Claims
- 1. A wound covering for application to a wound area of a patient's body, the wound covering comprising:
- a peripheral sealing ring having an upper surface and a lower surface, and defining an open cavity for placement over and sealing around the wound area;
- a barrier layer spanning the peripheral sealing ring and attached to he peripheral sealing ring proximate the upper surface and spaced apart from the open cavity by the peripheral sealing ring;
- the peripheral sealing ring for supporting the barrier layer above the level of the wound area;
- the peripheral sealing ring and the barrier layer together forming a wound treatment volume;
- wound area attachment means, proximate the lower surface, for permitting attachment to the wound area; and
- a heater, proximate the barrier layer for controlling the temperature of the wound treatment volume.
- 2. The wound covering of claim 1 wherein the barrier layer comprises a transparent plastic film.
- 3. The wound covering of claim 1 wherein the barrier layer comprises an opaque plastic film.
- 4. The wound covering of claim 1 wherein the barrier layer comprises a gas permeable film.
- 5. The wound covering of claim 1 wherein a portion of the barrier layer comprises a gas permeable filter media.
- 6. The wound covering of claim 1 wherein the barrier layer comprises a polyethylene plastic film.
- 7. The wound covering of claim 1 wherein the barrier layer comprises a poly-vinyl-chloride plastic film.
- 8. The wound covering of claim 1 wherein the peripheral sealing ring comprises a conformal polymeric foam ring.
- 9. The wound covering of claim 8 wherein the conformal polymeric foam ring has a cellular structure forming a reservoir for the storage and release of medicaments.
- 10. The wound covering of claim 8 wherein the conformal polymeric foam ring has a cellular structure forming a reservoir for the storage and release of moisture.
- 11. The wound covering of claim 1 in which the heater comprises a passive heat reflecting layer for collecting and confining heat in the wound treatment volume.
- 12. The wound covering of claim 1 further comprising heating layer attachment means, for attaching the passive heat reflecting layer to the wound covering over the barrier layer.
- 13. The wound covering of claim 1 in which the heater comprises an active heater for introducing heat into the wound treatment volume.
- 14. The wound covering of claim 13 further comprising active heater attachment means, for attaching the active heater to the wound covering over the barrier layer.
- 15. The wound covering system of claim 13 further comprising a switch to turn off the active heater.
- 16. The wound covering of claim 13 further comprising a thermostat coupled to the active heater to regulate the temperature of the treatment volume.
- 17. The wound covering of claim 1 in which the wound area attachment means includes an adhesive applied to the lower surface and a release liner releasably attached to the adhesive.
- 18. The wound covering of claim 12 in which the heating layer attachment means includes a pocket for receiving the heat reflecting layer.
- 19. The wound covering of claim 14 in which the active heater attachment means includes a pocket for receiving the active heater.
- 20. The wound covering of claim 15, wherein the switch is a pressure-activated switch to turn off the active heater when pressure is applied to the wound covering.
- 21. A wound covering for application to a wound area of a patient's body, the wound covering comprising:
- a peripheral sealing ring having an upper surface and a lower surface, and defining an open cavity for placement over and sealing around the wound area;
- a barrier layer spanning the peripheral sealing ring and attached to the peripheral sealing ring at the upper surface and spaced apart from the wound area by the peripheral sealing ring;
- the peripheral sealing ring and the barrier layer together defining a treatment volume;
- an adhesive applied to the lower surface of the sealing ring for permitting attachment to the wound area;
- a release liner releasably attached to the adhesive to permit attachment of the wound covering to the wound area;
- an active heater, over the barrier layer, for actively heating the treatment volume and wound area; and
- a switch to turn off the active heater.
- 22. The wound covering of claim 21 in which the barrier layer comprises a transparent plastic film.
- 23. The wound covering of claim 21 in which the barrier layer comprises an opaque plastic film.
- 24. The wound covering of claim 21 in which the barrier layer comprises a gas permeable film.
- 25. The wound covering of claim 21 in which a portion of the barrier layer comprises a gas permeable filter media.
- 26. The wound covering of claim 21 in which the barrier layer comprises a polyethylene plastic film.
- 27. The wound covering of claim 21 in which the barrier layer comprises a poly-vinyl-chloride plastic film.
- 28. The wound covering of claim 21 in which the peripheral sealing ring comprises a conformal polymeric foam ring.
- 29. The wound covering of claim 28 in which the conformal polymeric foam ring has a cellular structure forming a reservoir for the storage and release of medicaments.
- 30. The wound covering of claim 28 in which the conformal polymeric foam ring has a cellular structure forming a reservoir for the storage and release of moisture.
- 31. The wound covering of claim 21 further comprising a pocket over the barrier layer adapted to receive the active heater.
- 32. The wound covering device of claim 21 in which the switch is a pressure activated switch with a thermostat to regulate the temperature of the treatment volume.
Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 08/356,325, filed Feb. 2, 1995, now abandoned.
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Entry |
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Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
356325 |
Feb 1995 |
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