US1313138A - Surgical-bandage fastener - Google Patents

Description

J.. H. THOMAS.

SURGICAL BANDAGE FASTENEE APPLICATION FILED 1m. 22. m1.

Patented Aug. 12, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1. H. THOMAS SURGICAL BANDAGE FASTENER- APPLICATION FILED JAN-22.19. h 1,313,138. PfltelltedAllg- 9 N 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ITI'IIHII IIIIIIIIIIII IIII v ts- 2 2 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN H. THOMAS, or Mo'UN'r VERNON, NEW YORK.

SURGICAL-BANDAGE FASTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 22, 1917. Serial No. 143,763.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. THoMAs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mount Vernon, in the county of I/Vestchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Surgical-Bandage Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to surgical appliances and-more particularly to bandage fasteners and the primary aim of the invention is to provide means whereby a gauze bandage may be more conveniently, securely, and expeditiously applied than by the ordinary methods. In applying bandages by the.ordinary methods the exercise of considerable skill is required in reversing the bandage and in overfolding the same and carrying it about the part to be bandaged in the various directions found necessary in each particular case and unless this operation is skilfully performed there is likelihood that the bandage will work loose or become otherwise displaced. The present invention, therefore, has as its object to provide an appliance in the use of which a gauze bandage may be quickly and conveniently applied and reversed, overturned, and carried at different angles to suit the particular case without any particular attention being paidto the temporary holding in place of the bandage at the fold or point of reversal.

Another aim of the invention is to provide an appliance of the class described which will constitute a means for securing the end of.

the bandage without the necessity of stitching or otherwise securing the same in place and which will at the same time permit of the ready removal of the bandage when it is 'desired to apply a fresh one.

Another aim of the invention is to provide an appliance for the purpose heretofore stated which may be applied to practically any portion of the anatomy and which will conform to the shape of the part to which it is applied without any discomfort to the patient. 1 V

Incidentally, the invention aimsto so construct the appliance that the same will neither by undue rigidity or weight in any way cause discomfort to the patient to whom the bandage is applied.

Further, the invention aims to provide an appliance of this nature which shall be in the form of a flexible or pliable strip from which lengths may be cut by the surgeon suitable to the member or area to be bandaged so that it is unnecessary to manufacture the appliance in different lengths but, on the other hand, a strip constructed in accordance with the invention and of any deslredlength may be carried by the surgeon and portions thereof severed when desired for use.

In the accompanying drawings: I Figure 1 is a perspective view of the appllance embodying the present invention and a bandage securedthereby, the same being illustrated as applied to the head of a patient; I V

Fig. 2 is a detail vertical transverse sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1 through the appliance and the bandage;

Fig. 3 is a plan View of a portion of the strip comprising the invention;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view illuss tratingan arrangement of the strip;

Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through the strip; Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the strip shown in Fig. 3' arranged to encircle a part to be bandaged;

Fig. 7 is a detail transverse sectional view through the strip;

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 5 illustrate ing a modified form of the invention;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view illustrating a further modification.

The appliance embodying the present invention is in the nature of a strip indicated by the numeral 1 and this strip is relatively thin and may be of any suitable width and of any desired length, the strip being formed of any material suitable for the purpose and possessing the desired degree of pliability. such, for example, as aluminum or copper, it being understood, however, that any material possessing the desired properties may be employed for the purposef At intervals in its length the strip is formed with integral piercing fingers, indicatediby the numeral 2, and as shown in Fi gs. 5 and 6 these fingers are preferably of lanceolate form and are relatively narrow and in forming the said fingers the same are struck up from the strip 1 alternately from opposite side of the longitudinal middle of the strip and all arecaused to ini tially assume positions in acommon plane perpendicular to the plane ofthe body of the strip and coincident with the said longitudi- Patented Aug; 12, 1919.

nal middle of the strip. In other words, the fingers are formed from material struck up from the strip itself and the bases of the fingers are located in alinement at the longitudinal middle of the strip, the fingers, as before stated being struck up alternately from the strip at opposite sides of the said middle, as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. As stated, the fingers are of lanceolate form and near its base each finger is slightly narrowed, as at 3, so that after the fingers have pierced the gauze bandage in the act of applying the bandage after the appliance has been placed in position against the part or member about which the bandage is to be passed the threads of the bandage will, in tending to resume their normal condition, sink into the shallow recesses formed by narrowing the lower portions of the fingers whereby to prevent accidental slipping of the said bandage from the said fingers. Being of lanceolate form the ends of the fingers 2 are sharply pointed and the said ends or tips, indicated by the numeral 4, are hardened in any suitable manner so that while the fingers below their tip ends are pliable due to the inherent pliability of the metal from which the strip is formed. their said tip ends will not be liable to he accidentally overturned or blunted as the gauze bandage is forced downwardly over the fingers. For a purpose to be presently explained the strip 1 is formed with perforations or slots 5 and these perforations or slots are arranged in two series extending longitudinally of the strip, the perforations or slots of the two series being alternately located opposite and close to the bases of alternate ones of the bandage piercing fingers of the appliance. In. other words, the strip opposite the side from which the finger isstruck. Each perforation or slot. is of dimensions to permit of insertion therethrough of one of the piercing fingers.

A surgeon wishing to apply a bandage and secure the same in place by the use of an appliance embodying the invention will cut from the strip a suitable length thereof depending, of course, upon the nature of the case to be treated and this may be readily accomplished inasmuch as the strip is comparatively thin and of relatively soft. and pliable metal and-as an aid-to the surgeon in determining the length to be cut the strip may be provided at suitable intervals at or adjacent one or both edges with scale marks 6 representing units of linear measurement as, for example, inches and fractions thereof. After having removed from the strip a.

suitable length thereof, the surgeon disposesagainst the part to be bandaged a sufficient length of bandage or any other dressing which will prevent direct contact of the strip with the skin which would be likely to cause discomfort to the patient and he then disposes against this protective strip the appliance which then constitutes the portion of the strip 1 which he has removed. He next forces one end of the gauze bandage to be applied direct over the fingers 2 so that tho fingers will pierce the said bandage. He then proceeds to wind the bandage in the usual manner, forcing the same downwardly over the fingers each time the bandage crosses the appliance. Whenever it is desired to reverse the bandage or to overfold the same or carry the sameat an angle to the wrappings already made, this may readily be accomplished by merely reversing the direction in which the bandage is car ried immediately after it has been pierced by the fingers, the bandage adjacent the fold which provides for such reversal being, of course, again pierced by the fingers. It will be understood that this may be repeated any desired number of times and at the time of reversal the bandage may be carried at any desired angle after the second penetration thereof by the fingers 2. After the bandage has been properly applied the other end thereof is brought across the appliance and forced downwardly to be pierced by the fingers 2 and all of the said fingers are then turned downin the direction of the said end of the bandage, thereby firmly securing the end in place as also all of the folds and turns previously made therein. 4

lVhile the fingers 2 are preferably of the form shown in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings, it will be understood that they may be substantially triangular and relatively narrow, as indicated by the numeral 7 and as clearly shown in Fig. 8 of the drawings although the form of finger previously illustrated is to be preferred as the narrowed lower portion thereof serves to prevent accidental slipping of the bandage from the said fingers. It will also be understood that fingers having various other marginal contours may bestruck up from the strip 1 if desired. 1

When it is desired to remove the bandage for the purpose ofapplying a fresh one or when the bandage is to be finally removed, this may be readily accomplished without discomfort to the patient by merely bending up the fingers 2 to'their initial or normal condition and then proceeding to unwind the bandage as would ordinarily be done.

When it is desiredto adapt the appliance about a limb or about the head this may be readily accomplished by first cutting off the desired length from a roll or other package of the. strip 1 and then disposing the severed length to surround the limb or head, as the case maybe, withone end of the said lengthoverlapping the other whereupon the end finger at the extremity of the overlapped end of the said length of the strip may be inserted through the perforation 5 at the extremity of the overlapping end of the said length of the strip and bent down, as indicated by the numeral 2 and as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 6. of the drawings. In this manner the ends of the strip are joined so that the strip will be held about the part to which it is applied and while this particular finger 2 is thus rendered useless in securing the bandage in place, nevertheless, the series of bandage piercing fingers will not be interrupted for the piercing finger next adjacent the perforation through,

which the finger 2 is inserted, for this purpose, takes the place of the said finger 2.

Under some conditions, as for example, in applying a bandage to the shoulder, it will be found preferable to make use of that form of the invention shown in Fig. 9 of the drawings. In this form of the invention any suitable number of lengths of the strip 1, indicated by the numeral 8, are assembled with their ends overlapping a short distance and are connected by means of pivots 9 passed through one corner of each strip. Thus one strip or length may be caused to assume a position out of alinement with the next adjacent strip or length to suit the case and the conditions under which the appliance is to be employed.

WVhile the appliance has been illustrated and described herein as in the nature of a pliable strip it will be understood, of course, that inasmuch as the strip constitutes the base of the fastener, a base of any other type may be employed, such for example, as

a disk or a strip of a definite length or a plate of definite dimensions without departing from the spirit of the invention. It will also be understood that in the first illustrated and described form of the invention the narrowed portions of the fingers 2 result in effect in the formation of shoulders which may be more defined than as illustrated in the drawings if desired. Also if desired the base of the fastener may be made sufliciently rigid as to constitute a splint so that it will serve two purposes.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A bandage fastener including a pliable base, and bandage piercing fingers projecting from one face thereof, the said base be-, ing formed at intervals with slots, whereby when the base has been applied to encircle a part to be bandaged one of the fingers at one end of the base may be engaged in one of the slots at the other end of the base to hold the fastener in place.

2. A bandage fastener including a flexible base formed at intervals with openings, and pliable bandage piercing fingers projecting from one face of the base, whereby when the base has been applied to encircle a part to be bandaged one of the fingers at one end of the base may be engaged through one of the openings at the other end of the base and bent down to hold the ends of the base connected.

8. A bandage fastener including pliable base sections connected for relative angular adjustment, and pliable bandage piercing fingers projecting from one face thereof.

4. A bandage fastener including a base having bandage piercing fingers struckup therefrom and in a longitudinal series, the said fingers being pliable and the said base being formed with two series of slots extending at the opposite sides of the series of fingers, the slots of the two series being, arranged in staggered relation and each slot being located opposite an openin formed by stamping up the finger next adjacent the slot.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

JOHN H. THOMAS. L 8.]

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. 0.

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