U.S. patent number 3,878,849 [Application Number 05/425,137] was granted by the patent office on 1975-04-22 for surgical tube supporter.
Invention is credited to Clara L. Muller, William F. Muller.
United States Patent |
3,878,849 |
Muller , et al. |
April 22, 1975 |
Surgical tube supporter
Abstract
A therapeutic appliance is provided for holding a tube, or the
like, along a patient's body. An elastic strap has adjustable
fasteners at either end and a high friction layer along one face
for frictionally engaging the patient's skin so that the elastic
strap may be relatively loosely secured about the body with no
appreciable constriction thereof. A tube receiving retainer is
secured to the strap for releasably holding a catheter drainage
tube, or the like. The retainer is a short length of strap similar
to the body embracing strap and has one end sewed to the main strap
with adjustable fasteners at either end so that the high friction
layer may frictionally hold the tube while the elastic exerts
little force against the tube.
Inventors: |
Muller; Clara L. (Largo,
FL), Muller; William F. (Largo, FL) |
Family
ID: |
23685318 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/425,137 |
Filed: |
December 17, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
604/179;
128/DIG.26 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61M
25/02 (20130101); Y10S 128/26 (20130101); A61M
2025/0206 (20130101); A61M 2025/026 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A61M
25/02 (20060101); A61m 025/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;128/DIG.26,133,169-171,327,349R,348,35R,351 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Trulock; Dalton L.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Ruemeli; Robert F.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A therapeutic appliance for securing a tube, or the like, along
a patient's body member, the appliance comprising a flexible
elastic strap for encircling the body member, fastener means spaced
apart along the strap for releasably securing the strap about the
body member, means in the form of a yieldable layer having a high
friction surface extending along one face of the strap for
effectively the entire length of the strap between the fastener
means for firmly engaging the body member and retaining the strap
in place along the body member with sufficiently light pressure
exerted by the strap that there is substantially no appreciably
constriction of the body member by the strap, said means further
comprising a raised pattern on said surface for more secure
engagement of the body member by the appliance, and means
comprising a retainer operatively associated with the strap for
receiving and retaining the tube.
2. An appliance as set forth in claim 1 in which the pattern
comprises ribs extending longitudinally of the layer.
3. An appliance as set forth in claim 1 in which the retainer
comprises a strap, means for securing the last said strap about the
tube, and means in the form of a yieldable high friction layer on
one face of the last said strap for engaging the tube and firmly
retaining the tube in place.
4. An appliance as set forth in claim 1 in which the strap has
opposite end portions, the fastener means includes cooperating
fastener parts, one on each of said end portions, for releasably
securing the strap about the body member, and the retainer is
secured to the strap intermediate said end portions.
5. An appliance as set forth in claim 4 in which the retainer is
secured to the strap substantially closer to one of the end
portions than to the other.
6. An appliance as set forth in claim 5 in which the retainer
comprises a second strap having opposite end portions, one secured
to a face of the first said strap opposite said layer, cooperating
fastener parts on the last said end portions for releasably
securing the end portions to each other, and a yieldable high
friction layer along one face of the second strap for receiving and
firmly retaining the tube with a very small force applied to the
tube by the second strap when the ends of the second strap are
secured to each other.
7. An appliance as set forth in claim 6 in which the layers of the
straps are pliable and have ribs extending longitudinally between
the respective end portions thereof, and the fastener parts are
adjustable for varying the forces applied to the body and to the
tube.
8. An appliance as set forth in claim 7 in which said fastener
parts are Velcro.
9. An appliance as set forth in claim 1 in which the strap has
opposite end portions with cooperating fastener parts for securing
the strap about the body, and the high friction surface is pliable
and has ribs extending longitudinally between the end portions of
the strap, and the fastener means is adjustable for varying the
force applied by the strap to the body.
10. An appliance as set forth in claim 1 in which the fastener
means has cooperating fastener parts spaced apart along the strap,
and the retainer is secured to the strap closer to one of the
fastener parts than to the other.
Description
This invention relates to a therapeutic appliance and, more
particularly, to an appliance for securing a tube, or the like,
along a patient's body.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is often necessary to support or retain catheter drainage tubes,
I.V. tubes, or the like, along the patient's body. This can be done
by simply holding the tube in place with adhesive tape, or with
gauze wrapped around the tube and the patient's leg or arm, or by
various commercial appliances. One such appliance, a CATHETER
SUPPORT, is shown in a patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,726,280, in which an
elastic band is secured about the patient's thigh and has an end
portion for clamping a portion of the catheter tube itself to the
thigh. A major difficulty with this type of appliance is the
likelyhood of constricting the thigh. Also, with the tube
connection at the attaching end, the catheter tube is likely to be
disturbed when adjusting the strap. Also, movement of the legs may
interfere with the strap connectors.
Other patents of a somewhat related nature include U.S. Pat. No.
3,730,187, U.S. Pat. No. 3,019,791, U.S. Pat. No. 2,669,231, and
U.S. Pat. No. 2,133,130. Other patents known to applicant include
U.S. Pat. No. 3,752,158, U.S. Pat. No. 3,273,563, U.S. Pat. No.
3,146,778, U.S. Pat. No. 3,086,529, and U.S. Pat. No.
3,049,123.
It is a primary object of this invention to provide a new and
useful therapeutic appliance. Another object is provision of a new
and useful therapeutic appliance for securing a tube, or the like,
along a patient's body.
More specifically, it is an object of this invention to provide a
new and useful therapeutic appliance for securing a tube, or the
like, along a patient's body, the appliance including an elastic
strap having a high friction layer on one face for engaging the
patient's skin so that the strap may be relatively loosely
tightened about the patient's body without appreciable constriction
of the body. A related object is provision of a retainer in the
form of a strap secured at one end to the main strap and having a
high friction layer for frictionally holding the tube while
applying relatively little force to the tube when the free end of
the strap is releasably secured to the fixed end. Longitudinally
extending ribs are preferably formed in the high friction layer for
increasing its frictional holding capacity and keeping the main
strap from moving along the patient's body. Both the main strap and
the tube retainer are preferably provided with adjustable fasteners
such as the conventional Velcro fasteners.
THE INVENTION IN BRIEF
The invention is, in brief, directed to a therapeutic appliance in
the form of an elastic strap which may be adjustably tightened
about a portion of a patient's body, such as the thigh, the strap
having a high friction layer on one of its faces for engaging the
patient's skin so that the strap may be relatively loosely secured
about the thigh while being firmly retained thereon by the high
friction layer. A retainer for a tube, or the like, is secured to
the strap and has adjustable fastener means for holding a tube. The
retainer is also preferably in the form of a strap similar to the
main strap and having a high friction layer so that the tube may be
firmly held in place without exerting a high constrictive force on
the tube. The retainer strap is preferably obliquely secured to the
main strap for convenient positioning a catheter drainage tube
extending, in typical manner, from a catheter tube to a
container.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent
from the following description and the accompanying drawing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a preferred embodiment
of a catheter strap secured about a patient's thigh with a retainer
holding a catheter drainage tube;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged, foreshortened view of the inner face of the
strap when removed from the patient's thigh, with the drainage tube
indicated in phantom lines;
FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but of the outer face of the
strap;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view, taken generally
along the line 4--4 in FIG. 3, showing the tube retainer in closed
position holding the tube;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary view of the outer face of the
strap with the tube retainer in open position to receive the
tube.
DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT
Referring to the drawing, FIG. 1 shows an elastic strap 10 secured
about the thigh of a patient's body and having a retainer 12
holding a catheter drainage tube 14 in place across the patient's
thigh. An inner end of the tube is connected in typical manner with
the outer end of a typical urinary catheter 16. Retainer 12 is
preferably obliquely secured to an outer face 18 of the strap, at
an angle generally as indicated in the drawings, so that the outer
end of the drainage tube 14 may be conveniently placed across the
thigh of the patient with the inner end of the drainage tube 14 and
the catheter 16 slack to avoid pulling on the catheter as the
patient moves about.
The illustrated embodiment of the strap 10 includes an elastic
fabric portion 20, an inner face 22 thereof having a high friction
layer 24 laminated thereon for preventing slipping of the strap 10
on the patient's thigh so that only very slight tension is required
in holding the strap, thus preventing constriction of the leg.
The strap 10 may be of any suitable material such as a commercially
available material normally used for waistbands and the like in
women's apparel, and manufactured by United Elastic Company,
Division of J. P. Stephens and Company, Inc., New Haven, Conn.,
Model Number 7-4253 WR width 21-Rl, for example.
Opposite ends of the strap 10 are provided with releasable and
adjustable fasteners, such as cooperating Velcro fasteners 26
having parts stitched, as at 28, to opposite ends of the strap 10.
More particularly, one end of the inner surface 22 of the strap 10
has a relatively short Velcro piece 30 secured thereto, and the
outer face 18 of the other end of the strap 10 has a relatively
long piece of Velcro 32 (approximately 4 inches) secured thereto to
permit adjustment of the strap around the patient's thigh while
effectively preventing contact of the Velcro piece 30 with the
patient's skin. While the surface of the high friction material 24
is available in several patterns, the preferred material has
longitudinally extending ribs which cause less abrasion of the
patient's skin than transverse, diagonal or crisscross
configuration. Stitching 28 also secures a label 33 to the out face
18 of the strap 20 opposite the Velcro piece 30.
The drainage tube retainer 12, as shown best in FIGS. 4 and 5, is
preferably made of the same material as the strap 10 and has an
inner face 34 with a high friction layer 36 having longitudinally
extending ribs, as previously described, for gripping the tube 14
with the ribs transverse the longitudinal axis of the tube 14, to
better hold the tube in position. The drainage tube 14 is
positioned across the open retainer 12 (FIG. 5), whereupon the free
end of the retainer 12 is folded across the tube 14 and the Velcro
fasteners 38 engaged to hold the tube in place, as shown in FIG. 4.
Only a very small amount of force is required against the tube 14
to hold it in place because of the friction layer 36 and its ribs.
Stitching 40 secures the Velcro fastener 38 to the fixed end of the
retainer 12 and also secures the retainer to the outer face 18 of
the strap 10. Similarly, stitching 42 secures the other Velcro
fastener 38 to the free end of the retainer 12.
While the angular disposition of the retainer 12, as shown in the
drawing, is desirable when the strap 10 is to be secured to the
right thigh of the patient, the disposition of the retainer 12
should be reversed if the strap is to be applied to the left thigh.
To provide more universal applicability, the retainer 12 may be
secured in a perpendicular position relative to the strap 10.
As shown in FIG. 1, the retainer 12 is preferably considerably
closer to the Velcro fastener 30 on the inner face 22 of the strap
10, than it is to the Velcro fastener 32 on the outer face 18 of
the strap, so that the free ends of the strap may be secured to
each other proximate the outer, upper portion of the thigh with the
retainer 12 positioned generally as shown along the inner portion
of the thigh.
The strap is devoid of any metal parts which may disturb the
patient or possibly damage the drainage tube 14. Since the strap is
washable it may be reused by the patient, and the strap may be
provided in various lengths suitable for an individual patient.
While the invention has been described and illustrated with
reference to a particular embodiment in a particular environment,
various changes may be apparent to one skilled in the art and the
invention is not to be limited to such embodiment or environment,
except as set forth in the appended claims.
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