System and method for post-operative care for a liposuction procedure

A system and method for post-operation care for a liposuction procedure including a compression garment and a set of absorptive garments that includes a first absorptive garment and a second absorptive garment. The compression garment includes a first portion and each absorptive garment includes an absorptive material, a fluid resistant material, and a fastener. The first absorptive garment is coupled to the body of the patient and fastened to envelop the first portion of the absorptive garment and the second absorptive garment is couple to the body of the patient and fastened to the first portion of the absorptive garment upon removal of the first absorptive garment.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates generally post-operative patient care for a liposuction procedure, and more specifically, a system to ease the recovery process for the patient and to facilitate the containment of fluids excreted by the patient through the operation incision locations.

BACKGROUND

Liposuction is currently the most popular operation in the field of cosmetic surgery. Every year, about 500,000 liposuction operations are performed in the United States. Several techniques exist to perform the liposuction procedure including dry liposuction and wet liposuction. Wet liposuction, which is the most common procedure, has the advantages of decreasing the bleeding, the bruising, and the need for general anesthetic. The procedure, however, requires the injection of a fluid into the liposuction area. The fluid may then be left inside the body to be reabsorbed by the patient's lymphatic system, but may alternatively be allowed to exit the patient's body over a period of several days post-operation through the incision locations. The exit of the post-liposuction fluid through the incision locations may be preferred because of decreased recovery time and lower chance of the formation of minor complications such as seronoma formation.

During typical post-liposuction recovery, the patient is generally recommended by the physician to wear a compression garment continuously. The compression garment functions to apply pressure around a liposuction area, facilitating the exit of the post-liposuction fluid through the incision location. Because the compression garment is to be worn continuously for several days to several weeks post-operation, the compression garment is generally of an air and fluid permeable elastic material such as nylon to allow the skin of the patient to breathe and to heal and sweat to permeate through the garment. As a result, the post-liposuction fluid exits the patient's body and permeates through the compression garment in an uncontrolled fashion. This may lead to difficulties for the patient as the post-liposuction fluid is excreted uncontrollably and may seep into their clothing, bed, etc, in an undesirable manner. Patients may place absorptive pads inside their compression garment to capture the post-liposuction fluid, but this decreases the breathability of the compression garment and requires the user to remove the compression garment to replace a soiled absorptive pad, causing both an inconvenience and the interruption of the recommended constant pressure on the liposuction area. This invention provides a system and a method to be used post-liposuction to facilitate the capture of the exiting post-liposuction fluid while maintaining the breathability of the compression garment and facilitating the recovery process for the patient.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As shown inFIG. 1, the system100of the preferred embodiments includes an absorptive garment110that functions to absorb and contain the post-liposuction fluid that exits from the patient's body. The absorptive garment110includes an absorptive material120that captures a substantial portion of the volume of post-liposuction fluid, a fluid resistant material130that is air permeable, and a fastener140that couples the absorptive garment to the patient and arranges the absorptive garment110at a position relative to the body of the patient. As shown inFIG. 2, the system100may also include a compression garment150that applies pressure to the liposuction area on the body of the patient and allows the permeation of post-liposuction fluids. The absorptive garment110may be separately used by the user, but is preferably used with the compression garment150that provides the compressive force that facilitates the exit of the post-liposuction fluid from the incision location. When used with the compression garment150, the absorptive garment110is preferably placed over the compression garment150and easily removed and replaced when soiled or at any other suitable time. The absorptive garment110may be provided to the patient as an individual component, but may alternatively be provided to the user as a part of a post-operative care kit that includes the absorptive garment110and the compression garment150. The kit may include a series of absorptive garments110with a single compression garment150, a series of absorptive garments110and a series of compression garments150, or any other suitable combination of absorptive garments110and compression garments150.

The absorptive garment110preferably functions to envelop a portion of the body that includes the liposuction area. In the variation of the system100that includes the compression garment150, the absorptive garment110preferably functions to envelop a first portion of the compression garment150. The system100may also include a second absorptive garment that functions to envelop a second portion of the body that may include a second liposuction area or a second incision location or may function to envelop a second portion of the compression garment150. The first and/or second portion of the compression garment150is preferably located at a region on the body that includes the incision location for the liposuction procedure. The first portion of the compression150may also include a substantial portion of the total surface area of the compression garment150. As shown inFIGS. 1-3, the absorptive garment110and the compression garment150preferably include geometry that allows the absorptive garment110and the compression garment150to accommodate to the portion of the body of the patient that includes the liposuction area and the incision location for the liposuction procedure. The components of the absorptive garment110and the compression garment150may be cut and assembled to contain the geometry, but the absorptive garment110may also be sewn, fastened, or glued to create the geometry. However, any other suitable method to create the geometry may be used. Common areas that are targeted for liposuction procedures include the abdomen, hip, thigh, buttocks, and arms. As shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, the absorptive garment110includes geometry to allow the absorptive garment110to accommodate to the thighs, hip, and crotch area of the body. In the variation of the absorptive garment110that includes geometry to allow the accommodation to the crotch area of the body, the absorptive garment110preferably defines an aperture112to allow the passage of patient waste such as urine and fecal waste to allow the patient to relieve himself or herself without removal of the absorptive garment110. The compression garment150in this variation also preferably includes a similar aperture to allow the passage of patient waste to allow the patient to relieve himself or herself without removal of the compression garment150. By including geometry that allows the absorptive garment110to accommodate to a specific portion of the body, excessive material is decreased, specific areas wherein absorption of post-liposuction fluid is most useful are better targeted, and comfort to the patient is increased. For example, if a combination of square absorptive pads of the prior art were instead to be used in the thighs, hip, and crotch area, there may be overlapping of excessive absorptive material, causing material to bunch up against the patient's body and causing discomfort. The square absorptive pads may also shift and allow gaps in areas where absorption is desired, allowing the post-liposuction fluid to escape the system in an uncontrolled fashion. In addition, the geometry preferably facilitates in arranging the absorptive garment in the desired location. For example, as shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, the geometry to accommodate to the crotch area of the patient facilitates both the patient and the absorptive garment110itself to correctly arrange and self-arrange the absorptive garment110to the correct placement relative to the patient's body. The fastener140may also assist in arranging the absorptive garment110in the correct placement while coupling the absorptive garment110to the body of the patient. By including geometry that allows the compression garment150to accommodate to a specific region of the body, compression is provided substantially evenly to regions of the body that are in contact with the compression garment150.

The absorptive material120is preferably of a material with high absorbency such as high absorbency polymers, allowing the absorptive garment110to be relatively thin overall while absorbing and capturing a substantial volume of the post-liposuction fluid. The absorptive material preferably includes a first face that faces the body of the patient and a second face that faces and is coupled to the fluid resistant material130. In the variation of the system100that includes the compression garment150, the first face of the absorptive material preferably faces the compression garment. The second face is preferably opposite of the first face, and is preferably substantially larger than the remaining faces of the absorptive material120to provide a larger surface area to contact the body of the patient. The absorptive material120is preferably of uniform thickness to provide even absorptiveness to the portion of the body that the absorptive material120is in contact with, but may alternatively be of a non-uniform thickness to potentially provide additional absorptiveness to a particular region of the portion of the body that the absorptive material120is in contact with.

The first face of the absorptive material120is preferably of a surface area that is substantially identical to the surface area of the portion of the body that contains the liposuction area. In the variation of the system100that includes the compression garment150, the absorptive material120is preferably of a surface area substantially identical to the surface area of the compression garment150. The first face of the absorptive material120may alternatively be of a surface area that is smaller than the surface area of the portion of the body that contains the liposuction area or the surface area of the compression garment150. In this variation, the absorptive material120is preferably arranged at a location that includes the incision location to provide absorptiveness to the area where the post-liposuction fluid may exit from the patient. However, any other suitable surface area for the first face of the absorptive material120may be used.

The fluid resistant material130preferably functions to prevent liquid that has been captured by the absorptive material120from escape from the absorptive material120. The fluid resistant material130is preferably also air permeable to allow the skin of the patient to breathe and sweat to evaporate. The fluid resistant material130is preferably of a material that substantially prevents the permeation of fluid such as a thin piece of pliable plastic glued or annealed to the second face of the absorptive material120, a coating applied to the second face of the absorptive material120that functions to seal the absorptive material120, or any other suitable material or method.

The absorptive garment110may include a second fluid resistant material that is coupled to the first face of the absorptive material110. In this variation, the second fluid resistant material functions to allow fluid from the body of the patient to permeate through to the absorptive material, but to discourage fluid that has been captured by the absorptive material to permeate back through to the body of the patient. The second fluid resistant material is preferably of a material that facilitates fluid permeation in one direction and discourages fluid permeation in the opposite direction, such as porous netting that contains geometry to funnel fluid in one direction and to block fluid in the opposite direction.

As shown inFIGS. 4aand4b, the fluid resistant material130is preferably of a surface area substantially identical to the surface area of the second face of the absorptive material120, but may alternatively be of a surface area larger than the surface area of the second face of the absorptive material120. The fluid resistant material130is preferably of a surface area substantially identical to the surface area of the portion of the body that contains the liposuction area. In the variation of the system100that includes the compression garment150, the fluid resistant material130is preferably of a surface area substantially identical to the surface area of the compression garment150. Alternatively, the surface area of the fluid resistant material130may be smaller than the surface area of the surface area of the portion of the body that contains the liposuction area or the surface area of the compression garment150. However, any other suitable surface area for the fluid resistant material130may be used.

The fastener140preferably functions to couple the absorptive garment110to the patient and to arrange the absorptive garment to envelop the portion of the body including the liposuction area or to envelop the first portion of the compression garment150. The fastener140is preferably adjustable to accommodate to a variety of patient sizes. The fastener140may utilize the geometry of the absorptive garment110to maintain the desired arrangement between the absorptive garment110and the body and/or the compression garment150. For example, in the variation wherein the absorptive garment110is to accommodate to the thigh, hip, and crotch area as shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, the absorptive garment110preferably wraps around the thighs similar to a pair of pants and prevents rotation of the absorptive garment110around the patient. The fastener140preferably includes a first component that is mounted at a first location of the fluid resistant material and a second component that is mounted at a second location of the fluid resistant material. The first and second components are then preferably selectively fastened to each other and thus coupling the absorptive garment110to the body of the patient and arranging the absorptive garment110to envelop a portion of the body including the liposuction area or to envelop the first portion of the compression garment150. As shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, the first and second components of the fastener140are preferably strings that each has a first end sewn to the fluid resistant material130and a second end that is free. The free ends of the two strings can be tied to each other. The tying of two free ends of strings allows the fastener140to accommodate to a variety of sizes of patients. Alternatively, the first and second components of the fastener140may be mating components of Velcro, tape, or any other suitable non-permanent fastener. In the variation wherein the first and second components of the fastener140are the mating components of Velcro, the first component may be a first length of the first component of Velcro and the second component may be of a second length of the second component of Velcro, wherein the second length is shorter than the first length. The second component of Velcro may then be coupled to the location along the length of the first component that best accommodates to the size of the patient. However, any other suitable fastener may be used.

The fastener140is preferably of a type that does not fully seal the absorptive garment110around the body of the user. One of the more important aspects of successful recovery is to allow the incision wound and the skin to breathe and dry, otherwise, the chance for infection or other recovery complications is increased. The fastener140preferably functions to couple the first portion and the second portion of the fluid resistant material130to each other while allowing fluids (such as air, post-liposuction fluid not captured by the absorptive material120, or sweat) to pass through the interface between the first location and the second location of the fluid resistant material130.

The compression garment150is preferably an elastic material that allows the permeation of fluids (such as air, post-liposuction fluid, and sweat) such as nylon or any other suitable type of material. The elasticity of the material is preferably uniform throughout the material to provide uniform compressive force to the body of the user to facilitate the recovery process. The compression garment150may include a first layer and a second layer and the absorptive garment110is placed in between the first and second layers. The first layer preferably remains relatively stationary relative to the body of the patient while the second layer may be removed to allow replacement of the absorptive garment110. This allows the compression garment150to maintain compressive force on the body of the patient during the replacement of the absorptive garment110. In this variation, the second layer of the compression garment150may function as the fastener140. The second layer of the compression garment150may include a first portion that remains attached to the first layer during the replacement of the absorptive garment while a second portion is moved relative to the first layer, for example, a flap152as shown inFIG. 5. The second layer of this variation is then reattached to the first layer after the absorptive garment110is replaced to secure the absorptive garment110. However, any other arrangement of the compression garment150may be used.

As mentioned above, the absorptive garment110may be provided to the patient as an individual component, but may alternatively be provided to the user as a part of a post-operative care kit that includes the absorptive garment110and the compression garment150. In a first example of a usage scenario, the user purchases or is provided compression garment150and a set of absorptive garments110. The user then wears the compression garment150over the liposuction area and attaches a first absorptive garment110over the compression garment150using the fasteners140. The patient adjusts the fasteners140until the absorptive garment110is arranged comfortably and in the correct orientation. The absorptive garment110is preferably relatively loosely attached to the body to allow for ample breathability through the absorptive garment110and the compression garment150to the skin. When the first absorptive garment110becomes soiled or is worn for a period of time, the patient removes the first absorptive garment110and preferably discards the first absorptive garment110and wears a second absorptive garment110in a manner similar or identical to the manner in which the first absorptive garment110was worn. The patient may be instructed to wear the compression garment150for 3 to 4 days or for several weeks. The patient is preferably provided with a number of absorptive garments110that is substantially equal to the number of days the compression garment150is to be worn, allowing the user to exchange a soiled absorptive garment110for a fresh absorptive garment110every day during the recovery period. The patient may be provided with a number of absorptive garments110that is larger than the number of days the compression garment150is worn to allow the patient to change absorptive garments110more than once a day if an absorptive garment110becomes soiled. Alternatively, the number of absorptive garments110may be less than the number of days the compression garment150is to be worn if the volume of post-liposuction fluid that is excreted is not expected to be of a significant level every day during the recovery period. The kit may also include more than one compression garment150in preparation for a first compression garment150becoming too soiled or not providing enough compressive force. In a second example of a usage scenario, the absorptive garment110may be provided separately from the compression garment150. The absorptive garment110may be purchased or provided as an extra absorptive garment110to be used with an existing system already provided to the user, but may alternatively be purchased or provided to be used without a compression garment150, for example, if the patient is not recommended to wear a compression garment150or is no longer required to wear a compression garment150but is still concerned about uncontrolled exit of post-liposuction fluid. However, the system100may be applied to any other suitable usage scenario.