Patent Application
20150209186
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to wound dressings for protecting wounds on the skin. More particularly, the invention pertains to therapeutic wound dressings that have antimicrobial, anti-pathogenic and anti-inflammatory effects on wounds on the skin.
2. Brief Discussion of the Related Art
Microbes and pathogens such as bacteria, viruses and fungi commonly occur on skin surfaces of the body. Sometimes infections develop on the skin at the site of a cut, scratch, abrasion, burn, splinter, boil, pimple, blister, insect bite, animal bite, cysts, insect stings, sutures, ulcers or other wounds or trauma that damage or break the skin or otherwise provide a point of entry for bacteria and/or other harmful organisms. When a wound appears on the skin, it is common practice to apply a wound dressing on the skin to cover and protect the wound while the skin heals and/or to absorb secretions from the wound. Many types of conventional wound dressings are commercially available for this purpose. Other than providing a protective covering over the wound and/or absorbing secretions, conventional wound dressings are not of themselves therapeutic to the extent that they do not actively kill microorganisms and pathogens and do not actively reduce inflammation and, therefore, pain. For this reason, conventional wound dressings are typically used in conjunction with other products, i.e. topical substances that are applied to the wound or to the dressing in order to provide antibacterial and/or anti-inflammatory effects on the wound. Such products are oftentimes of limited effectiveness as they are in large part absorbed by the wound dressing itself and they dissipate quickly when applied to the wound.
It has previously been established that copper possesses properties by which it is capable of killing, neutralizing and preventing the growth of human pathogens. It is known that many bacteria identified as human pathogens cannot survive on surfaces of copper metal. U.S. Pat. No. 8,135,466 B2 to Fuller et al discloses a joint prosthesis having an implant body with an external surface containing an antimicrobial metal where the antimicrobial metal may be copper. U.S. Patent Application Publications No. US2012/0071807 A1 and No. US2012/0089068 A1 to McClure, Jr. disclose wound dressings containing a metal-based antimicrobial agent where the metal-based antimicrobial agent may be a mixture of silver ions and copper ions. Devices having an external surface of copper metal for insertion in the vagina to treat abnormal biological conditions have been proposed by Applicants in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/157,823 filed Jun. 13, 2008, Ser. No. 13/317,230 filed Oct. 12, 2011, and Ser. No. 13/464,005 filed May 4, 2012.
Topical substances containing particles of copper or its alloys have been proposed for health support uses. A product called “MesoCopper®” sold by Purist Colloids, Inc. is a colloidal copper solution containing nano particles of copper for use on the skin to minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Another version of the product is sold as an ingestible mineral supplement. Copper peptides for use on the skin are also commercially available, i.e. small fragments of protein that have an affinity for copper to which they bind very tightly. U.S. Pat. No. 7,776,915 B2 to Morariu discloses a topical composition containing, at a minimum, a lipoic acid, a carnitine and a carnosine, where the carnosine may be chelated to zinc or copper ions. The intended use for the topical composition is to improve the appearance of aged skin. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2008/0195033 A1 to Eagleson et al discloses use of a metal substance to treat diseases in the body. The metal substance is primarily a colloidal suspension, and delivery of the substance to the body may require the use of electricity.
Prior to the present invention, it has not been recognized to provide a wound dressing having a strip of solid copper material for being placed in contact with a wound on the skin, whereby the copper material in contact with the wound has antimicrobial, anti-pathogenic and anti-inflammatory therapeutic effects on the wound.
A therapeutic wound dressing comprises a sheet of tape having an adhesive surface, a pad secured on the adhesive surface and a strip of solid copper material secured on the tape so as to be disposed within the periphery of the pad. The adhesive surface allows the wound dressing to be releasably adhered to the skin to cover a wound on the skin such that the strip of solid copper material is in contact with the wound. The pad preferably has a periphery and size to fit entirely within the confines of the periphery of the tape such that a peripheral border of the adhesive surface circumscribes the periphery of the pad. In this way, the entire periphery of the wound dressing can be adhesively sealed to the skin to deter the entry of foreign substances. The pad may be made of any suitable material, preferably a soft, compressible and absorbent material. The strip of solid copper material is made from solid copper metal, preferably pure copper. The strip of solid copper material preferably has a peripheral configuration and size to fit entirely within the confines of the periphery of the pad such that a peripheral border of the pad circumscribes the periphery of the strip of solid copper material. The copper material in contact with the wound has antimicrobial, anti-pathogenic and anti-inflammatory effects on the wound so as to kill or neutralize potentially harmful pathogens, reduce the risk and occurrence of infection, promote healing, and reduce pain.
Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like parts in each of the several figures are identified by the same reference characters.
One surface or side of the pad 14 is secured on the adhesive surface 18 of the tape 12. The pad 14 has a peripheral configuration and area to fit entirely within the confines of the periphery of tape 12 in spaced relation, such that a peripheral border 21 of the adhesive surface 18 of tape 12 circumscribes or surrounds the entire periphery of the pad 14. As shown in
The strip of solid copper material 16 is secured on the pad 14 along the skin-contacting side of the dressing 10. More specifically, one surface or side of the strip of solid copper material 16 is secured to the skin-contacting side 22 of pad 14. The opposite surface or side 24 of the strip of solid copper material 16 is thus exposed along the skin-contacting side of the wound dressing and constitutes a skin-contacting or skin-facing side of the strip of solid copper material 16. The strip of solid copper material 16 has a peripheral configuration and area to fit entirely within the confines of the periphery of pad 14 in spaced relation, such that a peripheral border 25 of the pad 14 circumscribes or surrounds the entire periphery of the strip of solid copper material 16. In the embodiment illustrated in
The wound dressing 10 will normally be supplied for use in a sterile, sealed package 27 as seen in
In use, the package 27 is opened and the wound dressing 10 is removed therefrom. The thusly exposed skin-contacting side of the wound dressing is then placed in contact with a wound located on the skin of the body. The wound dressing 10 is positioned on the skin of the body such that the skin-contacting side or surface of the strip of solid copper material 16 is in direct contact with the wound. Depending on the size of the wound, a wound dressing 10 would be selected that has a strip of solid copper material 16 of appropriate size to cover the entire wound or as much of the wound as possible. The peripheral border 25 of the pad 14 that circumscribes the strip of solid copper material 16 assists in preventing any discomfort that the peripheral edge of the strip 16 may cause when in contact with the skin. In addition, the peripheral border 25 of the pad 14 assists in protecting the wound and/or the area of skin surrounding the wound, and assists in absorbing any secretions that may emanate from the wound. The peripheral border 21 of the adhesive surface 18 of tape 12 serves to secure the wound dressing 10 to the skin surrounding the wound. In use, the periphery of the wound dressing 10 would be gently pressed against the skin to assist in ensuring that the adhesive border 21 is firmly secured to the skin. The adhesive border 21 of tape 12 that is adhesively secured to the skin also serves to deter the entry of foreign substances between the skin-contacting side of the wound dressing 10 and the wound.
The therapeutic wound dressing can be used on many various types of wounds, arising from internal or external causes, including cuts, scratches, abrasions, burns, splinters, boils, pimples, blisters, insect bites, animal bites, cysts, insect stings, sutures, ulcers and any other wounds or trauma that damage or break the skin or otherwise provide a point of entry for bacteria and/or other harmful organisms. The strip of copper material in contact with the wound has an antimicrobial, anti-pathogenic and anti-inflammatory effect on the wound. In particular, the copper material serves to kill or neutralize potentially harmful organisms such as bacteria, viruses and fungi, such that the risk and occurrence of infections at the site of the wound is reduced. In addition, the anti-inflammatory effect on the wound provided by the copper material accelerates healing and provides pain relief.
Inasmuch as the present invention is subject to many variations, modifications and changes in detail, it is intended that all subject matter discussed above or shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative only and not be taken in a limiting sense.
