U.S. patent number 3,803,640 [Application Number 05/352,788] was granted by the patent office on 1974-04-16 for surgeon's gown with cummerbund.
This patent grant is currently assigned to C. R. Bard, Inc.. Invention is credited to Richard E. Ericson.
United States Patent |
3,803,640 |
Ericson |
April 16, 1974 |
**Please see images for:
( Certificate of Correction ) ** |
SURGEON'S GOWN WITH CUMMERBUND
Abstract
A back-opening surgeon's gown having a water resistant panel
attached to one vertical edge of the gown and adapted to wrap
around the front of the user's body, covering the gown from chest
level to just below the waist, the free end of the panel having a
removable tab for use in positioning it, and suitable fastening
means, such as an adhesive strip.
Inventors: |
Ericson; Richard E. (Nashua,
NH) |
Assignee: |
C. R. Bard, Inc. (Murray Hill,
NJ)
|
Family
ID: |
23386492 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/352,788 |
Filed: |
April 19, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
2/114; 2/51 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A41D
13/1209 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A41D
13/12 (20060101); A41b 009/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;2/DIG.7,2,47,48,51,52,87,114 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Schroeder; Werner H.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Martin, Jr.; C. E.
Claims
What I claim is:
1. A back-opening surgeon's gown having first and second vertical
back edges, a waist tie secured to the first edge, a second waist
tie secured to the interior of the gown at a substantial distance
from the second edge, a panel of water resistant material having
right and left ends one of said ends being secured to the second
edge at mid-section height, and means on the other of said ends for
removably affixing said other end to the outer surface of the gown,
the length of said panel from end to end being sufficient to cover
the user's mid-section from side to side.
2. A surgeon's gown according to claim 1 wherein the affixing means
comprises a strip of adhesive adjacent one edge of the panel.
3. A surgeon's gown according to claim 1 wherein the affixing means
comprises strips of adhesive adjacent one edge and one end of the
panel.
4. A surgeon's gown according to claim 1 which includes a grasping
tab removably attached to said other end of the panel.
5. A surgical gown according to claim 1 in which the gown is of a
non-woven material and the panel is a fluid-impervious plastic.
6. A surgical gown according to claim 1 wherein the panel is
rectangular and is secured at one of its short edges to the edge of
the gown.
7. A surgical gown according to claim 4 wherein the panel is
fan-folded initially adjacent to said second edge, the tab being
adapted to serve as a handle for unfolding the panel.
8. A surgical gown according to claim 7 wherein the panel is held
in fan-folded position by a releasable adhesive.
9. A back-opening surgical gown having first and second vertical
free rear edges, a waist-high tie attached to the first rear edge,
another waist-high tie attached to the interior of the gown at a
substantial distance from the second rear edge, whereby the
fastening together of said ties can hold said second rear edge and
adjacent areas of the gown in overlapping relation to said first
rear edge and areas of the gown adjacent said first rear edge, a
sheet of fluid-impervious material secured at one vertical edge to
the second rear edge of the gown and self-activating means for
attaching an opposite vertical edge of said sheet to the outer
surface of the gown, said sheet being long enough to extend from
side to side of the gown and having a vertical dimension such that
it can cover the front mid-section of the gown from approximately
chest height to below the waist.
Description
This invention relates to surgeons' operating gowns and, more
particularly, to a surgeon's operating gown incorporating improved
moisture repellent means attached to one edge of the gown and
designed also to cover the front end, to some extent, the sides of
the gown.
Before performing a surgical operation, the surgeon, after thorough
sterilization of his hands and arms, is assisted into a sterilized
garment known as a surgical gown. This gown is made to completely
cover the surgeon both front and back and is made so as to be
completely closed in the back, and is secured on the surgeon by
tape ties on the back panels overlapped at the back of the gown.
The gown has previously been sterilized, and is designed to protect
the surgeon's hands and arms, front and back, against any
possibility of infection from the surgeon to the patient. To
complete his attire, the surgeon then usually dons a pair of
sanitized rubber gloves, again with assistance.
For comfort during the operation, it is desirable that the gown be
as light in weight as possible. At the same time, however, it is
desirable that the gown, or at least the major part of its front
portion thereof, from chest level to below the waist, be made water
resistant, to protect the surgeon and his clothing against soiling
by blood, plasma, serums, and other liquids. Gowns with provision
for moisture-proofing are shown in Tames U.S. Pat. No. 3,011,172 (a
moisture-proof sheet underlying the front panel) and Belkin U.S.
Pat. No. 3,349,285 (hydrophobic f1nish on cotton cloth). The gown
shown herein has characteristics corresponding in some respects to
the gown shown in Grosz U.S. Pat. No. 3,609,767 which, however,
uses more material and is not stated to be water resistant.
A practical embodiment of the invention is shown in the
accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 represents a front view of the gown, flattened out in a
vertical plane to show the relation and interconnection of the
several parts;
FIG. 2 represents a rear view of the gown as it is being
donned;
FIG. 3 represents a front view of the gown on a wearer, in fully
donned position;
FIG. 4 represents a detail perspective view of the added panel, as
fan-folded prior to use, and
FIG. 5 represents a section on the line V--V of FIG. 4.
Referring to the drawings, the gown 10 is shown as being provided
with a water resistant panel 11. The gown is back opening, in the
usual manner, having sleeves 12 and waist ties 13, 14, the tie 13
being attached to one vertical edge 15 and the tie 14 being
attached to the interior of the side 17 of the gown at a
substantial distance (e.g., 18 - 20 inches) from the other vertical
edge 16. The gown may desirably be made of a light-weight,
sterilizable, disposable non-woven material, such as that sold by
DuPont under the trademark "Tyvek". While this material is normally
water impermeable, it is "breathable" and there is some danger of
strike-through by fluids likely to be encountered in the course of
a surgical operation, making it advisable to provide additional
protection throughout the most vulnerable area.
Such additional protection is obtained by the use of the
rectangular panel 11 of strong plastic sheeting, such as vinyl or
polyethylene, having one of its short ends 18 secured, as by
cementing, to the edge 16 of the gown, at a height corresponding to
the wearer's mid-section. A band of adhesive material 19 is applied
to the surface of the panel 11 adjacent its upper edge 20 and a
similar band of adhesive 21 may be applied to the surface of the
panel adjacent the free end 18' of the panel. The adhesive bands
19, 21 may be covered by removable protective strips (not shown)
prior to use, or, preferably, the band 19 may be utilized to hold
the panel 11 in fan-folded position, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5,
prior to use, the adhesive being readily releasable from itself. At
the upper corner of the panel 11 (intersection of edge 20 and end
18) there is attached a removable tab 22 of paper or cardboard to
be grasped by the surgeon's assistant in the course of donning the
gown, as explained below.
In use, the surgeon scrubs up in the usual manner, opens the
sterile folded gown and puts it on with the opening in back. The
ties 23 at the neck are fastened and the user, or an assistant,
then fastens together the ties 13, 14 which draws the edge 15 of
the gown a substantial distance inside the portion bounded by the
edge 16. At this point an assistant, such as a circulating nurse,
grasps the tab 22, pulls it to unfold the folded panel 11, removes
the coverings (if any) from the adhesive bands 19 and/or 21, and
wraps the panel around the side and front of the user. The panel 11
is of a length sufficient to cover the user's front mid-section and
to terminate on each side approximately below the right and left
arms. The adhesive bands are drawn against the front and side of
the gown as the panel is wrapped around, and the tab 22 is torn off
when the wrapping has been completed.
Complete sterility of all exposed surfaces is assured, because the
only portions of the gown which might have been violated during
donning are the ties 13, 14, the interior of the side 17 and the
tab 22. The side 17 overlaps the other side by the distance from
edge 16 to the tie 14, covering completely all possibly non-sterile
surfaces, and the tab 22 is torn off and discarded when the
wrapping has been completed.
The gown as described, with its additional water resistant panel
(in the nature of a "cummerbund") eliminates a separate belt,
eliminates the possibility of gaping in the back, prevents
strike-through by blood and the like in the mid-section area, has
no tie in front, and represents a very efficient use of materials
without any excess of gown material or panel material.
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