AU2015101212A4 - A Disposable Tourniquet - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract The present invention relates to a disposable tourniquet which includes a band of material. The band of material is adapted in use to be removably wrapped around a selected part of a limb. The band of material has a designated area adapted to allow 5 recordal of information.

Description

22221 A Disposable Tourniquet Technical Field This invention broadly relates to a disposable tourniquet. Background of the Invention 5 It is commonplace to use disposable tourniquets in a clinical environment to limit venous blood flow in a limb to ensure vessel distention, to assist in venepuncture and cannulation procedures, also referred to as blood work. In use, a user typically has to stretch a disposable tourniquet to the extent necessary to achieve the desired tension and then adhere the free end of the tourniquet to the 10 band surrounding the patient's arm. The tourniquet is then caused to stay around the patient's arm to maintain the tension for a selected period of time. Users however often find themselves facing the problem of forgetting to keep track of the time at which the tourniquet is applied. As a result, the desired length of time for which the tourniquet is meant to be wrapped around the patient's arm may not 15 be achieved. It is an object of the present invention to provide a tourniquet which may overcome or ameliorate the above problem, or which will at least provide a useful alternative. Summary of the Invention According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a disposable 20 tourniquet including a band of material adapted in use to be removably wrapped around a selected part of a limb, the band of material having a designated area adapted to allow recordal of information. According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a continuous strip including a plurality of disposable tourniquets, each of which is 22221 2 detachable and includes a band of material adapted in use to be removably wrapped around a selected part of a limb, the band of material having a designated area adapted to allow recordal of information. Preferably, the information is a time at which the tourniquet is applied. 5 Alternatively, the information includes the date on which the tourniquet is applied and/or the name of a patient. The designated area is preferred to be located in the middle of the loop portion but may be provided at any suitable location where it is readily visible to a user. The designated area is preferred to provide a blank space for a user to fill in. Preferably, 10 the blank space is underlined. In a preferred embodiment, the band of material includes a loop portion flanked by a gripping portion and a fastening portion. It is preferred that the gripping portion includes an opening located substantially away from an end of the gripping portion and configured in use to facilitate passage of the fastening end therethrough. 15 Conveniently, the tourniquet has an enlarged gripping portion with an enlarged opening adapted to receive a standard sized fastening portion. Optionally, the fastening portion is diminished or has tapering sides so as to facilitate passage through a standard sized opening provided on a standard sized gripping portion. The loop portion is preferred to have adequate length to encircle the selected part 20 of the limb. Preferably, the selected part of the limb is an arm. In use, the fastening portion is folded onto the loop portion after passing through the opening. Preferably, the tourniquet includes an adhesive for bonding the fastening portion to the loop portion. The adhesive is preferred to be provided on the loop portion in proximity to the opening. The adhesive before use is preferred to be covered by a 25 detachable concealing means. The adhesive may be a heat sensitive adhesive adapted to enable easy peeling action for separating the fastening portion from the loop portion.

22221 3 The band may be fabricated from a single sheet material or as composite material to provide the desired characteristics, in particular strength and elasticity. The materials used are preferably to be flexible and substantially inextensible. In a preferred embodiment, the strip of tourniquets includes at least a line of 6 weakness between adjacent tourniquets. This enables the tourniquests to be detachably connected to one another end to end. According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of applying a disposable tourniquet to a limb of a patient, the method including the steps of: 1o 1) securely wrapping the disposable tourniquet around a selected part of a limb; and 2) recording information on a surface of the tourniquet. It should be noted that steps 1) and 2) above may be carried out in reverse order. It is preferred that the gripping portion is configured and sized so as to facilitate 1, firmly gripping by the user while the band is being tensioned around the limb of the patient. Brief Description of the Drawings The invention may be better understood from the following non-limiting description of a preferred embodiment, in which; 20 Figure 1 is a plan view of a outwardly facing surface of a tourniquet in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 2 is a set of schematic diagrams illustrating the steps involved in the application and removal of the tourniquet of Figure 1.

22221 4 Detailed Description of the Drawings Referring to Figure 1, a disposable tourniquet 10 includes a band of material which in use is to be removably wrapped around a selected part of a limb. In the present embodiment, the selected part of the limb is an arm of a patient. The band of 5 material has a designated area 12 which is provided to allow recordal of information. As shown in Figure 1, the designated area 12 includes the printed words 'Time applied' followed by two underlined blanks for a user to fill in the time at which the tourniquet 10 is applied. 10 Although not shown in the attached drawings, it is contemplated that the designed area 12 may be designed to allow the user to record information such as the date on which the tourniquet 10 is applied and/or the name of a patient. As shown in Figure 1, the band of material (ie. the tourniquet) includes a loop portion 14 flanked by a gripping portion 16 and a fastening portion 18. The 15 gripping portion16 has an opening 20 located substantially away from an end 22 of the gripping portion 16. The opening 20 is configured in use to facilitate passage of the fastening end 18 therethrough. Referring to Figure 1, the designated area 12 is located in the middle of the loop portion 14. It should be noted that the designated area 12 may be provided at any 20 suitable location where it is readily visible to a user. As shown in Figure 1, the tourniquet 10 has an enlarged gripping portion 16 with an enlarged opening 20 which is configured to receive a standard sized fastening portion 18 at the other end of the tourniquet 10. It is contemplated that the fastening portion 18 may be diminished or include tapering sides so as to facilitate 25 passage through a standard sized opening 20 provided on a standard sized gripping portion 16.

22221 5 As best shown in Figure 1, the loop portion 14 is elongate in shape and has an adequate length to encircle the anm. In use, the fastening portion 18 is folded onto the loop portion 14 after passing through the opening 20. The tourniquet 10 also has an adhesive (not visible in Figure 1) for bonding the fastening portion 18 to the 5 loop portion 14. The adhesive is provided on the loop portion 14 in proximity to the opening 20 and, before use, is covered by a detachable concealing means in the form of a label 24 providing removal guidance to the user. In the present embodiment, the adhesive is a heat sensitive adhesive which enables easy peeling action for separating the fastening portion 18 from the loop portion 14. 10 It should be noted that the band of material may be fabricated from a single sheet material or as composite material to provide the desired characteristics, in particular strength and elasticity. The materials used are preferred to be flexible and substantially inextensible. Although not shown in the accompanying drawings, multiple tourniquets of the 15 present embodiment are provided in a continuous strip. The strip includes a number of lines of weakness. Each line of weakness is located between adjacent tourniquets and includes perforations which enable the tourniquests to be easily detached from one another. Turning now to Figure 2, the steps of a method of applying the disposable 20 tourniquet 10 to an aim of a patient are shown. The method includes the first step of securely wrapping the disposable tourniquet 10 around a selected part of the patient's arm and a second stepof recording the time on a surface of the tourniquet 10. It should be noted that the two steps described above may be carried out in reverse order. 25 Referring to Figure 2, the first step of mounting the tourniquet 10 around the patient's arm involves three miniature steps. The first ministep involves peeling off the label 24 from the loop portion thereby exposing the adhesive 26. The second 22221 6 ministep involves wrapping the tourniquet 10 around the arm 28 of the patient with the printed side facing upwards and inserting the end with the fastening portion 18 through the opening 20 located near the gripping portion 16. Ministep three involves tightening and sticking the tourniquet 10 down to the exposed adhesive 6 26. This completes the wrapping procedure and the tension created by the tourniquet 10 around the arm 28 is dictated by the length of the loop portion 14 that is drawn through and beyond the opening 20 before being folded down onto itself. Referring to Figure 2, ministep four is for removal of the tourniquet 10 from the patient's arm 28. To remove the tourniquet 10, the user needs to grab onto the 10 fastening portion 18 and pull it upward and away from the adhesive. The tourniquet 10 is then released and detached from the patient's arm and can be subsequently removed, It should be noted that the gripping portion 16 is configured and sized so as to facilitate firmly gripping by the user while the tourniquet 10 is being tensioned 15 around the arm 28 of the patient. Now that a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in some detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the tourniquet may offer at least the following advantages: (1) it is easy to apply and remove; and 20 (2) it allows the user to keep track of the duration of time for which the tourniquet is to be applied. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention described herein is susceptible to variations and modifications other than those specifically described. All such variations and modifications are to be considered within the scope and 25 spirit of the present invention the nature of which is to be determined from the foregoing description.

Claims (5)

1. A disposable tourniquet including a band of material adapted in use to be removably wrapped around a selected part of a limb, the band of material having a designated area adapted to allow recordal of information. 5

2. The disposable tourniquet of claim 1, wherein the information includes one or more of the following: a time at which the tourniquet is applied, the date on which the tourniquet is applied, and/or the name of a patient.

3. A continuous strip including a plurality of disposable tourniquets, each of which is detachable and includes a band of material adapted in use to be 10 removably wrapped around a selected part of a limb, the band of material having a designated area adapted to allow recordal of information.

4. A method of applying a disposable tourniquet to a limb of a patient, the method including the steps of: i) securely wrapping the disposable tourniquet around a selected part of a 15 limb; and ii) recording information on a surface of the tourniquet.

5. A disposable tourniquet substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the accompanying drawings.