Patient gown facilitating frontal access

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention provides a patient gown, comprising a robe having a main opening at a back of the robe. At least one side of a front upper portion of the robe is releasably attachable to a corresponding side of a back upper portion of the robe to provide frontal access through a chest portion of the robe. Further, at least one fastener may be located near a shoulder portion of the robe for attaching and detaching the front upper portion to the corresponding back upper portion.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Appln. No. 60/803,426, filed May 30, 2006, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Typically, hospital patients are provided with a gown to wear as opposed to their ordinary clothing. Conventional gowns are made from several pieces of material stitched together to form a single draping with armholes and a large opening in the rear. Accordingly, patients would don the gown by extending their arms through the arm holes, letting the gown wrap around the front of their bodies. The large opening in the back is typically kept closed by folding back panels of the gown over one another or by holding the gown in one hand. Some gowns may include strings to be tied at the back of the patient's neck in order to hold the gown in position.

Conventional patient gowns have proven to be cumbersome and frustrating to maneuver, especially when the patient is under anesthesia and therefore unable to assist. For example, a patient wearing a back-open gown and lying on his back may prevent the gown from being easily repositioned by a physician. Thus, in order to gain access to the front of the patient's body, for example, to check the patient's vital signs, the physician would have to lift the patient while tugging the gown from underneath him, and pull the gown down away from the patient's chest. This requires strenuous and time consuming efforts by the physician. In an emergency situation, where immediate frontal access to a patient is necessary, the moments lost in manipulating the patient gown could be critical. Accordingly, a patient gown providing for frontal access is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the present invention provides a patient gown, comprising a robe having a main opening at a back of the robe. At least one side of a front upper portion of the robe is releasably attachable to a corresponding side of a back upper portion of the robe to provide frontal access through a chest portion of the robe. Further, at least one fastener may be located near a shoulder portion of the robe for attaching and detaching the front upper portion to the corresponding back upper portion.

A further embodiment of the present invention provides a method for accessing a front of a patient's body, wherein the patient is laying down and wearing a back-open gown, at least one side of a front upper portion of the gown being releasably attachable to a corresponding side of a back upper portion of the gown to provide frontal access through a chest portion of the gown, and the gown having at least one fastener located near a shoulder portion for attaching and detaching the front upper portion to the corresponding back upper portion. The method comprises manipulating the gown by detaching at least one side of a front upper portion of the gown from a back upper portion; and folding down the detached front portion of the gown.

An even further embodiment of the present invention provides a patient gown, comprising a removable cover means having a front portion, a back portion, armholes at either sides, and a main opening extending along a length of the back portion. A frontal access means may include a secondary opening near a top portion of the cover means, and frontal fastening means may be positioned relative to the secondary opening. The frontal fastening means may provide for detachment and reattachment of a front upper portion of the cover means to a corresponding back upper portion of the cover means.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a patient gown comprises a removable covering having a front panel and a back panel, wherein the front panel and back panel may be releasably attached to form sleeves at either sides. The front panel may be stitched to the back panel along a seam running lengthwise below the sleeves, and a main opening extends along a length of the back panel. A frontal opening may extend across a top portion of the covering relative to a shoulder line, the frontal opening enabling an upper portion of the front panel to be temporarily detached from the back panel down to a lowest point of each sleeve. At least one rear fastener is preferably positioned relative to the main opening to provide for multiple positions for attachment and enable expansion or reduction of a fit size of the covering. At least one shoulder fastener is preferably positioned relative to the frontal opening to provide for multiple positions for attachment of the front panel of the covering to the back panel and thus to enable expansion or reduction of a fit size.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of a patient gown in a completely open position.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a patient gown in a closed position.

FIG. 3 is another front view of a patient gown which has been manipulated to show releasable attachment of portions of the gown.

FIG. 4 is a still further front view of a patient gown which has been manipulated to show a top-open position.

FIG. 5 is a front view of a patient gown being worn by a patient and manipulated to provide access to the patient's chest area.

FIG. 6 is a rear view of a patient gown in a back-open position.

FIG. 7 is a rear view of a patient gown in a closed position.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of another patient gown.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1 and 2 show front views of a patient gown 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the gown 10 is laid out in a completely open position, as it may be prior to assembly. As shown, a drape of material forms a front panel 12 including a length of material sufficient to preserve a patient's privacy. Two rear flaps 56, 58 may be stitched to sides of the front panel 12. Specifically, bottom edges of the rear flaps 56, 58 may align with a bottom edge of the front panel 12, and abutting side edges may be stitched together from the bottom alignment up to a lowest point of an armhole, thereby forming seams 17. Although in FIG. 1 the rear flaps 56, 58 are stitched to the front panel 12 at seams 17, one or both of the flaps 56, 58 and the front panel 12 may alternatively be formed from a single piece of material.

Each of the rear flaps 56, 58 may be folded behind the front panel 12 and thereby form a rear panel of the gown 10. As shown in FIG. 6, for example, the back panel includes the two flaps 56, 58, which may be manipulated to create an opening 54. The flaps 56, 58 may also be closed as shown in FIG. 7. The rear flaps 56, 58 may then be secured to one another by engaging fasteners 50 and 52, as described in further detail below. Furthermore, upper extensions of the rear flaps 56, 58 may fold back over a top of the front panel 12 so that fasteners 20 and 22 may engage. When fasteners 50 and 52 are engaged, and fasteners 20 and 22 are also engaged, the gown 10 is in a closed position, as shown in FIG. 2. A patient may prefer to wear the gown 10 in this closed position to retain privacy when access to the patient's body is not needed.

Optionally, the front panel 12 of the gown 10 may further include a recessed neck line 13. The neck line 13 allows the gown 10 to fit comfortably on the patient without restraint.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the gown 10 may be assembled to include armholes 14, 14′. For example, extensions of the front panel 12 and back panel flaps 56, 58 may be contoured to form sleeves. Specifically, a lower sleeve 16 may extend from the front panel 12, whereas an upper sleeve 18 may extend from the rear panel. The lower sleeve 16 and the upper sleeve 18 may optionally be sewn together at one end proximal to the patient's underarm and left free at another end proximal to the patient's shoulder. In this regard, the upper sleeve 18 may wrap around the patient's shoulder and be releasably attached to the lower sleeve 16.

As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the upper sleeve 18 is formed of a larger quantity of material than the lower sleeve 16. Accordingly, the upper sleeve 18 may extend over to a position forward of the patient's shoulder, and thereby overlap with the front panel 12 and the lower sleeve 16. Further to this embodiment, fasteners may be positioned forward of the patient's shoulder and more proximal to the patient's chest. In this regard, a physician may easily and quickly reach the fasteners or portions of material near the fasteners for detachment such as when a patient is facing the physician or when the patient is lying on his back. Similarly, the physician may easily reattach the front panel 12 and lower sleeve 16 to the upper sleeve 18 without strain.

As shown in FIG. 3, fasteners may be positioned on the patient gown 10 in order to secure the gown 10 around a patient's shoulders. For example, one or more fasteners 22 may reside on an upper portion of the front panel 12, and one or more corresponding fasteners 20 may reside on an abutting surface of the upper sleeve 18 which extends from the rear panel 58. When the upper sleeve 18 is wrapped around the patient's shoulder, the fasteners 20, 22 may engage, thereby securing the gown in place. Fasteners such as hook and loop fasteners, or Velcro®, may engage particularly well.

Fasteners may also be included on the rear panels 56, 58 of the gown to provide a relatively secure closure of the main opening 54. For example, at least one fastener 52 may be placed on an outer surface of the rear panel 56 near the opening 54. Correspondingly, at least one mating fastener 50 may be placed on an inner surface of the rear panel 58. Accordingly, when the rear panel 58 is folded over the rear panel 56, the fasteners 50, 52 may engage.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the front panel 12 of the patient gown 10 may be detached so as to gain frontal access to the patient. The upper sleeve 18 extending from the rear of the gown 10 may be temporarily detached from the lower sleeve 16 extending from the front panel 12. An upper portion of the front panel 12 may then be folded down. For example, the entire upper front panel 12 including lower sleeves 16, 16′ and neck line 13 may be pulled away from the patient's chest. Alternatively, only one side of the gown 10 may be temporarily detached and pulled away from the patient if access to the patient's entire torso is unnecessary. According to one embodiment, the front panel 12 and back flaps may only be stitched together from their bottom edges to a height approximating a patient's hip. In this regard, the front panel 12 may be detached at the sleeves and pulled down to expose the patient's torso and groin.

The fasteners 20, 22 may be arranged to provide for adjustment of a fit size of the gown 10. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, fasteners 22 may be three Velcro® strips approximately 1″ wide and 2.5″ long. The fasteners 22 may be positioned about 2″ apart, approximately parallel to one another and out of parallel (e.g., angularly or approximately perpendicular) to an upper seam 26 of the lower sleeve 16 on its outer surface. The corresponding fastener 20 may be a single long strip of Velcro® approximately 1″ wide and 8″ long. The fastener 20 may be positioned approximately parallel to a lower seam 28 of the upper sleeve 18 on its inner surface or near its edge. Accordingly, when the upper sleeve 18 is wrapped around the patient's shoulder, the fastener 20 may interlock with any or all of the fasteners 22 at any point along their lengths in order to secure the gown 10 around the patient's shoulders. If the fastener 20 interconnects at a lower point of the fasteners 22, the sleeve of the gown 10 will in turn be wrapped tighter around the patient's arm and thereby change a fit size. Use of multiple smaller fasteners in this configuration saves material and is thus more economical.

In addition to providing for adjustment of the gown size around the patient's arms and shoulders, fasteners 20, 22 also provide for secure attachment of the front panel 12 to the rear panels 56, 58 despite inexact placement. For example, a physician may quickly fold up the front panel 12 and the lower sleeve 16 and fold down the upper sleeve 18 to achieve a secure attachment of the gown 10 around the patient. The physician need not take additional time to align and interconnect the fasteners 20, 22.

Similar to the fasteners 20, 22, the fasteners 50, 52 may provide for adjustment of a fit size of the gown 10. That is, the fasteners 50, 52 may be variably positioned so that the gown 10 fits more snugly or loosely around a patient's torso. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, Velcro® strips may be positioned on an outer surface of the rear panel 56. The strips may be approximately 1″ wide and 5.5″ long. Three strips may be oriented approximately parallel and 3.5″ apart. This group of strips may be non-parallel (e.g., approximately perpendicular) to and 1.5″ away from an edge 66 of the rear panel 56. At least one corresponding fastener 50 may be formed of a Velcro® strip approximately 1″ wide and 13″ long, and positioned on an inner surface of the rear panel 58. The strip 50 may be oriented approximately parallel to and 1.5″ away from a seam 68 of the panel 58. Accordingly, the rear panel 58 may be folded over the rear panel 56 to interconnect the fasteners 50, 52.

It should be understood that many alternative embodiments of the present invention exist, particularly with respect to the fasteners 20, 22, 50, 52. The fasteners may vary in form and position, and may also retain the ability to adjust gown sizing. For example, the Velcro® strips may be any size, any number of strips may be used, and the positioning of the strips on the gown and orientations may be modified. Further, although the above-described embodiment employs hook and loop fasteners, such as Velcro®, any type of fastening means may be used. For example, ties, snaps, buttons, clips, buckles, or zippers may temporarily secure the upper sleeve 18 to the lower sleeve 16.

Although the upper sleeve 18 in the above described embodiment wraps around the patient's shoulder to the front of the patient's body, it should be understood that the upper and lower sleeves 18, 16 may vary in design. For example, the respective portions of material may be sized as to overlap near different areas of the patient's body, such as above the patient's shoulder, over the patient's armpit, or over the patient's collar bone. The fasteners 20, 22 may corresponding be repositioned near the overlap. Further, the gown 10 may have shorter or no sleeves, as shown in FIG. 8. Accordingly, straps 88 and 88′, as opposed to upper sleeves 18 and 18′, may extend from the rear flaps 56, 58 over the patient's shoulders and attach to the front panel 12.

According to the above-described embodiment, the rear flaps 56, 58 are joined with the front panel 12 up to the lowest points of the armholes 14, 14′. However, in a variant of this embodiment, shown in FIG. 8, seams 17 join the rear flaps 56, 58 to the front panel 12 only up to a point proximal to a patient's hip. Accordingly, when the straps 88, 88′ are detached from the front panel 12, the front panel 12 may potentially be folded down to expose the patient's torso, navel, and groin. Thus, a physician may perform a wider range of medical procedures without requiring removal or strenuous manipulation of the gown 10. Further to this embodiment, the patient may prevent exposure through sides of the gown 10 when access is not needed by securing tabs 82 and 84. For example, an end of each of the tabs 82, 84 may be sewn to the rear flaps at a point under the armholes 14, 14′. Opposing ends of the tabs 82, 84 may then be fastened to the front panel 12 by fasteners 83, 85. The fasteners 83, 85 may be any type of fastener, such as hook and loop, snaps, buckles, buttons, or pins.

Garment measurements of the gown may vary. For example, the gown 10 may be produced in several sizes, such as child, adult, and plus. In each of the sizes, further fit adjustment may be achieved by repositioning the fasteners 20, 22, 50, 52 as described above.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a method for gaining frontal access to a patient wearing the gown 10 described above is provided. In this method, a patient is first fitted with the gown 10. Fasteners 50, 52, and/or 20, 22 may be adjusted to achieve a comfortable fit for the patient. Once the patient is outfitted, the patient may prepare for a medical procedure to be performed by a physician. In many instances, this may mean the patient lies on his back on the physician's table. As the patient lies down, the rear panels 56, 58 of the gown can become pinned beneath him. Depending on the medical procedure, the patient may be required to undergo anesthesia, in which case the patient cannot voluntarily move to allow the physician to readjust the gown 10. However, the physician may temporarily detach the upper sleeve 18 from the lower sleeve 16. Once detached, the front panel 12 of the gown 10 becomes freed and may be folded down, thereby exposing the patient's chest or the frontal torso area. Accordingly, the physician gains frontal access to the patient and may perform procedures such as checking a heart rate or administering shock therapy.

Once the medical procedure has been completed, the physician may reattach the front panel 10 by folding it up against the patient's chest and folding the upper sleeve 18 over the lower sleeve 16 to engage the fasteners 20, 22. This method may be repeated any number of times without wearing down the fabric of the gown 10 or the fasteners.

Although the invention herein has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the present invention. It is therefore to be understood that numerous modifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that other arrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A patient gown, comprising:

a robe having a main opening at a back of the robe, wherein at least one side of a front upper portion of the robe is releasably attachable to a corresponding side of a back upper portion of the robe to provide frontal access through a chest portion of the robe;

at least one fastener located near a shoulder portion of the robe for attaching and detaching the front upper portion to the corresponding back upper portion.

2. The patient gown of claim 1, further comprising at least one secondary fastener near the main opening for securing and re-opening the back of the robe.

3. The patient gown of claim 2, wherein the at least one secondary fastener provides multiple positions for attachment to expand or reduce a fit size of gown.

4. The patient gown of claim 2, wherein the at least one secondary fastener is a hook and loop fastener.

5. The patient gown of claim 4, wherein one side of the hook and loop fastener is a strip that runs approximately perpendicular to the main opening of the gown, and the other side of the hook and loop fastener is a strip that runs approximately parallel to the main opening of the gown.

6. The patient gown of claim 1, wherein the fastener is located forward of the shoulder portion of the robe.

7. The patient gown of claim 1, wherein the at least one fastener near the shoulder portion is a hook and loop fastener.

8. The patient gown of claim 1, wherein the at least one side of the front upper portion may be detached from the corresponding back upper portion from a lowest point of an arm-hole upwards.

9. The patient gown of claim 1, wherein both sides of the front upper portion are releasably attachable to the back upper portion.

10. The patient gown of claim 1, wherein the at least one fastener located near the shoulder portion enables a size of the gown to be adjusted.

11. The patient gown of claim 10, wherein the at least one fastener near the shoulder portion is a hook and loop fastener.

12. The patient gown of claim 11, wherein one side of the hook and loop fastener is a strip approximately perpendicular to the shoulder portion of the gown, and another side of the hook and loop fastener is a strip approximately parallel to the shoulder portion of the gown.

13. The patient gown of claim 1, further comprising a piece of material extending from at least one side of the back portion of the gown out over a patient's shoulder.

14. The patient gown of claim 13, wherein the at least one fastener is located on the piece of material extending over the patient's shoulder.

15. A method for accessing a front of a patient's body, wherein the patient is laying down and wearing a back-open gown, at least one side of a front upper portion of the gown being releasably attachable to a corresponding side of a back upper portion of the gown to provide frontal access through a chest portion of the gown, and the gown having at least one fastener located near a shoulder portion for attaching and detaching the front upper portion to the corresponding back upper portion, the method comprising:

manipulating the gown by detaching at least one side of a front upper portion of the gown from a back upper portion; and

folding down the detached front portion of the gown.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising re-attaching the front upper portion of the gown to the back upper portion.

17. A patient gown, comprising:

a removable cover means, having a front portion, a back portion, armholes at either sides, and a main opening extending along a length of the back portion;

a frontal access means, the frontal access means including a secondary opening near a top portion of the cover means;

frontal fastening means, the frontal fastening means being positioned relative to the secondary opening and providing for detachment and reattachment of a front upper portion of the cover means to a corresponding back upper portion of the cover means.

18. The patient gown of claim 17, further comprising a second fastening means being positioned relative to a main opening of the gown.

19. The patient gown of claim 17, wherein the frontal fastening means and the second fastening means are of the same type.

20. A patient gown, comprising:

a removable covering, the removable covering having a front panel and a back panel, wherein the front panel and back panel may be releasably attached to form sleeves at either sides, and wherein the front panel is stitched to the back panel along a seam running lengthwise below the sleeves;

a main opening extending along a length of the back panel;

a frontal opening extending across a top portion of the covering relative to a shoulder line, the frontal opening enabling an upper portion of the front panel to be temporarily detached from the back panel down to a lowest point of each sleeve;

at least one rear fastener positioned relative to the main opening, the at least one rear fastener providing for multiple positions for attachment to expand or reduce a fit size of the covering; and

at least one shoulder fastener positioned relative to the frontal opening, the at least one shoulder fastener providing for multiple positions for attachment of the front panel of the covering to the back panel and to expand or reduce a fit size of the covering.