Child's Sectioned I.V. Board

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates generally to a device that will immobilize a child's hand while an intravenous infusion is started and keep it immobilized throughout the life of the infusion. Such a device is generally referred to as an I.V. board, I.V. being the accepted abbreviation for an intravenous infusion.

2. Description of the Prior Art

I.V. boards are widely used on children and adults to immobilize extremities and protect infusion sites. Their use is more important in children as they are more active and more likely to interfere with their I.V. Most I.V. boards are simply straight pieces of board with a plastic cover and a little padding in between. When a child's hand and lower arm are put on such a board, it needs to be strapped on and kept in place with a lot of tape. Removal of the tape after use tends to be uncomfortable, if not painful, since it sticks to the skin. Usually the boards are flat and therefore uncomfortable. They do not allow the hand to be put in the most advantageous position for starting an I.V. Veins stand out better and are more easily accessible when they are stretched by bending both wrist and fingers down. This is impossible to do with a conventional I.V. board. For this reason, doctors and nurses often start an I.V. without putting the hand on a board, so that the hand can be bent into the best position. After the procedure, the board is put on and the hand secured with tape. This is often a delicate and difficult undertaking, since it is easy to dislodge the intravenous needle. When an I.V. is difficult to start because subcutaneous fat makes it impossible to visualize a vein, a fiberoptic light source is used to transilluminate a hand to show up a vein. This is commonly referred to as a snake light because of its shape. This, too, has to be used before the hand is immobilized, causing the same problems of securing the I.V. afterwards. It is also difficult to hold the snake light in the hollow of the patient's hand and insert the needle into the vein at the same time.

This invention will solve all these problems. The shape of the I.V. board follows the natural curve of the hand and arm and is comfortable; it is sectioned in the middle to allow the wrist to be bent when the board is on; it requires no tape since it features a snap-on cover for the fingers and VELCRO-closing armbands, it provides an aperture through the center for the insertion of a snake light which will also stabilize the light, freeing the hands of the care provider to start the I.V.; it is quick and easy to use, immobilizing the hand with minimum effort.

The invention relates to an I.V. board that is made in two sections, a front part for the hand and a back part for the arm. This allows the front part to be put on separately, so that the hand can be bent down at the wrist, making it easier to visualize veins. The back part is added after the I.V. is started to immobilize the entire extremity. The board is held in place by an attached clear, plastic cover that snaps over the fingers and by armbands that are closed with VELCRO. Access for a snake light is provided through a hole in the front of the board and I.V. tubing can be secured by means of clips along the sides of the board.

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the sectioned I.V. board, showing both sections. The front or hand section has an attached cover for the fingers, the arm section features armbands with VELCRO closings.

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the front board shown from a different angle.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the front board in use, the patient's hand bent down at the wrist.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the whole board in use, showing the manner of attachment to hand and arm, the I.V. started and the I.V. tubing secured.

Referring to FIG. 1, an embodiment of the invention is shown: an I.V. board consisting of two sections, a front board 5 to immobilize a patient's hand and a back board 11 to immobilize a patient's arm. The front board 5 is in the approximate shape of a half-globe with a slight upward slant and is made of rigid plastic. The top of the front board 5 shows a circular opening 6 that continues through to the bottom and that will allow the light beams from a snake light inserted from the bottom to exit at this point and transilluminate a hand that is placed over it. Attached to the front board 5 by a flexible band 9 is a cover 7, made of clear flexible plastic and consisting of three separate bands which are integrally joined at the edges and terminate in runners 8 of rigid plastic on both sides, the runners 8 having a rounded shape. When the cover 7 is put over a patient's hand, the bands of the cover 7 will fit over the knuckles and both finger joints respectively, while the runners B will snap into one of a set of three grooves 10 that are located on both sides of the front board 5. If the cover 7 needs tightening, one need only push it further down to let the runners 8 snap into the next lower groove 10. The runners 8 can also be adjusted horizontally within the grooves 10 to ensure a proper fit of the cover 7. The grooves 10 should be closed off at the fingertip end so that it becomes impossible to slide the cover 7 off. The back board 11 is shaped to the patient's arm for comfort and is also made of rigid plastic. Two sets of armbands 12 and 13 are attached to the side of the back board 11 one set to be located so that it will close over the patient's wrist and both sets having VELCRO closings. The back board 11 also shows clips 14 next to the armbands 12 and 13 which can be used to secure any I.V. tubing. These may be of any suitable shape or material.

Referring to FIG. 2, a back view of the front board 5 is shown. The circular opening 6 is shown to start at the bottom of the board 5 and continues at a slight backward slant all the way through to the top. A fiberoptic light source would be inserted into the opening 6 from the bottom, so that the light can exit at the top.

Referring to FIG. 3, a side view of the front board 5 is shown in use. The patient's hand is positioned over the board 5 with the cover 7 on, immobilizing the hand. The runners 8 are snapped into the middle one of the set of three grooves 10 on both sides of the front board 5. The patient's hand is bent down at the wrist in readiness for starting an I.V.

Referring to FIG. 4, both the front board 5 and the back board 11 are shown in use. The I.V. catheter 15 has been inserted and secured and the back board 11 added, which is immobilizing the arm by means of the two sets of arm bands 12 and 13. The I.V. tubing 16 is held in place by the clips 14 at the side of the back board 11.

Both sections of the I.V. board 5 and 11 are capable of being washed and autoclaved and are re-usable. They may be made in two or three different sizes to fit all ages of children. Suggested sizes would be small for ages 0-2, medium for ages 3-6 and large for ages 7-12.

Although embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawings and are previously described in detail, this invention encompasses also any configuration, design and relationship of components which will function in a similar manner and which will produce the equivalent results.