention, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of
the invention.
[0006] Provided herein is a medical modesty garment that enhances
patient privacy and comfort, while allowing a multitude of medical
procedures to proceed safely and effectively by providing selective
access to covered portions of the patient's body and rapid removal
regardless of the patient's position. The garment allows selective
access to particular regions of a patient's body for medical
examination and/or treatment, such as, for example, placement of
EKG leads, positioning of IV lines, insertion of catheters, access
to rectal and/or groin area, and endoscopic and/or urologic
procedures. Further, the garment allows rapid removal regardless of
patient position (e.g. sitting, standing, supine, prone, and left
or right lateral decubitus), allowing very rapid removal in an
emergency situation.
[0007] The garment comprises a material having tear lines that can
be torn to expose a patient's body. The tear lines may comprise
perforations or an otherwise weakened portion of the material, such
as, for example, a score. The tear lines may be selectively placed
throughout the garment to provide access to particular regions of
the body for medical examination and/or treatment. Also, the tear
lines may be selectively positioned throughout the garment to
provide easy removal regardless of the position of the patient
wearing the garment.
[0008] According to one embodiment, the garment may comprise a
lower garment shaped like shorts. The lower garment preferably has
a one-piece construction, but may have any other conventional
construction, such as, for example, a seamed two-panel
construction. The lower garment may comprise a posterior portion,
an anterior portion, two lateral (that is, generally on the sides)
portions, a crotch portion, a waist opening (which may be a band,
but which encompasses other structure), and two leg openings. The
posterior and anterior portions may be disposed opposite each
other, connected on the sides by the lateral portions, and
partially connected on the bottom by the crotch portion, thereby
creating a waist opening around the top and two leg openings on the
bottom. The anterior portion preferably includes a slit that
extends partially down the anterior portion from the waist opening,
and a fastening means for maintaining the slit closed and for
adjusting the size of the waist opening. The fastening means may
include, for example, a hook and loop closure (for example,
Velcro.RTM.).
[0009] The lower garment may further comprise tear lines. These
tear lines may include lateral tear lines, a crotch tear line,
anterior tear lines, a posterior tear line (such as in the
center-rear), leg tear lines, or any combination thereof. The
lateral tear lines may extend down the lateral portions of the
lower garment from the waist opening to a leg opening. The crotch
tear line may extend across the crotch portion of the lower garment
from one leg opening to the other. The anterior tear lines may
extend down the anterior portion of the lower garment from the
waist opening to the crotch tear line. The posterior tear line may
extend down substantially the center of the posterior portion of
the lower garment from the waist opening to the crotch tear line.
The leg tear lines may extend from a leg opening, partially up the
anterior portion of the lower garment. When both the lateral and
crotch tear lines are torn, the anterior and posterior portions of
the lower garment may be completely separated, thereby allowing
easy removal of the garment. When the lateral tear lines, crotch
tear line, anterior tear lines, posterior tear line, leg tear
lines, or any combination thereof are torn or partially torn, the
lower garment may provide access to the patient's body for medical
examination and/or treatment (e.g. rectal exams, colonoscopy,
gynecological exams, urologic procedures). Also, the lower garment
may minimize injury when placed on individuals who are too large,
by automatically tearing along the perforations adjacent the waist
opening and/or leg openings.
[0010] According to another embodiment, the garment may comprise an
upper garment shaped like a tee shirt. The upper garment preferably
has a one-piece construction, but may have any other conventional
construction, such as, for example, a seamed two-panel
construction. The upper garment may comprise an anterior portion, a
posterior portion, two lateral portions, two upper portions, a neck
opening, two arm openings, and a torso opening. The anterior and
posterior portions may be disposed opposite each other, partially
connected on the sides by the lateral portions, and partially
connected on the top by the two upper portions, thereby creating a
neck opening, two arm openings, and a torso opening. Preferably,
the neck opening is a V-neck opening.
[0011] The upper garment may further comprise tear lines. These
tear lines may include lateral tear lines, upper tear lines, an
anterior tear line, a posterior tear line, or any combination
thereof. The lateral tear lines may extend down the lateral
portions of the upper garment from an arm opening to the torso
opening. The upper tear lines may extend across the upper portions
of the upper garment from the neck opening to an arm opening. The
anterior tear line may extend partially down the anterior portion
of the upper garment from the neck opening. Alternatively, the
anterior tear line may extend from the neck opening down to the
torso opening. The posterior tear line may extend partially down
the posterior portion of the upper garment from the neck opening.
Alternatively, the posterior tear line may extend from the neck
opening down to the torso opening. When both the lateral and upper
tear lines are torn, the anterior and posterior portions of the
upper garment may be completely separated, thereby allowing easy
removal of the garment. When the lateral tear lines, upper tear
lines, anterior tear line, posterior tear line, or any combination
thereof are torn or partially torn, the upper garment provides
access to the patient's body for medical examination and/or
treatment (e.g. placement of EKG leads, breast exams). Also, the
upper garment may minimize injury when placed on individuals who
are too large, by automatically tearing along the perforations
adjacent the neck opening, arm openings, and/or torso opening.
[0012] In another embodiment, the garment comprises both a lower
garment and an upper garment as described above. The combination of
the upper and lower garment provides the ability to access most or
all parts of a patient's body, as described herein, while
maintaining privacy until access is needed.
[0013] The medical garment is preferably made of a non see-through
material to preserve the privacy and modesty of the patient wearing
the garment. Preferably, the garment is also made of a thin
material--allowing standard physical examination (i.e. auscultation
of the lungs, heart, and abdomen, abdominal palpation, and
examination of head, neck, and upper and lower extremities) to
proceed without significant interference. Also, the garment is
preferably made of a material that is radiolucent so that the
patient does not have to disrobe for radiologic procedures (e.g.
x-rays). Further, the garment may be made of a tearable fabric so
that even portions of the garment not having tear lines may be
torn.
[0014] The garment may be worn by a patient as an undergarment
under a conventional hospital gown to provide improved privacy and
modesty. Also, the garment can be worn before, during, and after
medical/surgical procedures and does not need to be removed during
the performance of surgery in many cases (e.g. surgery involving
upper and lower extremities, head, eyes, etc.)
[0015] Additional features and advantages of the invention will be
made apparent from the following detailed description of
illustrative embodiments that proceeds with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed
description, is better understood when read in conjunction with the
appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the medical
modesty garment, there is shown in the drawings exemplary
embodiments; however, the medical modesty garment is not limited to
the specific embodiments disclosed.
[0017] FIG. 1 shows an anterior view of an exemplary lower
garment.
[0018] FIG. 2 shows a back view of the lower garment shown in FIG.
1.
[0019] FIG. 3 shows a lateral view of the lower garment shown in
FIG. 1.
[0020] FIG. 4 shows a bottom view of the lower garment shown in
FIG. 1.
[0021] FIG. 5 shows an anterior view of an exemplary upper
garment.
[0022] FIG. 6 shows a back view of the upper garment shown in FIG.
5.
[0023] FIG. 7 shows a lateral view of the upper garment shown in
FIG. 5.
[0024] FIG. 8 shows a top view of the upper garment shown in FIG.
5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS
[0025] According to one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1-4, the
medical modesty garment 10 may comprise a lower garment 12 shaped
like shorts. As shown in FIGS. 1-4, the lower garment 12 comprises
an anterior portion 20, a posterior portion 21, two lateral
portions 22, a crotch portion 23, a waist opening 24, and two leg
openings 25. The posterior 20 and anterior 21 portions are disposed
opposite each other, connected on the sides by the lateral portions
22, and partially connected on the bottom by the crotch portion 23,
thereby creating a waist opening 24 around the top and two leg
openings 25 on the bottom. The lower garment 12 preferably has a
one-piece construction, but may have any other conventional
construction, such as, for example, a seamed two-panel
construction. The anterior portion 20 preferably includes a closure
comprising a slit 26 that extends partially down the anterior
portion 20 from the waist opening 24, and a fastening means or tab
27 for maintaining the slit 26 closed and for adjusting the size of
the waist opening 24. It is not necessary for the closure to span
the longitudinal perforations. Alternatively, the closure may be
disposed on the posterior portion 21. Also, in lieu of the slit 26,
the closure may comprise a plurality of pleats that can be drawn
together or spread apart to adjust the size of the waist opening
24. The fastening means 27 may include, for example, a hook and
loop closure (Velcro.RTM.) or elastic.
[0026] In accordance with this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1-4,
the lower garment 12 further comprises tear lines. These tear lines
include lateral tear lines 200, a crotch tear line 201, anterior
tear lines 202, a posterior tear line 203, leg tear lines 204, or
any combination thereof. The lateral tear lines 200 extends down
the lateral portions 22 from the waist opening 24 to a leg opening
25. The crotch tear line 201 may extend across the crotch portion
23 from one leg opening 25 to the other. The anterior tear lines
202 may extend down the anterior portion 20 from the waist opening
24 to the crotch tear line 201. The posterior tear line 203 may
extend down substantially the center of the posterior portion 21
from the waist opening 24 to the crotch tear line 201. The leg tear
lines 204 may extend from a leg opening 25, partially up the
anterior portion 20.
[0027] When both the lateral 200 and crotch 201 tear lines are
torn, the anterior 20 and posterior 21 portions may be completely
separated, thereby allowing easy removal of the lower garment 12.
When the lateral tear lines 200, crotch tear line 201, anterior
tear lines 202, posterior tear line 203, leg tear lines 204, or any
combination thereof are torn or partially torn, the lower garment
12 may provide access to the patient's body for medical examination
and/or treatment (e.g. rectal exams, colonoscopy, gynecological
exams, urologic procedures). Also, the lower garment 12 may
minimize injury when placed on individuals who are too large, by
automatically tearing along the tear lines adjacent the waist
opening 24 and/or leg openings 25.
[0028] According to another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5-8, the
medical modesty garment 10 may comprise an upper garment 14 shaped
like a tee shirt. As shown in FIGS. 5-8, the upper garment 14
comprises an anterior portion 30, a posterior portion 31, two
lateral portions 32, two upper portions 33, a neck opening 34, two
arm openings 35, and a torso opening 36. The anterior 30 and
posterior 31 portions are disposed opposite each other, partially
connected on the sides by the lateral portions 32, and partially
connected on the top by the two upper portions 33, thereby creating
a neck opening 34, two arm openings 35, and a torso opening 36. The
upper garment 14 preferably has a one-piece construction, but may
have any other conventional construction, such as, for example, a
seamed two-panel construction. Also, the upper garment preferably
has a V-neck opening, but may have any other suitable opening, such
as, for example, a crewneck opening.
[0029] The upper garment 14 further comprises tear lines. These
tear lines include lateral tear lines 300, upper tear lines 301, an
anterior tear line 302, a posterior tear line 303, or any
combination thereof. The lateral tear lines 300 may extend down the
lateral portions 32 from an arm opening 35 to the torso opening 36.
The upper tear lines 301 may extend across the upper portions 33
from the neck opening 34 to an arm opening 35. The anterior tear
line 302 may extend partially down the anterior portion 30 from the
neck opening 34. Alternatively, the anterior tear line 302 may
extend down the anterior portion 30 from the neck opening 34 to the
torso opening 36. The posterior tear line 303 may extend partially
down the posterior portion 31 from the neck opening 34.
Alternatively, the posterior tear line 303 may extend down the
posterior portion 31 from the neck opening 34 down to the torso
opening 36. When both the lateral 300 and upper 301 tear lines are
torn, the anterior 30 and posterior 31 portions may be completely
separated, thereby allowing easy removal of the upper garment 14.
When the lateral tear lines 300, upper tear lines 301, anterior
tear line 302, posterior tear line 303, or any combination thereof
are torn or partially torn, the upper garment 14 provides access to
the patient's body for medical examination and/or treatment (e.g.
placement of EKG leads, breast exams). Also, the upper garment 14
may minimize injury when placed on individuals who are too large,
by automatically tearing along the tear lines adjacent the neck
opening 34, arm openings 35, and/or torso opening 36.
[0030] In another embodiment, not shown, the medical modesty
garment 10 may comprise both a lower garment 12 and an upper
garment 14 as described above.
[0031] The functionality of the lower garment 12 may be illustrated
by describing how garment 12, as shown in FIGS. 1-4, may be used.
Lower garment 12 can be removed from a patient that is sitting or
supine by, for example, grasping the anterior portion 20 at waist
opening 24 and pulling downwardly or outwardly to tear the lateral
tear lines 200 and, optionally, the crotch tear line 201. Tearing
the garment in such a fashion allows the anterior region of a
patient that is sitting or supine to be exposed. Similarly, the
lower garment 12 may be removed to expose the posterior region of a
patient that is prone by, for example, grasping the posterior
portion 21 at waist opening 24 and pulling downwardly or outwardly
to tear the lateral tear lines 200 and, optionally, crotch tear
line 201. The lower garment 12 may also be removed from a patient
in a lateral decubitus position by, for example, grasping a lateral
portion 22 on either side of the lateral tear line 200 and tearing
the lateral tear line 200 and the crotch tear line 201.
[0032] Alternatively, lower garment 12 can also be used to only
partially expose a patient's lower body. For example, lower garment
12 can be partially removed to expose the crotch area of a patient
that is sitting or supine by grasping the center of the anterior
portion 20 at the waist opening 24 and tearing the anterior tear
lines 202 and, optionally, the crotch tear line 201. A patient's
rectal area may be exposed by, for example, grasping the posterior
portion 21 on either side of the posterior tear line 203 and
tearing the posterior tear line 203 and, optionally, crotch tear
line 201. The anterior portion of a patient's legs may be exposed
by grasping the anterior portion 20 at the leg openings 25 on
either side of the leg tear lines 204 and tearing the leg tear
lines 204. Also, the lateral tear lines 200 may be partially torn
to expose a lateral portion of a patient's leg.
[0033] The functionality of the upper garment 14 may be illustrated
by describing how garment 14, as shown in FIGS. 5-8, may be used.
Upper garment 14 may be removed from a patient that is supine by,
for example, grasping the upper portions 33 at the neck opening 34
and pulling downwardly or outwardly to tear the upper tear lines
301 and lateral tear lines 300. Tearing the garment in such a
fashion allows the anterior region of a patient that is supine to
be exposed. Similarly, the upper garment 14 may be removed to
expose the posterior region of a patient that is prone by, for
example, grasping the posterior portion 31 at neck opening 34 and
pulling downwardly or outwardly to tear the upper tear lines 301
and lateral tear lines 300. The upper garment 14 may also be
removed from a patient in a lateral decubitus position by, for
example, grasping the anterior and posterior portions of an arm
opening 35 and tearing a lateral tear line 300 and an upper tear
line 301.
[0034] Alternatively, upper garment 12 can also be used to only
partially expose a patient's upper body. Lateral tear lines 300 and
upper tear lines 301 may be partially torn to only partially expose
a portion of a patient's body. A patient's neck and chest area may
be exposed by, for example, grasping the anterior portion 30 at the
neck opening 34 on either side of the anterior tear line 302 and
tearing the anterior tear line 302. Also, a patient's back and neck
area may be exposed by, for example, grasping the posterior portion
31 at the neck opening 34 on either side of the posterior tear line
303 and tearing the posterior tear line 303.
[0035] While systems and methods have been described and
illustrated with reference to specific embodiments, those skilled
in the art will recognize that modification and variations may be
made without departing from the principles described above.
* * * * *