Surgery: splint – brace – or bandage – Orthopedic bandage – Splint or brace
Patent
1996-05-03
1998-02-24
Apley, Richard J.
Surgery: splint, brace, or bandage
Orthopedic bandage
Splint or brace
602 3, 602 42, 602 46, 602 52, 128888, A61F 500
Patent
active
057207143
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to novel forms of padding for use under rigid casts used in the repair of, eg. bone fractures, or for use as a pressure relieving dressing and methods for their manufacture.
Padding materials for placing beneath an orthopaedic cast usually comprise soft conformable materials such as natural or synthetic non-woven materials, eg. those sold by Smith & Nephew Medical in the UK under the name SOFFBAN.
However, such materials suffer from the disadvantage that they are generally unsuitable for use with water hardenable resin orthopaedic casts. Moreover, once such resin casts are set they can be brought into contact with water without any deterioration occurring, thus giving the patient much more freedom to carry on a normal life. However, since the underpadding absorbs water and generally suffers damage to its structure when in contact with water this limits the patient's freedom. Also, the use of conventional waterproof materials if left in place for long periods of time may cause the skin to macerate.
Although pressure relieving dressings do not require to be waterproof, such dressings may still cause maceration of the skin if left in place for long periods of time. Hereinafter, orthopaedic undercast padding materials and pressure relieving dressings will be referred to jointly as padding materials.
Breathable foam filled padding materials are known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,102,711 which describes an underpadding comprising a middle layer of foam and top and bottom outer protective layers of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) impregnated with a hydrophilic polyurethane layer. A "quilt bond" is formed by heat sealing the materials together such that the outer PTFE layers only contact at the peripheral bond seams.
However, such materials suffer from a number of disadvantages in that they are expensive to manufacture, lack sufficient conformability and under extremes of pressure the foam padding layer may collapse.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
We have now surprisingly found a form of padding material which overcomes or mitigates these disadvantages.
According to the invention we provide a padding material comprising a first moisture vapour permeable film layer and a second moisture vapour permeable film layer wherein a plurality of air bubbles are spaced between the first and second film layers.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The air bubbles spaced between the first and second film layers may protrude from one layer or alternatively, the air bubbles may protrude from both layers.
The moisture vapour permeable films may be adhered together by applying a layer of adhesive to one or both of the first and second film layers. Alternatively, the two films may be heat sealed together.
The air bubbles may be any conventional shape, eg. square, round, pentagonal, hexagonal, etc. Preferred bubble shapes are those which are less prone to being capable of being knocked Whilst the dressing is in use. If the air bubbles are such a shape such that they possess corners, eg. square, then the corners are preferably rounded.
The air bubbles may be from 0.5 to 2.0 cm in diameter, preferably 1 cm in diameter. The thickness of the air bubbles may be from 1 to 10 mm, preferably 3 to 6 mm and most preferably 4 to 5 mm. The air bubbles are preferably spaced such that there is a free area where no air is present. Thus the air bubbles may be spaced a distance of twice their diameter (measured from the centre of the air bubble) from its nearest neighbour. For example an air bubble of 1 cm diameter would have a centre 2 cm distant from the centre of its nearest neighbour.
In addition to the film layers being adhered together, one or both of the film layers of the padding materials of the invention may be coated with an adhesive layer, for example a pressure sensitive adhesive layer, coated on the non-film surface layer of a film layer. Both the film layer and the adhesive layer are preferably transparent or translucent. The adhesive may be coated over one entire surface of the film layer or
REFERENCES:
patent: 4516572 (1985-05-01), Schlein
patent: 5364339 (1994-11-01), Carver
patent: 5445604 (1995-08-01), Lang
Apley Richard J.
Lee Kim M.
Smith & Nephew plc.
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