GARMENT HAVING ACCESS PORT
A garment which provides medical access to an access port is disclosed. The garment is an article of apparel, such as a shirt, having an access port aligned with a receiving element such as a medical access device or receiving implant within a patient. The access port is surrounded by an elastically stretchable material which has a memory and returns to its original shape after being stretched and deformed. The article of apparel may have a material such as neoprene surrounding the access port. The entire shirt may be formed of neoprene. Alternatively, a first section of the garment may be formed of neoprene while the remainder of the garment may be formed of a second material. In various embodiments, the garment may include a flap which covers the access port and is optionally held in place via hook and loop fasteners. The flap is optionally adapted to hold a dressing over the access port when in its closed position.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a garment having an access port, and more particularly, to an article of clothing for the upper body allowing medical access to a patient's body.
2. Background
For numerous reasons, various situations require that healthcare professionals gain access to a portion of skin on a patient. For example, the patient may have a vascular access device or other implant placed under the skin, or require chemotherapy, infusion-type therapy, transfusion therapy, or any number of other treatments. In order for the access point to be exposed for healthcare professionals to prep and access, typically patients arriving at healthcare facilities will need to disrobe or change into a gown.
Going through this process can be disadvantageous for a number of reasons. First, it can be time consuming, meaning the patient must spend more time at the facility, and fewer patients can be treated in a given amount of time. Secondly, it can be inconvenient and uncomfortable for patients to go through this process, particularly when the condition of the patient is such that the energy and motions required to change clothing or to provide access to a medical device or access point may be painful, uncomfortable, or burdensome. Furthermore, it may be psychologically undesirable for patients to have to go through this process repeatedly.
Various garments related to treatment programs have been disclosed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,073,204 issued to Boyles discloses a garment having a compartment for medical equipment. However, a suitable access point for the purposes described above is not present, and it is not adaptable to make it very suitable for medical access, nor is the garment comfortable as regular apparel.
Other garments have been proposed, however, they relate to hospital gowns which would not be worn as regular clothing outside of a medical facility. Such garments do not include an access port which can be stretched away from the access point, nor do they address the issues discussed above.
Thus, there remains a need for garments which are suitable as regular clothing outside of a medical facility setting by a patient which provides convenient and versatile access to an access point, thus allowing the patient to remain active or mobile prior to or after they receive medical treatment.
SUMMARYThe present invention is a garment which provides access to the skin of a user for medical purposes.
The garment of the present invention includes an article of apparel having an access port. The article of apparel, such as a shirt, can be stylish and suitable as regular apparel outside of a medical facility setting without the user feeling that it separates them from others. The access port is generally aligned with a receiving element on a user. For example, the user may have a receiving implant under the skin, such as a vascular access device. Medical professional may need to obtain access to a patient for treatment of diabetes, chemotherapy, vascular disease or conditions, or numerous other conditions. Such a port is often located at the top right side of the chest, however, the access port can be positioned where ever needed.
Conventionally, a patient would need to disrobe, partially disrobe, or change into a medical gown, in order to provide the appropriate access. This can be time consuming, uncomfortable, and difficult for some patients, and can be an impediment to medical professionals requiring access. The present invention addresses these issues.
In various embodiments, the present invention is an article of apparel for the upper body having such an access port. The article of apparel, such as a shirt, includes a portion of material surrounding the access port. The material is ideally an elastically stretchable material, requiring no seams, which can be deformed and stretched to provide access to a larger region of skin on the user. This enables a healthcare provider to prep an area larger than that exposed by the opening in the garment before stretching the material. Ideally, the material has a memory and will return to its original configuration after being stretched or deformed.
Various materials may be suitable to use for the portion of material surrounding the access port. For example, a rubber, such as a synthetic rubber may be used. A neoprene material may be ideally suited for this purpose. The entire garment may be formed of the material, such as neoprene. Alternatively, only a small surrounding area around the access port may be the stretchable material and the rest of the garment may be formed of a second material, or multiple additional materials, such as cotton, polyester, a blend, or any other suitable material.
In certain embodiments, an portion of the garment may be formed of the neoprene or other stretchable material, such as a vertical section, a horizontal section, or an angled section. The rest of the garment may be formed of another material, or multiple other materials. The garment may have any suitable configuration or style. For example, it may be a crew neck, a v-neck, sleeveless, short sleeve, long sleeve, pullover, buttoned, etc. In some situations, another garment can be worn over the shirt so that the access port is not exposed.
In other embodiments, the access port can have a top covering or a flap attached to the garment which covers the access port. The flap can be opened to expose the access port. It can be secured in place when closed via hook and loop fasteners, or other suitable securing elements. In certain embodiments, the flap may have slits or other elements in it adapted to hold a dressing material in place over the access port. Thus, if a dressing is needed after a treatment, the dressing can be held in place using this flap rather having a separate bandage.
Still other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein it is shown and described only the preferred embodiments of the invention, simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated of carrying out the invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other and different embodiments and its several details are capable of modifications in various obvious respects, without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings, wherein like reference numerals represent like features, and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.
While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms, there are shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail, preferred embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to the embodiments illustrated.
The present invention is a garment for providing medical access 10. The garment includes an article of apparel, such as a shirt, which covers the upper body of the user. Through the article of apparel is an access port 15. The access port 15 is an opening which passes through the shirt to provide access to a receiving element or a portion of a person's skin.
The access port 15 is surrounded by a surrounding region 20 formed of a portion of material which at least substantially surrounds the access port 15. The material is ideally formed of an elastically stretchable material. Thus, the material can be stretched and deformed, and void of seams, to provide greater access to the skin under the access port 15 as it is stretched out of the way. Ideally, the material also has a memory property which enables it to return to its original configuration without any substantial damage to the material. In various embodiments, a rubber material, such as a synthetic rubber like neoprene, or a latex-free material may be used. However, any material having these properties is contemplated to be within the scope of the present invention.
The access port 15 is intended to be aligned with an area of skin on a user which must be accessed. For example, it may be a medical implant device located above or under the skin, or it may merely be a portion of skin required to be accessed for medical or other purposes. This area on the user is referred to as the receiving element, whether it is a part of the body or a device implanted in the body.
The garment of the present invention may be any configuration suitable for covering the upper body. For example, it may be a short sleeve shirt, as shown in
In the embodiments shown in
As discussed above, the surrounding region 20 is ideally a stretchable material having a memory, such as neoprene. Various configurations are possible and may be variously desirable. For example, the surrounding region 20 may be a small area surrounding the access port 15, and the rest of the shirt may be composed of a different suitable material. The surrounding region 20 may be a larger portion of the shirt. For example,
In various other embodiments, the entire shirt may be, or may be formed of, the surrounding material 20. For example, substantially the entire shirt might be formed of neoprene.
In still other embodiments, the garment 10 may include a flap 25. The flap 25 is attached to the shirt, and is positioned to cover the access port 15 in its closed position, and to allow the access port 15 to be exposed in its open position. Thus, the garment 10 can be worn without any additional outer layer as the access port 15 can be concealed. The flap 25 is ideally held in place by securing elements 30 such as hook and loop fasteners. Thus, a healthcare professional can open the flap 25 and access the port 15, and stretch it to broaden the access.
In various other embodiments, the flap 25 may be equipped with holding elements to hold a dressing 35 in place so that it may be positioned over the access port 15 in the closed position. For example, the flap 25 may include slits or other elements, such as anchoring elements 40 to hold the dressing 35 in place. Thus, if a dressing 35 is needed after access, a separate bandage may not be required.
While specific embodiments have been illustrated and described, numerous modifications come to mind without significantly departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of protection is limited by the scope of the accompanying claims.
Claims
1. A garment providing medical access comprising:
- an article of apparel for covering at least a portion of an upper body of a user,
- an access port comprising an opening through said article of apparel,
- a surrounding region comprising a portion of material substantially surrounding said access port wherein said portion of material comprises an elastically stretchable material, wherein said material has a memory and returns to its original shape after being deformed.
2. The garment providing medical access according to claim 1, wherein said access port is substantially aligned with a receiving element disposed within the body of a user.
3. The garment providing medical access according to claim 2, wherein said material is rubber.
4. The garment providing medical access according to claim 3, wherein said rubber is neoprene.
5. The garment providing medical access according to claim 4, wherein said article of apparel is a sleeveless shirt.
6. The garment providing medical access according to claim 4, wherein said article of apparel is a short sleeve shirt.
7. The garment providing medical access according to claim 4, wherein said article of apparel is a long sleeve shirt.
8. The garment providing medical access according to claim 2, wherein said article of apparel is substantially entirely formed of neoprene.
9. The garment providing medical access according to claim 2, wherein said surrounding region comprises a first section of said article of apparel, and wherein a second section of said article of apparel comprises a material different than the material composing the first section of said article of apparel.
10. The garment providing medical access according to claim 9, wherein said first section of said article of apparel comprises neoprene.
11. A garment providing medical access comprising:
- an article of apparel for covering at least a portion of an upper body of a user,
- an access port comprising an opening through said article of apparel,
- a flap attached to said article of apparel adapted to cover said access port in a closed position, and expose said access port in an open position.
12. The garment providing medical access according to claim 11, wherein said flap is held in place in the closed position via hook and loop fasteners.
13. The garment providing medical access according to claim 11, wherein said flap is adapted to hold replaceable dressing material in place over said access port in said closed position.
14. The garment providing medical access according to claim 11, further comprising a surrounding region comprising a portion of material substantially surrounding said access port wherein said portion of material comprises an elastically stretchable material, wherein said material has a memory and returns to its original shape after being deformed.
15. The garment providing medical access according to claim 14, wherein said access port is substantially aligned with a receiving element disposed within the body of a user.
16. The garment providing medical access according to claim 15, wherein said material is rubber.
17. The garment providing medical access according to claim 16, wherein said rubber is neoprene.
18. The garment providing medical access according to claim 14, wherein said article of apparel is substantially entirely formed of neoprene.
19. The garment providing medical access according to claim 14, wherein said surrounding region comprises a first section of said article of apparel, and wherein a second section of said article of apparel comprises a material different than the material composing the first section of said article of apparel.
20. The garment providing medical access according to claim 19, wherein said first section of said article of apparel comprises neoprene.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 12, 2010
Publication Date: Jan 12, 2012
Inventor: Lisa J. Sagami (LaGrange, IL)
Application Number: 12/834,740
