GB2287194A

GB2287194A - Waterproof cover for medical dressing or plaster cast

Info

Publication number: GB2287194A
Application number: GB9404563A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John David Dudley; Edward Lewis Palmer; James Michael Vigar
Original assignee: Thesis Tech Products and Services Ltd
Current assignee: Thesis Tech Products and Services Ltd
Priority date: 1994-03-09
Filing date: 1994-03-09
Publication date: 1995-09-13
Anticipated expiration: 2014-03-09
Also published as: GB2287194B; GB9404563D0

Abstract

A waterproof cover is provided that can be used to enclose and protect a medical dressing or plaster cast. The cover is of a waterproof material and consists of a tubular enclosure having a mouth to receive the limb of a patient wearing the dressing or cast. The mouth has a waterproof seal in the form of a band of flexible elastic material which presents a sealing surface which is in pressure contact with the skin of the patient and encircles the limb to provide the waterproof and self supporting seal. The cover may also consist of a double open-ended tube having a seal at either end. <IMAGE>

Description

Waterproof Cover for Medical Dressing or Plaster Cast The present invention relates to a waterproof cover to protect a medical dressing or plaster cast.

At the present time, a medical dressing or plaster cast applied to a limb of a medical patient which is to be kept dry prevents the patient from taking a normal bath or shower. As a result the dressing or cast presents a problem to the satisfactory personal hygiene of the patient. The problem is exacerbated by the length of time that a dressing or plaster cast has to be kept in place to complete healing of the patient wound or fracture.

Some effort has been made to alleviate the problem by giving the patient a bag of waterproof material to enclose the affected limb whilst the patient washes. The mouth of the bag is tied round the limb or secured with adhesive tapes in an effort to prevent wetting of the dressing or cast. This expedient has not proved satisfactory because of the failure of a tied or taped bag to keep out the water satisfactorily at the mouth of the bag. The bag material itself does not provide a satisfactory or consistent seal. Despite the very long standing nature of this problem and the enormous number of dressings and plaster casts that are applied annually to medical patients, there has hitherto been no satisfactory solution proposed to meet the problem of keeping such dressings and plaster casts dry whilst the patient is allowed to wash or bathe. Furthermore there has been no previous solution to meet the need for a waterproof cover that can provide a self supporting seal between the cover and the limb to be protected thereby dispensing with ties or adhesive tapes.

There is now provided in accordance with this invention a waterproof cover suitable for enclosing and protecting a medical dressing or cast on a human or animal limb, the cover comprising a tubular enclosure of waterproof material, the tubular enclosure having a mouth to receive the limb to be protected and allow the enclosure to be drawn over the limb, the mouth having a seal in the form of a band of flexible elastic waterproof material around the circumference of the mouth, the band being expandable to pass over the limb and contractible to be compliant with the skin of the limb when in place, the seal presenting a continuous sealing surface area to be in pressure contact with and encircling the skin of the limb to provide a waterproof seal.

The cover may have an enlargement to accommodate the foot of a leg that is to be protected or may be provided with a glove portion to accommodate the hand of an arm that is to be protected.

The seal may be formed from a disc of elastomeric material of which the periphery is bonded to the tubular portion of the cover, the disc having a central aperture constituting the mouth opening. The seal may be made of a material such as a polymer or copolymer of chloroprene.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a cover according to the present invention for use over a leg of a patient and, Figure 2 shows a cover according to the present invention for use over an arm of a patient.

Referring to Figure 1 there is shown a waterproof cover to be fitted over a medical dressing or a plaster cast on the leg of a patient. The cover includes a tubular portion 10 forming the main body of the cover. The tubular portion is closed by an enlarged foot portion 11 which can accommodate the foot of the patient while the top of the tubular portion opens out of a mouth 12 incorporating a seal 13. The cover can be drawn over the foot and leg of the patient, the seal being made of a flexible elastomeric waterproof material which is soft and compliant to the skin of the leg. The elastomeric material may be a synthetic or natural rubber and may in particular be a polymer or copolymer of chloroprene.

The seal is formed from a disc of elastomeric material having a central aperture, the periphery of the disc being bonded or welded to the tubular portion 10 at a join 14. The apertured disc therefore constitutes a band of material which can be stretched to open the central aperture and thereby open the mouth of the cover to receive the leg of a patient. The disc can thereafter be allowed to contract to press lightly against the skin of the leg once the cover has been drawn into position enclosing the leg. The seal adopts the shape generally depicted in Figure 1 when in place surrounding the leg of the patient thereby presenting its inner surface as a continuous sealing surface area in light pressure contact with and encircling the skin of the leg to provide a waterproof seal.

The seal 13 is bonded or welded to the tubular portion 10 which is itself of a flexible waterproof material. The seal may be of any of a variety of suitable materials of which the preferred is chloroprene rubber. Alternative materials are butyl, nitrile, ethylene propyl diomonomer, or latex rubbers.

The remainder of the cover including the tubular portion 10 and the enlarged portion 11 may be of any suitable flexible waterproof material such as a synthetic polymeric material.

A polyethylene, a polypropylene, a polyester, a polyurethane, a polyvinyl chloride with or without a reinforcing material such as nylon may alternatively be used.

An additional tensioner 15 may be provided to give additional support to fasten the cover in place on the leg to be covered.

The surprising advantage that has been discovered with the arrangement as shown and described in Figure 1 is that a waterproof seal can be provided by means of the seal 13 whilst the pressure exerted against the skin is not sufficient to cause harm to the circulation of the patient or to cause any other deleterious effects on the patient.

Furthermore the seal 13 is self supporting against the skin to provide a consistent seal without the need for additional support from ties or adhesive tapes.

Referring now to the arrangement shown in Figure 2 of the drawings, there is shown a waterproof cover to be fitted over the arm of a patient. The cover of Figure 2 includes a tubular portion 110, a glove portion 111 and a mouth 113.

The mouth 113 has a seal 114. It will readily be apparent that the cover shown in Figure 2 is an adaptation of the cover shown in Figure 1 to enable an arm to be protected instead of a leg. The seal 114 acts to seal against the entry of water past the skin of the patient in like manner to the seal 13 of the cover in Figure 1. The seal 114 may be made of any of the materials already referred to in connection with the seal 13. The arrangement of Figure 2 may also be provided with an attaching strap to fasten round the patients neck thereby converting the cover into a sling.

The waterproof cover may be further adapted to constitute a tube having a mouth at each end of the tube. Each such mouth would be provided with a seal corresponding to the seals 13 and 114. The cover in this case could function to protect an intermediate portion of a limb and the lowermost mouth of the cover would operate to seal at the ankle or the wrist of the patient. The advantage of such an arrangement is that in a case where the dressing or plaster cast leaves the foot or the hand exposed, the cover would leave the foot or hand exposed also.

Claims

1. A waterproof cover suitable for enclosing and protecting a medical dressing or plaster cast on a human or animal limb, the cover comprising a tubular enclosure of waterproof material, the tubular enclosure having a mouth to receive the limb to be protected and allow the enclosure to be drawn over the limb, the mouth having a seal in the form of a band of flexible elastomeric waterproof material around the circumference of the mouth, the band being expandable to pass over the limb and contractible to be compliant with the skin of the limb when in place, the seal presenting a continuous sealing surface area to be in pressure contact with and encircling the skin of the limb to provide a waterproof seal.

2. A cover as claimed in claim 1 wherein the seal is formed from a disc of elastomeric material of which the periphery is bonded to the tubular portion of the cover, the disc having a central aperture constituting the mouth opening.

3. A cover as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the seal is formed of a butyl, nitrile, ethylene propyl diomonomer, or latex rubber.

4. A cover as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the tubular portion of the cover is formed of a polyethylene, a polypropylene, a polyester, a polyurethane, or a polyvinyl chloride material.

5. A cover as claimed in any preceding claim incorporating an enlargement to accommodate the foot of a leg to be covered.

6. A cover as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 incorporating a glove portion to accommodate the hand of an arm that is to be protected.

7. A cover as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the tubular enclosure is provided with a second mouth additional to the first said mouth, the two mouths being disposed at the two ends respectively of the tubular enclosure, the second mouth having a seal in the form of a sealing band disposed, constructed and arranged to provide a waterproof seal in like manner to the sealing band of the first said mouth.

8. A waterproof cover suitable for enclosing and protecting a medical dressing or plaster cast on a human or animal limb, the cover being substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 1 or Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.