US2572641A - Wound dressing - Google Patents

Description

Ot.l 23, 1951 MANLEY WOUND DRESSING Fued March l0, 1947 Patented Oct. 23, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,572,64; 4 WOUND DRESSING Charles Manley, Shamokin, Pa.

Application March 10, 1947, Serial No. 733,556 4 claims. (ci. 12g- 156) This invention relates to -wound dressings and is particularly directed to dressings to be applied to wounds where a considerable amount of foreign substance such as coal dust has entered the wound before the dressing is applied.

Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part hereinafter and in part Will b-e obvious herefrom, or may be learned by practice with the invention, the same being realized and attained by meansA of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention consists in the novel parts, constructions, arrangements, combinations and improvements herein shown and described.

The accompanying drawings, referred to herein and constituting a part hereof, illustrate one embodiment of the invention, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

Of the drawings: y

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of a sheet of ordinary wax paper;

Fig. 2 is a view in perspective of the sheet of Wax paper after it has been dipped several times in melted paran, which additional parain coating is shown partially cut away;

Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 3-3 of the sheet shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the complete Wound dressing; and

Fig. 5 is a View in end elevation of the dressing shown in Fig. 4.

In coal mines dust is always present in the air and as a coating on all surfaces exposed to the air. When miners receive cuts, wounds or abrasions, loose coal dust enters the wound as it is present on the cutting or abrading surface as well as on the miners skin, whenever these surfaces are exposed to the dusty atmosphere. Said dust, in addition to being a source of possible infection, is almost impossible to wash out of the wound and as a result the dark colored dust remains imbedded in the flesh after scar tissue has formed in the wound and it becomes healed. This results in a permanent discoloration of the area which is called a blue mark by those engaged in mining. Such blue marks or disgurations are very common among miners and similar disgurations occur in any occupation Where similar dust conditions exist.

It is an object of my invention to provide a wound dressing which, when applied to a wound in which dust is imbedded, as described above, will facilitate healing of the wound and cleanse it of such dust particles so that permanent scar discoloration after the wound is healed is prevented. Another object of this invention is to provide such a wound dressing which may be easily and inexpensively manufactured. Another object is to provide a bandage which may be easily applied and which will offer maximum protection tothe wound during the initial stage of healing when a protective clot is forming but which may be removed When such clot or scab has formed leaving behind, as part of the clot, a portion of its substance, which acts as the active cleansing agent as described above.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a bandage in which the active cleansing agent forms an integral part of the protective clot covering the wound. Said bandageso well protects the wound that it may be washed Within a comparatively short time without said protective clot being dissolved, which would cause bleedsion of said strip into melted parafn and subsequent Withdrawal of said strip for cooling (or by other suitable coating operations) until the desired thickness of pure paraffin has been obtained; a series of layers of cloth gauze or other suitable absorbent material; and an adhesive tape backing upon which the gauze strips and the parain dipped paper are mounted so that the paraffin dipped paper makes primary contact with the wound. While paraffin has been found to be a useful and preferred substance, other waxesi or like materials which are thermoplastic at low temperatures at or slightly below 'body or blood temperature, Will be generally suitable for carrying out the major objects of the invention.

It will be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description as well are exemplary and explanatory of the invention but are not restrictive thereof.

Referring to the drawings in detail and particularly to Figs. l, 2 and 3, 6 is a conventional strip of wax or paraflin paper, 'l is a coat of paraflin which has been uniformly added to the surfaces of 6, as by repeated dipping into melted parain and subsequent withdrawal for cooling, 8 is the paraffin bandage element resulting from the deposit of paraffin layer l on paper 6.

Referring to Figs. 4 and 5 in detail, I0 is a strip of suitable absorbent material such as gauze or crinollne which in a preferred embodiment of the invention is folded into a number of layers, I2 is a backing of adhesive tape and I4 is a strip of gauze or the like which is removed when the bandage is applied to the skin and which prevents adhesive surfaces from sticking to each other or other surfaces when the bandage is not in use.

Parain element 8, formed as above described, is preferably cut to the same width as cloth strip I0 whichstripis folded upon itself as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Overlapping ends of 8 are folded around folded strip l0 making contact at I I with the adhesive surface of tape I2. The sticky surface of tape I2 contacts and adheres to 'strip I0 at I3 as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Cloth strips III` are adhered to overlapping ends of tape l-I2-"as shown in Figs. 4 and 5 until such time .as the bandage is to be used, when they are removed, thus exposing the adhesive surfaces of v-tape'fl2 which are then stuck to the skin on either side of the wound, holding the `dressing firmly in Aplace. Y

In' operation parained 'element 8 directly con'- tacts the wound and as a result the body heat .melts or softens the .paraflin which flows into the ,general vconformation of the cut, forming Aa vseal thereon. This paraffin seal actually becomes an integral part of Vthe natural protective blood clot which .forms and .accomplishes the yadditional re'- sult of gathering up within itself .loose particles of coal dust for the like. Within 'a short time, say two or three hours, depending on the size of lthe cut or Wound a Vfirm scab of blood .fibrin and ipa'raiin forms. Folded strip I!! has formed in the meantime a sof-t absorbent protective backing, the whole being -rmly held place by tape I2. After two or three hours, the bandage may be removed., with the paraffin-coated paper Ielement 6 tearing .away .along the edges of fthe clot without reopening the wound to cause further bleeding. This leaves a firm, protective, A'air-tight covering on the cut which will enable the patient to wash the area without harm. Healing of the wound progresses at its normal vrate and when the Ascab comes oi at the end of this healing period, the dust and other particles will be 'imbedded in the 'paraflin-brin scab and 'not left in the scar tissue to permanently discolor it. It will be readily seen that suitable antiseptic and Ahealing agents may be readily incorporated into the paraffin coating with consequent beneficial results. Although paraffin is used in the pre- 'ferred embodiment, any suitable natural or sylntheticv wax like substance which is substantially molten at human body temperature may also be used.

This improved wound dressing which is of siml'ple construction and which may be easily and cheaply manufactured will prove of great practical value in the prevention of permanent disgurements which result when wounds are suffered by persons working in places where a dusty atmosphere prevails.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited tothe specific mechanisms shown and 4 described but departures may be made therefrom, within the scope of the accompanying claims, without departing from the principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.

What I claim is:

1. A wound dressing comprising, in combination, a layer of paper, a plurality of layers of wax of uniform thickness attached to the surfaces of said fpaper, said wax haVi-nga melting point below body or blood temperature, `a Vplurality of layers of gauze, said waxed paper being folded around said layers of gauze so as to enclose said layers,

'and afstrip of adhesive backing attached to the folded ends of said waxed paper and providing asu'pportifo'r said paper and gauze.

Y2. A wound dressing comprising, in combination, a layer of paper, a plurality of layers of thermoplastic sealing material of uniform thickness attached to the surfaces of said paper, said thermoplastic material having a melting point below body or lblood temperature, a plurality y"of layers of gauze, said paper being folded around said layers 'of gauze so as to enclose said layers, and a strip of adhesive .backing attached to 'the folded ends of said Ipa'per and providinga support for said paper-and gauze.

3. -A wound dressing', including in combina;- tion a bandage of absorbent material., 'and a layer of thermoplastic sealing material of uniform thickness covering said vabsorbent material along itsentire outer surface, said thermoplastic layer 'adapted to be in direct contact with the Wou-nd and being continuous to form a .protective airtig-ht covering and `having a melting point below body or blood temperature whereby -s'aid theri moplastic layers melts on body contact to seal the wound and pick up foreign particles therein, and an adhesive layer external to the bandage for attachment to the skin of the user. l

4.v A dressing as specified in claifm :2, wherein said thermoplastic layer comprises a 'sheet of paper with a uniform thickness of para'in thereon, Asaid paraffin having a melting point below blood or body temperatures.

ACILIARLIS MANLEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Y Name 'ate l 2,077,299 Abrams Apr. 13, 193,7 `2,145,755 Dickson Jan. 3.1, 1939 2,469,064 Campbell May '3., 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number` Country Date N 622,811 France June 8, '1927 CTI-IER REFERENCES Hospital Service Book and Catalog' No. 5., published by Johnson & Johnson, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 1942, page 50. (Copy in Div. 55..)

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