Patent Application
20170049629
The disclosure relates to wound care. More specifically, the disclosure relates to wound care tapes, methods for using wound care tapes, and kits containing wound care tapes.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0334084 (Arbesman) purports to disclose a contusion patch comprising a high stretch therapeutic tape with an adhesive backing. The tape has an anchoring portion that adheres to a contusion and a plurality of fingers that extend from the anchoring portion. The tape is less than about 5 inches in length and about 2 inches in width when unstretched. A frangible release liner covers the adhesive backing of the tape prior to application. The release liner has a greater surface area than the tape, so that an exposed strip of the release liner extends around the tapes perimeter. The release liner is scored at junctions between the anchoring portion and the fingers to allow selective removal during staggered application of the tape.
The following summary is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of the disclosure, but not to define any invention.
According to some aspects, a kit for wound care is disclosed. The kit comprises a package having a sealed and sterile interior volume. A wound care tape is in the interior volume. The wound care tape comprises a high-stretch strip of woven material having a first face and an opposed second face, and an adhesive on the first face in a discontinuous pattern. A set of spaced apart adhesive-covered portions of the first face are covered by the adhesive, and a set of spaced apart adhesive-free portions of the first face are free of the adhesive. The wound care tape does not include an absorbent pad adjacent the first face. A release liner is in the sterile interior volume and adhered to the first face by the adhesive.
The woven material may be woven cotton. The adhesive may be a poly-acrylic adhesive.
At least some of the adhesive-covered portions and some of the adhesive-free portions may be arranged in alternating curved bands. The tape may extend along a longitudinal axis, and at least some of the adhesive-free portions may extend transverse to the longitudinal axis.
The strip of woven material may comprise a pair of adjacent lobes. The tape may be generally lemniscate shaped.
The kit may comprise a plurality of the wound care tapes in the package, and the release liner may be adhered to the plurality of the wound care tapes. The release liner may be perforated along a boundary between each adjacent pair of the wound care tapes. The plurality of the wound care tapes may be arranged in a grid on the release liner.
The strip of woven material may have an unstretched length, and may be elastically stretchable to a stretched length that is at least 1.4 times the unstretched length, or at least 1.5 times the unstretched length.
According to some aspects, a wound care tape is disclosed. The wound care tape comprises a sterile high-stretch strip of woven material having a first face and an opposed second face. A sterile adhesive is on the first face in a discontinuous pattern. A set of spaced apart adhesive-covered portions of the first face are covered by the adhesive, and a set of spaced apart adhesive-free portions of the first face are free of the adhesive. The wound care tape does not include an absorbent pad adjacent the first face.
The woven material may be woven cotton. The adhesive may be a poly-acrylic adhesive.
At least some of the adhesive-covered portions and at least some of the adhesive-free portions may be arranged in alternating curved bands. The tape may extend along a longitudinal axis, and at least some of the adhesive-free portions may extend transverse to the longitudinal axis.
The strip of woven material may comprise a pair of adjacent lobes. The tape may be generally lemniscate shaped.
The strip of woven material may have an unstretched length, and may be elastically stretchable to a stretched length that is at least 1.4 times the unstretched length, or at least 1.5 times the unstretched length.
The tape may be adherable to skin for at least 7 days. The tape may be adherable to skin for at least 7 to 14 days.
Also provided is a use of the tape for treating a wound, and a tape for the use in treating a wound. The tape may be used for treating a wound. The wound may be an acute wound. The wound may be a surgical incision. The tape may be used together with stitches, and/or together with skin glue. Alternatively, the tape may be used alone, without skin glue or stitches.
According to some aspects, a method for treating a wound is disclosed. The method comprises a) adhering a first set of spaced apart adhesive-covered portions of a high-stretch strip of woven material to a patient's skin on a first side of a wound; b) stretching the high-stretch strip of woven material across the wound to a stretched configuration; and c) adhering a second set of spaced apart adhesive-covered portions of the high-stretch strip of woven material to the patient's skin on a second side of the wound while the wound care strip is in the stretched configuration.
During step a), a first set of spaced apart adhesive-free portions of the high stretch strip of woven material may be maintained as not adhered to the patient's skin. During step c), a second set of spaced apart adhesive-free portions of the high stretch strip of woven material may be maintained as not adhered to the patient's skin.
The method may further comprise leaving the strip of woven material adhered to the patient's skin for at least 7 days, for example for 7 to 14 days.
Steps a) to c) may be carried out without applying an absorbent pad between the strip of woven material and the wound.
The wound may be an acute wound. The wound may be a surgical incision.
The method may further comprise applying a second high-stretch strip of woven material to the wound by: a) adhering a first set of spaced apart adhesive-covered portions of the second high-stretch strip of woven material to the patient's skin on the first side of the wound, while maintaining a first set of spaced apart adhesive-free portions of the second high stretch strip of woven material not adhered to the patient's skin; b) stretching the second high-stretch strip of woven material across the wound to a second stretched configuration; and c) adhering a second set of spaced apart adhesive-covered portions of the second high-stretch strip of woven material to the patient's skin on the second side of the wound while the second wound care strip is in the second stretched configuration, while maintaining a second set of spaced apart adhesive-free portions of the second high stretch strip of woven material not adhered to the patient's skin.
The first high-stretch strip of woven material may be applied in a transverse orientation with respect to the second high-stretch strip of woven material. The second high-stretch strip of woven material may be applied to overlap with at least a portion of the first high-stretch strip of woven material.
The method may further comprise, prior to step a), applying stitches to the wound, and/or applying skin glue to the wound. Alternatively, the high stretch strip of woven material may be applied without prior application of any stitches and skin glue.
The high stretch strip of woven material may be sterile. For example, prior to step a), the high stretch strip of woven material may be sterilized.
The high stretch strip of woven material may extend along a longitudinal axis, and when adhered may be stretchable parallel to the longitudinal axis and transverse to the longitudinal axis.
The drawings included herewith are for illustrating various examples of articles, methods, and apparatuses of the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of what is taught in any way. In the drawings:
Various apparatuses or processes will be described below to provide an example of an embodiment of the claimed subject matter. No embodiment described below limits any claim and any claim may cover processes or apparatuses that differ from those described below. The claims are not limited to apparatuses or processes having all of the features of any one apparatus or process described below or to features common to multiple or all of the apparatuses described below. It is possible that an apparatus or process described below is not an embodiment of any exclusive right granted by issuance of this patent application. Any subject matter described below and for which an exclusive right is not granted by issuance of this patent application may be the subject matter of another protective instrument, for example, a continuing patent application, and the applicants, inventors or owners do not intend to abandon, disclaim or dedicate to the public any such subject matter by its disclosure in this document.
Disclosed herein is a tape for wound care (also referred to herein as a “wound care tape”, or simply as a “tape”), and related kits and methods. The wound care tapes disclosed herein are related to kinesiology tapes. However, it is believed that kinesiology tapes have heretofore not been used directly on broken skin for wound care. That is, kinesiology tapes are traditionally used on intact skin for treating conditions associated with muscles, joints, and/or contusions. Prior art publications have cautioned against using kinesiology tape on broken skin, as it has been believed that applying kinesiology tape to broken skin can cause extensive tissue damage (Stockheimer, 2007). Accordingly, in rare instances where kinesiology tape has been used for wound treatment, care has been taken to apply a pad between the kinesiology tape and the wound (Oka, 2010).
It has presently been determined that kinesiology tapes can be used directly on broken skin for wound care. For example, kinesiology tapes, when cut to a suitable shape and sterilized, can be applied directly to a wound, to hold the wound closed. It has been determined that the use of sterilized kinesiology tapes directly on broken skin for wound care does not necessarily cause tissue damage, such as the extensive tissue damage purported in the prior art. It has further been determined that the use of sterilized kinesiology tapes directly on broken skin for wound care can be beneficial, in that it may be worn for prolonged periods of time, may promote or facilitate healing, may be considered easy to use by physicians, and may be considered to be comfortable by patients.
Referring now to
The woven material may in some examples be a woven cotton. The use of a woven material allows for breathability of the tape, which is believed to facilitate and/or promote wound healing, and is also believed to be comfortable for a patient.
As mentioned above, the strip 102 may be high stretch. As used herein, the term ‘high stretch’ indicates that the strip 102 is highly stretchable in at least one direction. For example, the strip may be highly stretchable along its length. For example, the strip 102 may have an unstretched length 115, and may be elastically stretchable to a length that is at least 1.4 times the unstretched length 115, or at least 1.5 times the unstretched length 115. The strip 102 may additionally be highly stretchable along its width, or may be minimally-stretchable or non-stretchable along its width. The term ‘minimally’ stretchable indicates that the strip 102 is stretchable along its width, but less stretchable than it is along its length. The term ‘non-stretchable’ indicates that the strip 102 is not stretchable along its width, or is stretchable to only a negligible extent along its width.
The strip 102 has a first face 104 (shown in
Referring to
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The adhesive 108 may be any suitable skin-safe adhesive, such as a polyacrylic adhesive. The adhesive 108 may be long lasting, so that the wound care tape can be worn on skin for prolonged periods of time. For example, the tape may be adherable to skin for at least 7 days. For further example, the tape may be adherable to skin for 7 to 14 days.
Referring still to
Wound care tapes may be provided in a variety of shapes. In the example shown in
A wound care tape 400 of an alternative shape is shown in
Wound care tapes may also be provided in a variety of sizes. In some examples, the strip 102 may have an unstretched length 115 of between about 2.5 cm and 7.5 cm, or between about 4 cm and 6 cm, or about 5 cm. In some examples, the strip 402 may have an unstretched length of between about 4.5 cm and 25 cm, or between about 6 cm and 21 cm. In some particular examples, the strip 402 may have a length of about 6.5 cm. In some particular examples, the strip 402 may have a length of about 11 cm. In some particular examples, the strip 402 may have a length of about 20.5 cm.
Referring now to
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As mentioned above, the tapes disclosed herein (e.g. tapes 100 and/or 400) may be sterile. For example, both the strip 102 and the adhesive 108 may be sterile, in order to be suitable for use on broken skin. Referring now to
In alternative examples, a plurality of wound care tapes 100 may be provided in a single package. For example, the release liner 122 and plurality of tapes 100 shown in
The wound care tapes described above may be used on various types of wounds, including but not limited to acute wounds (e.g. due to accidents), surgical incisions (e.g. for surgical reconstruction of burns or scars), minor wounds (e.g. minor cuts), major wounds, flaps (e.g. free flaps or transpositional flaps), and fresh wounds. The wound care tapes may be used alone, together with stitches, or together with skin glue, depending on the severity of the wound. For example, for some wounds, wound care tapes alone may optionally be used, without skin glue or stitches. For further example, for other wounds, wound care tapes may be used together with stitches and/or skin glue. For example, stitches and/or skin glue may be applied prior to application of the tape.
The wound care tapes may generally be applied in a stretched configuration, so that the elasticity of the tapes aids in holding the wound closed, and supports the skin surrounding the wound.
An example method of using a wound care tape will now be described. For simplicity, the method will be described mainly with respect to wound care tape 100; however, the method may be carried out with other tapes (e.g. tape 400), and the tape 100 may be applied according to other methods.
Referring to
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The entire strip 102 may then optionally be rubbed against the skin, in order to facilitate adhesion of the entire strip 102 to the skin.
As shown in
Referring to
The tape 100 may optionally be left adhered to the patient's skin until removal of the stitches 1004. For example, the tapes 100 may be left adhered to the patient's skin for at least 7 days, for example for 7 to 14 days.
In the example described with respect to
It is believed that because the adhesive 108 is in a discontinuous pattern on the strip 102, the tape 100 is able to move and stretch as the patient moves, and thereby can remain on the skin for prolonged periods of time. For example, when the tape 100 is adhered and in use, it is stretchable and can accommodate movement parallel to its longitudinal axis 114, and can also accommodate movement transverse to its longitudinal axis 114, without peeling off of the skin. It is further believed that because the strip is made from a woven material, it is breathable and feels generally soft and comfortable to the patient.
In any of the above examples, topical medications may be applied to the skin prior to the applications of the tape. Such topical medications may be used, for example, to protect the skin, enhance adherability of the tapes, and/or provide antiseptic properties. For example, compound tincture of benzoin may be applied to the skin prior to the application of the tapes, in order to protect the skin, enhance adherability of the tapes, and provide antiseptic properties. In other examples, antibiotic creams or ointments may be applied.
While the above description provides examples of one or more processes or apparatuses, it will be appreciated that other processes or apparatuses may be within the scope of the accompanying claims.
Wound care tapes as described above were tested on various wounds, as described in further detail below. The tests were carried out in the Department of Surgery and Plastic Surgery of Sunnybrook Hospital, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Wound care tapes were provided by Spidertech Inc., of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The wound care tapes included a strip of high stretch woven cotton, with a polyacrylic adhesive on a first face thereof in a discontinuous pattern (as shown in
The wound care tapes were tested on several patients who had undergone an excision and primary closure of the resulting wound using standard sutures. The wound care tapes were applied across the wound and over the sutures in a stretched configuration, in order to facilitate wound closure. In some cases the wound care tapes were left exposed; in other cases the wound care tapes were covered with gauze. The wound care tapes were left on the wound for 14 days, after which time they were removed in the hospital setting.
It was observed by the attending surgeon that the wound care tapes stayed in place for the duration of the test. It was further observed that the wound care tapes did not cause any maturation, and increased healing.
The wound care tapes were tested on several patients having skin flaps, including transpositional and rotational flaps. The wound care tapes were used in addition to sutures, both to secure the flaps and at the donor site. The wound care tapes were applied across the wound in a stretched configuration, in order to facilitate wound closure. The wound care tapes were left on the wound for 14 days, after which time they were removed in the hospital setting
A strong success rate and excellent outcome were reported by the attending surgeon. No adverse outcomes or complications were reported.
The wound care tapes were tested on patients requiring webspace reconstruction. Webspace was created using advancement and transpositional flaps. The wound care tapes were used in addition to sutures, both to secure the flaps and at the donor site. The wound care tapes were applied to the wound in a stretched configuration, in order to facilitate wound closure. The wound care tapes were left on the wound for 14 days, after which time they were removed in the hospital setting
A strong success rate and excellent outcome were reported by the attending surgeon. No adverse outcomes or complications were reported.
The wound care tapes were tested on small primary cuts (up to 1 cm in length), without any sutures. The wound care tapes were applied across the wound in a stretched configuration, in order to facilitate wound closure.
Excellent cosmetic outcome and excellent healing were reported by the attending surgeon. No adverse outcomes or complications were reported
