COMPRESSION DRESSING

Abstract

The invention relates to a compression dressing comprising a first cushion layer (1) and second support layer (2), wherein the two layers (1,2) are connected to each other in the unstretched state by means of stitch-bonding processes via an elastic sewing thread, the stitch length being 1.5 to 3 mm/U at a sewing thread tension of at most 4 cN.

Claims

1. A compression bandage comprising a first cushioning layer (1) and a second supporting layer (2), wherein the two layers (1, 2) are connected to one another in the unstretched state via an elastic sewing thread by means of stitch-bonding where the stitch length is 1.5 to 3 mm/U at a sewing thread tension of not more than 4 cN.

2. The compression bandage of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the cushioning layer (1) is 0.6-1.2 mm.

3. The compression bandage of claim 1, wherein the material of one or both of the layers (1, 2) is nonelastic.

4. The compression bandage of claim 1, wherein at least one of the two layers (1, 2) composed of cushioning layer (1) and supporting layer (2) comprises a nonwoven material.

5. The compression bandage of claim 4, wherein the cushioning layer (1) is a thermofusion nonwoven.

7. The compression bandage of claim 1, wherein the second supporting layer (2) is a thermobond nonwoven.

7. The compression bandage of claim 1 wherein the elastic sewing thread is selected from the group consisting of cotton spun crepe threads, cotton twisted crepe threads, textured polyamide yarns, textured polyester yarns, rubber threads, polyurethane elastane threads and combinations thereof.

8. The compression bandage of claim 1, wherein the compression bandage has a stretching threshold which indicates the a maximum stretchability.

9. The compression bandage of claim 8, wherein the maximum stretchability corresponds to a therapeutically predefined application pressure of the compression bandage on a limb of a wearer.

10. The compression bandage of claim 1, wherein the compression bandage has an elastic modulus of 4-10 N/mm.sup.2.

11. The compression bandage of claim 1, wherein the compression bandage has an increase in stretch of less than 50%.

12. A compression bandage combination comprising a first compression bandage as claimed in claim 1, and also a second compression bandage.

13. The compression bandage combination of claim 12, wherein the first compression bandage exerts a working pressure on a limb in an applied state and the second compression bandage a resting pressure.

14. The compression bandage of claim 10, wherein the compression bandage has an elastic modulus of 5-9 N/mm.sup.2.

15. The compression bandage of claim 10, wherein the compression bandage has an elastic modulus of 6-8 N/mm.sup.2.

16. The compression bandage of claim 11, wherein the compression bandage has an increase in stretch of less than 35%.

17. The compression bandage of claim 11, wherein the compression bandage has an increase in stretch of less than 25%.

18. The compression bandage combination of claim 12, wherein the second compression bandage is applicable over the first compression bandage.

Description

[0036] The invention will be described in more detail below with reference to a drawing. Further advantages and features of the invention are additionally revealed by the rest of the application documents.

[0037] In the drawing:

[0038] FIG. 1 shows a production method for such a compression bandage and

[0039] FIG. 2 shows a force/stretch graph for a finished compression bandage according to the invention.

[0040] FIG. 1 depicts how a cushioning layer 1 composed of a wadding nonwoven and a supporting layer 2, here in the form of a thermobond nonwoven layer, are fed from a roll material and are connected to one another in a stitch-bonding method by means of a warp-knitting machine, identified by reference sign 4. In this process, the two plies are fixed to one another beforehand via a roller guide 5. The stitch-bonding method works here with a hook, by means of which the layers are overstitched with the elastic sewing threads. The material connected to one another via the elastic sewing thread is then guided through a further roller guide 6 and wound up on a roll 7, it being optionally possible beforehand to carry out make-up in the longitudinal direction to form bandages. The sewing thread is an elastically prestretched thread which is introduced with a predefined stitch length and a predefined sewing thread tension and thus leads to a contraction of the ply composite (fabric) after tension release of the elastic material.

[0041] FIG. 2 shows the force/stretch graph, where the compression bandage corresponds to the characteristics of a short-stretch bandage which initially exhibits approximately no increase in force upon stretching in order to then realize an abrupt rise and thus a stretching threshold, the stretching threshold here being in the range of the optimum therapeutic pressure, meaning that, upon maximum stretching of the compression bandage, it is simultaneously possible with application under this pretension to set the optimum therapeutic pressure for the compression therapy.

[0042] The stiffness of a bandage can be described by the elastic modulus and by the increase in force. FIG. 2 shows force/stretch graphs of the bandage 10 according to the invention (in comparison with two commercially available bandages). Here, the bandage according to the invention has a distinctly higher elastic modulus than the comparative bandages. The preferred values can be 4-10 N/mm.sup.2, preferably 5-9 N/mm.sup.2 and particularly preferably 6-8 N/mm.sup.2.

[0043] The increase in force is the stretching the bandage has to carry out in order to be stretched from a significantly noticeable resistance of 20 N until ripping. It is possible to identify this behavior too from the graph according to FIG. 2. In the case of the bandage according to the invention, a force of approximately 20 N is achieved at a stretch of about 40%, and the bandage rips at a stretch of about 60%. In the range between 40 and 60% stretch, the bandage experiences a five- to ten-fold increase in force. In the case of the comparative products, a distinctly stronger stretch is required until ripping. Preferably, a bandage according to the invention (compression bandage) therefore has an increase in stretch of less than 50%, preferably less than 35%, particularly preferably less than 25%. The terms increase in force and increase in stretch describe synonymously the same issue.