Surgery – Body protecting or restraining devices for patients or infants – Restrainers and immobilizers
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-26
2001-08-21
Brown, Michael A. (Department: 3764)
Surgery
Body protecting or restraining devices for patients or infants
Restrainers and immobilizers
C128S870000, C005S628000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06276365
ABSTRACT:
The immobilization of an accident victim in rescue at the accident site, for example from a motor vehicle or in impassable terrain, and for his transport to the hospital is, as in the past, a problem which has not been satisfactorily solved. Especially in cases in which skull, nape of the neck or thoracic vertebral injuries must be assumed, the prevention of changes in position until the type of treatment has been definitively clarified is generally of critical importance. Various embodiments of so-called rescue splints are known and are in use; they are however to some extent very unwieldy and thus unmanageable and difficult to apply, in all cases for application however they require prior rescue of the injured party which is generally associated with major changes in his position.
The corresponding applies to a series of surgeries in the head and neck area, for example, performing a tracheotomy during which a perfectly stable location must be ensured for a longer time with perfectly reliable immobilization of the neck area and head. The belt systems used for this purpose in operating rooms cannot adequately meet this requirement due to their flexibility.
A fixed dressing for the cervical spinal column has been disclosed for example in DE-GM G 83 12 991; it consists of several interconnected, tube-like sleeves which are delineated against one another, which are filled with a granulate, and after application in a manner which essentially surrounds the head and neck area, which can be evacuated so that the head and neck area are embedded securely in the sleeves. This known fixed dressing has a series of major defects. One defect lies especially in the mutual delineation of the individual sleeves which on the one hand not only essentially hinders, but almost prevents both evacuation in one step with the corresponding delay of the application of the fixed dressing, and on the other hand also the transfer of granulate from one sleeve into the adjacent one and thus its adaptation to the form dictated by the situation. In addition, the emergency support as a result of the connection of the individual sleeves over its entire length completely surrounds the supported body part, but especially the neck area of the patient and thus precludes access for interventions which may be necessary to save life, for example, a tracheotomy. For use in emergency situations which on the one hand require extraordinary flexibility, prompt and easy handling and access to the neck area without significant loss of the support effect, the known sleeve thus appears unsuited and has therefore not been accepted in either emergency or in-patient medical practice.
Accordingly the object of this invention is to devise an emergency support which allows simple application even under difficult ambient conditions and perfectly safe stabilization of the location of the supported body region with good access as required to sensitive areas of the body, especially the neck area.
This object is achieved with an emergency support with the features given in claim
1
.
The invention devises an emergency support which in its totality can be evacuated in one step and therefore can be quickly and easily brought into its hard shell form, on the one hand preventing the flow of granulate from one area into other areas, i.e. guaranteeing high stability of shape even under difficult working conditions, but it being possible without major problems so that especially for application the adaptation to the necessities resulting from the respective local and personal situations is easily possible. The emergency support as claimed in the invention can be caused to assume any form and thus it can be moved into position using extremely small open spaces or openings and adapted to the shape of the body, and afterwards consolidated with this contour adapted to the shape of the body with a single evacuation process to form a rigid and closed support. Application of the support can thus be done even under difficult ambient conditions or in impassable terrain so that changes in position can be for the most part precluded from the start of rescue of the injured party to his in-patient admission.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3745998 (1973-07-01), Rose
patent: 3762404 (1973-10-01), Sakita
patent: 4885811 (1989-12-01), Hayes
patent: 5626150 (1997-05-01), Johnson
Brown Michael A.
Fulbright & Jaworski LLP
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