GARMENT FOR USE IN CURRENT REGISTRATION OF ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHIC MEASUREMENTS BY MEANS OF A MONITORING UNIT

Abstract: Garment for use in current registration of electrocardiographic measurements or similar measurements on a person wearing the garment by means of a portable monitoring unit, which by means of wires and cable are connected to electrodes adapted to be secured in contact with the skin of the bearer, said garment comprising a loose blouse or jacket containing at least one pocket placed under one armhole, in which pocket the monitoring unit is placed, the jacket comprising two front pieces which can be mutually connected by means of a closure. In order to make the garment more comfortable to wear and to make it possible to mount cables and registration equipment before the wearer puts on the garment, at least one front piece comprises a number of fixation means placed approximately in line and mutually spaced, as well as a corresponding number of slits placed approximately in line and closer to the closure.

Description: GARMENT FOR USE IN CURRENT REGISTRATION OF ELECTROCARDIO¬ GRAPHIC MEASUREMENTS BY MEANS OF A MONITORING UNIT The present invention relates to a garment of the type stated in the preamble of claim 1. Garments for holding a monitor for current registra¬ tion of electrocardiographic measurements or the arterial pressure of the wearer are known. The garments can be divid¬ ed into two groups, one comprising tight-fitting jackets which in addition to holding the monitor also fixate the electrodes to the skin of the bearer. Generally, these jackets are considered uncomfortable, but the fixed connec¬ tion between the electrodes and the jacket entails the ad¬ vantage that the path of the cables between the electrodes and the monitor can be predetermined, as no movement will take place between the jacket and the electrodes. US Patent No. 4,698,848 discloses a loose-fitting garment in form of a blouse with an internal pocket, in which the equipment for the current registration can be placed. The electrodes are attached to the skin in a conven¬ tional way and connected with cables transmitting the sig¬ nals to the monitoring equipment. To give the bearer an ade¬ quate freedom of movement the cables are to have a certain excess length. This excess of length are often attached to the skin of the bearer by means of a self-adhesive band-aid. This is, however, a solution which is both fairly uncomfort¬ able and which makes the placing of the electrodes and the establishing of the connection between the electrodes and the monitoring unit complicated, when the bearer is to put the garment on. The object of the invention is to provide a garment for use in current registration of electrocardiographic measurements and by means of which the above drawbacks have been considerably reduced. This object is according to the invention met thereby that the garment is characteristic by the subject matter of the characterizing clause of claim 1. It is usual to use 4 - 5 electodes in a current regi- stration, which means that a corresponding number of cables are to be connected to the electrodes and the monitoring unit. In the garment according to the invention the cables are taken the shortest way from the electrode through one of the slits to each of the fixation means, to which the excess of cable length is fastened, and from there the cables are taken to the monitoring unit. As the cables do not need fastening to the bearer in other places than at the terminal of the electrode it is possible, and in many cases practic- al, to lay out the cables while the garment is placed on a so-called dummy, which means that the bearer is not inconve¬ nienced during the fitting, but solely has to put on the as¬ sembled garment and therefore only has to put up with the the connection of the electrodes already attached to his skin to the cables. According to the invention it is preferred that the pocket or the pockets is/are placed on the outer side of the garment. Thereby, the major part of the laying out of the cables will take place on the outer side of the garment, where there is no contact with the skin of the bearer. It is advantageous according to the invention that a flap is mounted along the fixation means as stated in claim 3, by means of which flap the coiled cables can be covered after the mounting, and by means of which they are protected against being inadvertently torn out of the fixation means. The fixation means can according to the invention ad¬ vantageously be designed as stated in claim 4. Such a design gives good adaptation possibilities and is comfortable to handle. Furthermore, the garment is washable, the hygienic requirements for re-use being thus met. According to claim 5 the flap can in closed condition be fixated with correspond¬ ing means. The laying out of the cables is simplified, if the flap, where it is fastened, is provided with a slit, through which the cables may be taken from the fixation means to the monitoring unit. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention both front pieces are provided with fixation means and pos- sibly with a flap, a pocket being also provided at each side for a monitoring unit. Thus, it becomes possible to perform two registrations simultaneously, for instance an electro¬ cardiographic registration and a registration of the arte- rial pressure. The invention will be described in detail in the fol¬ lowing with reference to the drawing, in which: Fig. 1 shows a garment according to the invention worn by a person, the cardiac function of which is to moni- ored, Fig. 2 shows the garment from another angle and with a flap for covering a row of fixation means, shown in its open position, and Fig. 3 shows the garment seen from the same angle as in Fig. 2 with the flap in its closed condition. The garment 1 shown in Figs, l - 3 is designed as a jacket without sleeves and with two front pieces 2 and 3 to be connected by means of a closure 4. The closure 4 may be designed as lobes fastened to one front piece 3 and to be connected to the second one 2 by means of a velcro tape. Velcro tapes are generally preferred to buttons, as it makes it easier to adjust the jacket to different wearers. More¬ over, the jacket comprises two pockets 5 and 6 placed appro¬ ximately under the two arm holes. The pockets are suffi- ciently deep and wide for holding a monitoring unit 7,8 of the type used in current registration of the cardiac func¬ tion of a human being for instance thorugh 24 hours, or of the type, which in a similar way registers the arterial pressure over a longer period. For use in the current re- gistration a number of electrodes 9 are attached to the chest af the person, the cardial function of whom is to be cardiographically monitored. These electrodes are secured to the skin by gluing in a conventional way. By means of cables 10 the electrodes are connected with the monitoring unit 7. The cables 10 have out of regard for the freedom of movement of the person to be monitored a certain excess length. This excess of length is in practice a problem, which has up till now been solved by coiling the excess cable and attaching it to the skin of the wearer by means of a band-aid. This method did not influence the monitoring, but was inconvenient for the person to be monitored. Accord¬ ing to the invention these problems are eliminated thereby that on the front side of the jacket 1, as shown in Fig. 2, a number of fixation means 11 is mounted, by means of which the excess of cable can be placed and fastened in a place, where it is not inconvenient. The fixation means are placed in a row in an area 12 running lengthwise to to the front pieces 2 and 3. The number of fixation means are at least to correspond to the number of electrodes to be connected, i.e. normally four or five for a cardiographic registration. Along the edge of the area 12 slits 13 may for instance be provided opposite each of the fixation means 11, through which slits the cables may be pulled from the inner side of the jacket to the outer side thereof. However, it may be ad¬ vantageous with more slits than fixation means, whereby more alternatives in respect of the laying out of the cables are attained in order to secure an adequate direct run which can assure the required freedom of movement and minimize the risk of the cables loosening at the terminals fastened to the electrodes. The fixation means may for instance be short ribbons, which are free at one end and provided with a vel¬ cro tape, by means of which they may be fastened to the sur- face of the area 12, which is covered by a textile cooperat¬ ing with the velcro tape. The fixation means may also be de¬ signed in other ways and may for instance comprise a pair of ribbons which can be bound by means of an adequate re- leasable knot. When the cables are positioned, the area 12 may be covered by a flap 14 fastened to the front piece 3 along the edge of the area 12. The flap is provided with a velcro tape 15, by means of which it is secured against the area 12 in closed condition as shown in Fig. 3. In order to allow for passage of the cables, the flap may at the fasten- ing edge be provided with a slit 16. When the jacket 1 is used in practice, it is placed on a so-called dummy, while the cables are laid out and the monitoring equipment placed in the pocket 6. The cables 10 with the terminals are pulled into the inner side of the jacket with a suitable free length. The person, the cardiac function of whom is to be examined, has in the meantime been equipped with the electrodes, and when this has happened, the assembled jacket 1 is put on the person, who now just needs to get the terminals connected to the electrodes. In the other side of the jacket a similar arrangement, in which the fixation means are covered by a flap 17, may be provid¬ ed. The arrangement of the fixation means in a line is so universal that it may also be used when attaching and adapt¬ ing other monitoring equipment, for instance for current re¬ gistration of arterial pressure. The equipment for perform¬ ing the cardiographic registrations may thus be held in one side of the jacket, while the equipment for registration of the arterial pressure may be held in the other side thereof. The jacket l excells in being able to be subjected to the usual washing and maintenance routines for re-usable hospital equipment. It makes it comparatively easy to carry the required registration equipment used during the monitor- ing, and it minimizes time consumption and the inconvenience in securing the electrodes. Moreover, the coiled cables are protected by the flaps 15, 17, the risk of their falling off during the period of registration being minimized.

Claims: C L A I S 1. Garment for use in current registration of electro¬ cardiographic measurements or similar measurements on a per- son wearing the garment by means of a portable monitoring unit, which by means of wires and cables are connected to electrodes adapted to be secured in contact with the skin of the bearer, said garment comprising a loose blouse or jacket containing at least one pocket placed under one armhole, in which pocket the monitoring unit is placed, the jacket com¬ prising two front pieces which can be mutually connected by means of a closure, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that at least one front piece comprises a number of fixation means placed approximately in line and mutually spaced, as well as a corresponding number of slits placed approximately in line and closer to the closure. 2. Garment according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r¬ i z e d in that the pocket/pockets is/are placed on the outer side of the blouse or the jacket. 3. Garment according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t¬ e r i z e d in that along the fixation means a flap is mounted, said flap having such a width that when turned in¬ wards it covers the fixation means. 4. Garment according to claim 1, 2 or 3, c h a- r a c t e r i z e d in that the fixation means are a ribbon connected at one end to the front piece and provided with a velcro tape. 5. Garment according to claim 4, c h a r a c t e r¬ i z e d in that the flap is provided with a velcro tape along its free edge. 6. Garment according to claim 4 or 5, c h a r a c t e r¬ i z e d in that close to where it is fastened the flap is provided with a slit. 7. Garment according to any of the claims 1 - 6, and which is provided with a pocket at each side, c h a r a c t¬ e r i z e d in that both front pieces are provided with fixation means and possibly a flap.

Inventors: RASMUSSEN VERNER, RASMUSSEN, VERNER
Applicants: RASMUSSEN VERNER, RASMUSSEN, VERNER
Application year: 1993
Main classification: A41D13
IPC codes: A41D13