Medical protection sheeting

Abstract

A medical protection sheeting in the form of a slip sheet or as a covering for a dressing (30), formed from a low frictional material having a coefficient of static friction substantially the same as its coefficient of dynamic friction.

Description

The present invention relates to medical protection sheeting useful for patient handling and designed to reduce the risk of damage to the skin of patients where this is damaged or where it is subject to pressure.

Patient handling sheeting is known for turning patients or lifting them between beds and trolleys and are sometimes known as “slide sheets”, a term which will be used below. Where patients are severely injured, the movement between beds and trolleys can be difficult with known slide sheets since the material used for slide sheets is such as to cause high initial resistance to sliding, that is, the coefficient of friction rapidly rises as the sheet is pulled, reaching a peak before sliding actually commences. The sheet then, so to speak, becomes “unstuck”. This sudden release from a high frictional resistance is the frequent cause of damage to a patient's skin, particularly where this has been burnt or in other cases where the epidermis is damaged. In some cases, this can cause separation of the dermal-epidermal junction.

Even where the epidermis is not initially damaged, decubitus ulcers or bedsores can form due to reduced blood flow in a local area of skin slowing because of pressure. By frequently changing body positions, this problem can be solved.

Further problems occur with dressings which rub on bedding or clothing. Again, high frictional coefficient between the dressing and material with which it is in contact can cause rucking of dressings and again epidermal damage.

According to the invention, there is provided medical protection sheeting formed from a low frictional material having a coefficient of static friction substantially the same as its coefficient of dynamic friction.

The advantage of such a material is that as the material just starts to move over an adjacent material, which where possible is the same material, there is a smooth and gentle initiation and acceleration with no jerking. Thus epidermal damage is limited. Where slide sheets are made of the material of the invention, there is also less energy required by those caring for the patient. Where there is a concern for bedsores, then the patient may himself be able to move alternatively and again less energy may be used by carers to frequently move the patient lying on the material.

Preferred materials have a coefficient of friction less than 0.4.

Preferably the material is a woven fabric to enable a certain amount of “breathing”. The material should not be too coarse and it is considered that materials having a linear density of 1000 to 40 decitex should be satisfactory. Materials of 470, 350 and 50 decitex have been tried and perform well. The materials weigh respectively for the 350 and 50 decitex material 180 and 61.7 gm/m². The finest material used which performed well under test was DuPont Tactel® having nylon warp yarn 50F15T143 and nylon weft yarn 50F15T1943. A coarser fabric identified as 470T743 has been used with success. A medium weight fabric identified as DuPont's 350T749 was successfully used.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings and diagrams in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a test rig to test materials for the invention;

FIG. 2 shows test results from the rig of FIG. 1 to compare material according to the invention with linen so as to indicate relative coefficients of friction;

FIG. 3 is an extract from the results of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a set of test results from the rig of FIG. 1 showing how varying the relative orientation between samples of the same material according to the invention varies the friction between the samples; and

FIG. 5 shows a bootee made with material according to the invention.

Samples of DuPont (DTI) plain woven nylon fabric from which slide sheets and dressing covering were made and were tried out as follows:

					Fin-
Parafricta		Linear			ished	Tensile
(TM)	DTI	Density	Weight	Gauge	Threads	Strength
Ref	Ref	(decitex)	g/m2	mm	per cm	kN
P470	470T743	470		0.4	24 × 20
P350	350T749	350	180	<0.35		>2.3
P50	98Wext/4	50	61.7	0.15	61 × 47	6*
*Shear strength kN/m2

Samples of P470 fabric were submitted to the test rig shown in FIG. 1 for the purpose of comparing its performance with linen on a linen to linen basis, P470 to P470, P470 to linen and linen to P470.

A block on flat measurement technique was used (FIG. 1). A 50×50 mm sledge S wrapped in test fabric T1 was pulled over a flat plate F which was covered by a sheet of the second fabric T2 to be tested. The sledge was pulled at a constant speed of 1 mm per second using a steel wire and a pulley by an Instron mechanical testing system LC. The load that was needed to pull the sledge gives the friction load and was recorded throughout the test. The sledge was loaded by weights giving a 40 N vertical load during the test. The friction coefficient is calculated as the frictional force divided by the applied load.

The results are shown schematically in FIG. 2, with the main features given in Table 1. The highest friction values were recorded for the linen rubbing against linen where the static friction coefficient was 0.67 and the dynamic friction coefficient was 0.44. By contrast the static friction coefficient and dynamic friction coefficient were about 0.2 for the P470 rubbing on itself. When P470 was rubbing on linen, or linen on P470, the results were very similar with a dynamic friction coefficient of about 0.3 with a slightly higher static friction coefficient. FIG. 3 extracted from FIG. 2 shows that static friction increases rapidly from the application of a load until linen stretches. The linen then suddenly starts to slide, at which point the dynamic friction decreases rapidly.

TABLE 1
Main Results
		Sledge Fabric	Flat Fabric	Static	Dynamic
	Trace	(T1)	(T2)	Friction	Friction
	12	Linen	Linen	0.67	0.44
	11	P470	P470	0.19	0.21
	13	P470	Linen	0.38	0.33
	14	Linen	P470	0.33	0.29

Having completed the comparative tests of P470 against linen, a second series of tests was conducted to determine the effect of relative orientation as between warp and weft of P470 material. The same rig (FIG. 1) was used as in the first series of tests.

In the first set of the second series of tests, the load was recorded by chart recorder and then scanned and digitised to obtain digital results. For the second set of measurements, the load was recorded directly by a data logging system in a digital form.

The results are shown schematically in FIG. 4, with the main features given in Table 2. The highest friction values were recorded for the linen rubbing against linen where the static friction coefficient was 0.67 and the dynamic friction coefficient was 0.44. By contrast, the static friction coefficient and dynamic friction coefficient were about 0.2 for the P470 rubbing on itself. When P470 was rubbing on linen, or linen on P470, the results were very similar, with a dynamic friction coefficient of about 0.3 with a slightly higher static friction coefficient. There was very little difference between the friction results for all the P470 on P470 tests.

The uncertainty of measurements of this type has not been studied definitively, but general experience of friction measurements would suggest that at an average friction level of about 0.2, the uncertainty in friction coefficient measurement is about 0.03.

TABLE 2
Further Results. Across is the direction on the
P470 fabric parallel to the weft on the sample supplied.
Along is perpendicular to this and parallel to the warp.
	Sledge	Flat
	Fabric	Fabric	Static	Dynamic
Trace	T1	T2	Friction	Friction
	Linen	Linen	0.67	0.44
24	P470 -	P470 -	0.19	0.21
	Along	Along
	P470 -	Linen	0.38	0.33
	Along
	Linen	P470 -	0.33	0.29
		Along
21	P470 -	P470 -	0.24	0.24
	Along	Across
22	P470 -	P470 -	0.21	0.21
	Diagonal	Across
23	P470 -	P470 -	0.23	0.23
	Across	Across

Trace 21 marked “crossed” on FIG. 4 indicates the Sledge and Flat fabrics are orientated warp to weft or Along/Across.

The comparative second series of tests showed that the P470 material was best aligned to another sample of itself so that both the warp threads were parallel, that the movable sheet was pulled in the warp direction and remarkably that the static friction was slightly less than the dynamic friction. The most unfavourable relative orientation was when the P470 materials were warp to weft or “crossed”. However, as long as P470 was arranged to slide on P470, there was no great difference in the coefficient of friction for any relative orientation. In none of the relative orientations was there any great difference and most had the same static and dynamic coefficient of friction. This showed that unlike the linen on linen case shown in FIG. 3, there was no tendency for sudden jerking when using P470 to P470 in juxtaposition. Sudden jerking would result in sudden uncontrolled motion.

Although it is desirable to use P470 to P470, the results of the tests of P470 to linen show that this is considerably better than using linen to linen. Furthermore, when using P470 to linen, it is best to pull the P470 in the warp direction when on linen. It is therefore preferable when making a slip sheet (often about 120×70 cm or 145×72 cm) to cut the material so that the long side of the sheet runs parallel with the weft. Obviously, a range of sizes may be supplied up to about 200 cm long and up to 100 cm wide.

It will be observed that when using the material of the invention as a slide sheet, the force F to pull the sheet under a patient of weight W, the force required where p is the coefficient of friction and g is the acceleration due to gravity, that F=2 μgW, where static μ (μs) is much greater than dynamic μd, then F is increasingly greater to start moving the patient. Generally it can be shown that the material of the invention requires only about half the effort (F) when compared to a sliding linen over linen. Also, the material can be made strong for any given weight of material.

Generally, μs should be no more than 20% greater than μd and both should be less than 0.4.

When using the material of the invention as a covering for a dressing, for example, as shown in FIG. 5 which is in the form of a bootee 30 with a Lycra® collar 32, adjustable Velcro® closers 33 and externally seamed 34, a finer material such as P50 is preferred. Other forms (not shown) of covering for dressings are provided but which are also shaped to other particular parts of the body. The bootee can have its toe cut off to allow ventilation.

A particular application of the covering according to the invention is to protect dressings comprising advanced materials such as hydrocolloids which could include active materials to protect against infection or promote healing. Although these dressings may be more expensive than conventional dressings, the protection given by the covering of the invention enables these advanced dressings to remain in place longer. Therefore cost savings ensue.

Claims

1. A medical protection sheeting formed from a low frictional material having a coefficient of static friction substantially the same as its coefficient of dynamic friction, and wherein said material is woven.

2. A protection sheeting as claimed in claim 1 wherein the material has a coefficient of friction less than 0.4.

3. (canceled)

4. A protection sheeting as claimed in claim 1 wherein the linear density of the material is between 1000 and 40 decitex.

5. A protection sheeting as claimed in claim 4 wherein the linear density is 350 decitex.

6. A protection sheeting as claimed in claim 4 wherein the weight of the material is between 200 and 50 gm/m2.

7. A protection sheeting as claimed in claim 5 wherein the material's weight is 180 gm/m2 for the 350 decitex material.

8. A protection sheeting as claimed in claim 1, formed as a bootee with one or more layers of the material.

9. A protection sheeting as claimed in claim 8 wherein the bootee is formed without a toe.

10. (canceled)

11. (canceled)

12. A protection sheeting as claimed in claim 2 wherein the linear density of the material is between 1000 and 40 decitex.

13. (canceled)

14. A protection sheeting as claimed in claim 4 wherein the linear density is about 470 decitex.

15. A protection sheeting as claimed in claim 4 wherein the linear density is about 50 decitex.

16. A boot for covering a medical dressing located on a patient's foot comprising: a) a housing for enveloping a foot; b) a first and second end located about said housing such that said first end is enclosed forming a toe and said second end includes an opening for receiving a foot; c) a collar surrounding said opening at said second end; d) an external seam securing the housing of said boot from said first end to said second end; e) a slice extending from said opening at said second end to a midsection of said boot; f) a plurality of straps encompassing said slice for substantially closing and securing the slice about a foot; and g) a medical protection sheeting making up the material for said housing, wherein said sheeting is formed from a low frictional material having a coefficient of static friction substantially the same as its coefficient of dynamic friction.

17. The boot of claim 16, wherein said boot is formed without said toe.

18. The boot of claim 16, wherein said sheeting has a linear density between 1000 and 40 decitex.

19. The boot of claim 16, wherein said sheeting has a linear density of about 50 decitex.

20. The boot of claim 16, wherein said sheeting has a coefficient of friction less than 0.4.

21. The boot of claim 20, wherein said material is woven.

22. The boot of claim 19, wherein the weight of said sheeting is between 200 and 50 gm/m2.