GB1559736A - Drainage bags - Google Patents

Description

(54) DRAINAGE BAGS (71) We, PETER STEER DEVELOP MENTS LIMITED, a British company, of the Malt House Works, Station Road, East Grinstead, Sussex, do hereby declare the invention for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to drainage bags which may be connected with the body of a patient undergoing surgical treatment to receive body liquids drained from the patient.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved such bag which may be produced more simply than has previously been possible. Accordingly, the invention provides a surgical drainage bag comprising a flexible body portion and a cap welded to the body portion, an inlet tube and an outlet tube both ofwhich are secured to the cap and lead through the cap to the interior of the body portion of the bag and a web integral with the cap and arranged to receive a support strap by which the bag may be secured to any suitable fixed support.

The cap may be pre-fabricated, conveniently by moulding. The inlet tube may incorporate a non-return valve which is preferably a flap valve secured to the cap before assembly with the bag. The outlet tube can be provided with a removable stopper held captive to the cap.

The accompanying diagrammatic drawing is a side view of a bag according to the invention.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, a drainage bag 1 for receiving liquids drained from the body of a patient has a body portion which comprises two sheets of flexible plastics material arranged in face contact and secured together at the edges of welds 2 which define the outline of the body portion. The outline welds 2 do not extend along one edge 3 of the body portion and this edge is, for convenience of description herein considered to be the top edge of the body portion. The outline of the body portion may be of any desired shape. Conveniently, however, the bottom edge 4 is longer than the top edge 3 so that the side edges of the body portion converge to the top. The sheeting is preferably of a transparent plastics material such as polythene.

The open top of the body portion is closed by a prefabricated cap 5 which fits over the upper portion of the body portion and is of a complementary shape. The cap 5 is welded to the body portion and is conveniently made of an opaque plastics material which is less flexible than that of the sheeting of the body portion.

Two tubes 6, 7 are fixed to the cap so as to extend upwards from the top edge of the cap 5.

One of the tubes 6 is an inlet tube leading to the inside of the body portion and the other tube 7 is an outlet tube leading from the inside of the bag. An integral web 8 extends upwards from the top edge of the cap between the two tubes. This web has a slot 9 running parallel with the top edge of the body portion through which a support strap 10 can be passed to enable the cap and the body portion to be secured ta a suitable fixed support.

The inlet tube 6 has a non-return valve 11, preferably a flap valve, located inside the body portion. An outlet stopper 12 is removably fitted on the outlet tube and is held captive by a suitable retaining band 13. The inlet tube is a connection which can receive another tube 14 leading from the body of the patient.

The bag is capable of manufacture by simple operations.

The cap is prefabricated to provide a flat foldable sheet of material to which the inlet and outlet tubes 6, 7 respectively are secured in a central position on an imaginary line about which the flat sheet of the cap 5 will be folded during manufacture. The two tubes stand upwards from the sheet when it is in its flat condition and the integral web 8 of plastics material extends upwards from the sheet of the cap between the two tubes. The sheet of the cap including the two tubes 6, 7 and the central web can be prefabricated as a single unit by moulding or it can be assembled from separate parts. The non-return valve 11 in the form of two sheets or strips of flexible plastics material in face contact is secured to the underside of the flat sheet of the cap which will be the inside when the bag is produced.

When the cap 5 has been prefabricated to this condition two sheets of plastics material previously cut to approximately the desired shape of the body portion are placed on the surface of the cap which will be the inside of the finished article. The portions of the body portion are then secured to the inside of the cap by bar welds and the assembly is then folded about the imaginary line previously referred to to bring the two sheets of the body portion material in face contact with each other. The outer edges of the body portion are then welded together at 2 to close the body portion and the welds forming the side edges are extended through the cap so that the side edges of the cap are also welded with the side edges of the body portion. The material of the body portion and the cap is then trimmed as desired to remove any excess material.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A surgical drainage bag comprising a flexible body portion and a cap welded to the body portion, an inlet tube and an outlet tube both of which are secured to the cap and lead through the cap to the interior of the body portion of the bag and a web integral with the cap and arranged to receive a support strap by which the bag may be secured to any suitable fixed support.

2. A bag as claimed in Claim 1 which is made of flexible plastics material wherein the cap is of plastics material which is less flexible than the material of the body portion.

3. A bag as claimed in either preceding claim wherein the outlet tube has a removable stopper held captive to the outlet tube by a retaining strap.

4. A bag as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein a non-return flap valve for the inlet tube is secured in the cap and extends into the bag.

5. A surgical drainage bag substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (5)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. and outlet tubes 6, 7 respectively are secured in a central position on an imaginary line about which the flat sheet of the cap 5 will be folded during manufacture. The two tubes stand upwards from the sheet when it is in its flat condition and the integral web 8 of plastics material extends upwards from the sheet of the cap between the two tubes. The sheet of the cap including the two tubes 6, 7 and the central web can be prefabricated as a single unit by moulding or it can be assembled from separate parts. The non-return valve 11 in the form of two sheets or strips of flexible plastics material in face contact is secured to the underside of the flat sheet of the cap which will be the inside when the bag is produced. When the cap 5 has been prefabricated to this condition two sheets of plastics material previously cut to approximately the desired shape of the body portion are placed on the surface of the cap which will be the inside of the finished article. The portions of the body portion are then secured to the inside of the cap by bar welds and the assembly is then folded about the imaginary line previously referred to to bring the two sheets of the body portion material in face contact with each other. The outer edges of the body portion are then welded together at 2 to close the body portion and the welds forming the side edges are extended through the cap so that the side edges of the cap are also welded with the side edges of the body portion. The material of the body portion and the cap is then trimmed as desired to remove any excess material. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A surgical drainage bag comprising a flexible body portion and a cap welded to the body portion, an inlet tube and an outlet tube both of which are secured to the cap and lead through the cap to the interior of the body portion of the bag and a web integral with the cap and arranged to receive a support strap by which the bag may be secured to any suitable fixed support.

2. A bag as claimed in Claim 1 which is made of flexible plastics material wherein the cap is of plastics material which is less flexible than the material of the body portion.

3. A bag as claimed in either preceding claim wherein the outlet tube has a removable stopper held captive to the outlet tube by a retaining strap.

4. A bag as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein a non-return flap valve for the inlet tube is secured in the cap and extends into the bag.

5. A surgical drainage bag substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawing.