WO1998044973A1

WO1998044973A1 - Adhesive patch for securing a nasal cannula

Info

Publication number: WO1998044973A1
Application number: PCT/US1998/003794
Authority: WO
Inventors: Peter W. Salter; James Chua; Duane D. Kazal
Original assignee: Salter Labs
Priority date: 1997-04-04
Filing date: 1998-03-11
Publication date: 1998-10-15

Abstract

An adhesive patch for securing a nasal cannula includes a discarding substrate, and a U-shaped patch (10) removably attached to the substrate. The patch is a two-ply laminate including a lower layer (26) of flexible material, both sides of which have an adhesive coating (28), and an upper layer (24) of flexible material removably adhering to the adhesive coating on the upper surface of the lower layer. The patch is U-shaped having two arms (12, 14) interconnected by a base (16), and there is an adhesive free zone at the tip of each arm so that one may grasp either free end of the upper layer, and peel it upward exposing the adhesive layer temporarily while a cannula is applied across the arms, and then secured by pressing the upper layer back sown over the cannula.

Description

Adhesive Patch for Securing a Nasal Cannula

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to respiration equipment and, more particularly, to an adhesive patch for securing a nasal cannula so that it remains in proper position in a patient's nose. (A nasal cannula comprises one or two hollow prongs, or "nares", which are inserted into the nose; the prongs communicate with a tube or tubes that are connected to an oxygen supply.) The cannula for which the patch described below is intended has a transverse tube extending across the upper lip, with a more flexible oxygen tube extending over the ears of the wearer. Figure 1 illustrates such a cannula.

The administration of supplemental oxygen through a nasal cannula is a common and necessary medical practice which may be suitable for patients of all ages. Inasmuch as some patients lack the ability to notice when their cannula has become dislodged, or to replace it, it is important to secure the cannula against accidental removal . At the same time, it must be easy for medical technicians to apply and remove such cannulas . A number of adhesive retainers have therefore been developed for retaining supplemental oxygen cannulas on patients. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the invention is to hold a nasal cannula securely on a patient ' s face so that the prongs of the cannula remain within the nostrils. Another object of the invention is to prevent dermal damage to a person using a nasal cannula.

A further object of the invention is facilitate nasal cannula installation by medical personnel.

These and other objects are attained by an adhesive patch for securing a nasal cannula to the face. The patch comprises two layers of thin plastic initially mounted on a suitable stiff paper backing having a release layer so that the patch can be peeled off .

The upper layer of the patch is adhesive-free, while both sides of the lower layer of the patch are coated with an adhesive which, on the lower surface, adheres to the skin, and on the upper side, holds the top layer securely.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings, - . Figure 1 is a frontal view of a patient wearing a nasal cannula secured by an adhesive patch embodying the invention; Figure 2 is an elevational view of one such patch, with a peel strip partially pulled away;

Figure 3 shows the patch in place over the nose; and Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4 - 4 in Figure 3, illustrating the cannula in cross-section.

Figure 5 is an elevational view of another embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A patch 10 embodying the invention has the shape of a "U" , including a pair of slightly diverging arms 12, 14 interconnected by a common base 16. The patch, which itself is very flexible, initially is mounted on a substrate 20 made of a stiff paper or the like, having a release layer 22 at least on its upper surface. The patch comprises two thin, flexible layers of plastic 24, 26. The upper layer 24 is preferably transparent so as maximize visibility of the nasal cannula after application. The lower, preferably opaque layer 26 is coated on both sides with a medically accepted dermal adhesive 28, preferably an SJ-3000 adhesive, produced by Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing.

_.The .adhesive covers the entire top and bottom surfaces of the lower layer, except for small adhesive-free zones 30 at the tips of the arms, where adhesive is absent from the top surface. The unadhered tabs 32 thus defined give the technician something to grasp in order to peel the layers apart during application as described below.

The tabs 32 at the ends of the arms of the upper layer are made visibly distinct by appropriately coloring or otherwise marking them. For example, the tabs may be denoted by printing one side of the arms in those areas with an ink 34 which contrasts with the color of the lower layer. To secure a nasal cannula to a patient, the patch (both layers) is peeled off the substrate 20, and applied with slight manual pressure to the face, with the lower, adhesive layer against the skin. The base 16 of the "U" extends across the bridge of the nose, and the arms 12, 14 are oriented downward, astride the upper lip. Next, the unsecured flaps 32 on the upper layer are grasped, and the arms of the upper layer are peeled away from the those of the lower layer, without entirely removing the upper layer. Now, the nasal cannula is positioned, with its prongs in the nostrils, and the upper layer arms are then placed over the lateral tubes of the cannula and are reattached to the adhesive lower layer.

While use of the patch as a cannula retainer is presently contemplated, the invention prove useful for other uses., such as, for example, holding lead wires associated with diagnostic equipment. The arms can be peeled apart and reattached, as needed, to replace or remove the tubing or wiring. Since the invention is subject to modifications and variations, it is intended that the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative of only one form of the invention, whose scope is to be measured by the following claims.

Claims

I claim :

1. An adhesive patch assembly comprising a substrate having a release layer on one side, and a patch removably attached to the release layer, said patch comprising: a lower layer of flexible material both sides of which have an adhesive coating, the lower layer removably adhering to said release layer, and being adapted to adhere to one's face once the release layer is removed, and an upper layer of flexible material removably adhering to the adhesive coating on the upper surface of the lower layer, said patch having two arms interconnected by a base, each said arm having a free end, the adhesive being distributed over the entire top surface of the lower layer, except for an adhesive-free zone forming a tab at each said free end, whereby one may grasp the tabs and peel the upper layer upward, exposing the adhesive layer beneath temporarily while a cannula is applied across the arms, whereafter the upper layer may be readhered to the lower layer, capturing the cannula between the layers.

2. The invention of claim 1, wherein the upper layer is transparent .

3. The invention of claim 1, wherein the upper layer is free of adhesive.

4. The invention of claim 1, wherein the substrate is formed of a material having substantially greater bending stiffness than either said upper layer or said lower layer.

5. The invention of claim 1, wherein the substrate has a release coating so that the patch can be easily removed from it.

6. The invention of claim 1, further comprising means visually identifying said adhesive- free zones.

7. The invention of claim 6, wherein said means comprises an opaque marking on each arm of the upper layer, said marking being visibly distinct from said lower layer.

8. A method of securing a nasal cannula to the face of a patient, comprising steps of applying a two-ply patch having a lower adhesive surface over a patient's nose so that the ends of the patch extend across the nose to the cheeks, peeling the ends of the upper ply from the lower ply and placing a nasal cannula against the lower ply, then replacing the upper ply against the lower ply so as to capture therebetween lateral ends of the nasal cannula, on either side of the nose.