Needle Or Catheter Retaining Appliance

Abstract

An appliance for securely retaining a needle or catheter type device in operative position on a patient's body.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to retention of a catheter or needle type device to a patient's body, and more particularly concerns an appliance which positively locates the device in position to reduce the danger of inadvertent removal or disattachment.

Catheters and needles are commonly inserted into arteries or veins, as for example during cannulation and dialysis. Traditionally, such devices have been attached to patient's bodies as by means of several strips of adhesive tape, or by several bandgages, placed over the exposed extent of the needle or catheter. This technique is objectionable from the standpoints of remanent risk of inadvertent twisting or removal of the device as may occur as the patient changes position, and of time consumed in applying the several strips. To my knowledge, no prior device embodies the unusually advantageous features of construction, mode of use and results now afforded by the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a major object of the invention to provide an appliance overcoming the above described problems and difficulties as well as others, as will appear.

Basically, the appliance comprises a lengthwise elongated pad having first and second elongated sections, the second section defining a flap extending lengthwise beyond the first section to be folded back over one side of the first section and over the needle, catheter or butterfly device oriented to extend crosswise of the pad; first pressure sensitive adhesive means on the opposite side of the first section to adhere the first section to a patient's body; and second pressure sensitive adhesive means on the pad to adhere the flap to the pad first section and to be adherent to the retained device oriented as defined. Also, peel-off backer strip means may typically be applied to the first and second pressure sensitive adhesive means, as will appear. As a result, rapid and firm retention of the needle or catheter to the patient's body is enabled by means of a single appliance or pad, with the danger of undesirable needle or catheter inadvertent rotation or disattachment substantially eliminated.

Additional objects and advantages include the interruption of the first pressure sensitive adhesive means to define primary and secondary extents with spacing therebetween to locally prevent adherence to the patient's body and thereby enable ultimate controlled directional removal of the needle or catheter from the vein or artery; and the provision of second pressure sensitive adhesive means to have third and fourth extents, the former on one side of the pad first section and the latter on one side of the flap, there being a split between such third and fourth extents which lies opposite the spacing between the primary and secondary extents of the pressure sensitive means, for purposes as will appear.

These and other objects and advantages of the inventions, as well as the details of an illustrative embodiment, will be more fully understood from the following description and drawings, in which:

DRAWING DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a perspective elevational view of one preferred form of the appliance;

FIGS. 2-5 are perspectives showing stages of application of the appliance to a patent;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged section through the appliance fully applied to a patient; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective showing removal of the appliance.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring first to FIG. 1, the lengthwise elongated pad 10 has first and second elongated sections 10a and 10b, the second section defining a flap extending lengthwise beyond the first section. The flap is adapted to be folded back over one side 11a of the first section 10a and over the catheter, needle or butterfly device which is represented at 12 and 13 in FIG. 6. Numerals 12 and 13 respectively indicate a tube and barrel oriented to extend relatively crosswise of the sections 10a and 10b, as well as therebetween.

The pad may consist, for example, of a layer of porous plastic foam, as for example polyurethane.

In accordance with an important aspect of the invention, first pressure sensitive adhesive means is located on the opposite side 11b of the first section 10a to adhere that section to a patient's body, as for example the skin of the arm 14 seen in FIGS. 2-6; also, second pressure sensitive means is provided on the pad to adhere the flap 10b to the pad first section 10a, and also to be adherent to the device, as represented at 13.

In the example, the first pressure sensitive means may advantageously be interrupted to define primary and secondary layered extents 15 and 16 with spacing 17 therebetween to underlie the device 12 and 13, for purposes as will appear. Peel-off backer strip means is provided to include primary and secondary portions 18 and 19 respectively overlying the extents 15 and 16. The ends of the backer strip portions are shown curled up as would occur during peel-off.

The second pressure sensitive adhesive means may advantageously include third and fourth layered extents 20 and 21, the former on said one side 11a of the first section 10a, and the latter one side 11c of the flap 10b. Peel-off backer strip means on the second adhesive means includes third and fourth portions 22 and 23 respectively overlying the third and fourth extents 20 and 21. The third and fourth backer strip portions 22 and 23 define a split 24 therebetween which lies directly opposite the spacing 17 between adhesive primary and secondary extents 15 and 16, for purposes as will appear. The adhesive may advantageously be hypo allergenic, so as not to irritate the skin. Representative adhesive and backer materials include 3M tape, catalog No. 15-32, 15-22 and 15-24, manufactured by 3M Company, Medical Products Division, St. Paul, Minnesota although others may be used.

Application of the appliance is shown in FIGS. 2-5, described as follows: in FIG. 2, after the needle or catheter 12 has been inserted in the blood vessel, the appliance is placed in position as shown. The barrel 13 of the needle or catheter is located directly over the split 24. In FIG. 3, the pad sections 10a and 10b are elevated, one at a time, and the backers 18 and 19 are removed, following which the pad sections 10a and 10b are pressed down to adhere the adhesive extents 15 and 16 to the arm 14 as represented in FIG. 4. The upper backers 22 and 23 are then removed, the flap 10b is folded over the needle and section 10a and pressed down over the latter, as better seen in FIG. 6. The needle is thereby secured in place between adhesive extents 20 and 21, which are also anchored together at 20, 21 at opposite sides of the needle as shown. Twisting of the needle about its, own axis as well as about a vertical axis 30 is thereby blocked, as also aided by barrel 13.

Referring to FIG. 7, removal is accomplished by pulling pad ends 31 and 32 upwardly, as shown, until there is no longer adhesive contact between the adhesive sections 15 and 16 and the patient's anatomy. At this point, only the adhesive free pad extent 33 seen in FIG. 1 contacts the skin, as facilitated by the spacing 17 previously referred to. The needle and pad are then grasped and displaced together, in the direction of arrow 34 in FIG. 7, removal being fast, easy and painless.

Claims

I claim:

1. An appliance for securely retaining a needle or catheter type device in operative position on a patient's body, comprising

a. a lengthwise longitudinally elongated pad having first and second elongated sections, the second section defining a flap extending lengthwise beyond the first section to be folded back over one side of the first section and over said device oriented relative to the sections to extend crosswise thereof and therebetween,

b. first pressure sensitive adhesive means on the opposite side of the first section to adhere said first section to a patient's body, and

c. second pressure sensitive adhesive means on the pad to adhere the flap to said pad first section and to be adherent to said device,

d. said first pressure sensitive adhesive means being interrupted to define primary and secondary extents with spacing therebetween to underlie said device, the pad flap extending substantially beyond said secondary extent of the first pressure sensitive means so as to be foldable back over said primary and secondary extents of the first pressure sensitive means as well as over said device, and there being peel-off backer strip means including primary and secondary portions respectively overlying said primary and secondary extents.

2. The appliance of claim 1 including said device, the pad folded back over the device and back over the primary and secondary extents of the first pressure sensitive means at opposite sides of said device.

3. The appliance of claim 1 wherein said second pressure sensitive adhesive means includes third and fourth extents, the third extent on said one side of the first section and the fourth extent on one side of the flap.

4. The appliance of claim 3 wherein said peel-off backer strip means includes third and fourth portions respectively overlying said third and fourth extents.

5. The appliance of claim 4 wherein said third and fourth portions define a split therebetween which lies opposite the spacing between said primary and secondary extents of the pressure sensitive adhesive means.

6. The appliance of claim 1 wherein the pad consists of polyurethane.