ZA200707977B - Body wound treatment apparatus - Google Patents

Description

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BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

THIS invention relates to a body would treatment apparatus.

It is recognized by health care professionals that the healing of some body wounds can be assisted by proper cleansing of the wound site and by debriding damaged tissue and foreign material from that site. In addition it is recognised that the healing of some wounds can be accelerated by application of appropriate treatment material, for example salt.

It is objective of the present invention to provide a relatively simple method and apparatus for body wound treatment.

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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention there is provided a body wound treatment apparatus comprising a bag having an opening therein through which a wounded body part can be inserted into the bag with the bag being capable of forming a substantially liquid-tight enclosure about the inserted body part for accommodating a treatment liquid in contact with the wound on the body part, and a gas inleé into the enclosure through which a gas can be introduced into the enclosure in such a manner as to agitate liquid therein for the purposes of treating the wound.

The preferred apparatus includes a compartment within the bag for accommodating a treatment substance, possibly salt, for mixture with the treatment liquid, possibly water, the compartment having exposed or exposable perforations to allow the mixture to enter a space within the bag which accommodates the body part in use. In one version, the bag has a perforated diaphragm therein defining the compartment within the bag. In another version, the bag accommodates a perforated container defining the compartment within the bag. The perforations may be covered by a cover removably adhered to the diaphragm or container.

Typically the gas inlet leads into the compartment and there is a valve operable to control gas flow through the gas inlet.

The bag may have at least one opening therein spanned by a flexible wall made of stretchable material, possibly neoprene, and formed with an opening therein through which the body part can be inserted into the bag and which is arranged to seal against the inserted body part in a substantially liquid-tight manner. The bag may have two openings therein, each spanned by a flexible wall made of stretchable material and formed with an opening therein, such that a body part can be passed through the openings in the walls with a wound on the body part located within the bag and with the walls sealing against the body part, on opposite sides of the wound, in substantially liquid-tight manner.

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The bag should include means allowing gas introduced into the bag to exhaust from the bag. This may for instance be a gas vent in a wall of the bag. Alternatively, the seal which the flexible wall(s) make against the body part may be sufficient to be substantially liquid-tight but insufficient to prevent exhaustion of gas from the bag.

The bag may include a closable inlet for introduction of the liquid into the bag and a closable outlet for discharging fluent material from the bag. It may also include suspension formations thereon by means of which it can be suspended.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a side view of a first embodiment of a body wound treatment apparatus in accordance with the invention; - Figure 2 shows the body would treatment apparatus of Figure 1 in use; and

Figure 3 shows a second embodiment of the invention in use.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In Figure 1, a first embodiment of a body would treatment apparatus in accordance with the invention is designated generally by the reference numeral 10. The apparatus 10 includes a bag 12 which includes a water- impermeable, sleeve-like part 14, made of a transparent, flexible, plastics

K2007/07077 material sheeting, and an end wall 16, made of elastic neoprene. The bag 12 has generally the shape of a common type of toothpaste tube.

The end wall 16 has a central opening 18 through which the hand of a person can be inserted. The size of the opening 18 is such that, at least for a certain range of hand and forearm sizes for which the apparatus 10 is intended, insertion of a hand through the opening 18 requires elastic stretching of the wall 16, whereafter the wall will form a stretch-fit seal around the forearm.

There is a space 20 inside the bag 12. The apparatus 10 includes a gas permeable perforated plastics material diaphragm 22, which separates one part of the space 20 from the remainder of the space, thereby defining a compartment in the form of a chamber 24. The chamber 24 is filled with a treatment substance, for example salt. The apparatus 10 also includes a pull-off cover 28 adhered to the perforated diaphragm 22 and closing off all the perforations in the diaphragm. The tab 28 serves to retain the salt 26 in the chamber 24. Prior to use of the apparatus 10, the tab 28 is removed to expose the perforations in the diaphragm 22.

The apparatus 10 also includes an eye formation 30 attached to the sleeve-like part 14. This defines a charge aperture or inlet 31 for the bag 12 and is fitted with a screw-on cap 32. it also includes an identical eye formation 34, defining a discharge aperture or outlet 35 for the bag 12, fitted with a similar screw-on cap 36.

The apparatus 10 also includes a valve 38 serving a gas inlet 40 leading into the chamber 24. A gas feed means, for example an air pump (not shown) can be connected to the valve 38 in order to feed a gas, for example air, into the chamber 24 when the valve 38 is open.

The bag 12 is provided with two suspension formations in the form of lugs 42.

Figure 2 shows a forearm 44 of a person which has a wound thereon requinng treatment, including cleansing. The pull-off cover 28 is removed and the hand 45 is pushed through the opening 18 into the space 20 in the bag 12, along with most of the forearm. The wall 16 fits snugly, in a stretch-fit, around the forearm 44 just below the elbow. The bag 12 may be laid flat on a surface for support or it may be suspended from the lugs 42.

With the valve 38 closed the cap 32 is removed from the eye formation to expose the charge aperture 31. The bag 12 is partially filled with water and the cap 32 is replaced. Some of the water enters the chamber 24 through the perforated diaphragm 22 and starts to dissolve the salt 26.

An air pump is connected to the valve 38 and is actuated, after opening the valve, to feed air into the chamber 24. The air passes through the salt/saltwater mixture in the chamber 24 and through the perforations in the diaphragm 22 into the remainder of the space 20 where the forearm 44 and hand 45 are located. The diaphragm 22 serves as a disperser for the air to disperse it through the water in the remainder of the space. The water in the remainder of the space 20 becomes increasingly salty as : the salt 26 dissolves and migrates through the diaphragm 22. The air also agitates the salt water which serves to rinse and thus clean the wound. The potential healing effect of salt on a wound is well known and will not be elaborated on herein.

The wall 16 seals tightly enough around the forearm 44 to prevent water leaking from the bag 12. However the fit is not tight enough to prevent air from exhausting from the bag.

After treatment, the discharge outlet 35 is opened over a suitable receptacle by unscrewing the cap 36 from the eye formation 34. The contents of the bag, i.e. water, salt and any substance which may have been dislodged from the wound on the forearm 44, drains through the aperture 35 into the receptacle. The apparatus 10 can then be removed from the forearm 44 and hand 45.

The apparatus 10 provides a convenient and hygienic means for cleansing and otherwise treating a wound. It can for instance be used to perform such treatment/cleansing on a bed-ridden patient without much risk of liquid leakage.

Instead of the diaphragm 22 of the apparatus 10 alternative embodiments may include a secondary bag or other container inside an outer bag, possibly similar to the bag 12. in this case a gas inlet, equivalent to the gas inlet 40, feeds into the compartment formed by the internal container. The container is again perforated and in use contains a treatment substance, such as the salt of the above example. As in the first embodiment the perforations may initially be covered by a cover removably adhered to the container.

Treatment substances other than salt may be provided in the inner bag or chamber of the apparatus, or there may be no treatment substance at all. The choice of substance, if used, will in each case be dependent on the nature of the wound and the required treatment.

Instead of allowing air to exhaust through the opening 18 around the forearm, the bag of the apparatus may have a dedicated air vent for air to escape from the bag.

In Figure 3 a second embodiment of body treatment apparatus in accordance with the invention is designated generally by the reference numeral 48. The apparatus 48 includes an outer bag 50 which includes a flexible tubular plastics part 52 and opposite end walls 54.1 and 54.2 each of which is similar to the end wall 16 of the bag 12 of the apparatus 10 of

Figure 1. A forearm 56 can therefore extend through the bag with the associated hand 58 outside the bag. Thus in this case the bag 50 is in the form of an open-endad sleeve.

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Other features of the apparatus 48 are similar to those of the apparatus 10 of Figure 1.

Claims (11)

1. eB ape 11 co _ , A body wound treatment apparatus comprising a bag having an opening therein through which a wounded body part can be inserted into the bag with the bag being capable of forming a substantially liquid-tight enclosure about the inserted body part for accommodating a treatment liquid in contact with the wound on the body part, and a gas inlet into the enclosure through which a gas can be introduced into the enclosure in such a manner as to agitate liquid therein for the purposes of treating the wound.
2. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the apparatus includes a compartment within the bag for accommodating a treatment substance for mixture with the treatment liquid, the compartment having exposed or exposable perforations to allow the mixture to enter a space within the bag which accommodates the body part in use.
3. 3. An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the bag has a perforated diaphragm therein defining the compartment within the bag.
4. 4, An apparatus according to claim 3 wherein perforations in the diaphragm are covered by a cover removably adhered to the diaphragm.
5. 5. An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the bag accommodates a perforated container defining the compartment within the bag.
6. -0- An apparatus according to claim 5 wherein perforations in the container are covered by a cover removably adhered to the container.
7. 7. An apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 6 wherein the gas inlet leads into the compartment.
8. 8. An apparatus according to claim 7 comprising a valve operable to control gas flow through the gas inlet.
9. 9. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the bag has at least one opening therein spanned by flexible wall made of stretchable material and formed with an opening therein through which the body part can be inserted into the bag and which is arranged to seal against the inserted body part in a substantially liquid-tight manner.
10. 10. An apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the flexible wall is made of neoprene.
11. 11. An apparatus according to either one of claims 9 or 10 wherein the bag has two openings therein, each spanned by a flexible wall made of stretchable material and formed with an opening therein, such that a body part can be passed through the openings in the walls with a wound on the body part