Abstract:
This disclosure describes a kimono garment for use by a chemotherapy patient to provide greater dignity and comfort during chemotherapy sessions and while traveling to and from sessions. The garment looks similar to a traditional kimono but with the addition of a hatch over the chest area where access to a chemotherapy patient&#39;s port is required. The hatch can be opened to enable access to a patient&#39;s port without compromising a patient&#39;s dignity and can then be closed during a session to provide greater comfort and dignity during a session. The garment also can include enlarged armholes thus easing its adornment and removal by patients suffering from enlarged arm diameters. The kimono garment also does not look like a medical gown, making a patient more inconspicuous when traveling to/and from chemotherapy sessions.

Description:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY UNDER 35 U.S.C. §119 
       [0001]    The present Application for Patent claims priority to Provisional Application No. 61/698,827 entitled “CHEMOTHERAPY TREATMENT GOWN” filed Sep. 10, 2012, and assigned to the assignee hereof and hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
       [0002]    The present disclosure relates generally to clothing. In particular, but not by way of limitation, the present disclosure relates to a garment used to assist chemotherapy patients. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Chemotherapy is the use of chemicals (medication) to treat disease; in this case it refers to the destruction of cancer cells. When health care professionals talk about chemotherapy, they are generally referring to cytotoxic medication, which prevents cancer cells from dividing and growing. There are more than 100 different types of chemotherapy drugs today, which are used to treat most cancers. 
         [0004]    Chemotherapy drugs work by interfering with a cancer cell&#39;s ability to divide and reproduce. When the healthy cells in our body are damaged or die, our body produces new ones to replace them. This cell reproduction is done in an orderly, balanced way. Cancer cells, however, reproduce more quickly, and their reproduction is out of control. More and more are produced and they start to occupy more and more space, until eventually they push out space occupied by healthy, useful cells. 
         [0005]    Chemotherapy drugs work by interfering with the cancer cell&#39;s reproduction. Chemo drugs can be applied directly into the blood stream to attach to cancer cells throughout the body, or they can be delivered directly to specific cancer sites. In the majority of cases, patients need regular chemotherapy over a specific period. Health care professionals create a protocol plan which specifies when treatment sessions occur and for how long. 
         [0006]    A course of chemotherapy can last for weeks or months; it depends on the type and stage of the cancer (how advanced it is.) If the patient requires more than one course of treatment, there is a rest period after the treatment to allow her body to recover. For example, she may have a one-day treatment followed by a week&#39;s rest period, and this may be repeated many times. 
         [0007]    Some chemotherapy drugs can be administered orally. Other chemo drugs are administered directly into the vein (intravenously). Intravenous administration of therapy medication allows for rapid entry into the body&#39;s circulation, where it is carried throughout the body in the blood stream. 
         [0008]    A common method of intravenous administration is through the use of a surgically implanted port (also called a port-a-cath or a medi-port).  FIG. 3  illustrates a side view of a port and catheter. A catheter  310  (a thin, soft, flexible plastic tube) is surgically implanted into the superior vena cava blood vessel  304  at the entrance of the right atrium of the heart. The catheter  310  has a port  308 , or opening, placed just under the skin  302  of the chest, approximately 3 inches below the collarbone. The port  308  has a thin rubber disc which special needles (Huber needles)  306  can either pass medicines into, or take blood from. Many chemotherapy drugs require intravenous administration through a port  308  because of their toxicity to veins. Ports can have a useful life of three to five years.  FIG. 1  illustrates another view of a port and catheter  100 .  FIG. 2  illustrates a view of an implanted port  202  under the skin of a patient. Scar tissue  204  indicates an incision through which the port  202  was inserted. 
         [0009]    A typical chemotherapy session consists of several steps. First, blood tests are run to assess the health of the patient and to determine if the patient can deal with the possible side-effects of that particular chemo treatment. At the beginning of each chemo session, the patient exposes her port and a health care professional draws a blood sample. 
         [0010]    The nurse thoroughly cleans the skin over and around the port and may also apply an anesthetic numbing solution to the skin. She feels the port under the skin and finds the entrance by locating the edges of the port. The nurse then inserts a Huber needle into the soft middle section (the septum), attaches a vial to the needle and draws a blood sample. A dressing is then placed over the needle to hold it in place until the end of the treatment. 
         [0011]    The patient then waits while the blood sample is sent to the lab. During this time the needle usually remains in the port. If the doctor determines the patient may be administered chemotherapy, the patient continues to the next step. 
         [0012]    The actual chemotherapy treatment is often administered in a chemo ward or infusion unit in a hospital or cancer center. An average chemo ward consists of an open room with a number of large reclining chairs lined against a wall. The patient sits in the chair and the nurse administers a series of solutions (which can include heparin, saline, and a variety of chemotherapy medications) via the IV. 
         [0013]    At this point the patient is literally tethered to the IV stand, for two to twelve hours. Sometimes small tables, a small television, or a guest chair is provided. Depending on the facility, the patient may be provided with a blanket, water or snacks upon request. She may get up from the chair if necessary to go to the restroom, pulling the IV stand along with her. Some chemo wards provide a curtain or sheet to separate patients from each other, but in most cases all chemo patients are in an open room so that nursing staff can see them easily. When all medications have been administered, a nurse removes the Huber needle and the patient is discharged from treatment. 
         [0014]    Cancer patients have a lot on their minds. For most of them, “what to wear to chemo” is not on the short list. However, once the patient gets to their chemotherapy session they need to give the nurses access to their port, and are left with a rubber tube extending from their chest for a number of hours. With a traditional shirt, dignity is left at the door. If wearing a t-shirt, v-neck shirt, or polo shirt, the shirt must either be pulled over the head, thus exposing the patient to anyone in the room; at least one arm must be removed from a shirtsleeve, also depriving the patient of dignity; or the patient&#39;s neckline will become permanently stretched as medical staff pull the neckline to expose the port, such stretching being maintained for hours. If wearing a button-up shirt or blouse, the patient has to unbutton it past the breasts, again unnecessarily exposing the patient to anyone within eyesight. Once the patient is hooked up to the IV, either the shirt neckline is stretched out for several hours or the shirt is unbuttoned, exposing the chest. 
         [0015]      FIG. 10  illustrates an example of a patient and two medical staff administering a chemotherapy session. The staff person on the right administers the drugs and blood removal while the staff person on the left puts tension on the patient&#39;s neckline in order to enable access to the port. Depending on the type of fabric and style of the neckline, this patient&#39;s shirt will likely be permanently stretched and deformed. As seen, chemotherapy patients are either left partially bare to medical staff, other patients, and visitors; they must deal with permanent deformation to their shirt necklines; or they have to wear skimpy, degrading clothing that provides access to their port. 
       SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
       [0016]    Exemplary embodiments of the present invention that are shown in the drawings are summarized below. These and other embodiments are more fully described in the Detailed Description section. It is to be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the forms described in this Summary of the Invention or in the Detailed Description. One skilled in the art can recognize that there are numerous modifications, equivalents and alternative constructions that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the claims. 
         [0017]    Some embodiments of the disclosure may be characterized as a kimono garment comprising right and left neckbands, a waistband, and a hatch. When the kimono garment is adorned, the right neckband can be arranged proximal to a right of the neck, can descend proximal to a right collarbone, and can descend down and across a patient&#39;s chest. The left neckband can, also when the kimono garment is adorned, be arranged proximal to a left of the neck, can descend proximal to a left collarbone, and can descend down and across the patient&#39;s chest. Either the left or right neckband can overlap the opposing neckband proximal to the patient&#39;s chest. A waistband can be coupled to the neckband that overlaps the opposing neckband. It can wrap around the torso and tie back on itself thereby holding the left and right neckbands in an overlapping fashion. A hatch can be centered to either the right of the right neckband or to the left of the left neckband, and below a shoulder of the kimono garment. The hatch can include an opening, a flap, and one or more coupling mechanisms. The opening in the kimono garment can enable access to the patient&#39;s port. The flap can be arranged concentrically to the opening and can have larger dimensions than the opening so as to cover the opening when the hatch is closed. The flap can be coupled to the kimono garment proximal to an edge of the opening. The one or more coupling mechanisms can be arranged proximal to one or more edges of the opening and selectively maintain the flap in a closed position over the opening. 
         [0018]    Other embodiments of the disclosure may also be characterized as a medical garment comprising a right neckband, a left neckband, a waistband, a rectangular hatch, and two snaps. The right neckband, when the kimono garment is adorned, is arranged proximal to a right of a patient&#39;s neck, crosses proximal to a right collarbone, and descends down and across a chest of the patient. The left neckband, when the kimono garment is adorned, is arranged proximal to a left of a patient&#39;s neck, crosses proximal to a left collarbone, and descends down and across the chest of the patient. Either the left or right neckband overlaps the opposing neckband. The waistband can be coupled to whichever neckband overlaps the opposing neckband. The waistband can wrap around the torso and tie back on itself thereby holding the left and right neckbands in an overlapping fashion. The rectangular hatch can be centered either to the right or left of the right or left neckband, respectively. The rectangular hatch can also be centered below a shoulder of the kimono garment. The rectangular hatch can include an opening in the kimono garment enabling access to a port of the patient. The rectangular hatch can also include a flap arranged over the opening and having larger dimensions than the opening so as to cover the opening when the rectangular hatch is closed. The flap can be coupled to the kimono garment proximal to an edge of the opening. The two snaps can be arranged proximal to one or more edges of the opening and a loop and button connector can be arranged between the two snaps. Both the snaps and the loop and button connector can selectively secure the rectangular hatch over the opening while enabling a tube from a needle in the port of the patient to extend through an opening between one of the snaps and the bottom edge of the opening. 
         [0019]    Other embodiments of the disclosure can be characterized as a method of undergoing chemotherapy. The method can include adorning a kimono garment having a hatch arranged proximal to a patient&#39;s port. The method can further include securing the kimono garment to a patient via a waistband tied around the patient&#39;s torso. The method can further include opening the hatch by either unsnapping one or more snaps of the hatch or by uncoupling a loop and button connector of the hatch. The method can yet further include receiving a needle into the port via the hatch and closing the hatch by either re-snapping the one or more snaps of the hatch or by coupling a loop to a button of the loop and button connector. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0020]    Various objects and advantages and a more complete understanding of the present invention are apparent and more readily appreciated by referring to the following detailed description and to the appended claims when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings: 
           [0021]      FIG. 1  illustrates an embodiment of a port; 
           [0022]      FIG. 2  illustrates a port as implanted in a patient; 
           [0023]      FIG. 3  illustrates a side view of a port along with a needle and catheter. 
           [0024]      FIG. 4  illustrates a kimono garment as worn by a patient with a closed hatch; 
           [0025]      FIG. 5  illustrates a kimono garment as worn by a patient with an open hatch; 
           [0026]      FIG. 6  illustrates an embodiment of a kimono garment with a closed hatch; 
           [0027]      FIG. 7  illustrates an embodiment of a kimono garment with an open hatch; 
           [0028]      FIG. 8  illustrates a close-up view of a closed hatch of a kimono garment; 
           [0029]      FIG. 9  illustrates a close-up view of an open hatch of a kimono garment; and 
           [0030]      FIG. 10  illustrates a patient wearing a traditional shirt during a chemotherapy session. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0031]    The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. 
         [0032]    Given the ‘catch 22’ between loss of dignity or loss of the usefulness of a shirt or other top garment, the inventor took the situation into her own hands and devised the CHEMONO garment. This garment allows access to a patient&#39;s port while maintaining her dignity via the use of a hatch in the garment. The hatch can be opened for port preparation (e.g.,  FIGS. 5 ,  7 ,  9 ) and then closed during chemo administration (e.g.,  FIGS. 4 ,  6 ,  8 ). The garment is also based on a traditional Japanese kimono and therefore provides a level of style that no other medical garment provides. Hence, chemotherapy patients can now maintain their dignity, wardrobe, and style both in the hospital and while traveling to and from the hospital. 
         [0033]    The garment also is designed with a length to enable coverage of a patient&#39;s buttocks when seated, since top garments tend to slide up a person&#39;s rear when seated, causing discomfort. The garment&#39;s arms are also designed with sufficient looseness to enable a patient to easily move the arms in an upward fashion, since many chemotherapy patients have difficulty raising their arms, especially above shoulder level. The armholes are also enlarged from a typical kimono in order to accommodate swelling of the arms (lymphedema), which often accompanies chemotherapy. 
         [0034]      FIG. 4  illustrates a kimono garment as worn by a patient with a closed hatch. The kimono garment  402  can be adorned by a patient  400  and worn to and from chemotherapy sessions without looking as if they are wearing a medical gown. Often a chemotherapy patient must choose between wearing a medical gown to and from chemotherapy sessions, and thereby ‘advertising’ her condition, or wearing typical street clothing, but having that clothing permanently disfigured at the neck. The kimono garment  402  enables the benefits and comfort of a medical gown including access to a port via hatch  404 , but with the style of typical if not distinct street clothing. 
         [0035]      FIG. 5  illustrates a kimono garment as worn by a patient with an open hatch. Here the patient  500  can be seen wearing a kimono garment  502  having a flap  504  open to enable access to the patient&#39;s port  506  via opening  510 . Via the opening  510 , a nurse can clean the skin, insert a needle into the port  506 , and apply a dressing over a top of the port  506  and needle. The hatch  404  can then be closed over the port  506  and an IV tube can be accessed via the hatch  404  as seen in  FIG. 4 . Since the flap  504  is larger than the opening  510 , the port  506  area and the chest is completely covered once the patient  500  is hooked up to the medications. 
         [0036]      FIG. 6  illustrates an embodiment of a kimono garment with a closed hatch. The kimono garment  600  includes a hatch  602  that is selectively maintained in a closed position via a coupling mechanism  604  such as a button and loop connector. A button and loop connector includes a button and a loop of thread or other portion of the garment that loops around the button in a first position and wherein a second position is achieved by removing the loop from around the button. Other coupling mechanisms  604  can also be used such as snaps or a frog enclosure (or frog loop enclosure). These types of coupling mechanisms are advantageous as compared to zippers, traditional buttons, and VELCRO, since they can more easily and less painfully be opened and closed by patients, the elderly, and those suffering from lymphedema. Although the coupling mechanism  604  is illustrated as being centered across a top edge of the hatch  602 , in other embodiments it can be off center. 
         [0037]    The kimono garment  600  also can include a waistband,  606  that can be tied around a waist or torso of a patient and then tied to itself in order to secure the kimono garment  600  in a closed position thus maintaining the kimono garment  600  on the patient. 
         [0038]    A continuous neckband wraps around the back of the neck and falls down a front of the kimono garment  600 . For reference, the neckband can have a right neckband  610  and a left neckband  612 . Each of the right and left neckbands  610 ,  612  wraps around the neck and passes proximal to a collarbone of the patient and then pass down and across a chest of the patient thus overlapping when the waistband  606  is tied. 
         [0039]    The kimono garment  600  can also be seen to include enlarged armholes  614 ,  616  that make it easier for the garment  600  to be adorned by patients, especially those that cannot raise their arms above their head (e.g., because of mastectomies or other procedures) and those experiencing enlarged arm diameters. In other words, and as compared to a shirt where arms often have to be raised in order to put the garment on, the kimono garment  600  can be slipped on without the need to raise the arms into an uncomfortable or impossibly-high position. The enlarged armholes  614 ,  616  also make the garment  600  less constricting. 
         [0040]    The kimono garment  600  also has an extended length such that a bottom edge  618  is arranged below the buttocks of a patient when standing. This prevents the kimono garment  600  from riding up a patient&#39;s rear sufficient to expose her from behind when seated. 
         [0041]      FIG. 7  illustrates an embodiment of a kimono garment with an open hatch. The kimono garment  700  can be seen with an open hatch comprising a flap  702  providing access to the patient&#39;s port  704  via opening  710 . Here, a button  706   a  or other component of a coupling mechanism can be seen above the opening  710 , while a loop  706   b  or some other component of the coupling mechanism can be seen attached to a top of the open flap  702 . The opening  710  has smaller dimensions than the flap  702  such that when closed, the flap  702  covers the opening  710  thus preventing any exposure of the port  704  or patient&#39;s  700  chest. The kimono garment  700  also includes a waistband  708  for tying the kimono garment  700  closed. 
         [0042]      FIG. 8  illustrates a close-up view of a closed hatch of a kimono garment. This closer view of the kimono garment  805  shows the hatch  803  including coupling mechanisms such as snaps  818  and a button and loop connector  804 . The loop can be seen to be arranged around and behind the button so as to maintain the hatch  803  in a closed position. The hatch  803  can be square or rectangular, as illustrated and in that case can have four or more edges. For instance, the illustrated hatch  803  has a top edge  801  and a side edge  802 . A tube from the needle that is inserted into the patient&#39;s port can extend out through the top edge  801  or either side edge  802  since these edges  801 ,  802  include gaps. For instance, there is a gap between each snap  818  and the coupling mechanism  804 . There is also a gap between the snaps  818  and a bottom edge of the hatch  803 . As illustrated, the snaps  818  and the button and loop connector  804  are used in combination to affect the closed position of the hatch  803 . In other embodiments, either one or more snaps or a coupling mechanism can be used alone. 
         [0043]    The kimono garment  805  includes a neckband  806  that wraps behind the patient&#39;s  807  neck and down a side of the neck proximal to a collar bone and then across the chest where it overlaps or is overlapped by a neckband from the other side of the neck. The neckbands on either side form a single continuous band that wraps behind the neck, but for the purposes of description can be referred to as left and right neckbands. 
         [0044]      FIG. 9  illustrates a close-up view of an open hatch of a kimono garment. The kimono garment  905  shows the hatch  901  in an open position where a flap  902  hangs down from a lower edge of the hatch  901  where it affixes to a bottom edge  903  of the opening  913 . While this implies that the flap  902  bends along a bottom edge  903  of the opening  913 , in other embodiments the flap  902  can be affixed to and bend along other edges of the opening  913 . A coupling mechanism comprises a button  904   a  and a loop  904   b . The hatch  901  also includes a first snap  910 ,  912  at an upper left corner of the hatch  901  and a second snap  909 ,  911  at an upper right corner of the hatch  901 . The snaps each comprise an inner snap  910 ,  909  affixed to the kimono garment  905  near top edges of the opening  913  and an outer snap  912 ,  911  affixed to the kimono garment  905  near top edges of the flap  902 . The opening  913  can be seen to have smaller dimensions than the flap  902  (an outline of the flap  902  in a closed position is illustrated via the dotted line) such that the flap  902  covers the opening  913  when the hatch  901  is in a closed position. 
         [0045]    The hatch  901  is centered below a shoulder of the patient  907  and to the right of a neckband  906 . Although not required, the hatch  901  can overlap the neckband  906  as illustrated and may include a snap  910 ,  912  that is arranged on the neckband  906 . In other embodiments, the snap  910 ,  912  can be arranged to a right and/or below the neckband  906 . A position of the snap  910 ,  912  may also depend on a designed position of the neckband  906  relative to the collarbone  908 . 
         [0046]    The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. For instance, although the kimono garment has been described relative to use for chemotherapy patients, it can also be used by patients receiving any of a variety of infusion therapy patients, such as those receiving treatment via a venous access port for Rheumatoid Arthritis. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.