Patent Application
20220354224
This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 USC 120 of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 16/110,616 filed Aug. 23, 2018. The disclosure of the prior applications is considered part of (and is incorporated by reference in) the disclosure of this application.
The present invention relates generally to the field of medical garments, and more particularly to a garment that is designed for patients that need additional access points for different treatments.
Millions of individuals suffer from medical conditions that can be managed with regular dialysis treatment. In dialysis, the patient's blood flow is redirected temporarily through a machine which performs the cleaning and fluid-balancing functions that the patient's own organs (kidneys) can no longer manage on their own. Patients must receive such treatments regularly (perhaps a few times a week), and so are often fitted with “ports” that ease the difficulty and trauma associated with connection to the dialysis machines. These ports may be located on the patient's arms, legs, chest and/or abdomen, as determined by their doctor and depending on the patient's physiology and needs.
Many people, both adults and children, require ongoing medical treatment in which medical practitioners must access certain areas of the body. The medical treatments may be, but are not limited to, dialysis, chemotherapy, post operative treatment and attention to diagnostic equipment. Often these treatments require the patient to expose private areas of their body for extended periods of time in a semi-public area (e.g., a room or ward with other patients without any walls or curtains) because the attending medical personal must visually monitor the treatment area. As a result, the patient must endure the embarrassment and indignity of being partially naked in addition to enduring the medical treatment.
Although medical facilities could provide garments or gowns for the patients, this would increase the cost of the treatments and lengthen the time the patient has to be at the facility. Alternatively, several specialty garments have been designed to provide access to a patient's treatment areas. However, these designs do not really solve the problem because they expose a larger area of the body than is necessary, are not flexible enough to provide access to the most commonly used areas of the body for ongoing medical treatments and/or use unwieldy and unattractive flaps. Moreover, all these designs look like gowns and not regular clothes.
Thus, there is a need for a garment that provides access to the various body parts while also keeping the wearer covered as well as comfortable.
In a first embodiment, the present invention is an insulated garment for covering an upper body of a patient comprising: a vest having a neck opening, a first sleeve opening, a second sleeve opening, a lower opening, a first face and a central axis extending from the neck opening to the lower opening, wherein a hood is attached to the neck opening and a first and a second zipper extend from the neck opening towards the lower opening a predetermined distance and are angled away from the central axis at an angle; a first sleeve having a first end and second end and is attached to the first sleeve opening of the vest at the first end and a cuff attached at the second end and a first opening present on the first sleeve, wherein the first opening terminates before the cuff, wherein a third zipper with two pull tabs is integrated into the first opening of the first sleeve and the zipper pull tabs are positioned at opposite ends of the first opening of the first sleeve when in a closed position and the first opening of the first sleeve is covered by a piece of material; and a second sleeve having a first end and second end and is attached to the second sleeve opening of the vest at the first end, a cuff is attached at the second end, and a second opening present on the second sleeve wherein the second opening terminates before the cuff, wherein a fourth zipper with two pull tabs is integrated into the second opening of the second sleeve and the zipper pull tabs are positioned at opposite ends of the second opening of the second sleeve when in the a closed position and the second opening of the second sleeve is covered by a piece of material.
In a second embodiment, the present invention is An insulated garment for covering an upper body of a patient comprising: an article of clothing having a neck opening, a first sleeve opening, a second sleeve opening, a lower opening, wherein a hood is attached to the neck opening and a first and a second resealable clasp are incorporated into the article of clothing distal to the neck opening; a first sleeve having a first end and second end and is attached to the first sleeve opening of the vest at the first end and a cuff attached at the second end and a first opening present on the first sleeve, wherein the first opening terminates before the cuff, wherein a third resealable clasp is integrated into the first opening of the first sleeve and the resealable clasp permits the formation of more than one opening; and a second sleeve having a first end and second end and is attached to the second sleeve opening of the vest at the first end, a cuff is attached at the second end, and a second opening present on the second sleeve wherein the second opening terminates before the cuff, wherein a fourth resealable clasp is integrated into the second opening of the second sleeve and the resealable clasp permits the formation of more than one opening.
For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the present disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of this disclosure is thereby intended.
The present invention realizes the need for garments that are comfortable, insulated, discreet, and accessible for when medical procedures need to be performed on them during their treatments.
Most patients that are receiving chemo, dialysis, are the elderly, their hemoglobin usually runs low and they cannot tolerate the cold temperature in most medical facilities. Therefore, they wear, year-round, the jogging suit for warmth. However, the jogging suits typically do not have openings to help the medical staff to help gain access to their access with minimal skin exposure. The patient typically feels embarrassed or uncomfortable sitting for hours while getting treatment and being exposed. The openings need to be in the sleeve, neckline leading to the chest, and in the thigh area. This can help people of all ages including children who are going through chemo.
The garment 100 is made from a cloth material preferably selected from cotton, cotton fleece, wool, or synthetic fibers such as nylon or polyester. The garment 100 may also have additional insulation layers as many of the patients before, during, and after the treatments tend to experience chills or cold spells due to the illness and/or the treatments and additional layers of insulation materials assist in retaining as much body heat as possible. The garment 100 is designed to be aesthetically appealing so the patient does not appear to be wearing medical clothing and can comfortably and confidently wear the body covering into and out of the treatment facility without much notice. The garment 100 is designed to be indistinguishable from street clothes. A variety of decorative, comfortable, stylish and/or warm fabrics can be used.
Integrated into the sleeves 102 and 103 are resealable openings 120. The resealable openings 120 are positioned on the interior area of the sleeves 102 and 103 to conceal the openings, and provide convenient access when procedures are needed to be performed. The resealable openings 120 and 121 may also be covered by sections of material or fabric which are attached to the garment 100 and extend over the resealable openings 120 and 121. In many dialysis procedures, the interior of the arm and neck of the wearer is where the nurse or medical professional needs to gain access. With typical clothing, the entire article of clothing needs to be removed to gain access to the area.
In the depicted embodiments, the resealable openings 120 are positioned so when the wearer's arm are at their side, the opening is near the medial antebrachial of the arm, and not the lateral antebrachial portion of the arm. The positioning of the resealable openings 120 are substantially identical locations on sleeves 102 and 103. In additional embodiments, the resealable openings 120 may be positioned in various positions and locations along the sleeves 102 and 103 of the garment and may be in substantially different positions and lengths from one another. In the depicted embodiment the fasteners 120 are zip fasteners or clasp lockers which extend from the above cuffs 116 to an area between the medial brachial cut and the intercosto bracial of the wearer. In additional embodiments, the resealable openings 120 may extend through the entire cuff 116 to completely open up the sleeves 102 and/or 103 or may extend to the end of the sleeve near the axilla of the wearer.
In the depicted embodiment, the resealable openings 120 on sleeve 102 has two zipper pull tabs 108 and 109 along the zipper 110. The zipper pull tabs are positioned at opposite ends of the zippers when in the closed position. In the depicted embodiment, the resealable openings 120 on sleeve 103 has two zipper pull tabs 106 and 105 along the zipper 107. The zipper pull tabs 106 and 105 are positioned at opposite ends of the zipper 107 when in the closed position. In additional embodiments, both of the zipper pull tabs (105 and 106 or 108 and 109) may be positioned at the cuff end of the zipper or the axilla of the wearer, or both may be located in close proximity anywhere along the zipper 107 and 110.
This allows the wearer the greatest versatility when accessing the interior of the sleeves. Each zipper pull tab can open and close a separate relative opening. For example, for dialysis medical procedures, the access needs to be nearest to the axilla of the wearer, while vitals may also need to be taken near the wearer's wrist or lower arm. In many instances, the person needs to have additional procedures performed while having dialysis treatment which require access to the lower portion of person's arm. These resealable openings 120 help the person with a fistula, or gortex either in the forearm or upper arm for the medical staff to access their access, leaving them with minimal exposure. In one example, the pull tab 106 may be brought down to pull tab 105 allowing the wearer maximum access to the dialysis equipment above their elbow, connect the equipment, and reposition pull tabs 106 and 105 at the top end of the zipper 107 to allow access to their arm for additional procedures or for vitals to be taken with exposing the least amount of their body.
Along the upper portion of the garment 100 torso portion 101 is another set of resealable openings 121 which allow access to an area around the neck of the wearer. The resealable openings 121 do not interface with the collar 130 of the garment 100 and are positioned in distal to the collar 130. The resealable openings 121 are positioned so that the area around the neck is accessible when the resealable opening(s) 121 is in the open position. In the depicted embodiment, the resealable openings 121 start an equal distance from one another relative to a center line of the garment 100, and extend at a predetermined downward at a predetermined angle away from that center line and a set distance. In one embodiment the resealable openings 121 are angled 30 degrees relative to the center line. In additional embodiments, various other angles relative to the center line may be implemented. The angle, curvature, and length of the resealable openings 121 may vary either independently or mirrored over the center line. In a central venous catheter the access point for the catheter is around the pectoral muscles of the person below their collarbone. Additionally, in a perma-catheter subclavian catheter or port-catheter jugular catheter, the access point is below the calvicale or collarbone of the person. The position and length of the resealable openings 121 are designed to extend a length which gives access for the majority of central venous catheters. In the depicted embodiment, the resealable openings 121 are zippers 113 and 114 with one pull tabs 112 and 111 respectively. The pull tabs 112 and 111, when the zipper 113 and 114 are closed, are positioned at the collar 130. This allows the pull tabs to be easily accessible and concealed. In some embodiment, the resealable openings 121 has an extension of fabric which covers the pull tabs 112 and 111. In additional embodiments, the length, and direction of the resealable openings 121 may be varied based on the intended type of access which is required for the specific procedure. For example, a flap 132 of material is used to cover the resealable openings 121. In the depicted embodiment, the dashed line is to show where the flap 132 may be to cover the resealable openings 121.
The resealable openings 120 and 121 provides adequate access (visual and physical) to the treatment area while maintaining as much of the patient's privacy as possible. The resealable openings 120 and 121 can be secured with one or more fasteners, such as zippers, hook and loop tape (e.g., Velcro®, etc.), snaps, buttons, or various other clasps or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the resealable openings 120 and 121 are hidden by a seam, flap or a combination thereof.
In some embodiments, the resealable openings 120 and 121 are not located along the construction seams of the garment.
The resealable openings 121 are shown having openings 126 and 127 when the pull tabs 111 and 112 are in the open position. This again allows for the use of the equipment with maximum concealment.
The resealable openings 120 and 121, are designed so when they are opened, they can be adjusted to allow for the opening to allow access to use the medical equipment and then closed around the medical equipment to keep the wearer as warm as possible and reduce the size of the openings to limit heat lose. In other embodiments, where the resealable openings 120 and 121 do not use a zipper or resealable opening that requires a pull tab, the mechanism provides this benefit as well.
The invention is inclusive of combinations of the embodiments or embodiments described herein. References to “a particular embodiment” or “embodiment” and the like refer to features that are present in at least one embodiment of the invention. Separate references to “an embodiment” or “particular embodiments” or “embodiments” or the like do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or embodiments; however, such embodiments are not mutually exclusive, unless so indicated or as are readily apparent to one of skill in the art. The use of singular or plural in referring to “method” or “methods” and the like is not limiting. The word “or” is used in this disclosure in a non-exclusive sense, unless otherwise explicitly noted.
While this invention has been described in conjunction with the specific embodiments outlined above, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the preferred embodiments of the invention, as set forth above, are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. The present invention shall be easily carried out by an ordinary skilled person in the art, and any modifications and changes are deemed to be within the scope of the present invention.
This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice embodiments of the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal language of the claims.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62549045 | Aug 2017 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 16110616 | Aug 2018 | US |
| Child | 17873569 | US |
