Compressive Bandage System and Method

Abstract

The compressive bandage includes an elastic cap to fit over the patient's head wound and head. The cap is impervious to fluid and has a fluid pervious inboard sleeve pocket. An absorbent pad placed in the sleeve since the sleeve and the cap expands. The loaded bandage is placed on the head wound. The pocket patch is a micro fiber, polyester fabric, preferably NIKE DRY FIT material. The head wound is stanched by placing the over the head wound. After the first use and after removal from the wounded head, the first pad is withdrawn from the pocket, a second pad in inserted and the compressive bandage is again placed on the head wound. After the first use or the second use, the bandage can be washed and sterilized.

Claims

1. A compressive bandage system adapted to compressively encase a patient's head wound comprising: an elastic cap sized to compressively encase a portion of said patient's head over said patient's head wound, said cap being impervious to fluid; said cap having an inboard sleeve pocket formed by a pocket patch on an inboard surface segment of said elastic cap, said pocket patch being pervious to fluid; and a flat absorbent pad disposed in said inboard sleeve pocket to form said compressive bandage; and said inboard sleeve pocket adapted to expand permitting insertion of said flat pad due to elasticity of said inboard surface segment of said elastic cap prior to placement of said compressive bandage on said patient's head wound.

2. A compressive bandage system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said pocket patch is a micro fiber, polyester fabric adapted to transfer fluid away from said patient's head wound to said flat pad.

3. A compressive bandage system as claimed in claim 2 wherein said pocket patch is made of NIKE DRY FIT material.

4. A compressive bandage system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said pocket patch is an elastic pocket patch.

5. A compressive bandage system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said flat pad substantially consists of gauze.

6. A method for stanching a head wound on a patient's head comprising: providing an elastic cap sized to at least partially encase said patient's head about said head wound; providing an inboard sleeve pocket formed by a pocket patch on an inboard surface segment of said elastic cap; inserting a flat absorbent pad into said inboard sleeve pocket to form a loaded compressive bandage; placing said loaded compressive bandage over said head wound and substantially encasing said head wound with said loaded compressive bandage; permitting fluid from said head wound to pass through said pocket patch and accumulate in said flat absorbent pad while compressing said head wound with said loaded compressive bandage and stanching said head wound therewith; and prohibiting fluid flow through said elastic cap.

7. A method for stanching a head wound as claimed in claim 6 including: removing said loaded compressive bandage from said patient's head; withdrawing said flat absorbent pad from said inboard sleeve pocket; inserting a second flat absorbent pad into said inboard sleeve pocket to form a second loaded compressive bandage; and placing said second loaded compressive bandage over said head wound.

8. A method for stanching a head wound as claimed in claim 7 wherein after stanching said head wound with said second loaded compressive bandage, removing said second loaded compressive bandage from said patient's head; withdrawing said second flat absorbent pad from said inboard sleeve pocket and washing said elastic cap and inboard sleeve pocket.

9. A method for stanching a head wound as claimed in claim 5 wherein after stanching said head wound with said loaded compressive bandage, removing said loaded compressive bandage from said patient's head; withdrawing said flat absorbent pad from said inboard pocket sleeve and washing said elastic cap and said inboard pocket sleeve.

10. A method for stanching a head wound as claimed in claim 6 wherein said elastic cap prohibits fluid flow there through and wherein said pocket patch permits fluid flow there through.

11. A method for stanching a head wound as claimed in claim 9 wherein said elastic cap prohibits fluid flow there through and wherein said pocket patch permits fluid flow there through.

12. A method for stanching a head wound as claimed in claim 8 wherein said elastic cap prohibits fluid flow there through and wherein said pocket patch permits fluid flow there through.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Further objects and advantages of the present invention can be found in the detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiments when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

[0026] FIG. 1 diagrammatically illustrates an exterior view of the compressive bandage system.

[0027] FIG. 2 diagrammatically illustrates a partial, cutaway view of the compressive bandage system with the flat absorbent pad disposed in the inboard sleeve pocket of the bandage.

[0028] FIG. 3 diagrammatically illustrates a cross-sectional view from the perspective of section line A to A FIG. 2.

[0029] FIG. 4 diagrammatically illustrates the method of stanching a head wound.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0030] The present invention relates to a compressive bandage system and a method for stanching a head wound on a patient's head. Similar numerals designate similar item throughout the drawings. FIGS. 1,2 and 3 are concurrently discussed herein.

[0031] FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 diagrammatically show compressive bandage 12 formed as elastic cap sized to compressibility encase a portion of a patient's head and covering a patient's head wound. In a preferred embodiment, the outer shell of the cap is impervious to fluid. FIG. 1 diagrammatically shows an outer view of elastic cap 12 and, in dashed lines, inboard sleeve pocket 16 formed by pocket patch 16a shown in FIG. 3 as pocket patch 16a. The inboard sleeve pocket 16 in FIG. 1 is shown in dashed lines. In contrast, a flat absorbent pad 18 is shown in FIG. 1 as a dashed-long line-dashed symbol.

[0032] Inboard sleeve pocket 16 is formed on side 13 of elastic cap 14. The other side 11 of cap 14 (not shown in FIG. 1 except for the lower edge of cap side 11) in the preferred embodiment does not include an inboard sleeve pocket 16. However in a different embodiment, cap 14 may include an inboard sleeve pocket on opposite sides 11, 13 of elastic cap 14.

[0033] FIG. 2 diagrammatically illustrates a partial, cutaway view of the compressive bandage system 12. In FIG. 2, the outer surface portion 13 of elastic cap 14 is cutaway to reveal flat absorbent pad 18. In a preferred embodiment, absorbent pad 18 is made of gauze. The pocket patch 16a forms the inboard sleeve pocket 16.

[0034] In general, pocket patch 16 a is pervious to fluid. In a preferred embodiment, pocket patch 16a is made of a micro fiber, polyester fabric adapted to transfer fluid away from the patient's head wound to flat absorbent pad 18. Particularly, in the preferred embodiment pocket patch 16a is made of NIKE DRY FIT (trademark) material.

[0035] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the compressive bandage system 12 from the perspective of section line A-A in FIG. 2. In FIG. 3, the absorbent pad 18 is slipped into and inserted into the sleeve 16 as shown by arrow 32. Due to the elastic nature of cap 14 and the elastic nature of pocket patch 16a, the health professional can easily open the inboard sleeve pocket 16 and insert flat absorbent pad 18 into the sleeve pocket. The lower edge 34 of sleeve pocket 16 may be raised above lower edge 36 of elastic cap 14 in order to provide a small tab permitting the healthcare professional to grab the small tab 40 to open inboard sleeve pocket 16. See tab segment 40 in FIG. 3. In a alternate embodiment, the lower edge 34 of inboard sleeve pocket 16 may extend outboard and outside the inboard portion of cap 14 beyond lower edge 36 of elastic cap 14. In this alternate embodiment, the tab surface 40 extends outboard or away from lower edge 36 of cap 14.

[0036] In operation, the inboard sleeve pocket 16 is flexible and is adapted to expand permitting insertion of the absorbent pad 18 due to the elasticity of the inboard surface segment of elastic cap 14 prior to placement of the compressive bandage 12 on the patient's head wound. Further, the pocket patch 16a is generally an elastic material.

[0037] After the compressive bandage system 12 is placed on the patient's head wound and the bandage stanches the head wound, the compressive bandage can be removed and the healthcare worker can withdraw the first installed pad 18 from inboard sleeve pocket 16. Thereafter, the healthcare worker can insert a second absorbent pad 18 into inboard sleeve pocket 16 and then place compressive bandage 14 on the head of the user.

[0038] Due to the materials used in the compressive bandage, after removal of the pad 18, the compressive bandage can be washed, sterilized and re-used.

[0039] The method for stanching a head wound on a patient's head is shown as a process in FIG. 4. First, the healthcare worker inserts the absorbent pad into the inboard sleeve pocket 16 of the elastic cap (110). This forms a loaded compressive bandage as shown in the other figures and particularly shown in FIG. 3. Thereafter, the loaded compressive bandage is placed over the patient's head wound (112). In this manner, the elastic cap 14 encases a portion of or substantially all of the head of the patient as well as the patient's head wound.

[0040] Fluid flow from the head wound flows or passes through pervious pocket patch 16a (114) and into the sleeve pocket 16 and into the pad 18 and the fluid is accumulated and absorbed by absorbent pad 18 (116). The head wound is compressed by the loaded compressive bandage thereby stanching the head wound.

[0041] Thereafter, the healthcare worker removes the loaded compressive bandage 12 from the user's head (118). The healthcare worker withdraws the absorbent pad from the inboard sleeve pocket 16 (120). The healthcare worker inserts a second absorbent pad 18 into the inboard sleeve pocket 16 of the compressive bandage system (122). Thereafter the healthcare worker, using the second loaded compressive bandage (see FIG. 3), places the bandage over the patient's head wound (124).

[0042] The claims appended hereto are meant to cover modifications and changes within the scope and spirit of the present invention.