Abstract:
A medical garment is provided for use with children patients during and following intravenous medical therapies and method for using the same. The garment includes fabric fitted for the upper torso of a patient with an easily detachable flap exposing an access opening located over the chest area to allow care providers with easy access to medical ports implanted in the patient&#39;s chest where most such ports are located for pediatric patients. An storage pocket is positioned inside and adjacent to the opening for easy, safe and discreet storage of tubing and small medical devices. The exterior surfaces of the flap and/or interior surfaces of the pocket may include ornamentation and/or design elements appropriate for children&#39;s clothing. The garment is designed to look like a regular piece of children&#39;s clothing which is comfortable for children to wear and which helps restore a feeling of normalcy to a child patient.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/813,837 filed 2013 Apr. 19. 
     
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to medical garments, and more particularly to medical garments designed to meet the needs of children receiving medical therapies via implanted medical devices. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Current methods for providing medical treatment to children having cancer (and other serious medical conditions) regularly involve placement of intravenous access ports (and/or tubes) at the central chest area of the child patient. Chemotherapy, for example, is commonly administered through a central line, implantable port or PICC line inserted into the chest area below the collar bone. These ports (or tubes) may stay in place for some months or, in some cases, years and must be accessed regularly for administration of therapy and for cleaning. They can be used for a variety of medical purposes such as taking blood and administering medicines. While they are generally beneficial in allowing access to the body without having to insert a needle into the patient each time, they entail some difficulty and discomfort to the caregiver and patient. 
         [0004]    Garments worn by children patients during intravenous treatment must allow easy access to the ports so caregivers may administer treatment, take blood and keep the ports clean. As treatment can be time consuming, physically uncomfortable and emotionally difficult, especially for children, special attention needs to be paid to make sure the child is as comfortable as possible without impeding access and/or disturbing the ports or the tubing attached thereto. The garments must provide warmth without being too tight or otherwise require constant removal or repositioning on the patient. Normal children&#39;s clothing is generally unsuitable for treatment because it doesn&#39;t provide adequate access to the chest area, would disturb the ports, or would otherwise need to be removed during therapy and put back on following therapy. Thus, children patients are generally given standard prior art loose fitting medical garments (such as gowns with openings at the back) to wear during treatment. 
         [0005]    Unfortunately, standard prior art medical garments (such as gowns) are woefully inadequate for children patients receiving intravenous treatments (such as chemotherapy) because they do not meet the physical or psychological needs of the child during and post treatment. Prior art gowns, for example, are opened at the back and must be folded over or otherwise partially removed to expose the chest area during treatment. Being exposed to a chilly hospital environment is discomforting to a sick child. The prior art garments fail to adequately accommodate loose tubing and other connective apparatus which is often left dangling from the ports or otherwise tied to the child thus severely limiting the child&#39;s ability to reposition or move without affecting the port connections. This can be uncomfortable and distressing to the child. And, it could be life threatening if a tube is dislodged. Importantly, prior art medical garments do nothing to comfort the child&#39;s anxiety or help the child feel a sense of normalcy during or post treatment. Instead, prior art medical garments serve to remind the child (and signal to others) that he/she is receiving medical treatment for a serious and often life threatening medical condition. Post treatment, children having intravenous ports are limited as to what they wear because normal clothing is too tight and disturbs the ports and/or fails to adequately conceal them. Child patients often feel stigmatized by their condition and try to hide their condition for fear they may be judged or excluded by others. They want to wear comfortable clothing that helps them look and feel like a normal child both during and following treatment. 
         [0006]    There is therefore a need for a garment which allows for easy access to the chest area by care providers, provides inconspicuous storage locations for tubing and other small medical apparatus, prevents trauma or dislodgment of the tubing and ports, and which quickly converts to a garment that looks like a normal piece of children&#39;s clothing. 
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
       [0007]    In accordance with the invention, the problem of providing appropriate access to the patient&#39;s chest area, inconspicuous storage for ports, tubes and small medical apparatus, and providing a child patient with a sense of normalcy is solved by a garment designed to look like a normal piece of children&#39;s clothing having an opening at the chest area adequate to provide easy access to implanted ports, tubing and small medical apparatus by care providers, an easily detachable flap with design and ornamentation consistent with normal everyday children&#39;s clothing covering the opening, and an inconspicuous interior storage pocket for storage of tubes and other small medical apparatus. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a front side perspective view of a medical garment embodying the principles of the present invention being worn by a child patient with flap closed. 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a front side perspective view of a medical garment embodying the principles of the present invention being worn by a child patient with flap partially detached and folded downward exposing implanted ports and providing access to an inner storage pocket. 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a medical garment embodying the principles of the present invention showing the interior surface of the garment with storage pocket attached. 
           [0011]      FIGS. 4A-4D  are schematic diagrams of a piece of fabric which may be used to form the flap and storage pocket of a medical garment embodying the principles of the present invention and method for fashioning the flap and storage pocket using the same. 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram of a cross section of the medical garment embodying the principles of the present invention with flap attached and covering the opening at exterior surface and a storage pocket attached at the interior surface. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0013]    The drawings are for the purpose of illustrating a preferred embodiment of a medical garment embodying the principles of the present invention only and are not for purposes of limiting the same. 
         [0014]    The preferred embodiment of the medical garment is shown in the shape of a t-shirt. It should be understood, however, that alternative embodiments of the present invention may be in the form of any torso-covering garment having a front, a back, and two sides with arm holes. For example, alternative embodiments of the garment may be in the shape of a shirt, a dress, a sweatshirt, a jacket or any other garment which covers the torso of the patient. 
         [0015]      FIGS. 1 and 2  are front side perspective views of a preferred embodiment of the medical garment  10  being worn by a child patient  12 . The garment  10  is made of a flexible material, preferably of woven cloth or fiber, but may alternatively be made of sheet plastic, vinyl or other flexible material used for clothing. The garment  10  covers the torso of the patient  12  and has a front, a back, two sides with sleeves having arm holes, and defining interior and exterior surfaces. For example, the front side interior surface of the garment is that side of the garment which would be worn immediately adjacent to the patient. The front side exterior surface would be that side of the garment which faces outward. 
         [0016]      FIG. 1  shows an access opening  14  (in dotted lines) preferably in the shape of a rectangle located over the central chest area of the patient  12 . This embodiment of the access opening has top  16 , bottom  18 , right  20  and left  22  edges. Alternative embodiments may have one or more access openings which are a different shape (such as a circular, oval, triangular or trapezoidal) with two or more adjacent sides. Regardless of the shape or number, the one or more access openings must be large enough to provide adequate exposure of the ports and other implanted tubing are likely to be located at the patient&#39;s chest area. The preferred embodiment of the access opening  14  shown in  FIG. 1  is a single opening with a seam surrounding all sides. The seam is for purposes of maintaining the integrity of the access opening, but may be omitted in alternative embodiments when the material used does not require a seam for this purpose. 
         [0017]    The access opening  14  shown in  FIG. 1 , is covered by a flap  24  having front and back sides. The front side of the flap  24  is that side which faces outward and away from the patient when the flap is closed. The back side of the flap  24  is that side facing inward toward the patient when the flap is closed. The embodiment of the flap shown is substantially rectangular in shape having top  26 , bottom  28 , right  30  and left  32  edges. Alternative embodiments of the garment may have one or more flaps  24  covering one or more access openings  14 . The flap  24  is preferably made of the same flexible material as that used to cover the torso. However, alternative embodiments may have one or more flaps  24  made of other types of flexible materials normally used for making children&#39;s clothing such as canvas, sheet plastic, vinyl, wool, polyester fabric and the like. 
         [0018]    The preferred embodiment of the flap  24  shown in  FIG. 1  has a design on the front side which is consistent with those normally found on children&#39;s clothing. In this embodiment, the design is the likeness of a cartoon dog face. Other designs or indicia consistent with that which is normally used for children&#39;s clothing may otherwise be affixed to the front or back sides of the flap. The designs or indicia may be sewn onto the flap, painted on, glued on, woven into the fabric itself, or otherwise affixed thereon, using techniques known in the industry. 
         [0019]    The edges of the flap  24  shown in  FIG. 1  are lined with seams to prevent them from tearing, being rough, or otherwise unraveling. The flap  24  is sized to overlap the access opening  14  allowing enough room to accommodate the positioning of temporary attachment means  25  around the perimeter portions of the flap  24  at one or more sides or corners to allow the flap to be remain closed over the access opening  14  when desired. The temporary attachment means  25  utilized for the preferred embodiment shown are snaps positioned around the perimeter of the back side of the flap  24  and in corresponding positions around the perimeter of the opening  14 . Alternative embodiments may include buttons, zippers, hook and loop fasteners, or other temporary attachment fasteners known in the industry. The embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  utilizes a flap  24  having a bottom edge  28  which is fixedly attached to the bottom edge  18  of the access opening by a sewn seam. The remaining edges of the flap are temporarily attached to the garment around the edges of the access opening using temporary attachment means (in this case snaps). In alternative embodiments, another of the edges may be alternatively fixedly attached (such as in the case where the flap is sewn at the right edge of the opening and the flap is folded open from left to right). In alternative embodiments, all sides of the flap may be removeably attached using the temporary attachment means described above. 
         [0020]      FIG. 2  shows a front side perspective view of the preferred embodiment with the flap  24  open exposing the access opening  14  and the patient&#39;s  12  central chest region containing ports and tubes. It shows the bottom edge  28  of the flap  24  fixedly attached by a sewn seam at the bottom edge  18  of the access opening  14 . The remaining sides of the flap  24  have been unsnapped to allow the flap to fold downward exposing the back side of the flap. The back side of the flap has design indicia consistent with that found on children&#39;s clothing. This is to maintain the overall child themed character of the garment when the flap is open. This back side design indicia may be attached in the same manner as that design indicia located at the front side of the flap as described. 
         [0021]    One will note that alternative embodiments of the garment may have one or more access openings  14  of a different shape than the corresponding flaps  24  intended to cover them. For example the access opening  14  may be round whereas the flap  24  covering it may be rectangular or vice versa. A variety of configurations of access openings  14  and flaps  24  located over the central chest region of the torso are possible as long as the flaps are of size and position to adequately cover the openings and to allow easy access by care providers to the ports and tubes emanating from the central chest area of the patient  12 . 
         [0022]      FIG. 2  also depicts a preferred embodiment of a storage pocket  34  located at the interior surface of the garment  10  adjacent and below the bottom edge  18  of the access opening  14  so as to be adjacent to the ports or tubing emanating from the patient&#39;s chest and immediately accessible to care providers accessing the ports and tubing through the access opening  14 . The storage pocket is shown in  FIG. 2  partially using dotted lines to show that this embodiment of the storage pocket sits below the access opening. The storage pocket  34  is made of a flexible material, preferably a woven material, but otherwise may be made of plastic, vinyl or other material used for children&#39;s clothing. Using the same materials as the rest of the garment is useful for purposes of providing continuity and comfort to the child patient who wants to feel normal and comfortable in a sometimes difficult environment. It is also easier and less expensive to make if the materials used for the storage pocket are the same as those materials used for the rest of the garment. But, since the storage pocket  34  is preferably located on the interior surface of the garment (i.e. between the garment and the patient), is effectively hidden when the flap  24  is closed, and is utilized to store tubing and small medical devises often containing fluids (such as blood or medicines) which might inadvertently drip into the storage pocket during and post treatment, alternative embodiments of the garment may comprise storage pockets  34  made of a flexible waterproof material and/or a material that shields the patient from heat or cold (for example, a flexible rubberized canvas material, neoprene, silicone and the like) otherwise known and used in the medical setting. 
         [0023]      FIG. 3  is a view of the preferred embodiment of the garment shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  looking at the interior surface of the front side of the garment with storage pocket  34  attached. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the storage pocket  34  is of horseshoe shape with tapered opening at the top and rounded sides and bottom. This shape is preferably to easily accommodate excess tubing which may be wound and inserted into the pocket. But, other shapes may be utilized in alternative embodiments. Further, alternative embodiments of the garment may utilize more than one storage pocket  34 . 
         [0024]    The storage pocket  34  shown in  FIG. 3  is centered and positioned immediately adjacent and below the bottom  18  edge of the access opening  14 . The storage pocket  34  shown in  FIG. 3  comprises two panels attached at the bottom and sides to form a pocket opening at the top. As shown, the storage pocket  34  has front  36  and back  38  exterior sides, front  40  and back  42  interior sides, and a pocket opening  44  having front  46  and back  48  opening edges. Alternative embodiments of the storage pocket may effectively eliminate the need for a separate piece of material defining the front exterior  36  and interior  42  sides by simply utilizing the material comprising the body of the garment for that purpose. In other words, the storage pocket may be made by simply attaching a piece of material along three sides to the interior surface of the garment leaving an opening (such as the way pockets are sewn on the back of a pair of blue jeans or other pocket configurations known in the industry. The advantage of having using a separate panel to define the front  36  exterior and front interior  40  sides of the storage pocket  34  is that it allows the opportunity to use waterproof or other material otherwise not used for the rest of the garment and because it can be easier to make (as described below) by using a single blank to form both sides of the flap and storage pocket. 
         [0025]    The storage pocket  34  shown in  FIG. 3  is fashioned by folding a piece of material with corresponding front and back panels so that the bottom is a fold and sewing the curved sides to define the pocket opening  44  at the top. The pocket opening  44  is closeable utilizing a temporary pocket closure  50  means such one or more snaps, zippers, hook and loop fasteners, buttons or other temporary fastening means known in the industry. Alternative embodiments may have more than one storage pocket  34  or storage pockets of different shapes (i.e. square, rectangular) with openings on different sides closeable using such temporary fastening manes as described above. Further, alternative embodiments may have the storage pockets positioned in other places adjacent to the one or more access openings. However, it should be noted that the purpose of the storage pocket  34  is to accommodate and discretely store excess tubing and small medical devices that are needed as part of the patient&#39;s treatment and which must be easily accessible through the access opening. To accommodate these requirements as well as make the pocket as comfortable and discrete as possible, the preferred embodiment shown has rounded edges and is positioned such that the opening is at or near the bottom edge of the access opening so that it can conformably hang below the access opening at the patient&#39;s midriff and out of the way of the chest, arms or other areas on the garment which would normally fit tighter to the patient&#39;s body. 
         [0026]    The preferred embodiment of the garment shown in  FIGS. 1-3  utilize a storage pocket  34  located between the patient and the interior surface of the garment to remain discreet when the flap  24  is closed. In alternative embodiments, one or more storage pockets  34  may be located on the exterior surface surface of the garment. 
         [0027]      FIG. 3  depicts the storage pocket having the design of a cartoon dog head on the front interior side  40  of the pocket. The purpose of having the design in this location is that it is easily viewable by a patient looking down into the pocket where the tubing and medical devices may be stored by care providers. The interior back side  42  of the storage pocket may also contain designs and other indicia normally used on children&#39;s clothing. The general purpose of such designs and indicia is to provide comfort to the child patient. Any design, ornamentation or decorative element consistent with children&#39;s clothing may be used. Typical examples of such ornamentation or decorative elements might include ornamental stitching, stitched patterns, painted, stick-on or iron-on patches, cartoon character likenesses, buttons and the like by themselves or in combination. 
         [0028]      FIGS. 4A-4D  depict a preferred embodiment of a blank which may be used to make the flap  14  and storage pocket  34 . Use of this blank is preferred for purposes of fashioning the flap and storage pocket with ease and economic efficiency.  FIG. 4A  shows the blank spread out as single piece of material with printing on the upward facing side and cut in a shape as form four adjacent panels separated by folds. Specifically, panel A is a rectangular panel having the large picture of the dog&#39;s head which will form the front side of the flap, panel B is the immediately adjacent panel (separated by fold line) having multiple small characters printed thereon and forming the back side of the flap, panel C is the smaller panel rounded at the top with the smaller dog&#39;s head printed thereon which will form the front panel of the storage pocket, and panel D is the adjacent panel (separated by a fold line) which will form the back side of the storage pocket. Note that what serves as the hem for the back side of the storage pocket is created by folding the end of panel D (at the end fold line) and sewing it to the opposite side. In  FIG. 4B , panel A is folded over onto panel B at fold line  1  and sewn at the sides and bottom ends to form the flap  24 . In  FIG. 4C , panel D is folded over onto panel C and sewn at the curved sides to form the storage pocket  34  with top opening. In  FIG. 4D , the blank has been flipped over to show the front panel of the flap with storage pocket below. Fasteners (in this case snaps) used for temporary attachment of the flap over the access opening are shown on that surface which will become the back side of the flap. 
         [0029]      FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram showing a cross section of the folded and sewn blank described in  FIGS. 4A-4D  sewn into the front of the garment so that the flap  24  covers the access opening  14  and the top opening of the storage pocket  34  is positioned at the interior surface of the garment just below the access opening. The front side of the storage pocket  36  and back side of the storage pocket  38  is shown. The folded and sewn blank is attached with the front side of the garment such that the flap is positioned over the access opening at the exterior surface of the garment and the storage pocket is positioned under the access opening at the interior surface of the garment. The blank is attached to the body of the garment along the seam located at the bottom edge of the access opening. This is merely a preferred embodiment. Alternative embodiments of the invention may have a flap  24  and storage pocket  34  which are separate and attached separately to the garment in the alternative positions described above. 
         [0030]    A method for using the garment includes wearing the garment such that the flap is located on or immediately adjacent to tubing, ports or other locations requiring access for administration of medical care. When access is desired, the flap is open and folded away from the opening. Excess tubing may be stored in the storage pocket. When access is not needed, the flap is closed using the temporary closure mechanisms. 
         [0031]    The invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment in the shape and form of a t-shirt and having a rectangular flap and rounded interior storage pocket. However, alternative embodiments may include any form of clothing designed to cover a person&#39;s torso and chest area including but not limited to a dress, sweatshirt, long-sleeve shirt, or poncho. The invention has also been described specifically for use by children and utilizing ornamentation that is typical of children&#39;s clothing. However, the invention may be used effectively with adult patients and utilize ornamentation and other design elements typical to adult clothing. Modifications and alterations will occur to others upon reading and understanding this specification. It is intended by the application to include all such modifications and alterations insofar as they are within the claims or the equivalents thereof.