Post surgical pant system

Abstract

This invention relates to a post surgical pant system for individuals who have had foot surgery and need to protect the surgical area on the foot and their adjoining let so as to enable normal walking with a pant like system which adapts to the leg and and foot while cushioning it and protecting it.

Description

This invention is concerned with a pant system to be worn by post surgical patients to alleviate their suffering and to protect the area of the body which was subjected to invasive surgery.

Heretofore, there have been various devices proposed to alleviate the suffering of post surgical patients and to protect those areas that were operated upon. Even if the surgery is quiet minor the associated pain and discomfort can be totally debilitating to the patient.

In particular, the foot is subject to lots of stresses and use after surgery thereupon and while there have been various devices proposed to protect the foot after surgery in terms of comfort to the patient, keeping the area of the foot operated on free from contamination and the elements and providing some cushioning to the foot.

In most foot operations, it becomes impossible for the patient to wear any form of shoes on the foot and the foot is often bound up with bandaging and a loose “bootie” fitted around it, like a huge sock. This serves to keep the foot protected somewhat but interferes with the wearing of pants and the like. Often patients are confronted with bad options, such as wearing shorts with the bound foot as it is impossible to wear pants or having to stay bedridden to avoid walking around with bared legs. While gowns can be worn in the hospital, they are not able to keep the wearer warm in the winter months and in cold climates. Nor can they be worn to workplaces or in a school setting.

With any size cast on the foot, it becomes impossible to wear pants which, in the case of men and some women, is the preferable garment to wear while they are convalescing. It becomes a mandatory piece of apparel if the patient works in an office while recuperating. Often, the patient is kept from working due to the fact that they cannot wear leg covering apparel and may not be covered by insurance for a portion of the time they are out from work solely because they have no apparel to wear.

Therefore, the post operative foot patient faces the problems of (1) wearing apparel that will keep his or her legs warm, (2) will allow the patient to function in a normal work or school environment without appearing peculiar, (3) having leg coverings that facilitate easy on and off movement for using the bathroom or for treating the foot with a salve or the like, (4) keeping the operative area free from airborne contamination, and (5) providing cushioning and comfort to the foot until healing is complete.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a post operative pant system for use by patients after leg or foot surgery which can be worn over the leg and foot areas,

It is a further object of this invention to provide a postoperative pant system for patients after leg or foot surgery that can be easily put on and taken off without disturbing the area of the surgical procedure.,

Still further, it is an object of this invention to provide a postoperative pant system for patients after leg or foot surgery that can be easily put on and taken off without disturbing the area of the surgical procedure and which will keep the leg and foot area warm in cold weather and in Northern climates,

It is another object of this invention to provide a post operative pant system for use by patients having foot or leg surgery which can be worn in normal everyday environments such as workplaces and schoolrooms without the user appearing oddly dressed,

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a post operative pant system for use by patients that provides cushioning to the foot operated upon,

These and other objects will become apparent when reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows the pant system 100 having a left leg 101 and a right leg portion 102. These leg portions, as well as the entire pant, is deliberately baggy to allow lots of freedom of movement. Any suspender system or belt arrangement may be used to hold the pants up on the wearer. Alternatively, an elastic waist band may be provided.

The left leg terminates like a normal pant leg but the right leg (assuming an operation on the right foot) is slit up the right side and has Velcro fasteners such as 107 which are opened to put the pants on or to take them off. In addition, the bottom of the leg portion 102 has a Velcro strip around the bottom of it as at 109, much like a cuff. Adapted to be attached to the leg portion 102 is the boot portion 103 which consists of a toe portion 104 into which the user slips the forward portion of his or her foot, an open area 106 which is adapted to support the arch of the foot and back portion 105 which has a Velcro strip around it to engage with the strip 109 on the bottom of the pant portion 102. Any amount of padding or support may be easily inserted into the open area 106 of the boot portion 103 and may take the form a foam, plastic cushioning material, wadded up bandaging, or other cushioning to alleviate the pressure on the foot when the device is worn.

FIG. 2 shows the boot portion 103 partially secured to leg portion 102 with the open area 106 showing. The Velcro portions 109 are shown still open and unsecured at this point.

FIG. 3 shows a front view of the system with the boot portion 103 completely secured to the leg portion 102. The ends of the Velcro as at 107 are shown.

FIG. 4 shows a side view of the boot portion 103 completely secured to leg portion 102 and shows how the leg and foot are completely covered, both for warmth and to protect them against airborne contamination.

FIG. 5 show a view in which the Velcro strip 105 is seen interengaged with strip 107 to secure the boot firmly to the leg portion 102.

The leg portion is easily taken off and can slip over the boot portion thereby leaving it on to protect the surgical area if the user uses the bathroom or has to apply medicaments to the affected area. The entire system is light weight and provides warmth to the leg and surgical area, prevents airborne contamination, is easy to take off and put on and allows the wearer to go to social and work environments without appearing abnormal or wearing grotesque apparel. The oversizing of the system allows for easy movement and does not bind up on any area thereby creating soreness or friction. It can be quite fashionably decorated, especially for children to reflect the latest fashion statement of the minute and women will find it adaptable to making it quite stylish.

Having described the preferred embodiment it will be obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art that many changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An oversized post operative pant system for protecting the leg and foot areas of patients who have had foot and/or leg surgery, said system comprising

a main pant portion comprising a first leg portion and a second leg portion, said main pant portion being baggy and oversized in relation to a patient's leg,

said second leg portion having an opening up its outside area which can be opened and closed easily, and which is sealable along its entire length, and

a separate oversized shoe portion which is adapted to be secured to the second leg portion to completely surround and cover any surgical area on the foot so as to keep the area warm and free from contamination, said shoe portion including cushioning means inside thereof to fully cushion the area of the foot upon which surgery was performed to prevent shock and injury to the surgical area.

2. A system as in claim 1 wherein the second leg portion opening has strips of hooks and loops up and down the length of the opening to facilitate easy removal or donning of the leg portion and which completely seal the portion from along the entire length of the opening.

3. A system as in claim 1 wherein the shoe portion has a strip of hook and loop strips around the back thereof, and said second leg portion has a strip of complementary hook and loop strips around the bottom thereof, said strips engaging one another to hold the shoe portion on the bottom of the second leg portion when the user is wearing the system, the complete sealing of the shoe portion acting to seal off the foot from contaminants in the air and to keep the foot warm.

4. (canceled)

5. A post surgical protective system for protecting an extremity of the body which has had surgery during the healing process, said system comprising

an oversized body member covering portion extending the length of the body member, said portion having a linear opening for easy securement to the member and to facilitate donning the system over a cast or the like on the member extremity, said portion having fastening means around the periphery thereof and which fastens the portion along its entire length,

an oversized extremity covering portion, said portion having fastening means thereabout to fasten, in conjunction with the fastening means around the periphery of the member covering portion, said extremity covering portion to said member covering portion to thereby seal off said extremity from contamination and to keep it warm

and cushioning and insulating means within said oversized extremity covering portion to fully cushion and insulate the extremity.

6. A system as in claim 5 wherein said fastening means comprises complementary hook and loop strips.

7. (canceled)