CA1323267C - Hemorrhoid retainers - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT
539,952 A flexible yet strong member having an adhesive on one side which can be secured to the anal area to physically hold the hemorrhoids within the anal orifice with the member including means such as orifices to permit bowel gas or flatulence to rapidly escape therethrough without dislodging the hemorrhoid retainer from the anal area.

Description

2 6 ~

S P E C I E; I C A T I O N

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:
BE IT KNOWN, that we, Thomas John Gianopoulos and Wallace William Becklin, citi~èns of the United States, residing in Bloomington, Hennepin County, State ol Minnesota and Maple Grove, Hennepin County, State of Minnesota, respectively, havs invented new and useful improvements in HEMORRHOID RETAINERS of which the following is a specification.

Field of the Invention _ This invention relates primaril~ to medical devices and, more specifically, to disposable hemorrhoid retainers that can be ~uickly applied to securely and firmly hold hemorrhoids within the anal orifice.

Backaround_of the Irvention External protruding hemorrhoids ~enerally cause pain and discomfort. In addition, if the hemorrhoids become bruisedl the~ may bleed which may cause the person alarm and concern.
Bleedin~ hemorrhoids may eventually require surgery since the avail-able ointments, creams, ~ells and the like offer only temporary relief to the pain and itching and do not protect the hemorrhoid membranes from further brulsing and bleedin~. Typically, when ex~er-nal protruding hemorrhoids become bothersome, one must push the .

- . ,; :''' ., . ' - '' . ' ~ `
~ ;'~ .

:'` ' ' '' ' ~

: : :

.~232~7 hemorrhoids into the anal area with one's fin~ers. However, insertion of the hemorrhoids into the anal area does not prevent the hemorrhoids from coming out again, particularly if the person moves about. If the hemorrhoids continually protrude, usually the only option is to have surgery to remove them.
A disadvantage of available hemorrhoid preparations is that many people are hesitant about using them because they are, to some extent, invasive since some of the hemorrhoid preparations have to be placed inside the anal orifice.
The purpose of the present invention is to hold or retain hemorrhoids inside the anal orifice. If the hemorrhoids are held inside the ana:L orifice there is less ahange of injury to the hemorrhoid membrane.
Description of the Prior Art Other than surgery, the primary types of relief from the pain of external hemorrhoids is the use of ointments, jells and creams which, by their own claims, give only temporary relief from hemorrhoidal pain. The hemorrhoid preparations presently on the market are intended as temporary relief agents. In addition, the available hemorrhoid preparations are messy and also soil the persons undergarments. Furthermore, none of these creams, ointments or jells truly solve the problem of keeping the hemorrhoids inside the anal orifice. That is, exertion or improper .~

:. :; ,,, ,, ,; , ~: :: :

~2`3~b7 functioning of the anal sphincter may force the he~orrhoids out. The present invention, in contrast to the prior art jells and creams, supports and holds the hemorrhoids inside the anal orifice for prolonged periods of time.
There are known breathablP tapes and bandaids which have been employed for other purposes. However, such devices are not suitable for use as a hemorrhoid retainer since they do not permit rapid escape of air therethrough.
For example, Stenwell, U.S. patent 3,888,247 shows a first aid bandage comprises of a microporous breathable surgical tape and a flexible backing. The Stenwell bandage is applied directly to the wound to maintain a proper positioning of the wound edges without interfering with the ventilation and drainage of the wound. This type oE bandage is generally for wounds that require slow migration of air through the bandage, is unsuitable for use in anal areas sinae the flatulence would dislodge the bandage.
~ he Busee U.S. patent 3,763,858 shows a composlte material with an adhesive for fastening two dif~erent materials together for form a breathable bandaid.
The Hodgson U.S. patent 3,645,835 shows a moisture-vapor-permeable pressure-sensitive adhesive material for use on animal skin and nails. However, no suggestion is made for use as a hemorrhoid retainer.
The Goldman U.S. patent 3,654,060 shows a multi-ply film or breathable sheeting which can be used as a : , . . .: ,,:
. , : , ... ,.: ., ~ .. :

protective covering in drapes or clothing for medical personnel and for hospitals.
Summary of the Invention According to the present invention there is provided a hemorrhoid support device for a user having hermorrhoids that extend outside the anal orifice comprising a sheet having an adhesive layer on one side for attachment of said sheet to the anal area of the user having hemorrhoids that extend outside the anal orifice, said adhesive extending entirely across said sheet to thereby provide hemorrhoid support;
said sheet having sufficient flexibility so as to conform to the user's body movement yet sufficient strength so as to hold hemorrhoids within the anal orifice when said sheet is fastened over the anal orifice;
said sheet including at least one aperture to permit rapid egress of flatulenc:e to thereby prevent flatulence from dislodging said hemorrhoid support device.
An advantage of our invention i5 that if the hemorrhoids are held within the anal orifice the bleeding is lessened and eventually may stop if our hemorrhoid retainer is used correctly and regularly.
Proper use o~ the support device assists in preventing hemorrhoids from popping out at inopportune times. Consequently, it is unnecessary to continually have to push the hemorrhoids into the anal orifice such as with " -- ~

'-' ' ''': . :'; ;"''`'` ' , ;. ' , . .. ... . ..

:: ., . :. .: ~ - , - 4A _ ~ 3 2 ~ 2 ~7 products such as jells, ointments, creams and the like.
It may be possible to avoid hemorrhoidal surgery through regular and continual use of our retainer which holds the hemorrhoids inside the anal orifice.
Allowing flatulence to escape through the retainer eliminates dislodgement of the hemorrhoid retainer once it is installed.
As a consequence of using our invention over a period of time, it may not be necessary to continue to use our invention as the use of the invention may have a healing effect by preventing the hemorrhoids from being exposed to injury.
Brief Description of the Drawings Fig. 1 is a front elevation of one embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a top plan view oi. the invention shown in Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a top plan view oi a second embodiment of the invention; and Fig. 4 is a side elevation view of the invention of Fig. 3 in an applied position.
Description of the Preferred Embodiment ~ eferring to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, reference numeral 10 identifies a multiple layered hemorrhoid retainer which comprises an oblong rectangular strip of non-toxic pure latex rubber 10.

: . : ~, . ~ . . ..

.. . .
,:
:: ~,. ", ~ "
: " ~ : , ~ 32~2~7 Located on one side of rub~er 10 iq a double-faced non-~oxic tape 12 having an adhesive 14 on one side and an adhe~ive 15 on the opposite side. Adjacent to adhesive lS i5 a ~ingle face non-toxic tape 13 which i~ located on adhe~ive 15 with it~ adhesive 16 exposed for application of retainer 10 t~ the anal area. Located in a spaced pattern that generally conforms ~o the shape of the anal opening is a plurali~y o~ openings 11 that ~xtend completely through retainer 10. The holes or openings 11 have sufficien~ly open areas RO as to allow rapid escap~ of flatulence ~herethrough without dislodging th~ retainer from ~he anal area.
In the application of our hem~rrhoid retainer ~o the anal area one first pushe6 any external protruding hemorrhoid~ inside the anal orifice to permit the sphincter muscle ~o ~ecurely closP.
In order to obtain proper adhesion o~ the hemorrhoidal retainer, one should al~o clean and dry the anal area. Next, the hemorrhoidal retainer i8 applied to the anal are~ by po~itioning the retainer so ~hat the openings 11 are located proximate the anal orifice.
A~ter proper po~itioning the hemorrhoid retainer one rubs the back of the hemorrhoid retainer 10 to force retainer 10 into adhesive contact with the anal area.
In the embodiment of Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 we preferably use a strip of non-toxic latex rubber 10 in conjunction with adhe~ive strips that can be used on humans. rhe u~e of latex rubber as the backing i~ preferable ~ince it has ~u~ficient ~trength to hold the hemorrhoids in~ide the anal orifice yat is sufficiently elastic enough to flex as the u~er move~ about. In addition, the latex rubber doe~ not irritate the u~er's skin and i~ thexefore comfortable to wear for prolonged periods of time.
Referring to Fig. 3 there is shown our preferred embodi-ment comprising an ova~ shaped hemorrhoid retainer 20 including a ~ingle layer o material 21 which has ~u~icient strength ts hold ., i . .:: -` -6~ 3 2 ~ 7 the hemorrhoids wi~hin the anal orifice ye~ ~ufficient:Ly ela~tic so as to flex with movement of the u~e~. Re~er~nce nu~ral 27 denote~ the out~ ~dge of re~ainer 20. Located ln the cen~ral por-tion of hemorrhoid retainer 20 are a plurality o~ hole~ ~2 having diamet~r a. The hole~ or vent~ 22 have ~uf~icient o~en area - ~o a~ ~o allow fla~ulenc~ to rapidly escape ~h~rethxough. Located on the ~ides of r~tainer 20 are a plurality of ~elia~ ar~a~. A
first reli~f axea 23, a ~eco~d x~lief area 24, a third relief ~rea 25 and a fourth relief area 26. R~lie~ area~ 24-26 coac~ ~o pro-duce cutaway por~ions ~hat permit ~ide tab 31 to be ~olded asshown in Fig. ~. The purpo6e of the reliaf area~ i~ to permit tbe hemorrhoid retaine~ to be fas~ened to both the anal area and the cheek area to thereby provide greater adhesion. ~ha relief areas permit the ~ide tab~ of the he~orrhoid retaine~ to be folded over without producing crea~es or :Eold~ which would irritate the user.
Consequently, our hemorrhoid retainex will s~curely and ~irmly hold the hemorrhoids in place yet ~e su~ficiently com~o~able 80 as not to annoy the UB9X.
Typically the adhe~lvea u~ed to ~aaten our hemorrhoid retainer may be any adhesive which i8 non-toxlc and which will adhere to the body. In use of the multilple layer embodiment in Fig. 1, we have found double-faced tape manufactured by the 3M
medical group which can be.applied to the non-toxic pure latex strip so that one si~e adheras to the la~ex. Next, a single-~aced tape which is non-toxic and adheres to humans is applied to the opposite face. Typically a suitable single-faced adhesive tape is m~ a by the Colgate-Palmolive Company ~or use on th~ human body and i~ sold under the nama CUREX ltrademark).
Although the embodiment of Fig. 1 shows two tapes in humans, the embodiment of Fig. 2 shows an example of a device which only one layer of support material is used and a ~ingle layer of adhesive is applied thereto.

.. :' ' ~.

Claims (5)

1. A hemorrhoid support device for a user having hermorrhoids that extend outside the anal orifice comprising a sheet having an adhesive layer on one side for attachment of said sheet to the anal area of the user having hemorrhoids that extend outside the anal orifice, said adhesive extending entirely across said sheet to thereby provide hemorrhoid support;
said sheet having sufficient flexibility so as to conform to the user's body movement yet sufficient strength so as to hold hemorrhoids within the anal orifice when said sheet is fastened over the anal orifice;
said sheet including at least one aperture to permit rapid egress of flatulence to thereby prevent flatulence from dislodging said hemorrhoid support device.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said hemorrhoid support device is generally oval shaped.

3. The invention of claim 1 wherein said invention includes relief areas to permit folding attachment of said invention to the anal area of a user.

4. The invention of claim 3 wherein said invention includes a plurality of tabs extending therefrom.

5. The invention of claim 1 wherein said sheet is latex rubber.