Device for shielding an incision

A device for shielding a surgical incision or other sensitive area of the body from contact with clothing or other items. The shielding device has a protective member including a substantially rigid frame, a plurality of substantially rigid support legs, each of which extend from the protective frame in an angular relation toward the body of the user and terminate in a contact end and a plurality of contact elements on the contact end of each of said support legs for contacting the body of the user. The device also includes a flexible support loop attached to the protective member and forming a loop for placing around the neck of the user to suspend the protective member from the user's neck and position it over the area to be shielded. The support elements may include a disc-shaped member which has a contact face with a surface having a convex curvature for contacting the body of the user, and the surface of the contact face may have a relatively low coefficient of friction for contacting the body of the user in substantially non-frictional engagement. The frame may be a lightweight rod material which forms the perimeter of a substantially planar geometric shape and the frame may form a quadrilateral having rounded corner portions with each of the support legs fixed to one of the corner portions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates generally to devices for protecting a portion 
of the human body and, more particularly, to a device for shielding a 
sensitive area of the body, such as the site of a recent incision, from 
unwanted contact with clothing, bedding, or other material. 
Heart surgery and other operations involving the chest cavity or abdomen 
can leave large incisions which take some time to heal. During the healing 
process, the area of the incision will be extremely sensitive and contact 
with the area by clothing or other materials can cause great discomfort. 
Typically, a larger incision will not be covered with bandages or a 
dressing which might provide protection but, rather, will be left 
uncovered to promote air circulation across the area of the incision, 
which furthers the healing process and reduces the risk of infection. 
Previous attempts have been made to provide protective devices or shields 
which would prevent contact with the sensitive area of the incision, while 
allowing air circulation with its healing benefits, but all known devices 
suffer from various drawbacks. Warnecke et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,023,569 
discloses a device for protecting wounds which consists of a shallow bowl 
formed from grid-like material having apertures formed therein. The bowl 
has a flat rim which is attached to the skin surrounding the sensitive 
area to be protected either by means of adhesive adhering to the skin or 
by a dressing fixed to the skin. Either of these methods of holding the 
Warnecke et al device in place would cause binding and pulling on the 
user's skin during any appreciable movement of the body as a result of the 
adhesive gripping the skin, and both would require effort to remove the 
device. Moreover, removal of the Warnecke et al device would also, in 
either type of attachment, again result in pulling forces on the skin 
adjacent the sensitive incision site, causing pain and discomfort to the 
user. This device is also apparently not reusable. 
Horn U.S. Pat. No. 4,000,737 discloses a surgical incision shield 
consisting of a relatively rigid longitudinal strip held in place by 
relatively rigid U-shaped elements bridging an incision site. The various 
shield elements in the Horn device are attached to the skin surface by 
means of adhesive material. The Horn device thus has many of the same 
disadvantages as the Warnecke et al device, in that it binds the skin at 
its point of adhesive attachment, which results in pulling forces being 
exerted on the incision site when the user undertakes all but the most 
negligible movements. Moreover, removal of the Horn device involves 
separating the adhesive material from the skin, which again irritates the 
highly sensitive area of the incision site. This device also does not 
appear to be reusable. 
An open air bandage is disclosed in Farnswoth III U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,662. 
This bandage comprises a ring of pliable material which is adhered to the 
skin surrounding the wound to be bandaged, and an arrangement of 
air-permeable members affixed to the upper side of the ring of pliant 
material. The adhesive attachment of the Farnswoth III device to the skin 
creates the same difficulties as seen in Warnecke et al and Horn and is 
also apparently not reusable. 
The incision and wound protective devices previously disclosed therefore 
have significant disadvantages which create pain and discomfort for users. 
Moreover, such devices may not be economical in that they are apparently 
not reusable and must be discarded once removed. While secure positioning 
of such a protective device is necessary, the use of adhesive as disclosed 
in the references discussed above creates additional discomfort for the 
user. 
The present invention provides a device for shielding an incision which 
avoids or alleviates the aforesaid drawbacks of conventional approaches. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In accordance with the present invention, a device is provided for 
shielding a sensitive area of a user's body, such as the location of a 
surgical incision. The device of the present invention comprises a 
protective member which has a substantially rigid frame, a plurality of 
substantially rigid support legs extending from the frame in an angular 
relation toward the body of the user and terminating in a contact end, and 
a plurality of contact elements disposed on the contact ends of the 
support legs for contacting the body of the user. A flexible support loop 
element is attached to the protective member and forms a loop for placing 
around the neck of the user to suspend the protective member from the 
user's neck and to position it over the area to be shielded. 
It is advantageous if the support elements include a disc-shaped member 
which has a contact face comprising a surface with a convex curvature and 
a relatively low coefficient of friction for contacting the body of the 
user in substantially non-frictional engagement. The frame may comprise 
lightweight rod material and may also advantageously form the outer 
perimeter of a substantially planar quadrilateral which has rounded corner 
portions, with each of the support legs being fixed to one of the corner 
portions. 
The device of the present invention may further include a substantially 
rigid lightweight panel attached to the frame, and the panel may be 
perforated to reduce its weight. 
The support loop element preferably has two ends, each of the ends being 
attached to a separate one of the support legs substantially adjacent the 
contact element on the leg so that the point of connection forms a fulcrum 
point when the protective member is suspended from the user's neck, with 
the fulcrum point assisting in holding the protective member against the 
user's body by gravity. 
It is advantageous if the device includes a pair of cross-piece members 
attached to the frame at the rounded corner portions and generally 
bisecting the perimeter of the frame, with the support legs formed 
integrally with the cross-piece members. 
Accordingly, the present invention provides a device for shielding a 
sensitive area of a user's body which can easily be put in place merely by 
suspending it from the user's neck. The shielding device of the present 
invention may likewise be readily and easily removed merely by lifting the 
loop from around the user's neck. Moreover, while in place, the device of 
the present invention neither binds nor pulls on the skin of the user but, 
rather, can move in a limited range across the skin of the user, while 
being restrained from excessive movement through its attachment around the 
neck of the user.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Looking now in greater detail at the accompanying drawings, FIG. 1 
illustrates in perspective view the shielding device 21 of the present 
invention. The shielding device 21 consists of a protective member 
including a substantially rigid protective frame 23, four substantially 
rigid support legs 25, each of which is attached to the frame 23 and 
terminates in a contact end, and four contact elements 29, each of which 
is disposed on the contact end 27 of one of the support legs 25. The 
device of the present invention also includes a loop element in the form 
of a conventional flexible ball chain 31 which is attached at its two ends 
to support legs 25 by means of ball chain couplings 33, which are also 
conventional. 
Protective frame 23 and support legs 25 may be formed from stainless steel 
rod, such as is commonly available from steel supply sources. Stainless 
steel rod provides sufficient rigidity for protective member 21, but may 
be bent somewhat to adjust the device to fit different individuals, may be 
sterilized, does not generally cause allergic reactions, and resists 
corrosion and other deterioration. The stainless steel rod material 
forming protective frame 23 and support legs 25 would be joined through 
conventional means such as welding. 
Protective frame 23 and support legs 25 may also be formed from molded 
plastic or other suitable materials, which may simplify manufacture. In 
such an embodiment, protective frame 23 and support legs 25 may be molded 
in one piece to eliminate the necessity of joining such components. 
Support elements 29 may be formed as stainless steel or plastic pads for 
contacting the body of the user. Stainless steel support elements 29 would 
be joined to support legs 25 by welding or other conventional techniques. 
Support elements 29 composed of plastic may be molded as an integral part 
of a plastic protective frame 23 or joined to a stainless steel protective 
frame 23 through conventional means such as pressure fit or epoxy. 
The contact elements 29, as seen in FIG. 2, have a contact surface 35 which 
has a convex curvature so that it presents little frictional resistance in 
contacting the body of the user. Contact surface 35 may also be composed 
of a material which has a relatively low coefficient of friction, such as 
a polished metal or plastic, to further reduce the frictional resistance 
of the surface 35. 
The construction of shielding device 21 is also arranged so that all four 
contact elements 29 contact the user's body so as to provide stable 
support for the shielding device and in turn for clothing or bedding which 
is held away from the incision 37 by the shielding device 21. As seen in 
FIG. 2, support legs 25 are connected to ball chain 31 through couplings 
33 which, when the shielding device 21 is in place and suspended around 
the user's neck, are positioned adjacent contact elements 29, as seen in 
FIG. 2. The coupling 33 may be fixed adjacent contact elements 29 or they 
may be free to slide on support legs 25 such that they automatically 
position themselves adjacent contact elements 29 once suspended around the 
user's neck. Support legs 25 are inclined outwardly from frame 23 to 
assist the positioning of sliding couplings 33 at the desired location. 
Placement of the couplings 33 adjacent contact elements 29 causes the 
couplings 33 to act as fulcrum points when the shielding device 39 is in 
place around the user's neck, with the result that all of the contact 
elements 29 are pressed against the body of the user by the force of 
gravity acting on the shielding device 21 (see FIGS. 2 and 3). 
In place and positioned around the neck of a user, as seen in FIG. 3, the 
shielding device of the present invention is supported on the user's chest 
by contact elements 29 and suspended by ball chain 31 to hold the 
shielding device 21 in position. The protective frame 23 is located 
directly over surgical incision site 37 so that clothing worn by the user 
will be supported above the incision 37 in order to prevent contact with 
such clothing. Bedding would likewise be supported by the shielding device 
and held away from incision site 37 to again prevent painful contact with 
the sensitive area of the incision 37. 
Movement by the user would cause some motion of the shielding device 21 as 
it slides on contact elements 29 across the user's skin. However, such 
motion of the shielding device 21 is restrained by ball chain 31 placed 
around the user's neck, and normal movements would not cause the shielding 
device to move to such an extent that contact elements 29 would touch the 
sensitive area surrounding the incision 37. 
An alternate embodiment of the shielding device of the present invention is 
shown in FIG. 4, which illustrates a shielding device 39 which consists of 
a quadrilateral-shaped planar protective frame 41, cross-piece members 
43,43', support legs 45 which are formed integrally with cross-piece 43, 
and support legs 45' which are formed integrally with cross-piece member 
43'. Cross-piece members 43,43' are attached to the frame 41 at, 
respectively, rounded corner portions 46,46'. The shielding device also 
includes contact elements 47 and support loop 49. In this embodiment, the 
arrangement by which support legs 45 are formed integrally with 
cross-piece member 43 and support legs 45' are formed integrally with 
cross-piece member 43' results in the shielding device 39 having three 
main substantially rigid structural components consisting of the two 
cross-piece members 43,43' (along with their associated support legs 
45,45') and protective frame 41. These three elements can be joined by 
conventional means, such as welding of protective frame 41 to cross-pieces 
43,43'. Manufacture of shielding device 39 may therefore be simplified, 
while cross-piece members 43,43' also provide a central shield within the 
perimeter of protective frame 41 which acts to further prevent contact of 
clothing or other items with a sensitive incision site. 
The embodiment shown in FIG. 4 also includes a loop cord 49 which may be 
composed of plastic cord or other like flaccid material. Use of such 
material for loop cord 49 may provide additional comfort and avoid 
irritation of the user's skin which may be caused by a metal ball chain, 
and may therefore be preferable for some individuals. Loop cord 49 may be 
attached to support legs 45,45' through the use of epoxy or other 
conventional means. 
An additional embodiment of the shielding device of the present invention 
is shown in FIG. 5, which illustrates a shielding device 51 including a 
substantially rigid perforated panel 53. The panel 53 is composed of a 
lightweight material such as plastic and further has its weight reduced by 
means of perforations 55. The panel 53 provides further protection and 
shielding of the highly sensitive area of a surgical incision from contact 
by clothing, bedding, and other items. 
A further embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 6, which 
depicts a shielding device 57 which includes a fabric panel 59 attached to 
frame 61. Fabric panel 59, which defines apertures 63, also provides 
protection for the area of surgical incision without adding significant 
additional bulk or weight to the shielding device 57. Moreover, apertures 
63 permit air circulation over the area of the surgical incision which is 
known to promote healing of the wound. 
The unique advantages of the present invention provide the user with a 
shielding device that is easily put into position and comfortably worn 
while allowing the user to move about normally without additional 
discomfort. Significantly, the shielding device of the present invention 
requires no adhesive to hold it in place but, rather, maintains its 
general position by being suspended from a neck loop and supported on the 
user's body by contact pads which are free to move to a limited extent on 
the user's body. The shielding device may easily be removed, without 
requiring detachment of adhesives or other anchoring means. It protects a 
wide area of skin, such as the incision and surrounding sensitive area 
resulting from heart surgery or other major operation. 
In place, the shielding device is unobtrusive under loose clothing and may 
also be worn in bed for comfort when sleeping. The shielding device, when 
constructed from plastic, metal, or other rod material, may be adjusted 
for comfortable fit on various individuals and may also be constructed in 
different sizes. The device may be sterilized and reused by different 
patients if fabricated from stainless steel or other suitable material, 
increasing the economical benefits gained from use of the device. 
It will therefore be readily understood by those persons skilled in the art 
that the present invention is susceptible of broad utility and 
application. Many embodiments and adaptations of the present invention 
other than those herein described, as well as many variations, 
modifications and equivalent arrangements will be apparent from or 
reasonably suggested by the present invention and the foregoing 
description thereof, without departing from the substance or scope of the 
present invention. Accordingly, while the present invention has been 
described herein in detail in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is 
to be understood that this disclosure is only illustrative and exemplary 
of the present invention and is made merely for purposes of providing a 
full and enabling disclosure of the invention. The foregoing disclosure is 
not intended or to be construed to limit the present invention or 
otherwise to exclude any such other embodiments, adaptations, variations, 
modifications and equivalent arrangements, the present invention being 
limited only by the claims appended hereto and the equivalents thereof.