Abstract:
A self-supporting catheter cover for holding and covering the external tubes of an intravenous therapy device. The cover includes first and second panels defining a pocket in communication with an open top edge. Releasable securing means are fixed to the first and second panels proximate the top edge for frictionally engaging and retaining an external tube of the catheter such that the cover is supported by the catheter. As such the cover does not require independent securing devices for attachment to the body of the patient.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/142,093, filed Jul. 2, 1999. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for use with intravenous therapy devices and, more particularly, to an apparatus for holding and covering a catheter tube implanted within the body of an individual. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Surgically implanted intravenous therapy devices such as central venous catheters, are often used for prolonged treatment of blood disorders and cancer by providing permanent internal tubing received within the blood distribution system proximate the heart of a patient for the administering of medication and other substances as well as for periodic blood testing. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the catheter may comprise a flexible silicone tube  12  having a tip which is placed in a large vein near the heart and brought under the skin along the chest wall to leave the body at an exit site  14 . The external tubing of the tube  12  may split into individual external tubes  16  and  18 , often called “central lines,” at a joint  20 . A clamping device  22  may be provided to cooperate with the external tubes  16  and  18  to prevent the flow of fluid into or out of the tube  12 . Caps  24  and  26  are provided at the free ends of the tubes  16  and  18  which allow for the insertion of liquid medications or the withdrawal of blood. 
     Typically, the external tubes  16  and  18  of the implanted catheter  10  are taped to the body of the patient to prevent displacement and dislodgement of the catheter  10 . To use the caps  24  and  26  of the catheter  10 , it is therefore necessary to remove the tape  27  securing the tubes  16  and  18  to the body. Such removal and reapplying of the tape  27  is often discomforting and irritating to the patient. Additionally, the appearance of the taped external tubes  16  and  18  on the body often presents an unsightly and mentally disturbing appearance in many patients, particularly children. 
     In apparent recognition of the undesirability of taping the catheter  10  to the body of the patient, attempts have been made to design catheter covers or protection devices which eliminate the necessity of taping the external tubes  16  and  18  to the body of the patient. Examples of such prior art catheter protection devices are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,666,432, 5,048,122 and 5,403,285. However, all of the aforementioned prior art catheter protection devices still require some means of securing the device to the body of the patient. Such means of securing the device to the body include belts wrapped around the chest of the patient and specially designed garments designed to hold the catheter tubes  16  and  18 . Such devices are often irritating to the patient as providing an additional article which must be attached to the body. Additionally, such body supported devices may provide a hazard where a portion of the device may be caught on external surfaces. 
     Accordingly, there is a need for a catheter cover which is supported independently of the body of the patient and does not require the use of securing devices to attach the cover to the patient. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a catheter cover which is adapted to securely engage external tubing of an implanted catheter without requiring additional securing devices for attaching the cover to the body of the patient. 
     The catheter cover of the present invention includes first and second panels each having an inner surface, an outer surface and a peripheral edge, which is formed to define a profile which is of a pleasing appearance to children. The first and second panels are preferably formed from a lightweight, soft fabric which is machine washable and dryable. The inner surfaces of the first and second panels may be defined by an interface material. The first and second panels are secured together with their inner surfaces facing towards each other to define a pocket. More particularly, a connector extends along a substantial portion of the peripheral edges of the first and second panels for securing the panels in an overlapping relationship. The peripheral edge preferably comprises opposing side edges connecting a bottom edge to a top open edge, which has an arc of approximately 100°, as measured from a center point of the panels, between first and second ends of the connector. 
     A releasable securing device, preferably a hook and loop fastener, extends substantially along the length of the top edge for releasably securing the external tubing of the catheter while a free end of the external tubing is received within the pocket. The releasable securing device extends substantially around the outer surface of the external tubing in frictional engagement therewith, such that the cover is self-supporting on the catheter. As such, no external fastening means are needed to secure the cover to the body of the patient. 
     Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide a comfortable and lightweight catheter cover which eliminates the need for external patient securing devices. 
     It is another object of the invention to provide a pleasant, cheerful and aesthetically pleasing catheter cover. 
     It is a further object of the invention to provide such a catheter cover which is inexpensive to produce and easy to maintain. 
     It is yet another object of the invention to provide such a catheter cover which may be worn by children with implanted catheters. 
     It is a further object of the invention to provide a catheter cover which may be used with a wide variety of different sizes and designs of catheters. 
     Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional catheter implanted within the body of a patient; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the catheter cover of the present invention secured to the catheter of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the catheter cover of the present invention as applied to the catheter of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the inside surface of a first panel of the catheter cover of the present invention; 
     FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of the inside surface of a second panel of the catheter cover of the present invention; 
     FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line  6 — 6  of FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of a first embodiment of the catheter cover of the present invention; and 
     FIG. 8 is a front elevational view of an alternative embodiment of the catheter cover of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring initially to FIGS. 1-5, the catheter cover  30  of the present invention includes first and second panels  32  and  34  which are formed in an identical shape. The panels  32  and  34  are preferably cut from a craft velour fabric although any comparable lightweight soft fabric which does not easily fray and which is machine washable and dryable may be readily substituted therefor. The first and second panels  32  and  34  each include a peripheral edge  35  which preferably defines a profile shape which is aesthetically pleasing to the patient, particularly children. As such, the catheter cover  30  may have the shape of a teddy bear, dinosaur or other animal. Likewise, the peripheral edge  35  of the catheter cover  30 ′ may have the shape of a circle and, moreover, of a sports related objects, such as a basketball (FIG.  8 ). 
     Interfacing material may define the inner surfaces  36  and  38  of the first and second panels  32  and  34 , respectively, when lightweight material is used for the first and second panels  32  and  34 . While the interfacing preferably comprises Armo-Weft Tailoring Interfacing, similar interfacing materials may be readily substituted therefor. Typically, such interfacing material is not required when heavier material such as craft velour is utilized. The inner surfaces  36  and  38  of the first and second panels  32  and  34  are positioned in facing relation to each other and then secured by a connector  40 . The outer surfaces  41  and  42  of the panels  32  and  34  may include visually appealing indicia  43  as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8. 
     The peripheral edge  35  of each of the panels  32  and  34  includes side edges  44  and  45 , a bottom edge  46  and a top edge  48  wherein the side edges  44  and  45  interconnect the bottom and top edges  46  and  48 . The connector  40  extends proximate the first and second side edges  44  and  45  and the bottom edge  46  wherein the top edge  48  remains open. More particularly, the connector  40  extends substantially around the peripheral edge  35  of the catheter cover  30  such that an arc, as measured from a center point  50  of the panels  32  and  34 , has an angular dimension of α from a first end point  52  to a second end point  54  of the connector  40 , wherein α has a value of approximately 100° (FIG.  3 ). The connector  40  preferably comprises a looped stitch line which extends partially over a portion of the peripheral edge  35  in a counterclockwise direction from first end point  52  to second end point  54 . The looped stitch line provides a visually pleasing appearance as opposed to other available connectors  40 . However, it should be appreciated that similar securing means, including adhesives and heat bonding, may be readily substituted for the stitch line. 
     A pocket  56  is defined between the inside surfaces  36  and  38  of the first and second panels  32  and  34  and the connector  40  for receiving the free ends or caps  24  and  26  of the catheter  10  (FIGS.  3  and  6 ). A releasable securing device  58  extends substantially across the width of the top edge  48  such that the pocket  56  may be closed. More particularly, the releasable securing device  58  preferably comprises a hook and loop fastener wherein the hook portion  60  is secured to the inside surface of the first panel  32  (FIG. 4) and the loop portion  62  is attached to the inside surface of the second panel  34  (FIG.  5 ). A stitch line  64  preferably extends in a clockwise direction from the first end point  52  to the second end point  54  in order to prevent fraying along the top edge  48  of each respective panel  32  and  34  and to provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance. 
     Referring further to FIG. 4, a comfort pad  68  is preferably fixed to the inner surface  36  of the first panel  32  by a stitch line  70 . The comfort pad  68  comprises a soft padding material, preferably fleece, for cushioning the catheter  10  from the body of the patient. Additionally, an identification tag  72  is preferably fixed to the inner surface  36  of the first panel  32  beneath the hook portion  60  of the releasable securing device  58 . 
     In operation, the free ends or caps  24  and  26  of the external tubes  16  and  18  are placed within the pocket  56  of the catheter cover  30  with a portion of the tube  12  extending out through the top edge  48 . As illustrated in FIG. 6, the releasable securing device  58  substantially surrounds the tube  12  in frictional engagement therewith such that the cover  30  is self-supported upon the catheter tube  12 . As such, the external tubing of the catheter  12  solely supports the cover  30  wherein the cover  30  is freely suspended from the body of the patient and no external attachment means are necessary for connecting the cover  30  to the body of the patient. 
     The method of manufacturing the catheter cover  30  of the present invention begins by attaching interfacing to one surface of a material, preferably velour. As mentioned above, such interfacing may be eliminated if the material of the first and second panels  32  and  34  is sufficiently dense. The material is then cut to form the first and second panels  32  and  34  of desired shape through either tracing a pattern or die cutting. 
     The hook portion  60  of the hook and loop fastener  58  is fixed to the inside surface  36  of the first panel  32  while the loop portion  62  is fixed to the inside surface  38  of the second panel  34  proximate the respective top edges  48 . Stitching  74  may be utilized to fix the hook and loop fastener  58  to the panels  32  and  34 . The comfort pad  68  is then placed in contact with the inside surface  36  of the first panel  32  and secured in place with a stitch line  70 . 
     Next, anti-fraying material, preferably stitch lines  64  and  66  are applied to the top edge  48  of the first and second panels  32  and  34  from end point  52  to end point  54  in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIGS. 4 and 5. The inside surfaces  36  and  38  of the first and second panels  32  and  34  are then positioned so they are facing each other and connecting line  40  is formed, preferably by stitching from first end point  52  to second end point  54  in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG.  3 . 
     While the form of apparatus herein described constitutes a preferred embodiment of this invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise form of apparatus, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.