Patent Application
20080221535
The present invention relates generally to bodily fluid containment devices, and more specifically to a hands-free emesis container.
Emergency medical service (EMS) workers frequently encounter situations where a patient is unconscious, semi-conscious, altered, weak or otherwise impaired. The workers must act quickly to evaluate and stabilize the patient, set up IVs, prepare the patient for transport, communicate with hospital emergency staff, administer medications, and monitor and transport the patient to the hospital. These situations frequently involve patients who are vomiting or are on the verge of vomiting.
Emesis, or regurgitated contents of the stomach, is a medical treatment reality. Emesis further complicates emergency medical situations by distracting EMS workers from other important tasks. The workers suddenly find themselves juggling and holding traditional emesis basins or bags near the patient's face while simultaneously performing other lifesaving tasks, thereby reducing the multi-tasking efficiency of EMS workers. Despite a caregiver's best efforts, traditional emesis devices do not prevent patients from vomiting all over themselves while EMS workers are attending to other tasks.
In general, emesis containers are known in the art. These devices have several drawbacks, however. Most of the prior devices are not collapsible. An emesis container that is not collapsible may be suitable for some environments, but in an emergency medical situation, such configuration is inconvenient. If a collapsible container was provided in the past, it consisted of multiple pieces that required assembly prior to use. Such assembly simply subtracts precious seconds from attending to other medical needs in an emergency situation.
Additionally, prior devices did not address adequately the needs of a patient that is largely impaired. Most traditional emesis containers required, as previously noted, that the patient or caregiver support the container near the patient's mouth. While some devices offered supporting mechanisms, such as neckstraps, a minor patient head movement may remove the container from the flow path of the emesis, thereby allowing containment of only some of the fluid.
Therefore, the field of emergency medicine would benefit from a hands-free, collapsible emesis container with improved deployment and emesis reception characteristics.
The present invention provides a hands-free, collapsible emesis container with improved deployment and emesis reception characteristics.
The container is comprised generally of a receptacle, a chute, and a retainer. The receptacle is preferably a liquid impervious material that may enable inspection of contents and may have volume demarcations thereon. The receptacle has an open end having a perimeter and a closed end. The chute is preferably a fluid impervious material having a back panel, with a front surface and back surface, of substantial surface area and side panels extending from the bottom panel front surface. The junction of the bottom panel and the side panel provide a fluid trough. Extending from the chute and at least partially around the bag open end perimeter are support tabs. The support tabs provide added structural integrity for maintaining the open end of the receptacle in a wide open position.
Although emesis always complicates an emergency situation, the availability of a hands-free emesis container will help considerably. Such availability is provided by a preferred method of packaging the container, which allows the emesis container to be carried easily by emergency personnel in their starter boxes, fanny packs, shirt pockets or glove holsters. Quickly attaching a hands-free emesis container to a patient will enable EMS workers to multitask more efficiently without being distracted by holding traditional emesis containers near the face of an impaired patient. Attachment of the device to a patient is enabled by the retainer, which is preferably adapted to be situated around the patient's head or neck. With the aid of a chute having an increased surface area and curbed side sections, EMS workers can attend to other life-saving tasks, even when the patient is incapable of holding a conventional emesis container or substitute device, such as a trash can or bag.
Although the disclosure hereof is detailed and exact to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, the physical embodiments herein disclosed merely exemplify the invention which may be embodied in other specific structures. While the preferred embodiment has been described, the details may be changed without departing from the invention, which is defined by the claims.
Referring to
With reference also to
Coupled to the receptacle 102 is the chute 104. Referring more specifically to
To provide reinforcement that helps to maintain the receptacle 102 in an open configuration when the container 100 is in use, support tabs 118 are coupled to or formed integrally with the chute 104. While it is preferred that the chute 104 not extend around the entire bag open end perimeter 110 (see
To provide hands-free emesis collection by the container 100, a retainer 106 is provided, which is coupled to the chute 104 at retainer sites 130. While the retainer 106 may take many forms, the retainer 106 preferably comprises a flat strap 132. As seen in
Turning now to
After the receptacle raw material is selected and the chute 104 is formed, the coupling of the bag 108 to the chute 104 is achieved preferably through the use of a thermal bonding process including a thermal press or crimp. While the bag material could simply be thermally pressed to the chute attachment margin 124 or other attachment points, it is preferred that the attachment margin 124 be folded towards the chute back panel back surface 114b (as shown) or folded towards the chute back panel front surface 114a (not shown). Into the fold, the material to comprise the bag 108 may be inserted and then heat bonded to both the chute attachment margin 124 and the chute back surface 104b. The sheet material is then folded over the attachment margin 124, as is shown in
After the bag material has been heat sealed to the chute 104, the chute 104 may be folded along a medial score 146, thereby causing the sheet material to fold too, as seen in
An emesis container according to the present invention is preferably packaged in a compact way that allows easy deployment by users in emergency medical situations, among others. The ease in deployment is facilitated by convenient packaging 150. As seen in
While the emesis container was designed to be rather self-explanatory to use, the packaging 150 may further contain instructions (not shown) directed to proper use of the container 100, adjustment of the retainer 106, and proper disposal methods.
With reference to
The retainer 106 is adjusted to provide proper positioning. Where the retainer 106 is a flat strap 132, the strap 132 may be adjusted a number of ways. While the strap 132 could be provided with an adjustment buckle, preferred adjustment is achieved by using the retainer site 130. If the strap 132 is kept in frictional contact with the chute 104 by a staple 144, the strap 132 may be pulled through the staple 144 to adjust positioning of the container 100.
A staple 144 may not work for some situations, however. For example, the retainer 106 may not be long enough to easily slip over a desired support structure. In such circumstances, the retainer 106 is preferably a flat strap 132 in cooperation with the chute 104 at a retainer site 130 having an aperture 134. The strap 132 can be removed from the site 130, threaded about a support member such as the neck of the patient 1, and threaded back through a hole 136 of the aperture 134 from which it was removed. While the strap 132 is in the hole 136, the strap 132 can move relatively freely through the aperture 134, thereby allowing easy adjustment. When desired positioning is achieved, the strap 132 can be forced into the slot 138 of the aperture 134. While the strap 132 is in the slot 138, a friction fit is provided, thereby maintaining the desired positioning.
To remove the container 100 from the patient 1, one method involves lifting or supporting the container 100 while removing the retainer 106 from the support structure. For instance, if the retainer 106 is a strap 132, the strap 132 may be lifted up and over the patient's head. Alternatively, the retainer 106 may be disconnected from one or both retainer sites 130. If the retainer 106 is a strap 132 coupled to the chute 104 by a staple 144, the strap 132 may be pulled out of the friction fit and the container 100 removed from the patient 1. Alternatively, if a staple 144 is used, the retainer site 130 may be provided with the perforated section 148 to enable tearing or removal of a portion the chute material for a quick disconnect of the device 100 from a patient or other support upon the exertion of a determinable force. This method is preferred if the strap 132 includes an anti-slip mechanism, such as an aglet. In a similar fashion to using a strap 132 in combination with a staple 144, if the retainer 106 is a strap 132 in frictional cooperation with an aperture 134 at a retainer site 130, the strap 132 could be removed from the aperture 134; or the chute 104, itself, may be caused to fail at a stress riser 142 formed by the aperture 134 and cooperating notches 140. Once the container 100 is removed from the patient 1, the container 100 is simply disposed of, preferably by being thrown into a biohazard receptacle.
The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Furthermore, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described. While the preferred embodiment has been described, the details may be changed without departing from the invention, which is defined by the claims.
