U.S. patent number RE29,319 [Application Number 05/737,142] was granted by the patent office on 1977-07-26 for drainage system for incisions or wounds in the body of an animal.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Hollister Incorporated. Invention is credited to Bremen I. Johnson, John L. Nolan, Harvey M. Nordby.
United States Patent |
RE29,319 |
Nordby , et al. |
July 26, 1977 |
**Please see images for:
( Certificate of Correction ) ** |
Drainage system for incisions or wounds in the body of an
animal
Abstract
The invention provides a combination of a sheet of thin pliable
material adapted to be placed in sealing engagement with the skin
of a patient in the location of a body opening made by an incision
or wound, with the sheet being adapted to have an aperture formed
therein to expose the opening, together with a removable cap
preferably of transparent plastic material which can be adhesively
secured to the outer face of the sheet. Drains placed in the body
opening can be observed through the cap and the opening can be
treated and the tubes withdrawn in increments by simply removing
the cap which thereafter can be replaced.
Inventors: |
Nordby; Harvey M. (Buffalo
Grove, IL), Nolan; John L. (Glenview, IL), Johnson;
Bremen I. (Cary, IL) |
Assignee: |
Hollister Incorporated
(Chicago, IL)
|
Family
ID: |
27073916 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/737,142 |
Filed: |
October 29, 1976 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
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402047 |
Oct 1, 1973 |
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Reissue of: |
565614 |
Apr 7, 1975 |
03954105 |
May 4, 1976 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
604/355;
128/888 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61M
27/00 (20130101); A61F 13/02 (20130101); A61F
5/445 (20130101); A61M 1/69 (20210501) |
Current International
Class: |
A61F
5/445 (20060101); A61M 27/00 (20060101); A61F
13/02 (20060101); A61M 1/00 (20060101); A61F
005/44 () |
Field of
Search: |
;128/275,283,294,295,132,154,155,156 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Michell; Robert W.
Assistant Examiner: Layton; Henry S.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Tilton, Fallon, Lungmus, Chestnut
& Hill
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCE
This application is a continuation of our copending application
Ser. No. 402,047, filed Oct. 1, 1973, and assigned to the same
assignee as the instant application, and now abandoned.
Claims
We claim:
1. A drainage system for draining fluids from an opening such as a
wound or incision in the body of an animal, said system being
usable in combination with a drain having a portion within the body
and a portion extending outwardly of the body through said opening,
said drainage system comprising a sheet of gelatinous material
having a size sufficient to cover the wound, the drain, and a
substantial portion of the external area of the body surrounding
the opening, said sheet having a face adapted to be placed in
direct contact with and thereby to sealingly engage the external
area of the body surrounding the opening, said sheet being adapted
to have an aperture formed therein exposing only said opening and
the drain therein while covering and isolating the area of the body
surrounding said opening and drain, ring forming means of
relatively stiff but deformable plastic material, means for
securing one side of the ring forming means in sealing engagement
with the opposite face of said sheet surrounding said aperture, and
a cap of thin transparent plastic material having an edge portion
sealingly engaging the opposite side of said ring forming means,
said cap being removable to give access to said opening and said
drain.
2. A drainage system for draining fluids from an opening such as a
wound or incision in the body of an animal, said system being
usable in combination with a drain having a portion within the body
and a portion extending outwardly of the body through said opening,
said drainage system comprising a sheet of soft, pliable, plastic
material, a blanket of gelatinous material adhered to one face of
the sheet to be placed in contact with and thereby to sealingly
engage the external area of the body surrounding the opening, said
sheet and blanket being adapted to have an aperture formed therein
exposing only said opening and the drain therein while covering and
isolating the area of the body surrounding said opening and drain,
ring forming means of relatively stiff but deformable plastic
material, means for securing one side of the ring forming means in
sealing engagement with the opposite face of said sheet surrounding
said aperture, and a cap of thin transparent plastic material
having an edge portion sealingly engaging the opposite side of said
ring forming means, said cap eing removable to give access to said
opening and said drain.
3. A drainage system for draining fluids from an opening such as a
wound or incision in the body of an animal, said system being
usable in combination with a drain having a portion within the body
and a portion extending outwardly of the body through said opening,
said drainage system comprising a sheet of soft, pliable material
having a face to be placed in contact with and thereby to sealingly
engage the external area of the body surrounding the opening, said
sheet being adapted to have an aperture formed therein exposing
only said opening and the drain therein while covering and
isolating the area of the body surrounding said opening and drain,
a bag of thin plastic material having an inner wall and an outer
wall, said walls being secured together at their peripheral edges
to form a bag and said walls having opposed holes therein, means
for securing the inner wall of the bag to the opposite face of said
sheet with the hole in the inner wall surrounding said aperture, a
cap of thin plastic material, and means for securing the cap to the
outer wall of the bag in position to surround the hole therein,
said cap being transparent to permit visual inspection of said
opening and drain and said cap being removable to give access to
said opening and said drain.
4. A drainage system for draining fluids from an opening such as a
wound or incision in the body of an animal, said system being
usable in combination with a drain having a portion within the body
and a portion extending outwardly of the body through said opening,
said drainage system comprising a sheet of soft, pliable, plastic
material, a blanket of gelatinous material adhered to one face of
the sheet to be placed in contact with and thereby to sealingly
engage the external area of the body surrounding the opening, said
sheet and blanket being adapted to have an aperture formed therein
exposing only said opening and the drain therein while covering and
isolating the area of the body surrounding said opening and drain,
a bag of thin plastic material having an inner wall and an outer
wall, said walls being secured together at their peripheral edges
to form a bag and said walls having opposed holes therein, a
relatively stiff but deformable ring surrounding each of said holes
and sealed to said walls, an adhesive-carrying face on the ring
surrounding the hole in the inner wall for securing the bag to the
opposite face of said sheet with the hole in the inner wall
surrounding said aperture, a cap of thin plastic material secured
to a third relatively stiff but deformable ring of approximately
the same diameter as the ring in the outer wall, and means for
removably securing said third ring to the ring in the outer wall to
permit the cap to be removably secured to the outer wall of the
bag.
5. A drainage system for draining fluids from an opening such as a
wound or incision in the body of an animal, said system being
usable in combination with a drain having a portion within the body
and a portion extending outwardly of the body through said opening,
said drainage system comprising a solid sheet having no
discontinuities therein and being formed of soft gelatinous
material, said sheet having a face adapted to be placed in direct
contact with and thereby to sealingly engage the external area of
the body surrounding the opening, said sheet being adapted to have
an aperture formed therein exposing only said opening and the drain
therein while covering and isolating the area of the body
surrounding said opening and drain, ring forming means of
relatively stiff but deformable plastic material, means for
securing one side of the ring forming means in sealing engagement
with the opposite face of said sheet surrounding said aperture, and
a cover member of thin plastic material having an edge portion
sealingly engaging the opposite side of said ring forming means,
said cover member being removable to give access to said opening
and said drain.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many instances arise which require the treatment of an incision or
wound in the body of an animal, particularly a human. In many
cases, drain tubes are inserted into the body through an incision
or at the site of an incision or wound and drainage of fluid from
the interior body takes place. Usually the drains are tubular, of
soft, pliable, plastic material and the drainage itself occurs
primarily along the exterior surface of the tube. As healing
progresses, the tubes are withdrawn in increments on a more or less
regular (for example, daily) basis, and are withdrawn completely as
healing nears completion. It is necessary for the physician
treating the patient to have access to the wound or incision area
to observe the progress of healing and detect infections which may
arise, as well as to have access to the tubes so that they may be
incrementally withdrawn during the course of treatment. Inasmuch as
it is undesirable to permit the incision or wound to be exposed for
any long periods of time because of the possibility of infection
from the surrounding bedclothing or the air itself, it has
heretofore been the practice to suitably bandage the patient
thereby covering the site of the incision. Obviously, it was
necessary for the physician to remove the bandage in order to
inspect the incision or wound, to withdraw the tubular drains, and
otherwise to treat the patient. This practice not only required
repeated bandaging of the patient, but was unsatisfactory inasmuch
as the bandages themselves became saturated with fluid draining
from the body, and otherwise presented difficulties to the
physician and varying degrees of discomfort to the patient.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, there is provided a thin,
pliable sheet of plastic material which may be adhesively secured
to the skin of the patient surrounding the opening (wound or
incision) in the body of the patient. If desired, that portion of
the sheet closest to and surrounding the opening may be provided
with a blanket of gelatinous material containing gum karaya. The
sheet, and if a blanket is provided also the blanket, are adapted
to be provided with an aperture to expose the opening and the skin
immediately adjacent thereto, as well as to expose any tube or
tubes which may have been positioned in the opening by the
physician in order to promote drainage of fluids from the interior
of the body. A cap of transparent plastic material is removably
secured to the opposite face of the sheet and may be located
thereon so as to surround and hence isolate the body opening. In
the event drainage from the opening is relatively heavy, a plastic
bag may be interposed between the outer surface of the sheet and
the cap so that fluid draining from the opening may freely enter
the bag and hence be carried away from the wound or incision area.
The outer wall of the bag is provided with an opening adapted to be
covered by the removable cap so that again inspection of and access
to the wound or incision area is readily attainable.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the sheet of plastic material
forming a part of the drainage system of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a view like FIG. 1 of the opposite face of said
sheet;
FIG. 3 is a view like FIG. 2 showing an aperture formed
therein;
FIG. 4 is an elevational view of a bag structure to be used in the
combination of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is an elevational view showing the bag of FIG. 4 adhesively
secured to the sheet of FIG. 3;
FIG. 6 is an elevational view of a cap to be used in the
combination of the invention;
FIG. 7 is a view like FIG. 5, partially broken away, and with the
cap of FIG. 6 positioned thereon; and
FIG. 8 is a somewhat modified form of the invention wherein the cap
of FIG. 6 is sealingly engaged directly to the sheet of FIG. 3
without the interposition of a bag.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a generally
rectangular sheet 10 of plastic material covered along its edges by
a peel-off strip 11 of paper or similar material to expose an
adhesive-carrying portion 12. The central portion of the sheet 10
carries a generally rectangular blanket 14 of gelatinous material.
Preferably, the gelatinous material includes karaya gum and may be
made, for example, of a formulation similar to the karaya sealing
ring disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,302,647. The blanket 14 is
covered with a peel-off sheet 15 which, together with the strip 11,
may be removed when the sheet is to be positioned over a wound or
incision (hereinafter called opening) in the body of a patient.
Such an opening is indicated at 16 in FIG. 2. Before placing the
sheet and the blanket carried thereby over the opening 16, a
suitable aperture such as the aperture 17 is formed in each so as
to expose the opening 16 therethrough. The sheet 10 and in the
event it carries a blanket, the blanket 14, are pressed into
sealing engagement with the skin of the patient so as to isolate
the opening in the body from the surrounding tissue and, of course,
expose the tubular drain 18 which extends therefrom.
In many instances there is a substantial quantity of fluid draining
from the opening 16 primarily along the exterior surface of the
tube or tubes 18, and hence the present invention may provide means
for collecting and segregating such fluids so as to avoid
discomfort for the patient and to prevent irritation or infection
which might otherwise occur. To this end there is provided a bag 20
of flexible plastic material. The bag 20 is provided with an inner
wall 21 and an outer wall 22, with the walls being sealed together
along their peripheral edges 23 to form a bag. The inner wall 21 is
provided with a relatively large hole 24 therein while the outer
wall 22 is similarly provided with a hole 25 placed immediately
opposite the hole 24. Surrounding each of the holes and secured to
the faces of the walls forming the bag are circular rings 26 and
27. The rings are formed of relatively stiff but deformable plastic
material, and the face of the ring 26 on the inner wall is provided
with an adhesive covered by a peel strip 28. Means in the form of
separators are provided between the two rings to insure that the
walls 21 and 22 remain separated in the area surrounding the holes
so that fluid may drain into the bag without obstruction.
Means in the form of a removable cover or cap are provided for
covering the hole 25 in the outer wall 22. The cap .Iadd.33 of thin
plastic material .Iaddend.may take the form shown in FIG. 6, which
includes a .Iadd.relatively stiff but deformable .Iaddend.ring 30
of plastic material .Iadd.of approximately the same diameter as
ring 27 in outer wall 22 and .Iaddend.having an adhesive-carrying
face 31 covered by a peel strip 32. Secured to the opposite face of
the ring 30 is a cap 33 of transparent plastic material.
In using the drainage system of the present invention the peel
strip 15 may be removed from the central portion of the sheet 10
and a suitable aperture formed in the blanket 14 and the underlying
portion of the sheet 10 of a size sufficient to accommodate and
expose the opening 16 in the body of the patient. Peel strips 11
are then removed and the adhesivebearing face of the sheet 10 and
the blanket 14 are pressed against the skin of the patient for
adherence thereto. As the aperture 17 closely approximates the size
and shape of the opening 16, it can readily be seen that the tissue
area surrounding the opening is isolated therefrom. This isolation
performs a twofold function. First, it protects the surrounding
skin area from irritation by the fluids draining from the body, and
simultaneously helps to prevent the opening in the body from being
contaminated by bacteria or other sources of infection which may be
located on the adjoining skin.
If the drainage is relatively light, the cap of FIG. 6 may be
pressed directly on the outer face of the sheet 10 as shown in FIG.
8. To this end the peel strip 32 is removed from the ring 30 and
the adhesive face 31 pressed against the outer face of the sheet 10
as shown in FIG. 8.
If however, substantial drainage is expected, the cap of FIG. 6 is
used in conjunction with the bag 20. To this end the peel strip 28
is removed and the adhesive-carrying face 26 pressed against the
outer face of the sheet 10 as shown in FIG. 5. The peel strip 32 is
then removed from the cap and the adhesive-bearing ring is pressed
against the ring 27 as shown in FIG. 7.
It is clear that the physician or surgeon in charge of the case can
visually inspect the opening and the drainage through the
transparent cap 33. Treatment of the opening area and partial
removal of the tubes may be effected merely by removing the cap 33,
treating the patient, and then returning the cap to its original
position. To facilitate removal of the cap, pull-tabs 29 are
provided which may be grasped by the fingers of the physician or
surgeon to remove the cap. The ends of the tubular drains 18 may be
led directly into the space maintained between the inner and outer
walls of the bag so as to facilitate drainage from the opening
directly into the bag.
Thus it will be seen that the care of the patient will be
facilitated, the discomfort of repeated bandage changing will be
avoided, and frequent inspection of the wound area is permitted by
employment of the drainage system of the present invention.
* * * * *