Saliva collection device for patients with drooling

Abstract

This utility model discloses a saliva collection device for patients with drooling, relating to the field of nursing equipment technology. The saliva collection device includes a flat funnel and straps. The funnel is composed of a front shell and a rear shell that are symmetrically fitted and protrude outwards. Straps are fixedly connected to both sides of the rear shell. The edge of the upper opening of the rear shell has horizontally foldable pleats along its length. The bottom edge of the pleats is fixed to the upper edge of the rear shell. The top edge of the pleats is a free-deformable end, used to adaptively conform to the contour of the patient's chin skin. This saliva collection device can adapt to patients with different face shapes, preventing saliva from flowing from the chin area to below the neck.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of nursing equipment technology, and in particular to a saliva collection device for drooling patients. Background Technology

[0002] Drooling (involuntary drooling) is a common and significant problem affecting quality of life. It primarily stems from weakened orofacial muscle control, sensory abnormalities, and impaired swallowing reflexes caused by stroke. Drooling not only causes perioral skin maceration and discomfort, increasing the risk of infection, but more seriously, it severely damages patients' social dignity and confidence in recovery, hindering their reintegration into society.

[0003] Of particular note is that drooling is more pronounced during dynamic activities. When patients are performing sitting exercises, standing, or walking rehabilitation, changes in head position, gravity, and the focus on limb control all contribute to saliva more easily overflowing from the corners of the mouth and dripping down the chin involuntarily. Existing methods have significant limitations: firstly, frequent wiping can interfere with rehabilitation activities and is unsightly; secondly, using a regular bib to cover the chest is ineffective in catching saliva dripping directly from below the chin, especially during patient movements (such as head turning or tilting forward). The saliva easily flows down along the gap between the chin skin and the device, eventually bypassing the collection area and flowing directly down the neck or even into the collar, causing neck skin irritation and clothing staining. Utility Model Content

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by this utility model is to provide a saliva collection device for patients with drooling, which can be adapted to patients with different face shapes and prevent saliva from flowing from the chin area to below the neck.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] A saliva collection device for patients with drooling includes a collection hopper and a wearing part. The collection hopper is worn below the patient's chin. The wearing part is used to fix the collection hopper to the patient's chin. The upper edge of the collection hopper that fits the patient's chin has a semi-circular arc groove that extends downwards. The arc groove has a foldable pleat. The bottom edge of the pleat is fixed to the arc edge of the arc groove. The top edge of the pleat is a free-deformable end, used to adaptively fit the contour of the patient's chin skin.

[0007] In some embodiments, the water collection hopper is formed by a front shell and a rear shell that are symmetrically fitted and protrude outwards, and the arc-shaped groove is formed on the rear shell; the wearing part is formed by two straps, one end of which is fixedly connected to both sides of the rear shell.

[0008] In at least one embodiment, the upper surface of the fold has a continuous wavy structure.

[0009] In at least one embodiment, the water collecting hopper structure is a flat funnel shape, with a water collecting trough connected to its bottom.

[0010] In at least one embodiment, a water-absorbing block is detachably provided inside the water collection tank, and the water-absorbing block is connected to a pull rope that is hung on the outside of the water collection hopper through the upper part of the water collection hopper.

[0011] Compared with existing technologies, this utility model achieves at least the following beneficial effects: By setting a pleated part on the upper edge of the water collection hopper and making its top edge a free deformation end, this utility model can adaptively fit the chin contour of patients with different face shapes, forming a continuous sealed interface during dynamic activities such as sitting, standing, and walking. This effectively solves the problem of gap leakage caused by poor chin fit in existing saliva collection devices, and effectively prevents saliva from flowing down the neck, further improving the patient's treatment mindset during the recovery period. At the same time, with the setting of a detachable water-absorbing block, after the water collection tank is full of saliva, it can be removed and replaced by lifting the pull rope. Attached Figure Description

[0012] One or more embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0013] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the saliva collection device for patients with drooling according to the present invention.

[0014] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Left view of a patient with drooling who has had a saliva collection device concealed behind a latex sleeve;

[0015] Figure 3 for Figure 2 Front shell unfolded diagram;

[0016] Figure 4 This is an exploded view of the saliva collection device for patients with drooling according to this utility model.

[0017] The following are the labels in the diagram: 1. Water collection hopper; 11. Front shell; 111. Slot; 12. Rear shell; 121. Arc groove; 2. Wearing part; 21. Strap; 211. Latex sleeve; 3. Pleated part; 4. Water collection trough; 5. Water absorption block; 51. Pull rope. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to exemplary embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. However, it should be understood that the present invention may be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. These embodiments are provided herein to make the disclosure of the present invention more complete and to fully convey the concept of the present invention to those skilled in the art.

[0019] In the description of this utility model, it should be understood that the terms "center", "lateral", "longitudinal", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "upper", "lower", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", and "outer" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of this utility model.

[0020] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the saliva collection device for drooling patients in this utility model includes a water collection hopper 1 and a wearing part 2. The water collection hopper 1 is worn below the patient's chin; the wearing part 2 is used to fix the water collection hopper 1 to the patient's chin. The upper edge of the water collection hopper 1 that fits the patient's chin has a semi-circular arc-shaped groove 121 extending downwards. The arc-shaped groove 121 is provided with a foldable pleat 3. The bottom edge of the pleat 3 is fixedly connected to the arc-shaped edge of the arc-shaped groove 121. The top edge of the pleat 3 is a free-deformation end, used to adaptively fit the contour of the patient's chin skin. Specifically, the water collection hopper 1 is composed of a front shell 11 and a rear shell 12 that are symmetrically fitted and protrude outwards. The arc-shaped groove 121 is opened on the rear shell 12. The wearing part 2 is composed of two straps 21, one end of which is fixedly connected to both sides of the rear shell 12.

[0021] The pleated portion 3 is made of a flexible elastic material. In this embodiment, the flexible elastic material is medical-grade silicone. Silicone has no preset deformation path and can adaptively bend in response to local pressure to fit patients with different face shapes. The top edge of the pleated portion 3 is a free-deformation end, possessing unconstrained boundary characteristics. It is supported by a non-rigid skeleton and can closely fit the contour of the patient's chin skin solely through the elastic deformation of the material itself. The strap 21 is a strap with Velcro. In this embodiment, the strap with Velcro should be a flexible long strip. Velcro, also known as hook and loop fastener, is a connecting accessory designed based on biomimetic principles. It achieves repeated opening and closing through the mechanical interlocking of the hook and loop surfaces. Obviously, the Velcro on the two long strips in this embodiment should have hook and loop surfaces respectively for interconnection, so as to adjust the tightness of the strap according to the size of different patients' heads. In addition, to avoid pressure sores caused by the strap 21 contacting the patient's ear, an adjustable latex sleeve 211 is provided on the strap 21.

[0022] In order to increase the contact area between the top of the fold 3 and the chin skin, the upper surface of the fold 3 has a continuous wave-shaped structure or a zigzag structure. By setting it in this way, it can further increase the friction, make it more stable and close to the chin, and further reduce the gap.

[0023] The water collection hopper 1 has a flat funnel shape, and its bottom is connected to a water collection trough 4. In this embodiment, the water collection hopper 1 and the water collection trough 4 are integrally molded from transparent plastic material. The outer side of the water collection hopper 1 is also provided with scales, so as to facilitate real-time observation of the patient's saliva flow.

[0024] To prevent contamination caused by saliva leakage from the water collection tank 4 when using the device by supine or comatose patients, a detachable absorbent block 5 is installed inside the water collection tank 4. This absorbent block 5 is connected to a pull rope 51 that hangs from the upper part of the water collection hopper 1 on its outer side. Specifically, in this embodiment, the absorbent block 5 is made of a porous absorbent material, specifically medical sponge. Furthermore, to prevent the pull rope 51 from falling into the water collection hopper 1, a slot 111 is provided on the upper edge of the front housing 11. The pull rope 51 is secured in this slot 111, allowing the absorbent block 5 to be easily removed and replaced with a new one when it becomes saturated. It should be noted that the number of absorbent blocks 5 in this device can be selected according to usage requirements.

[0025] The method of using the saliva collection device for drooling patients is as follows: When using it, align the back shell 12 with the area below the chin, align the upper surface of the fold 3 with the lower edge of the mandible, then wrap the strap 21 around the cheek and from the ear to the back of the head, tighten it slightly and fix it with Velcro. Since the fold 3 is made of flexible elastic material and the top edge of the fold 3 is a free-deformation end, it can adaptively fit the contour of the patient's chin skin, effectively avoiding the problem of saliva leakage along the neck.

[0026] It should be understood that all the above embodiments are exemplary and not restrictive. Various modifications or variations made by those skilled in the art to the specific embodiments described above under the concept of this utility model should be within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A saliva collection device for drooling patients, comprising a saliva collection hopper (1) and a wearing part (2), wherein the saliva collection hopper (1) is worn below the patient's chin; and the wearing part (2) is used to fix the saliva collection hopper to the patient's chin, characterized in that: The water collection hopper (1) has a semi-circular arc groove (121) that is formed downwards from the upper edge of the patient's chin. The arc groove (121) has a foldable pleat (3). The bottom edge of the pleat (3) is fixed to the arc edge of the arc groove (121). The top edge of the pleat (3) is a free deformation end, which is used to adaptively fit the contour of the patient's chin skin.

2. The saliva collection device for patients with drooling according to claim 1, characterized in that: The water collection hopper (1) is formed by a front shell (11) and a rear shell (12) that are symmetrically fitted together and protrude outwards. The arc-shaped groove (121) is opened on the rear shell (12). The wearing part (2) is composed of two straps (21), one end of which is fixedly connected to both sides of the rear shell (12).

3. The saliva collection device for patients with drooling according to claim 2, characterized in that: The upper surface of the folded part (3) has a continuous wave-shaped structure.

4. The saliva collection device for patients with drooling according to claim 3, characterized in that: The water collection hopper (1) has a flat funnel shape, and its bottom is connected to a water collection trough (4).

5. The saliva collection device for patients with drooling according to claim 4, characterized in that: The water collection tank (4) is detachably equipped with a water-absorbing block (5), which is connected to a pull rope (51) that is hung on the outside of the water collection bucket (1) through the upper part of the water collection bucket (1).

6. The saliva collection device for patients with drooling according to claim 1, characterized in that: The folded portion (3) is made of a flexible elastic material.

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