Drape

Abstract

To provide a drape capable of being easily attached and fixed.SOLUTION: A drape 1A for covering a patient in an operation comprises a sheet-like drape body 3A having a front surface F and a back surface B, an opening 5A formed in the drape body 3A, and ear strings 7 disposed on the back surface B of the drape body 3A and at positions corresponding to the ears of the patient when the opening 5A is positioned in the surgical operation field of the patient. In the drape body 3A, the front surface F has water absorbency, and the back surface B has waterproofness. The ear string 7 is exposed to the outermost side in a folded state before the drape body 3A is used.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a drape (covering cloth) used, for example, by medical personnel during treatment. [Background technology]

[0002] A drape is a piece of cloth that covers the patient while exposing only the surgical field in order to keep the surgical field clean during surgery by medical professionals. For this reason, drapes are formed with openings to expose the surgical field.

[0003] After covering the patient with the drape, it is desirable to fix the drape so that it does not move relative to the patient. One possible method for fixing the drape to the patient is to use adhesive tape. That is, adhesive tape is attached to the periphery of the opening of the drape, on the side facing the patient (hereinafter referred to as the "rear side" for convenience). For example, a drape for dental treatment has an opening formed in a position and size corresponding to the patient's mouth. And adhesive tape is attached to the periphery of the opening. When using the drape, the drape is attached to the periphery of the patient's mouth via the adhesive tape to prevent the drape from moving relative to the patient.

[0004] Another method for preventing the drape from moving relative to the patient is to provide ear straps to the drape (see Patent Document 1). This drape is provided with ear straps that are used for sanitary masks, etc. When using the drape, the ear straps are placed around both ears of the patient in the same way as when putting on a sanitary mask, preventing the drape from moving unintentionally. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2007-215849 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the conventional drapes described above have the following problems. The first problem is that the adhesive tape may have a negative effect on the patient's skin. In other words, in the case of a drape using adhesive tape, the adhesive tape is directly applied to a wide area of ​​the patient's skin, so patients whose skin is sensitive to adhesives may experience rough skin over a wide area. In addition, once the drape is fixed to the patient with adhesive tape, it becomes impossible to fine-tune the position of the drape afterwards. If the adhesive tape is peeled off and then reapplied to the patient, the adhesive strength of the adhesive tape may decrease, and it may not be possible to adequately prevent the drape from moving.

[0007] The second problem is that in the drapes using ear straps in Patent Document 1, the ear straps are attached to the edge of the drape body in the drapes in Figs. 1a, 1b, 2a, and 2b of Patent Document 1, but it is unclear how the ear straps are attached. If the ear straps were simply welded to the drape body, the welded part of the ear straps may come into contact with the patient's skin, causing discomfort to the patient. In addition, in the drapes in Figs. c1 to c4 of Patent Document 1, a part of the nonwoven fabric forming the drape is used as the ear strap, so it is impossible to form a drape with a wide area that covers the patient's body.

[0008] From this perspective, the present invention aims to provide a drape that has a large area, can be easily applied to a patient, can appropriately prevent movement relative to the patient, and does not cause discomfort to the patient. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The first means of the present invention for solving such problems is a drape for covering a patient during treatment, characterized in that it comprises a sheet-like drape body having a front and a back surface, an opening formed in the drape body, and ear straps provided on the back surface of the drape body at positions corresponding to the patient's ears when the opening is positioned in the surgical field of the patient. By adopting such a configuration, when covering a patient with a drape, the ear straps are hung around the patient's ears in the same manner as wearing a sanitary mask. The drape body is then spread to cover the patient's face and body, but the drape body does not move relative to the patient due to the ear straps, so the position of the opening is maintained in the surgical field.

[0010] The second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, a sheet-like attachment piece is further provided to be attached to the back surface of the drape body, and the end of the ear strap is joined to the side of the attachment piece facing the drape body. By adopting such a configuration, the attachment piece is attached to the back surface of the drape body by a method such as welding. Then, the ear strap is joined between the attachment piece and the drape body and to the surface of the attachment piece. Therefore, when a patient wears the drape, the end of the ear strap is covered by the attachment piece and does not directly contact the patient's face (body), and does not cause discomfort to the patient.

[0011] A third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration of the first or second aspect, the opening has a cut in a position corresponding to the patient's nose. By adopting such a configuration, when the patient's face is covered with the drape body, the patient's nose is exposed from the drape body through the cut. As a result, the drape body comes closer to the patient's face. Therefore, the patient's nose is caught in the cut of the drape body, and the movement of the drape body relative to the patient can be further restricted.

[0012] A fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration of the first or second aspect, the drape body has a water-absorbent surface and a waterproof back surface. By adopting such a configuration, when a liquid substance such as blood or a liquid medicine adheres to the surface of the drape body, the water-absorbent surface of the drape body causes the liquid substance to soak into the drape body and reliably prevent it from running down to the floor or the like. Furthermore, the liquid substance that has soaked into the drape body does not reach the patient due to the waterproofness of the back surface of the drape body, so the patient does not feel uncomfortable.

[0013] The fifth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration of the first or second aspect, the drape body is folded so that the back surface faces outward before use. By adopting such a configuration, only the back surface of the drape before use (when packaged) is exposed to the outside, and the entire front surface is folded inward. This prevents medical personnel and the like from unintentionally contaminating the surface of the drape when handling the drape.

[0014] The sixth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration of the fifth aspect, the ear straps are exposed on the outermost side when the drape body is folded before use. By adopting such a configuration, when the drape is put on a patient before use (when packaged), the ear straps can be easily hung on the patient's ears in the folded drape body. Then, by spreading the drape body, the drape body can cover the patient's body without moving relative to the patient. Furthermore, the above configuration allows the patient to put on the drape by himself.

[0015] A seventh aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the drape further comprises a position fixing tape attached to the surface of the drape body, and a part of the adhesive surface of the position fixing tape is exposed to the opening. By adopting such a configuration, after covering the patient with the drape body, the adhesive surface of the position fixing tape exposed to the opening is attached to the face (body) of the patient, thereby reliably preventing the drape body from moving relative to the patient. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a drape according to a first embodiment of the present invention, where FIG. 1(A) is a diagram showing the drape as viewed from the side, and FIG. 1(B) is a diagram showing the drape as viewed from the back side. [Diagram 2] 2A and 2B are diagrams showing a drape according to a second embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 2A is a diagram showing the drape as viewed from the side, and FIG. 2B is a diagram showing the drape as viewed from the back side. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a drape according to a third embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the back side. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 shows a drape according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention in a state before being folded, where FIG. 4(A) shows the drape from the back side and FIG. 4(B) shows the drape from the front side. [Diagram 5] 5A and 5B are diagrams showing a drape according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, with a portion of the drape body disclosed in FIG. 4 folded, where FIG. 5(A) is a diagram showing the drape from the back side, and FIG. 5(B) is a diagram showing the drape from the front side. [Figure 6] 6A and 6B are diagrams showing a drape according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, with a portion of the drape body disclosed in FIG. 5 folded, where FIG. 6(A) is a diagram showing the drape from the back side, and FIG. 6(B) is a diagram showing the drape from the back side. [Figure 7] 7A and 7B are diagrams showing a drape according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, with a portion of the drape body disclosed in FIG. 6 folded up, where FIG. 7(A) is a diagram showing the drape from the back side, and FIG. 7(B) is a diagram showing the drape from the front side. [Figure 8] 8A and 8B are diagrams showing a drape according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, in which a portion of the drape body disclosed in FIG. 7 is folded before use, where FIG. 8(A) is a diagram showing the drape from the back side, and FIG. 8(B) is a diagram showing the drape from the front side. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a view of a drape according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the front side. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] The drape according to each embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the present invention may be implemented by combining different embodiments.

[0018] [First embodiment] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a drape 1A according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1(A) is a diagram showing the drape 1A as viewed from the side, and FIG. 1(B) is a diagram showing the drape 1A as viewed from the back side. The drape 1A is used to cover a patient during treatment. As shown in these figures, the drape 1A of this embodiment includes a sheet-like drape body 3A having a front surface F and a back surface B, an opening 5A formed in the drape body 3A, and an ear strap 7 provided on the back surface B of the drape body 3A at a position corresponding to the patient's ear when the opening 5A is positioned in the surgical field of the patient. The drape 1A of this embodiment will be described in detail below.

[0019] The drape 1A shown in FIG. 1 is for dental treatment, and is used by positioning the opening 5A at the patient's mouth. However, the drape 1A of this embodiment can also be used for treatments other than dental treatment. The drape body 3A is formed in a sheet shape from nonwoven fabric or woven fabric, and has a roughly rectangular planar shape. However, the planar shape is not limited to a rectangle, and various shapes can be adopted depending on the treatment. The drape body 3A has a roughly circular opening 5A formed therein. This opening 5A is for exposing the surgical field of the patient, and in this embodiment, it is designed to expose the patient's mouth. For this reason, the size of the opening 5A corresponds to the size of the patient's (general person's) mouth. The opening 5A may be formed from the beginning, or perforations may be made around the opening 5A, and the nonwoven fabric of the opening 5A may be removed by cutting the perforations when used. In that case, perforations of different sizes may be made to form openings 5A of different sizes (for example, an adult size and a child size).

[0020] In addition, since the drape body 3A is in the form of a sheet, it has a surface F and a back surface B. When the surface F is covered on a patient, the surface F faces the outside, and the back surface B faces the patient side. Here, the surface F and the back surface B of the drape body 3A have different properties. That is, the surface F of the drape body 3A has water absorption, and the back surface B of the drape body 3A has waterproof properties. The reason why the surface F of the drape body 3A has water absorption properties is to prevent a liquid substance such as blood or a drug solution from adhering to the drape body 3A from permeating the surface of the drape body 3A and flowing down. On the other hand, the back surface B has waterproof properties in order to prevent the liquid substance adhering to the surface F of the drape body 3A from permeating the surface of the patient's body. The drape body 3A can be formed, for example, by bonding a sheet-shaped porous body (e.g., nonwoven fabric) and a sheet-shaped resin sheet (e.g., polyethylene).

[0021] The back surface B of the drape body 3A is provided with ear straps 7 for hanging around the patient's ears. The ear straps 7 are made of a stretchable material. The ear straps 7 are attached to the drape body 3A by, for example, welding. The ear straps 7 are for attaching the drape body 3A to the patient, like a sanitary mask. Therefore, the position of the ear straps 7 corresponds to the position of the patient's ears when the opening 5A of the drape body 3A is positioned at the patient's mouth. Although it has been described that the ear straps 7 are attached to the back surface of the drape body 7A, they may be provided at a position spaced apart from the ends (top, bottom, left, right) of the drape body 3A.

[0022] When using the drape 1A of this embodiment, a medical professional or the patient places the drape 1A on the patient's face and hooks the ear straps 7 around both ears of the patient. This prevents the drape 1A from moving relative to the patient's face. The drape body 3A is then spread out to cover the patient. On the other hand, when the treatment is finished, the drape body 3A can be easily removed from the patient by removing the ear straps 7 from both ears of the patient.

[0023] [Second embodiment] Next, a drape 1B according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 2 shows the drape 1B according to this embodiment, with FIG. 2(A) showing the drape 1B from the side and FIG. 2(B) showing the drape 1B from the back side. As shown in these figures, the drape 1B of this embodiment shares a main part with the drape 1A of the first embodiment described above. On the other hand, the drape 1B of this embodiment is different from the drape 1A of the first embodiment in the method of connecting the ear straps 7 to the drape main body 3B. That is, in the drape 1B of this embodiment, the ear straps 7 are connected to the drape main body 3B via a sheet-like attachment piece 9. The ear straps 7 are provided on the drape 1B. In this respect, it is different from the drape 1A of the first embodiment in which the ear straps 7 are directly connected to the drape main body 3A.

[0024] The attachment piece 9 is a generally rectangular sheet-like member. The material of the attachment piece 9 may be a nonwoven fabric or a woven fabric, similar to the drape main body 3B. The attachment piece 9 is attached to the drape main body 3B in such a manner that it covers the position where the ear strap 7 is connected in the drape 1A of the first embodiment. At this time, the side of the periphery of the attachment piece 9 that is closer to the opening 5B is attached to the back surface B of the drape main body 3B. Therefore, the side of the periphery of the attachment piece 9 that is farther from the opening 5B is separated from the drape main body 3B. The method of attaching the attachment piece 9 to the drape main body 3B may be adhesion in addition to welding.

[0025] The end of the ear strap 7 is joined to the side of the attachment piece 9 facing the drape body 3B. That is, the end of the ear strap 7 is attached to the attachment piece 9 so as to be sandwiched between the drape body 3B and the attachment piece 9. Therefore, the end of the ear strap 7 is covered by the attachment piece 9 and is not exposed to the patient side. Depending on the welding state, the end of the ear strap 7 may be formed into a protrusion and may cause discomfort when it touches the patient's skin. However, in the drape 1B of this embodiment, the end of the ear strap 7 is not exposed to the patient side, so that the patient is prevented from experiencing such discomfort when wearing the drape 1B.

[0026] [Third embodiment] Next, a third embodiment will be described based on FIG. 3. The drape 1C according to the third embodiment is characterized by the shape of the opening 5C formed in the drape body 3C. That is, the drape body 3C has a cut 6 that is connected to the opening 5C at a position corresponding to the patient's nose. In other words, the cut 6 is formed in the opening 5C. Specifically, the drape body 3C is cut along the bridge of the patient's nose. Therefore, when the patient's face is covered with the drape body 3C, the patient's nose is exposed through the cut 6, and as a result, the drape body 3C is closer to the patient's skin. In addition, when the patient's nose is fitted in the cut 6, the drape body 3C is caught on the patient's nose, and unintended movement of the drape body 3C is suppressed.

[0027] The method of forming the incision 6 may be to simply form a cutting line in the drape body 3C at a position corresponding to the patient's nose, or to partially remove a part of the drape body 3C to fit the nose. Also, instead of a cutting line, so-called perforations may be formed so that the size of the incision can be adjusted to fit the size of the patient's nose.

[0028] [Fourth embodiment] Next, a drape 1D according to a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4 to Fig. 8. The drape 1D of this embodiment is characterized by the way in which the drape body is folded. Specifically, the drape body is folded so that the back surface faces outward before use. Fig. 4 to Fig. 8 are diagrams showing the change in the drape body from a completely unfolded state to a completely folded state. A detailed description will be given below.

[0029] In FIG. 4, the drape body is divided into nine sections for convenience, and is folded along the boundaries between the sections. Note that the boundaries are illustrated for convenience of explanation, and are not actually marked on the drape body. Also, numbers are given to each section to make it easier to understand how each section moves in the process of folding the drape body. Note that the numbers of some sections are upside down in FIG. 5(B), FIG. 6(B), and FIG. 7(B), but this is also for convenience of explanation. FIG. 4(A) is a view of the drape 1D seen from the back side, and is composed of sections B1 to B9. Meanwhile, FIG. 4(B) is a view of the drape 1D seen from the front side, and is composed of sections F1 to F9. For example, sections B1 and F1 are the same section on the back side and the front side of the drape body. Note that the drape body is divided into nine sections for convenience of explanation, and may be divided into sections other than nine.

[0030] Next, the process of folding the drape body will be described. As shown in FIG. 5(A), when viewed from the back side of the drape 1D, a part of the drape body is folded toward the front side at the lower side of the section B4 to the section B6. Then, when viewed from the front side of the drape body, as shown in FIG. 5(B), sections B7 to B9 are folded toward the front side. Next, as shown in FIG. 6(A), when viewed from the back side of the drape 1D, a part of the drape body is folded toward the front side at the upper side of the section B4 to the section B6. Then, when viewed from the front side of the drape 1D, sections B1 to B3 are folded toward the front side.

[0031] Next, the process of further folding the drape body will be described with reference to Fig. 7. As shown in Fig. 7(A), when viewed from the back side of the drape 1D, a part of the drape body is folded toward the front side at the left side of section B5. Then, when viewed from the front side of the drape 1D, as shown in Fig. 7(B), section B6 is folded toward the front side. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 8(A), when viewed from the back side of the drape 1D, a part of the drape body is folded toward the front side at the right side of section B5. Then, when viewed from the front side of the drape 1D, section B4 is folded toward the front side.

[0032] When the drape body is folded as described above, it is in a state before use (a state when packaged). As is clear from Fig. 8, in the state before use, only the sections B4 and B5 on the back side of the drape 1D are exposed to the outside, so that even when handled by a medical professional, the surface of the drape body is not contaminated. In addition, in the folded state of the drape 1D of this embodiment, the ear straps 7 are located on the outermost side. Therefore, the ear straps 7 can be hung on the patient's ears before the drape body is unfolded, and the drape can be easily put on the patient.

[0033] [Fifth embodiment] Next, a fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a view of a drape 1E seen from the front side. The drape 1E of this embodiment is characterized in that it further includes a position fixing tape 11 that is attached to both the front side of the drape main body 3E and the patient after the patient is covered with the drape main body 3E. Specifically, the position fixing tape 11 is provided on the front side of the drape main body 3E at the upper and lower ends (positions corresponding to the patient's nose and chin) of the opening 5E. A part of the adhesive surface of the position fixing tape 11 is exposed to the opening 5. The position fixing tape 11 may be attached to the drape main body 3E in advance, or may be prepared separately and attached when used. When the position fixing tape 11 is attached in advance, a backing paper or the like is attached to the adhesive surface exposed to the opening 5E, and the backing paper is peeled off when used.

[0034] The method of using the position fixing tape 11 is as follows. First, cover the patient with the drape body 3E. Next, hang the ear straps (not shown) around the patient's ears. After finely adjusting the position of the drape body 3E, attach the position fixing tape 11 so that it covers both the drape body 3E and the patient's skin. This reliably prevents the drape body 3E from moving relative to the patient's body (face).

[0035] As described above, the drape of the present invention has various characteristic configurations. Each of these configurations has a technical effect even when used alone, but even when the configurations are combined in any desired manner, excellent technical effects are obtained. Therefore, any combination of the configurations is also included in the technical scope of the invention envisioned by this application. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E Drape 3A, 3B, 3C, 3E Drape body 5A,5B,5C,5E opening 6 Cutting 7 Ear straps 9 Mounting piece 11 Position fixing tape F1 to F9 Each section on the surface of the drape body B1 to B9 Each section on the back of the drape body

Claims

1. A drape for covering a patient during treatment, A sheet-like drape body having a front surface and a back surface; An opening formed in the drape body; A drape comprising an ear strap on the back surface of the drape body, the ear strap being attached at a position corresponding to the patient's ear when the opening is positioned in the patient's surgical field.

2. The drape according to claim 1 , further comprising a sheet-like attachment piece attached to a back surface of the drape body, the ends of the ear straps being joined to the side of the attachment piece facing the drape body.

3. The drape of claim 1 or 2, wherein the opening has a notch formed at a position corresponding to the patient's nose.

4. The drape according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the front surface of the drape body is water-absorbent and the back surface is waterproof.

5. The drape according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the drape body is folded so that the back surface faces outward before use.

6. The drape according to claim 5 , wherein the ear straps are exposed on the outermost side when the drape body is in a folded state before use.

7. 3. The drape according to claim 1, further comprising a position fixing tape attached to a surface of the drape body, a part of an adhesive surface of the position fixing tape being exposed to the opening.

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