Surgery: splint – brace – or bandage – Orthopedic bandage – Splint or brace
Reexamination Certificate
2002-11-21
2004-09-21
Lucchesi, Nicholas D. (Department: 3764)
Surgery: splint, brace, or bandage
Orthopedic bandage
Splint or brace
C128S869000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06793639
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to splints for immobilizing the pelvic area of the body and, more particularly, to a pelvic splint used to stabilize the pelvis by immobilizing the same in order to maintain the annular integrity thereof in the event of a pelvic ring fracture injury and associated method.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The human pelvis comprises three pelvic bones which combine to form a strong anatomic ring. When a victim experiences a major trauma, the injuries may include pelvic fractures which will disrupt the integrity and stability of the pelvic ring. Pelvic fractures which disrupt the integrity of the pelvic ring generally lead to significant pelvic bleeding in the victim since the arteries and major veins passing through the pelvic area may easily be pinched, torn, or lacerated by the fractured bones. Pelvic bleeding is the major cause of death in victims with this injury. Thus, an immediate and important concern in early treatment of the victim is stabilization of the pelvis, which reduces bleeding, improves the comfort of the victim, and increases the victim's chances of survival. Most often, this early treatment comprises temporary measures which must be undertaken in the pre-hospital setting or in the emergency department before definitive surgical fixation of the pelvic fracture in the hospital setting. The temporary measure most often undertaken to stabilize the pelvis involves the use of a splint.
Splints come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and structures. These many devices generally share the same purpose of immobilizing the body in the event of an injury in order to prevent further damage, secondary injury, or undue agony to the person caused by unrestrained movement thereof. Most commonly, these splints are used to immobilize and prevent lateral displacement of the injured body part.
A backboard is a splint commonly used by emergency personnel for the purpose of immobilizing an injured victim, usually where the injury involves trauma to the neck, spine, and/or pelvis. The backboard is constructed of a rigid planar single-piece of material, wherein the victim is placed onto the backboard and secured thereto by a multitude of straps. Once secured to the backboard, the victim can be carried and loaded onto a stretcher for further transportation to a medical facility. However, as the victim is being transported on the backboard, the victim's body may often be subject to lateral forces due to flexing of the backboard, shifting of the body on the backboard between the straps, and the like. Thus, the victim may be subject to further injury or secondary trauma from lateral movement of the injured body part due to the shortcomings of the backboard in effectively immobilizing the victim. Thus, a common backboard is not particularly effective in addressing injuries to the pelvis.
Rigid splints may also come in pre-formed shapes to address an injury to a particular part of the body. For example, a neck brace may be constructed of rigid pre-formed materials and shaped into a form to encircle the neck area. The neck brace often extends from the head to the shoulders to prevent torsional as well as lateral movement therebetween. Such a concept could possibly be applied to a rigid pre-formed splint for stabilizing the pelvis. However, rigid splints are disadvantaged by limited adjustability and inability to adapt to various configurations of persons. Thus, multiple sizes must often be carried by emergency personnel and optimal fit of one of these sizes of splints on the victim is still not guaranteed. In addition, rigid pre-formed splints may cause storage problems on an emergency response vehicle where space is at a premium.
Generally, rigid splints are designed for a representative population and are not adaptable to conform to features of individual victims. Since these devices include rigid elements, they are often difficult to store and cumbersome to use. Ease of storage and/or use are often crucial considerations when these devices are provided for use by emergency response units. Further, these rigid splints may not completely and effectively immobilize the injured part of the victim's body due to poor fit or other reasons, leading to the possibility of exacerbation of the injury or secondary trauma. Thus, faced with the drawbacks of rigid splints, there exists a need for an alternative to a rigid splint having such features as complete immobilization of an injured body part, adjustability of fit, and ease of storage.
Another type of splint is an inflatable splint, which is typically used to immobilize injured extremities such as arms or legs. Generally, an inflatable splint comprises an air tight envelope assembly wrapped around the extremity and inflated to immobilize the same. The envelope assembly may comprise a single envelope or a plurality of connected envelope elements and is typically shaped to fit the body area for which it is intended. For example, an inflatable splint for a leg may be shaped as an inverted truncated cone, wherein the widest part of the cone is wrapped around the thigh, while the narrowest end is wrapped around the calf or ankle area. Once secured around the extremity, the envelope assembly is inflated and the expansion thereof immobilizes the injured extremity.
An example of an inflatable splint is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 3,186,405 to Bailey et al. and generally comprises multiple, generally tubular, parallel elements joined lengthwise to form a rectangular pad. The elements contain restrictors along their respective lengths in order to control the length of the element inflated. Adjacent elements are also manifolded together, enabling the splint to be inflated through a single valve. Once the pad has been applied to the afflicted area, a separate cover is placed over the pad to inwardly constrain the pad upon inflation. Both pad and cover wrap completely around the body part. Connectors spaced lengthwise along the longitudinal edges of both the pad and the cover secure the device around the afflicted body part and allow multiple devices to be joined together to expand the coverage of the splint. Further, connectors can be selectively unfastened to provide access to areas covered by the splint for examination thereof without having to remove the entire splint from the afflicted body part. In its uninflated state, this device is unobtrusive and easily stored.
However, inflatable splints typically impart pressure to the underlying injured extremity due to the nature of their operation. When inflated, the airtight envelope expands in the direction of least constraint. Since the surface of the inflatable splint in contact with the injured extremity should conform thereto, this surface is often the least constrained portion of the airtight envelope. Therefore, when inflated, the envelope will expand inward toward the injured extremity and impart pressure thereto. While pressure may be desirable in situations where the splint also acts as a compress for localized hemorrhaging or as a means for controlling blood pressure in the victim's body, it may also cause discomfort to the victim or disadvantageous restriction of blood circulation. The inflatable splint as disclosed in Bailey et al. is prone to these problems.
Further, even though applying pressure to the extremity may be desirable in some situations, the Bailey et al. splint is also cumbersome and difficult to use. First, the uninflated splint must be positioned and attached around the extremity, wherein both longitudinal ends are attached together by connectors. If the splint is not wide enough, a plurality of splints must be connected together to form a splint of the proper size to surround the extremity. Further, a cover must then be placed around the splint, wherein both longitudinal ends of the cover are attached together by connectors. After the splint and the cover have been applied, the splint is configured for the proper length by applying annular restrictive elements along the length thereof, typically at the location of ad
Bosse Michael
Colucciello Steven
Gibbs Michael A.
Jacobs David
Marx John
Alston & Bird LLP
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Hospital Authority
Lucchesi Nicholas D.
Pham Huong Q.
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