Patent Application
20100042058
This invention relates to a drainage system for a patient. More particularly, the invention relates to a sealed enclosure for creating a vacuum over an area being treated to thereby drain away any unwanted fluids.
The use of suction in the treatment of wounds is known in the art. An example of this is disclosed U.S. Pat. No. 7,198,046 to Argenta. Argenta discloses a wound treatment that employs a reduced pressure. Negative pressure is created over the wound to promote tissue migration and facilitate closure. The treatment utilizes a fluid impermeable cover that is sealed around the site of the wound. An open-celled foam screen is also placed beneath the cover but over the wound.
Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 7,381,859 to Hunt discloses a removable wound closure that employs negative pressure. The negative pressure is applied to promote healing and to limit the formation of adhesions. The dressing of Hunt includes a layer of a porous foam material that is enclosed by sheets of elastomeric material. An additional elastomeric sheet covers the entire wound dressing and is sealed to the skin surrounding the wound. The elastomeric sheets are punctuated by a number of holes. Fluids are drawn by negative pressure through the holes and the foam via a vacuum device and a suction tube.
Although the inventions of the prior art each achieve their specific individual objectives, they all suffer from common drawbacks. Namely, wound dressings of the prior art are generally of a single size and are not easily configurable to fit wounds of different sizes or shapes. This means that different dressing must be provided for use with different types of wounds. Moreover, the dressings of the prior art do not permit the amount or location of the suction to be changed. As a result, the dressings of the prior art often do not utilize the suction in the most efficient manner. The system of the present invention is aimed at overcoming these shortcomings.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a vacuum drainage system that can be configured to fit treatment sites of varying size and shape.
It is another object of this invention to provide a vacuum drainage system that utilizes a slidable length of perforated tubing to permit the suction created thereby to be selectively positionable in and around a treatment site.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a drainage system that includes a length of perforated tubing that can be cut to vary the amount of suction created.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the more pertinent and important features of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood so that the present contribution to the art can be more fully appreciated. Additional features of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and the specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:
Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
The present invention relates to drainage system that extracts bodily fluids from a patient. These fluids can be, for example, fluids from a wound, burn, laceration, or contusion. The fluids can also include fistula-produced discharge, blood, fecal matter, urine, or any other bodily fluids that must be evacuated in order to properly treat or care for a patient. The system allows for the collection and convenient disposal of these bodily fluids.
The system components generally include an adhesive backed pad that is secured to a clear plastic bag and a length of perforated tubing that is slidably positioned within the bag. The tubing is connected to a suction pump and a collection reservoir. The pump generates a suction along a perforated extent of the tubing to thereby evacuate bodily fluids that collect within the bag.
As noted in
Pad 20 is designed to be positioned over and around a treatment site from which bodily fluids are to be evacuated. By way of non limiting example, the treatment site can be a wound, laceration, contusion, burn, or a bodily orifice, such as the anus. Prior the application of pad 20, a portion of pad 20 is cut out to fit about the site being treated.
As an optional alternative, and as noted in
The upper surface 22 of pad 20 is designed to support a collection bag 32. As illustrated in
A length of tubing 48 is employed in removing any bodily fluids that are collected in bag 32. Any of a wide variety of medical grade tubings will suffice. Tubing 48 is generally defined by proximal, distal, and intermediate extents (52, 54, and 56, respectively). As illustrated in
As illustrated in
In use, a caregiver first examines the treatment site to ascertain its shape and size. A corresponding opening is then formed within the pad 20. This can be accomplished by either cutting an opening into the pad or removing one or more inserts 28. Release liner 26 is then removed from the remaining peripheral extent of pad 20. Pad 20 is then adhered around the site. During this step, the caregiver must make sure that the site is positioned within the opening so as to ensure proper drainage.
Next, depending upon the size and shape of the site, the caregiver can cut the perforated extent 54 of tubing 48. For larger sites, a longer perforated extent 54 is necessary. For smaller sites, a shorter perforated extent 54 is necessary. The properly tailored perforated extent 54 is thereafter inserted into bag 32 by way of the port 44 and seal 46. During this step, the caregiver inserts tubing 48 and otherwise positions it as needed to place the perforated extent 54 over the site being treated. The proper placement of perforated extent 54 ensures that all of the fluids are evacuated.
The suction pump 58 is thereafter activated, which draws a vacuum within tubing 48 and at perforations. As a result, fluids from the site are collected by the perforations and are transported by tubing 48 into the collection reservoir 62. Reservoir 62 can thereafter be empted as needed. The use of the system eliminates the need for caregivers to repeatedly change dressings or otherwise clean the site. The need to repeatedly change dressings is of particular concern with fistulas, which continually emanate bodily fluids over prolonged periods. Suction pump 58 also serves to create a slight vacuum within collection bag 32. This, in turn, causes collection bag 32 to adhere to the patient's skin, thereby creating a hermetic seal. Use of the inventive system also protects the skin from breakdown, reduces odor, contains the drainage, enables the accurate measurement of fluid output, and further permits the caregiver to visualize fluid output. All of this is achieved in a cost effective manner that promotes comfort for the patient and decreases the treatment time of the caregiver.
The use of a clear plastic bag 32 allows the wound site to be visually inspected throughout the course of treatment. If the shape and or size of the wound changes over time, the caregiver can remove tubing 48 and cut the perforated extent 54. The caregiver can also reposition tubing 48 to ensure that it remains over the areas of the treatment site that are secreting the most fluids. Both steps ensure the efficient removal of fluids.
The present disclosure includes that contained in the appended claims, as well as that of the foregoing description. Although this invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
