Waterproof Cover for Casts and Bandages

The present invention relates to a waterproof covering for bandages and casts disposed on extremities. Particularly, the present invention relates to an elongated sleeve of waterproof plastic to enclose the bandaged or casted extremity. The sleeve has a sealing arrangement to retard or prevent penetration of water when the wearer is bathing or showering. Especially, the present invention relates to a reusable, waterproof cover made of a tough, transparent plastic material that can be easily secured with one hand on the extremity over the cast.

Casts and bandages are placed on extremities for lengthy periods of time and can be a source of considerable discomfort. Since casts or bandages should be kept dry while they are on the extremity, bathing, showering, and the like, are difficult. If water soaks into the cast or bandage or penetrates beneath it, the patient will experience discomfort in the form of itching, infection and odor emissions.

Covers for casts and bandages constructed of plastic materials are well known to the art. For example, the device shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,342,286, discloses a sack-like, water-impervious covering which includes an upper lip with perforations which extend parallel to the opening. An adhesive strip extends over the entire width of the lip from one end to the other. The adhesive strip is covered by a removable sheet to protect the adhesive prior to use. In use, the perforation is torn to separate the lip from the sack and form a tie member. The adhesive protection sheet is removed and the extremity is inserted into the sack-like covering. A securing portion is then is adhered to the surface of the extremity and the opening is gathered around the extremity so that the tie member can be used to encircle the gathering to cover the extremity and prevent the entry of water. Such devices, however, are not reusable since once the adhesive strip is exposed by removing the sheet and the cover is gathered to tighten it around the extremity, the only way the cover can be removed is to destroy it. Since casts are kept on for generally four to six weeks, a significant number of these covers must be used if the wearer wants to bathe or shower. Also, placement of the adhesive around the extremity is sometimes difficult because a single slip will cause permanent improper disposition of the cover. Attempting to reseat the adhesive most frequently tears the plastic and renders the cover unusable. Moreover, I have found the use of hook and loop fasteners enables one to use a single diameter cover for a wide range of leg or arm diameters, thereby eliminating requirements for many different models for differently sized extremities.

One of the more common and inexpensive ways to cover casts and bandages is to use a trash bag and place a rubber band or duct tape around the opening to exclude water. Rubber bands are not overly effective because they frequently do not adequately gather all of the folds of the trash bag, especially since the folds usually randomly encircle the extremity because of the large diameter of the opening relative to the diameter of the extremity being protected. Such random folds provide access for the entry of water. Duct tape is a more effective sealing mechanism but a trash bag must be destroyed each time the duct tape is removed because of the strength of the adhesive.

I have discovered a waterproof cover for casts or bandages on extremities. It includes an elongated sleeve of waterproof plastic having a length greater than its width, thus to cover a cast on either the leg or the arm without providing a substantial number of folds. Generally, the cover is provided in two sizes, one to accommodate the leg and another to accommodate the arm. Of course, covers can be made for lesser extremities such as the foot, the ankle and foot, the hand or the hand and foot. The sleeve has a diameter at least about 20% more than the diameter of an average thigh or leg (depending upon which limb is to be covered). It has a length a bit greater than the length of an average arm to the tip of the fingers or from the top of the thigh to the toe. The length is not particularly critical, however, so long as the cover can be worn comfortably and safely. One end of the cover is sealed to form a sack and prevent passage of water. A first strip constituting half of a hook and loop fastener, commonly a Velcro.RTM. fastener, is disposed on one side of the other end of the sleeve. The portion of the hook and loop strip used has an adhesive back with hook elements, as is well known. The hooks are arranged to face outwardly from the sleeve. A second strip constituting the other half of the hook and loop fastener is disposed on the opposite side of the sleeve. The second strip has a medial section with two distal ends. The second strip is the loop portion of the hook and loop fastener. The second strip has a medial portion which is attached to the sleeve at the middle of the opposite side of the sleeve. The second strip has a length greater than the width of the sleeve and its loops can engage the hooks on the first strip. In use, after the sleeve is disposed on the extremity, the excess sleeve material is folded and gathered within the sleeve and secured in place by the second strip. The tightness of the second strip can be adjusted around the extremity to prevent the passage of water during bathing. Preferably, the first strip and the third strip are disposed a predetermined distance from the proximal end of the cover, generally about 0.25 inches, so as to form a lip to accommodate for slippage of the second strip during bathing and provide additional protection against the entry of water.

The many other objects, features and advantages will become manifest to those with ordinary skill in the art upon reading the following specification when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the front side of the cover of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the obverse side of the cover of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the cover in an open position ready to receive a casted extremity.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the cover illustrating its disposition on an arm within the cover and with the excess cover material correctly folded immediately prior to fully tightening and securing the fastener.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the cover of the present invention includes an elongated sleeve 1 in which the length L is greater than width W. The sleeve 1 has a face side 3 and an obverse side 4. The sleeve 1 also has a sealed distal end 5 and an open proximal end 7. The sealed distal end 5 is formed by heat sealing the distal edges of the sleeve 1 together in a conventional manner. An edge between the face and obverse sides can be heat sealed together to form the sleeve or tubular stock can be used.

Preferably, the cover 1 is made of waterproof plastic material, usually polyethylene, with a thickness between about 0.001 and 0.006 inches. The polyethylene is transparent so the user can see if water is leaking into the cover and if the cast or bandage is being properly protected. By using transparent polyethylene, the cover is reusable many times, thus reducing the cost of protection. Moreover, the polyethylene can be easily adjusted during use to provide the wearer with comfort while bathing. Such polyethylene also enables the manufacturer to readily fold the cover into a flat, square or rectangular shape to provide for packaging in a thin transparent envelope with a hole on top, commonly called a rack pack.

Hook and loop fasteners are used to secure the cover around the user's extremity that is to be protected. Such fasteners are formed of two members, one of which has hooks on it and the other of which has loops. In the present invention, strips of Velcro.RTM. are preferably used. Commonly, the hooks are plastic and arranged in rows on a plastic backing and the loops are a soft and fleece-like, densely packed in an array and also disposed on a plastic backing.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a first strip 9 of the fastener is formed of loops. It is disposed on the face side 4 of the cover 1. The loops of the first strip 9 are attached to about the middle of the obverse side 4 of the sleeve with a small strip 11 of hooks. The first strip 9 is about 1.25 to 1.75 times longer than the width W of the cover 1. This relative dimension is important for the proper securing of the cover 1. The small strip 11 is disposed approximately at the middle of the obverse side 4 of the cover 1. The hooks of the small strip 11 can grasp the loops of the fleece in the first strip 9, but the first strip 9 can be removed entirely from the cover 1 as needed.

A strip 15 of hooks is adhesively attached and disposed on the face side 3 of the cover 1. Preferably, the strip 15 is substantially as long as the width W of the cover.

Referring to FIG. 3, the face side 3 of the cover 1 is separated from the obverse side 4. As shown, both the small strip 11 and the strip 15 are disposed a predetermined distance from the proximal end of the cover 1 whereby to form lips 3a and 4a. Lips 3a-4a are provided so that when the first strip 15 is wrapped around the face side 3 of the cover 1, they will prevent the first strip 9 from slipping over the edge whereby to render the seal less effective.

As shown in FIG. 4, excess portions of the face side 3 are folded under the first strip 9. When the first strip 9 is wrapped tightly and adhered to the strip 15, a water-resistant seal will be formed. Folds 3b will snugly fit beneath the fleece of the first strip 9.

In use, an extremity is slipped into the cover 1 with the top of the cover 1 as close to the shoulder (or hip if that is being protected) as possible. Excess cover 3b is then folded under the first strip 9 and the first strip 9 is wrapped around one side and attached to the strip 15. The process is repeated so that both ends of the first strip 9 are snugly disposed around the cover 1. Each strip can be further adjusted, as needed, to ensure a good seal. To remove or adjust the cover during use, water should be turned off and the lips 3a, 4a should be wiped dry. The cover 1 is then removed from the extremity by pulling the ends of the first strip 9 from the strip 15. The cover is then removed from the extremity and dried for reuse. Quite importantly, the use of the fasteners on the cover 1 enables the user to reuse the cover 1 many times while the cast is in place. Devices which use adhesives can only be used once and thus lack in the ecological benefits provided by the cover of the present invention.

While the cover of the present invention is primarily useful for covering casts and bandages it is also useful for protecting skin disorders or covering heparin locks which have been placed on an extremity to enable the wearer to take showers easily.

While it is apparent that changes and modifications can be made within the spirit and scope of the present invention, it is my intention, however, only to be limited by the scope of the appended claims.