Abstract:
Adhesive medical tape with warning indicators. The warning indicators can indicate the presence of a dangerous condition in a medical setting, such as the presence of sharp needles or that a patient is infected with a bloodborne pathogen. Viewers who see the warning indicators can alter their behavior to avoid the dangerous condition when treating patients.

Description:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY 
       [0001]    This Application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) from earlier filed U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/644,883, filed May 9, 2012, by Grace Padilla-Kastenberg, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present device relates to the field of medical devices, particularly medical tape comprising warning indicators. 
         [0004]    2. Background 
         [0005]    It is common in the healthcare industry for workers to interact with sharp objects such as needles while caring for patients. Unfortunately, it is also common for these sharp objects to accidentally injure healthcare workers. Needlesticks are injuries that result from the puncturing of skin by needles or other sharp objects during the placement, removal, or disposal of needles in healthcare settings. OHSA estimates that 5.6 million United States healthcare workers are at risk of being injured through accidental needlesticks. In U.S. hospitals alone there are 385,000 needlestick and other sharps-related injuries annually, an average of over 1000 injuries per day. When considering all healthcare personnel, including non-hospital staff, private clinics, home healthcare staff, and long-term care facilities, there are between 600,000-800,000 sharps and needlestick injuries per year. These percutaneous injuries are a serious problem, and can lead to medical personnel being exposed to bloodborne pathogens such as HIV, Hepatitis B and C, syphilis, and other diseases. The costs of dealing with the accidental exposure to such pathogens can be extremely high. The cost of testing for infection, providing medication, and providing disability for infected workers can exceed $1 million per infection. Injured workers may also suffer psychological effects between the initial percutaneous injury and the determination of whether or not they have been infected with a pathogen. 
         [0006]    Although healthcare workers are aware of the dangers of needlesticks and other sharps-related injuries, the fast paced nature of modern medical care environments can lead to workers overlooking the danger. Currently, blank medical tape is often used to secure a needle to a patient&#39;s skin after the needle has been inserted percutaneously, but the blank tape provides little or no information to a healthcare worker who later treats or comes into contact with the patient. For example, a new worker may not realize that a sharp object such as a needle is underneath the medical tape, or that a patient is infected with a certain disease when first caring for the patient. This lack of knowledge can lead to the worker not recognizing the potential for an accidental needlestick and that he or she should take extra care when tending to the patient. Even workers who are familiar with a patient&#39;s medical history may forget that a needle is present, or simply have other things on their minds and not be thinking about the danger posed by a hidden needle. Similarly, healthcare workers can become desensitized to potential needle hazards. 
         [0007]    A healthcare worker&#39;s ignorance of the presence of needles can also pose problems for patients. When a healthcare worker is unaware that a needle has been inserted into a patient, the healthcare worker can accidentally dislodge the needle from the patient. Accidental needle dislodgement can cause significant blood loss or prevent the delivery of medication and/or fluids. In some cases the healthcare worker and/or patient may not realize that the needle has been dislodged and that care has been disrupted. This scenario has potentially life threatening ramifications. 
         [0008]    What is needed is medical tape with warning indicators. The warning indicators can notify or remind healthcare workers that a certain condition is present. For example, the warning indicators can convey that a needle is present under the medical tape; that the patient is infected with a certain type of disease; and/or that any other condition is present. The warning indicators can serve as a quick and non-intrusive reminder to healthcare workers that they should act to protect themselves and the patient when the condition is present. For example, a healthcare worker can see the warning indicators on the medical tape, understand from the warning indicators that a condition is present, and act to avoid the dangers of that condition, especially when swift action is necessary to care for a patient and the danger posed by the condition may not otherwise be at the forefront of the healthcare workers&#39; minds. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1A  depicts a top view of an exemplary embodiment of notifying medical tape with a plurality of warning indicators. 
           [0010]      FIG. 1B  depicts a bottom view of an exemplary embodiment of notifying medical tape with a backing. 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  depicts an isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of notifying medical tape in a roll. 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  depicts a top view of an exemplary embodiment of notifying medical tape with a single warning indicator. 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  depicts an exemplary embodiment of notifying medical tape in use. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0014]      FIG. 1A  depicts a top view of an exemplary embodiment of a piece of notifying medical tape  100 .  FIG. 1B  depicts a bottom view of an exemplary embodiment of a piece of notifying medical tape  100 . The notifying medical tape  100  can have an upper face  102  and a lower face  104 . The sides of the notifying medical tape  100  can be die cut, radial cut, laser cut, or be cut by any other process. In some embodiments, the notifying medical tape  100  can be pre-cut into strips of a size suitable to secure a needle to a patient&#39;s skin after the needle has been inserted percutaneously, as shown in  FIGS. 1A ,  1 B and  4 . In other embodiments, the notifying medical tape  100  can be an elongated strip packaged into a roll, as shown in  FIG. 2 . In still other embodiments, the notifying medical tape  100  can be rectangular, circular, oval, butterfly-shaped, have cut-out sections, or have any other shape or size. 
         [0015]    In some embodiments, the notifying medical tape  100  can comprise a single layer of material. In other embodiments, the notifying medical tape  100  can comprise a plurality of layers. In some of these embodiments, one or more layers can be waterproof or water-resistant, and/or one or more other layers can be moisture absorbent. 
         [0016]    In some embodiments, the notifying medical tape  100  can be transparent or translucent. In other embodiments, the notifying medical tape  100  can be opaque. In some embodiments, the notifying medical tape  100  can comprise polyethylene. In other embodiments, the notifying medical tape  100  can comprise film, paper, plastic, cotton, polyester, silk, and/or any other desired material. In some embodiments, the surface of the notifying medical tape  100  can be smooth. In other embodiments, the surface of the notifying medical tape  100  can be textured. 
         [0017]    The lower face  104  of the notifying medical tape  100  can comprise an adhesive surface  106 . In some embodiments the adhesive surface  106  can be integral with the lower face  104 . In other embodiments, the lower face  104  can be coupled with a separate layer comprising an adhesive surface  106 . In some embodiments, the adhesive surface  106  can comprise a pressure sensitive adhesive. In some embodiments, the notifying medical tape  100  and/or the adhesive surface  106  can be hypoallergenic and/or be impregnated with anti-bacterial properties. 
         [0018]    In some embodiments, the adhesive surface  106  can cover the entire lower face  104 . In alternate embodiments, the adhesive surface  106  can cover one or more edges of the lower face  104  without covering the entire lower face  104 . By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments the adhesive surface  106  can cover the edges of the lower face  104 , such that the center of the lower face  104  is not covered by adhesives. 
         [0019]    In some embodiments, the adhesive surface  106  can initially be covered by a removable backing  108 . The removable backing  108  can comprise one or more pieces of non-adhesive material that can be removed from the adhesive surface  106 . By way of a non-limiting example, the removable backing  108  can be a butterfly backing that can be peeled off the adhesive surface  106 . 
         [0020]    The upper face  102  of the notifying medical tape  100  can comprise one or more warning indicators  110 . The warning indicators  110  can be marks that can convey information pertaining to one or more conditions related to a patient that can be present in a medical environment. The conditions can be one or more safety hazards, such as the presence of needles or other sharps, the presence of electrodes, a diagnosis of a patient, the infection status of a patient, or any other type of condition related to a patient that can be present in a medical environment. In some embodiments, the condition can have the potential to impact a third party after the medical tape has been affixed to a patient. By way of a non-limiting example, the condition can be the presence of a needle inserted into a patient&#39;s skin underneath the notifying medical tape  100 , which could impact a third party such as a healthcare worker who is otherwise unaware of the presence of the needle and could be injured by the needle, but who can become aware of the presence of the needle when viewing the warning indicators  110 . 
         [0021]    In some embodiments, the warning indicators  110  can be text. In other embodiments, the warning indicators  110  can be colors, color coding, symbols, designs, pictures, and/or any other types of marks or signals that are associated with the information to be conveyed. In some medical environments, a plurality of different embodiments of notifying medical tape  100  can be present, with each different embodiment comprising different warning indicators  110  corresponding to different conditions. 
         [0022]    In embodiments in which the notifying medical tape  100  is transparent or translucent, the warning indicators  110  can be opaque, such that the warning indicators  110  can be visually distinctive from the rest of the notifying medical tape  100 . In embodiments in which the notifying medical tape  100  is opaque, the warning indicators  110  can be one or more different colors than the rest of the notifying medical tape  100 . In still other embodiments, one or more warning indicators  110  can be reactive to moisture, such that the warning indicators  110  can change color when wet. By way of a non-limiting example, the color of one or more warning indicators  110  can initially blend in with the rest of the notifying medical tape  100  such that the warning indicators  110  are not visible, but change color to a visually noticeable color when the notifying medical tape  100  is exposed to fluid, for instance when blood contacts the lower surface  104 . 
         [0023]    In some embodiments, the warning indicators  110  can convey specific information about one or more specific conditions. By way of non-limiting examples, the warning indicators  110  can read “Sharps” or “Needles” to indicate that a needle is present underneath the notifying medical tape  100 , or “biohazard,” “BBP” or “Pathogens Present” to indicate that a patient is infected with a bloodborne pathogen. 
         [0024]    In other embodiments, the warning indicators can convey general alert information about one or more conditions. By way of non-limiting examples, the warning indicators  110  can read “Caution,” “Alert,” or “Warning.” 
         [0025]    In still other embodiments, the warning indicators  110  can be any other text, color, color coding, design, picture, or other type of signal. By way of a non-limiting example, the warning indicators  110  can be biohazard symbols, as shown in  FIG. 3 . By way of another non-limiting example, the warning indicator  110  can be a numeral indicating the step number of a surgical procedure. 
         [0026]    In some embodiments, notifying medical tape  100  and/or warning indicators  110  of different colors can be used to signify different types of pathogens, varying levels of severity, different dangerous conditions, or any other information. 
         [0027]    In some embodiments, the warning indicators  110  can be arranged in a repeating pattern on the upper face  102 , as shown in  FIG. 1A  and  FIG. 2 . In some embodiments, the repeating pattern can be angled relative to the sides of the notifying medical tape  100 , as shown in  FIG. 1A  and  FIG. 2 . In other embodiments, the warning indicators  110  can be positioned at the center of the upper face of a piece of notifying medical tape  100 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0028]      FIG. 4  depicts an exemplary embodiment of the notifying medical tape  100  in use. In operation, when a user desires to convey information about a condition, the user can select the proper embodiment of notifying medical tape  100  that comprises warning indicators  110  corresponding to that condition. If present, the user can remove the backing  108 . The user can affix the notifying medical tape  100  by contacting the adhesive surface  106  to a patient&#39;s skin  412  or other desired location, as shown in  FIG. 4 . By way of a non-limiting example, the adhesive surface  106  can be pressed against the entry point of a needle  414  into a patient&#39;s skin after the needle  414  has been inserted percutaneously, such that the notifying medical tape  100  can help keep the needle  414  in place into and/or against the patient&#39;s skin  412 . The warning indicators  110  can serve as a notification and/or reminder that the condition is present when a viewer sees the warning indicators  110 . If necessary, the viewer can then alter his or her behavior to avoid injuries and/or infection related to the condition. 
         [0029]    Although the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the invention as described and hereinafter claimed is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims.