Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61F—FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; PROSTHESES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF, TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, e.g. STENTS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; FOMENTATION; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; FIRST-AID KITS
  • A61F5/00—Orthopaedic methods or devices for non-surgical treatment of bones or joints; Nursing devices ; Anti-rape devices
  • A61F5/01—Orthopaedic devices, e.g. long-term immobilising or pressure directing devices for treating broken or deformed bones such as splints, casts or braces
  • A61F5/0102—Orthopaedic devices, e.g. long-term immobilising or pressure directing devices for treating broken or deformed bones such as splints, casts or braces specially adapted for correcting deformities of the limbs or for supporting them; Ortheses, e.g. with articulations
  • A61F5/0104—Orthopaedic devices, e.g. long-term immobilising or pressure directing devices for treating broken or deformed bones such as splints, casts or braces specially adapted for correcting deformities of the limbs or for supporting them; Ortheses, e.g. with articulations without articulation
  • A61F5/0106—Orthopaedic devices, e.g. long-term immobilising or pressure directing devices for treating broken or deformed bones such as splints, casts or braces specially adapted for correcting deformities of the limbs or for supporting them; Ortheses, e.g. with articulations without articulation for the knees
  • A61F5/0109—Sleeve-like structures

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a stiffened bandage for protecting and/or immobilising injured parts of a living body, be it human or animal, as an aid to the necessary medication.
• the term "stiffened bandage” means a composite bandage, generally gauze with starch added, sprinkled with gypsum powder. After being moistened, by being immersed in lukewarm water, this composite stiffened bandage, wound about a limb or another part of the body, protects it and immobilise it.
• immobilisation which is suitable for closed fractures, is not appropriate to bandage fractured parts with wounds, possibly laceration-contusions, which require immobilisation, but also the frequent monitoring of the wounds.
• the present invention therefore aims at meeting the aforementioned requirements which emerge in various sectors of medicine, in particular in those falling within the scope of first aid, orthopaedics and traumatic or elective neurosurgery, surgery and clinical medicine, sports medicine, as well as veterinary.
• the invention solves the problem of providing a stiffened bandage for protecting and/or immobilising injured parts of the body to aid medication, which, from a general viewpoint, is characterised in that it comprises, in mutual co-operation, one or more flexible tie-down tapes and a plurality of plastically deformable elongated stiffening elements, held transversely in mutual consecutive adjacent positions by said one or more tie-down tapes; said tie-down tapes being provided at least at their respective extremities with means for mutual adjustable and releasable connection.
• the elongated stiffening elements in the number and in the position required by their particular application, sufficiently held by the tie-down tapes, can serve as stiffeners of the part of the body and at the same time act as spacers, suitably deformed to move away from the precise point of the lesion in the part of the body which must remain exposed to air.
• the bandage further comprises a support, having an upper bearing surface for the sole of the foot of a patient and means for the removable fastening of lower extremities of the elongated stiffening elements.
• the support is provided with means for holding and adapting the elongated stiffening elements to the patient's foot.
• the advantages of a bandage according to the invention are multifold: considerable simplicity and speed of application and removal; possibility of re-use after washing and sterilisation; adaptation of the bandage to the required rigidity through a replacement of the type and section of the elongated stiffening elements, taking into account their ability to be modelled as needed at the time of use; possibility of using the bandage for immobilising limbs and their joints; various modes for supplying the components of the bandage, both in kit form and loose; ease of fabrication; very low cost with respect to the importance and usefulness of the bandage.
• Figure 1 shows a schematic plan view of a bandage according to the present invention
• Figure 2 shows a perspective schematic view of a portion of bandage according to the present invention
• Figure 3 shows a lateral schematic view of a first application of the bandage according to the present invention to the finger of a hand
• Figure 4 shows a lateral schematic view of a second application of the bandage according to the present invention to the finger of a hand
• Figure 5 shows a lateral schematic view of an application of the bandage according to the present invention to an upper limb
• Figure 6 shows a lateral schematic view of an application of the bandage according to the present invention to a lower limb
• Figure 7 shows a longitudinal section in enlarged scale of a portion of the bandage of Figure 6;
• Figure 8 shows a perspective schematic view of a support of the bandage of Figure 6.
• a stiffened bandage for protection and/or immobilisation comprises tie- down tapes 2 and elongated stiffening elements 3.
• the tie-down tapes 2 are constituted by strips or the like of flexible, practically inextensible material, fabric, synthetic material or similar suitable material, preferably suited for sterilisation.
• Said tapes can be in the number of one ( Figure 2) of adequate height, in case of application of the bandage to anatomical parts of small dimensions, for instance a finger.
• said tapes 2 are at least two, mutually distanced (Figure 1), they have width and length defined by usage requirements, for instance to encompass a limb. Otherwise the tapes 2 can be portions of a continuous belt, able to be cut to measure.
• the tie-down tapes 2 are provided at least at their extremities with means for releasable connection.
• means for releasable connection indicated in Figure 1 with the numbers 23 and 24, mutually connect the opposite extremities of each of the tie-down tapes, or else connect the extremities of the tapes to the living body, about the part affected by the bandage.
• the connecting means are constituted by rapid closure devices, for instance formed by mutually engageable hooks and loops, the so-called Velcro closures.
• Velcro closures can be distributed uniformly over the entire length of each tape, obviously on opposite faces thereof, to allow their presence at the extremities of the tape, whatever its cut length.
• connecting means can be integrated or replaced by application means, constituted by common adhesive tapes, for instance bi-adhesive, integrated or applied to the tapes (not shown for the sake of simplicity in the drawings).
• application means constituted by common adhesive tapes, for instance bi-adhesive, integrated or applied to the tapes (not shown for the sake of simplicity in the drawings).
• Such connecting means in this application case, can in practice also be constituted by elastic bands with annular shape.
• both the connecting means and the applying means serve the purpose of correctly positioning and holding with the required pressure the bandage on the affected anatomical part because the treatment thereof is performed by means of medication or other method and by the subsequent bandage.
• Co-operation between the tie-down tapes 2 on the elongated stiffening elements 3 is put in practice by means of through slots 20 (Figure 2).
• the slots are obtained consecutive and mutually adjacent or they can be mutually distanced by a given interval (Fig. 2).
• an interval ranging between 5 and 10 mm has been found suitable.
• the elongated stiffening elements 3 are removably received in a through manner in respective slots of at least two tapes positioned at suitable distances depending on the applications to the various affected parts of the body.
• the direction of the slots can be any, but transverse relative to the length of the tapes 2, generally perpendicular relative thereto (Fig. 2).
• the slots 20 can be blind if the elongated stiffening elements 3 held removably are secured at their extremities. In this case, the slots 20 would serve a protective function against the extremities of the elongated elements 3.
• This function can be served by elements 21 for covering the extremities of the elements 3.
• the covering elements 21 can be constituted by stoppers, for instance cylindrical, united in succession in a single piece of flexible plastic material ( Figure 1).
• each covering element 21 can be constituted by a section made in the shape of a channel (not shown herein), as a single housing for all the extremities of the elongated stiffened elements 3.
• the elongated elements 3 can be fastened to the tie-down tapes 2 with generally adhesive fastening means,
• the tapes must preferably be in a minimum number of two.
• the elongated stiffening elements 3 are constituted by rods or bars with polygonal, for instance square, section.
• they are made of a light metallic alloy, for instance semi-rigid aluminium based alloy, plastically deformable also by hand. They can also be made of synthetic material or other suitable material able to be subjected to sterilisation.
• Their section thickness, or gage is a function of the final characteristics of rigidity and plasticity required.
• Thickness or gage can vary, according to the characteristics of the material used; in the case of rods made of light aluminium alloy, an interval ranging between 1 and 3 mm or different, for instance between 2 and 6 mm., has experimentally been observed as suitable, provided the elongated stiffening 3 be plastically deformable by hand.
• the stiffened bandage 1 of the present invention can be supplied in the form of tie-down tapes 2 and of elongated stiffening elements 3 as a kit or assembled equipment.
• the kit can be cut to measure and adapted to the application requirements through the possible removal of pre-selected elongated stiffening elements 3 and their modelling, providing possible standard length/gage sizes thereof and number and length of the tapes.
• tie-down tapes 2 and the elongated stiffening elements 3 are supplied as separate components, to be cut and assembled according to requirements.
• a finger 4 which has received wounds indicated as 40 and 41 is partially shown.
• the wounds 40 and 41 duly medicated are then protected with a stiffened bandage according to the present invention, comprising a tape 2, a terminal tape 22, destined to withhold the elongated elements 3 and to cover their extremities with blind slots, alternatively to the succession of stoppers 21.
• a stiffened bandage according to the invention is applied to an upper limb 6. It comprises elongated stiffening elements 3 deformed manually according to the conformation of the limb 6, held by tie-down tapes 2. The extremities of the elements 3 are covered with successions of stoppers 21. Some of the elongated elements (32) extend in correspondence with the palm of the hand with support function.
• a stiffened bandage according to the invention is applied to a lower limb 5. It comprises elongated stiffening elements 3 deformed manually according to the conformation of the limb 5, held by tie-down tapes 2. The extremities of the elements 3 are covered with successions of stoppers 21.
• the tie-down tapes 2 are destined to surround the part of the body to be protected and/or immobilised and the elongated stiffening elements 3 are positioned in the longitudinal direction of the same part.
• the distance between the tapes and their number, as well as the number of the elongated elements, their gage and the space between thep , are chosen based on the part of the body whereto the bandage is to be applied.
• the number of tapes is two or at most three and their distance is very small; the elongated elements an be removed from the parts affected by the wounds, and the gage of the elements is the smallest available.
• the number of tie-down tapes and of stiffening elements is greater.
• elongated stiffening elements 3 with lesser gage and possibly more widely distanced can be placed in the upper part of the limb, whilst in the lower part it is appropriate to provide elongated stiffening elements 3 of greater gage, more rigid, positioned closer to each other and having greater length, the number of tapes and the distance between them is suited to the type of holding to the part of the body, which is affected by a pathology in a very limited area.
• the elongated elements are modelled to conform.
• the lower extremities 28 of the stiffening elements 3 are connected with a support 50 made in a single piece and suitably shaped in its upper surface 59 to receive the sole of a patient's sole.
• the support 50 is made of a suitable material, for instance multi-layer, and it is preferably rigid in its upper surface and flexible on the opposite surface in contact with the ground, to favour ambulation.
• a support 150 is constituted by two halves 56, 57, joined by means of a conventional rear hinge 53.
• the hinge 53 shown is of the cylindrical type, but it could be different.
• the two halves 56, 57 have mutually opposite coupling portions, preferably of the male-female type 60, 61.
• the support 150 has an attachment for instance of the type shown schematically in the two parts 54, 55, but it could be of another conventional type.
• the support 50, 150 further comprises means for holding and adapting the elongated stiffening elements 3 to the foot of a patient in the form, for instance of a pair of opposite faces 24, 25 fastened to the outer lateral surface of the support.
• connection of the elongated stiffening element 3 with the support 50, 150 can take place as shown in detail in Figure 7.
• connection of the elongated stiffening elements with the support can also take place in different manners. For instance, the position of the dowel and of the lower extremity of the elongated element can be inverted. Moreover, the connection of the lower extremities of the stiffening elements with the support can be obtained by pressure and associated to fastening means that prevent its release.

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• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Nursing (AREA)
• Orthopedic Medicine & Surgery (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Biomedical Technology (AREA)
• Heart & Thoracic Surgery (AREA)
• Vascular Medicine (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
• Materials For Medical Uses (AREA)
• Orthopedics, Nursing, And Contraception (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=11406862

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Cited By (4)

Citations (7)

• 1999
  • 1999-07-02 IT IT1999RM000422A patent/IT1306163B1/it active
• 2000
  • 2000-06-30 WO PCT/IT2000/000272 patent/WO2001001902A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2000-06-30 AU AU58460/00A patent/AU5846000A/en not_active Abandoned

Patent Citations (7)

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