FR2814362A1 - Medical support, brace or immobiliser has skin-contact layer made from non-irritant, antibacterial, antimicrobial and hypoallergenic material - Google Patents

Abstract

The support has a rigid or semi-rigid supporting section (A) and a supple section (B) attached to the supporting section on one side, while its other side is in contact with the wearer. It has an inner layer (1) in contact with the wearer's skin, made from a non-irritant, antibacterial, antimicrobial and hypoallergenic material, fixed to an intermediate layer (2) of foam which is attached in turn to the supporting section's main layer (3). An optional outer layer (4) can be of decorative fabric.

Description

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 The present invention relates to a device for medical use, and more particularly to a holding, restraining, immobilization or comfort device for medical use.

 The devices to which the invention applies can be of various types and include in particular splints, corsets, or braces.

For reasons of clarity, the following description will be given with reference to a particular use, namely a cervical collar, also called neck brace, but it is understood that the problems posed, as well as the advantages provided by the solution of the invention are identical or similar in the other types of device to which the invention can be applied.

 Cervical collars, or neck braces, must meet several requirements which are often difficult to match. Thus, a neck brace must obviously meet the requirements for cervical blocking, it must be able to be easily put in place, the safety of the fixation must be guaranteed, it must meet hygiene requirements to avoid any risk of contamination by blood products. and / or microbial, and it must be reasonably priced.

 In the case of the minerves which are intended to be worn for a relatively long time, the concept of comfort is also an essential aspect. It is the same with regard to the aesthetics which is also often a brake on the acceptance of the neck braces by the users.

 The cervical collars existing on the market are generally made with a plastazote foam shell which is covered with a jersey fabric glued to said shell. This type of device has many disadvantages. Thus, the jersey is irritating, especially when worn for a long time, and it is not absorbent or anti-bacterial. In addition, bonding the jersey to the shell can have drawbacks due to the use of glue, part of which may come into contact with the skin of the user.

 The object of the present invention is to provide a device for medical use which does not reproduce the abovementioned drawbacks.

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The present invention thus aims to provide a device for medical use which ensures perfect comfort and optimal hygiene.

 The present invention also aims to provide such a device for medical use which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and assemble.

 The present invention therefore relates to a device for medical use comprising at least one rigid or semi-rigid support part and at least one flexible part one side of which is fixed to said support part and the other side of which is intended to come in contact with the user, characterized in that said flexible part comprises an internal layer in contact with the skin of the user, made of a non-irritating, antibacterial, antimicrobial and hypoallergenic material, said internal layer being fixed on an intermediate layer of foam, said support part comprising a support layer of rigid or semi-rigid material on which said intermediate foam layer is fixed.

 Advantageously, said support part further comprises a decorative outer layer, in particular made of fabric.

 Advantageously, said support layer comprises air passage openings.

 Advantageously, said support layer is made of expanded polypropylene (PPE).

 Advantageously, said internal layer is made of a loop material, such as Rhovyl.

 Advantageously, the internal layer is fixed to the intermediate layer of foam without glue, in particular by flame treatment.

 Advantageously, said device comprises fixing means for fixing the device on a part of the user's body.

 According to a first variant of use, said device is a cervical collar, such as a neck brace.

According to a second variant of use, said device is a splint.
Other advantages and characteristics of the present invention will become more clearly apparent from the following detailed description, which

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sera faite en référence aux dessins joints, donnés à titre d'exemples non limitatifs, et sur lesquels, - la figure 1 représente une vue schématique en coupe à travers un collier cervical selon un mode de réalisation avantageux de la présente invention ;

- la figure 2 est une vue schématique en perspective montrant un collier cervical selon un mode de réalisation avantageux de l'invention ; et - la figure 3 est une vue de détail du collier cervical de la figure 2.

will be made with reference to the accompanying drawings, given by way of nonlimiting examples, and in which, - Figure 1 shows a schematic sectional view through a cervical collar according to an advantageous embodiment of the present invention;

- Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a cervical collar according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention; and - Figure 3 is a detail view of the cervical collar of Figure 2.

 Referring to Figure 1, the device of the invention, in this case a cervical collar or neck brace, mainly consists of two parts, a rigid or semi-rigid support part A and a flexible part B, one side is fixed to said support part A and the other side of which is intended to come into contact with the skin of the user. According to the invention, said flexible part B comprises two layers, an internal layer 1 made of a non-irritating, antibacterial, antimicrobial and hypoallergenic material, and an intermediate layer 2 made of foam. An advantageous material for producing the internal layer is a material of the terry cloth type, in particular the material called Rhovyl, which is produced from an antibacterial fiber. Preferably, the internal layer 1 is fixed to the foam layer 2 without glue, for example by flaming. This process, which eliminates the presence of glue at and near the layer in contact with the skin, therefore makes it possible to improve the hygiene of the device by avoiding any risk of contact of an adhesive with the skin of the user. . The inner layer in terry terry 1 ensures optimal comfort by its pleasant contact with the skin.

 The rigid or semi-rigid support part A comprises a support layer 3 of rigid or semi-rigid material on which said flexible part B sticks, in this case the intermediate foam layer 2, as visible in FIG. 1 Advantageously, said rigid or semi-rigid support part A further comprises an external layer 4, preferably made of fabric, and which has mainly a decorative purpose. This

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aspect décoratif du collier cervical est un point non négligeable, particulièrement chez les enfants, pour leur faciliter l'utilisation d'un tel dispositif.

decorative aspect of the cervical collar is a significant point, especially in children, to facilitate the use of such a device.

 Preferably, to improve both the comfort and the hygiene of the device, it is essential to ensure ventilation of the skin located under the neck brace, to avoid any irritation or any appearance of foul odor. For this purpose, the support layer 3 of rigid or semi-rigid material may include air passage openings (not shown), so that air can circulate from the outside, through the layer decorative outer 4, generally made of fabric, then through the air passage openings of the support layer 3, then pass through the foam 2 and the inner layer 1 of Rhovyl. Advantageously, these air passage openings in the support layer 3 can be made with an appropriate shape which promotes the flexibility of the cervical collar at the places intended to be deformed, for example when the user slightly moves his head. The comfort of using the neck brace is further improved.

 Advantageously, the support layer of rigid or semi-rigid material 3 is made of expanded polypropylene, which is a material which provides rigidity while being light. This material is flexible and resistant and allows ventilation thanks to its honeycomb structure. In this case, the air passage openings are not necessary to allow proper ventilation of the neck brace.

 The neck brace also comprises fixing means 10 which make it possible to fix the device on the body of the user. These fixing means 10 can for example be made in the form of velcro strips, well known in the state of the art.

 The present invention also has the advantage of allowing individual packaging of each device, for example using a transparent plastic film which makes it possible to test the product without unpacking it, for example to choose the appropriate size for each user. .

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 The present invention has been described with reference to a particular embodiment thereof, but it is understood that various modifications can be made to it by a person skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims (9)

claims 1.-Device for medical use comprising at least one rigid or semi-rigid support part (A) and at least one flexible part (B) one side of which is fixed to said support part (A) and the other side of which is intended to come into contact with the user, characterized in that said flexible part (B) comprises an internal layer (1) in contact with the skin of the user, made of a non-irritating, antibacterial, antimicrobial and hypoallergenic material , said internal layer (1) being fixed on an intermediate layer (2) of foam, said support part (A) comprising a support layer (3) of rigid or semi-rigid material on which said intermediate layer (2) is fixed foam.  2.-Device according to claim 1, wherein said support portion (A) further comprises an outer layer (4) decorative, in particular made of fabric.  3.-Device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said support layer (3) has air passage openings.  4.- Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said support layer (3) is made of expanded polypropylene (PPE).  5.-Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said internal layer (1) is made of a material of the terry toweling type, such as Rhovyl. <Desc / Clms Page number 7>  6. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the internal layer (1) is fixed to the intermediate foam layer (2) without glue, in particular by flame treatment.  7. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which said device comprises fixing means (10) for fixing the device on a part of the body of the user.  8. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which said device is a cervical collar, such as a neck brace.  9. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said device is a splint.