POST-SURGICAL FOOT PROTECTOR

Abstract

A post-surgical foot protector is designed to protect the exposed toes of a foot of a surgical patient in a cast. The post-surgical foot protector includes a hollow body designed to be placed around the foot of the patient, which hollow body includes an open end portion that is designed to be positioned about and in contact with a cast on the patient's foot. There is at least one ventilation opening the body to permit airflow in and out of the body. A securing structure is wrapped around the cast on the patient's foot and an outer edge or lip of the open end portion to removably attach the body to the cast.

Claims

1. A post-surgical foot protector configured to protect the exposed toes of a foot of a surgical patient in a cast, said post-surgical foot protector comprising a body comprising: a top surface portion configured to be disposed adjacent the top or instep of a patient's foot; a bottom surface portion configured to be disposed adjacent the bottom or sole of a patient's foot; lateral side surface portions configured to be disposed adjacent the sides of a patient's foot; a front end portion configured to be disposed adjacent toes of a patient's foot, said front end portion being planar; an open end portion configured to be disposed about and in contact with a cast on a patient's foot; and at least one ventilation opening disposed in said body to permit airflow in and out of said body.

2. The post-surgical foot protector according to claim 1, wherein said post-surgical foot protector comprises a securing structure configured to removably attach said body to the cast.

3. The post-surgical foot protector according to claim 2, wherein said securing structure comprises medical tape or similar adhesive material configured to be wrapped around a cast on a patient's foot and an outer edge or lip of said open end portion to removably attach said body to the cast.

4. The post-surgical foot protector according to claim 3, wherein said body extends a substantial distance beyond and away from the toes and/or any surgical structures protruding from the toes to provide a protective space within said body upon installation on the cast and around the foot.

5. The post-surgical foot protector according to claim 4, wherein said body is a one-piece structure consisting of substantially hard plastic material, substantially soft plastic material, or a combination thereof.

6. The post-surgical foot protector according to claim 5, wherein said at least one ventilation opening is disposed in said front end portion.

7. The post-surgical foot protector according to claim 6, wherein said at least one ventilation opening comprises at least two ventilation openings.

8. The post-surgical foot protector according to claim 7, wherein said at least two ventilation openings have a substantially trapezoidal shape that tapers toward the middle of said front end portion.

9. The post-surgical foot protector according to claim 8, wherein said body comprises rounded or curved or convex sides and/or corners and/or edges.

10. The post-surgical foot protector according to claim 1, wherein said body extends a substantial distance beyond and away from the toes and/or any surgical structures protruding from the toes to provide a protective space within said body upon installation on the cast and around the foot.

11. The post-surgical foot protector according to claim 1, wherein said body is a one-piece structure consisting of substantially hard plastic material, substantially soft plastic material, or a combination thereof.

12. The post-surgical foot protector according to claim 1, wherein said at least one ventilation opening is disposed in said front end portion.

13. The post-surgical foot protector according to claim 1, wherein said at least one ventilation opening comprises at least two ventilation openings.

14. The post-surgical foot protector according to claim 1, wherein said at least one ventilation opening has a substantially trapezoidal shape that tapers toward the middle of said front end portion.

15. The post-surgical foot protector according to claim 1, wherein said body comprises rounded or curved or convex sides and/or corners and/or edges.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

[0015] The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

[0016] FIG. 1 is a bottom perspective view of a post-surgical foot protector according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a side view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0018] FIG. 3 is a front end view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0019] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the disclosure according to FIG. 2.

[0020] FIG. 5 is a front end view of an embodiment of the disclosure placed on a patient's foot.

[0021] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the disclosure placed on a patient's foot.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through 6 thereof, a new post-surgical protective covering embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral 10 will be described.

[0023] As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 6, the post-surgical foot protector 10 generally comprises a hollow structure that covers a portion of a foot that includes toes. The post-surgical foot protector 10 is generally in the form of a cap or cap-like structure. The post-surgical foot protector 10 has a generally rectangular box shape. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the post-surgical foot protector 10 has rounded or curved sides and/or corners and/or edges to maximize the protective space and ability to absorb and/or deflect impact forces. The post-surgical foot protector 10 comprises a front end portion 12, lateral side portions 13, a bottom side portion 14, and a top side portion 15. It should be noted that top and bottom side portions 14, 15 are disclosed for convenience of reference, as the post-surgical foot protector 10 could be placed on a patient's foot with either side on top or on bottom. The post-surgical foot protector 10 comprises ventilation openings 11 therein for ventilation or breathability. The ventilation openings 11 have a trapezoidal shape that tapers toward the middle of the front end portion 12 to improve structural stability, though other shapes are within the scope of the disclosure. In addition, only two ventilation openings 11 are shown, but any number of ventilation openings 11 are within the scope of the disclosure. The post-surgical foot protector 10 has an open end portion 16 sized to fit around a foot and cast on the foot. As seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, the post-surgical foot protector 10 is placed over the toes 20. There is substantial space between the toes 20 and the front end portion 12 and the lateral side portions 13 to maximize the protective effect of the post-surgical foot protector 10 and maximize the space inside the post-surgical foot protector 10 for the toes 20 and any pins 21 or other surgical devices in the toes 20. In contrast, the open end portion 16 of the post-surgical foot protector 10 fits snugly against a cast 23 that covers the foot from the leg 22 to the toes 20.

[0024] In order to secure the post-surgical foot protector 10 in place, a securing structure 24 is used to removably attach or connect the post-surgical foot protector 10 to the cast 23. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the securing structure 24 is a section of adhesive medical tape or similar. The tape is wrapped the entire way around the cast 23. The tape seals the edge of the open end portion 16 of the post-surgical foot protector 10 against the cast 23. The securing structure 24 could also be a resiliently elastic structure. In at least one possible embodiment, the post-surgical foot protector 10 could be designed to fit tightly against the cast 23 in a friction fit having sufficient gripping force to hold the post-surgical foot protector 10 in place on the cast without the need for the securing structure 24.

[0025] With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0026] Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word comprising is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article a does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.