SPECIFICATIONBandageThe present invention relates to a supporting and absorbent bandage for hand injuries such as after surgical operations or fractures in the hand.
Up to now for such injuries absorbent bandageshave been used in the form of compresses orcotton wool in combination with plaster.
This previously predominant method of treating hand injuries has numerous disadvantages.
Forming the plaster is both time-consuming and messy. In addition to the plaster cast itself an absorbent bandage is also necessary next to the skin.
The plaster cast is uncomfortable and often causes annoying itching, which is partially a result of the fact that it is time-consuming and complicated to change the plaster cast and the underlying absorbent bandage, so that it is not changed with sufficient frequency.
Furthermore, the plaster cast is heavy and the rigid cast often immobilizes a larger portion of the hand than is necessary to provide support to the actual fracture. If a finger is broken for example, not only the finger but also a large portion of the rest of the hand must be set in plaster, thus immobilizing a major portion of the hand during the entire period required for the finger to heal.
The entire hand will also have limited mobility long after the cast has been removed, because the period which is takes for a hand which has been in a cast to recover complete mobility is essentially just as long as the period of time in the cast.
Common compresses used as absorbent bandages inside the plaster must be wetted before being applied in order not to stick to the wound.
The present invention has completely elminated the above-mentioned problems. It has been surprisingly found that soft, flexible absorbent bodies can be used as supporting bandages for splinting the hand after fracture or after surgical incisions.
A bandage made according to the invention is characterized primarily in that it comprises one or more spaced, flat, flexible absorbent bodies in a continuous row, which bodies include an absorbent core and a jacket enclosing said core, said bodies, when wrapped or folded, for example wrapped once around a finger, have sufficient rigidity to serve as a supporting bandage, possibly with one or more separate additional absorbent bodies of the same type but preferably thicker for increased rigidity and larger than said firstmentioned absorbent bodies, said additional absorbent bodies being intended for application along the back and palm of the hand, as well as an elastic bandage for holding in place the absorbent bodies placed around the fracture or incision.
The absorbent bodies are suitably made of cellulose enclosed in a jacket of non-woven textile.
In order to prevent the absorbent bodies from sticking to the wound, they are enclosed in a suitable embodiment of the invention in an outer jacket made of amide plastics material, for example a polyamide fiber material such as nylon.
The invention will be described below with reference to the examples shown in the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 shows in perspective views various parts of a bandage made according to the invention. Fig. 2 shows in cross section pieces of the bandage according toFig. 1 applied around a number of fingers. Fig. 3 shows a cross section through an absorbent body.
Finally, Figs. 4 and 5 show an absorbent body in the bandage according to the invention applied around a finger, with an absorbent body on the back of the hand in Fig. 5.
Flg. 1 shows two connected absorbent bodies 1, 2 and two separate and larger absorbent bodies 3, 4. The larger, primarily longer, separate absorbent bodies and the smaller connected absorbent bodies are all made of a core of cellulose, a jacket surrounding the core of nonwoven textile, and an outer jacket of nylon. The structure of the absorbent bodies will be described in more detail with reference to Fig. 3.
The connected smaller absorbent bodies 1, 2 are joined to each other by means of a flexible portion 5, formed by the non-woven textile jacket and the outer nylon jacket. The connected smaller absorbent bodies are designed to be wound about a finger or applied in a zigzag configuration between fingers, with the flexible portion 5 facilitating application. The larger, primarily longer, absorbent bodies 3, 4, which for increased rigidity are somewhat thicker than the smaller absorbent bodies 1, 2, are designed to be applied along the back or palm of the hand, as is indicated schematically in Fig. 1. An important component of the bandage is an elastic wrapping 6 which is used to hold the absorbent bodies 1 4 in place on the hand. The wrapping 6 must be elastic to provide a sufficiently tight but not entirely rigid bandage.
Fig. 2 shows the smaller absorbent bodies 1, 2, wound in a zigzag configuration between four fingers 7 and the larger absorbent bodies 3, 4 applied to the back and palm of the hand. The dressing is complete except for the elastic wrapping 6.
All of the absorbent bodies 1 4 are soft and flexible but are folded or applied in several layers as shown in Fig. 2 to have sufficient bending rigidity to enable the bandage to serve as a supporting bandage.
Fig. 3 shows a cross section through an absorbent body. It consists of a core 8 of cellulose and a jacket 9 of non-woven textile surrounding the core and which is sealed at both ends of the absorbent body. The jacket 9 is in turn enclosed by a hose-like outer jacket 10 of nylon which is open at the end. By virtue of this outer jacket being made of nylon, the absorbent body will not stick to wounds. Suitably, the two jacket layers 9, 10 are folded over so that the overlapping seam portions in each jacket are at the same place and are joined by means of a common string 1 1 of hot melt which joins together the two jackets.
Fig. 4 shows a single absorbent body 1 of the smaller size wrapped around a broken finger. The absorbent body wrapped in this manner has sufficient bending rigidity to serve as a supporting bandage. All that is required is that the absorbent body be held in place with the aid of an elastic wrapping 6. In contrast to conventional plaster casts, the mobility of the rest of the hand is not affected.
Flg. 5 shows how a single absorbent body 1 of the smaller size wound about a finger can be supplemented with a larger absorbent body 3 on the back of the hand to achieve additional support.
The invention is not limited to the embodiments described here; rather a number of modifications are possible within the scope of the accompanying