Surgery – Means for introducing or removing material from body for... – Treating material introduced into or removed from body...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-21
2001-11-13
Kennedy, Sharon (Department: 3763)
Surgery
Means for introducing or removing material from body for...
Treating material introduced into or removed from body...
C428S036500, C248S068100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06315759
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to protective covers and hospital appliances, and, more particularly, to a simple but effective cover that may be used to organize and protect intravenous lines and other types of tubing and electrical connections to bedridden patients.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
During certain medical procedures and hospitalization, patients are often connected to multiple devices and fluid sources for the purposes of monitoring, providing medications, and so forth. Such lines are interfaced to the patient's body through catheters, intravenous and fluid lines, EKG signal lines, and other types of tubing. Many of these lines and tubes are connected to the patient during transport, and have a tendency to become entangled and confused. Also, particularly when turning comers, and so forth, through more narrow hospital corridors or past other patients having similar connections, there is a risk that lines will be disturbed or even disconnected if caught on a projection. A mass of entangled lines and tubes also gives family members and loved ones anxious feelings when seeing a patient treated in this manner.
There have been several proposals to arrange intravenous lines, and the like, but thus far all such proposals have been intended to label rather than protect the various/signal carrying conduits. Examples include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,795,429; 4,988,062; 5,224,674; 5,336,179; and 5,876,371. Using the latter of these as representative, an intravenous tube holder for use in a trauma unit or similar environment, includes an element having a plurality of tracks, each designed to secure an intravenous tube and writing surface next to each track to identify content and/or dosage information. Each element has a male extension and female indent for interconnecting additional elements to accommodate a greater number of intravenous tubes.
Although mechanisms of this kind help with labeling and identifying various lines, they do nothing to protect these tubes and wires lengthwise from becoming overly entangled and caught up on projections or other articles during transport. The need therefore remains for a simple but effective means to both organize and protect intravenous lines and tubes to ensure a tidy yet functional arrangement.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention resides in a protective cover for surrounding at least one elongated member. In the preferred embodiment, the cover is used to protect a plurality of intravenous lines. However, in alternative embodiments, other members such as baby crib rails, bicycle frame sections, handles and other items may be covered.
Broadly, the invention assumes the form of a generally cylindrical hollow tube composed of a flexible, resilient material such as closed-cell foam. The tube has a length, an outer wall having and outer diameter, an inner wall having an inner diameter, a wall thickness. The tube further includes a slit running lengthwise down the tube, enabling the tube to be placed around and over the elongated member by spreading the slit to expose a pair of adjacent, opposing surfaces, each with a length equal to the length of the tube and a width equal to the thickness of the wall.
The tube preferably further includes means, other than the tube itself, for maintaining the tube in position around the member. In one configuration, the means for maintaining the tube in position around the member includes an adhesive on one or both of the opposing surfaces, which may be covered with a release layer to expose the adhesive. A separate release layer may be used to cover the slit as well.
When used to cover and protect intravenous lines, the release layer covering the slit may further include a message concerning the use or re-use of the cover. A message concerning the use or re-use of the cover may also be provided on the outer wall of the tube which is exposed when the release layer covering the slit is removed.
The means for maintaining the tube in position around the member may also include at least one elongated adhesive strip disposed on the inner wall of the tube. This adhesive may be used apart from, or together with, the adhesive used to close the slit upon positioning around the member. According to a method aspect of the invention, with the adhesive strip disposed lengthwise along the inner wall of the tube, the tube may be pressed so that the adhesive strip makes contact with, and bonds to, the elongated member, thereby holding the tube in place.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4748060 (1988-05-01), Fry et al.
patent: 4795429 (1989-01-01), Feldstein
patent: 4971271 (1990-11-01), Sularz
patent: 4988062 (1991-01-01), London
patent: 5224674 (1993-07-01), Simons
patent: 5226892 (1993-07-01), Boswell
patent: 5336179 (1994-08-01), Ryan
patent: 5427849 (1995-06-01), McClintock et al.
patent: 5601894 (1997-02-01), Maruschak
patent: 5709665 (1998-01-01), Vergano et al.
patent: 5735821 (1998-04-01), Dobkin
patent: 5783274 (1998-07-01), Knittel et al.
patent: 5876371 (1999-03-01), Yokoyama et al.
patent: 5964252 (1999-10-01), Simmons et al.
patent: 5997967 (1999-12-01), Hawkings
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