Abstract:
An embodiment of the present invention provides a patient gown, comprising a robe having a main opening at a back of the robe. At least one side of a front upper portion of the robe is releasably attachable to a corresponding side of a back upper portion of the robe to provide frontal access through a chest portion of the robe. Further, at least one fastener may be located near a shoulder portion of the robe for attaching and detaching the front upper portion to the corresponding back upper portion.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Appln. No. 60/803,426, filed May 30, 2006, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Typically, hospital patients are provided with a gown to wear as opposed to their ordinary clothing. Conventional gowns are made from several pieces of material stitched together to form a single draping with armholes and a large opening in the rear. Accordingly, patients would don the gown by extending their arms through the arm holes, letting the gown wrap around the front of their bodies. The large opening in the back is typically kept closed by folding back panels of the gown over one another or by holding the gown in one hand. Some gowns may include strings to be tied at the back of the patient&#39;s neck in order to hold the gown in position.  
         [0003]     Conventional patient gowns have proven to be cumbersome and frustrating to maneuver, especially when the patient is under anesthesia and therefore unable to assist. For example, a patient wearing a back-open gown and lying on his back may prevent the gown from being easily repositioned by a physician. Thus, in order to gain access to the front of the patient&#39;s body, for example, to check the patient&#39;s vital signs, the physician would have to lift the patient while tugging the gown from underneath him, and pull the gown down away from the patient&#39;s chest. This requires strenuous and time consuming efforts by the physician. In an emergency situation, where immediate frontal access to a patient is necessary, the moments lost in manipulating the patient gown could be critical. Accordingly, a patient gown providing for frontal access is desired.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     An embodiment of the present invention provides a patient gown, comprising a robe having a main opening at a back of the robe. At least one side of a front upper portion of the robe is releasably attachable to a corresponding side of a back upper portion of the robe to provide frontal access through a chest portion of the robe. Further, at least one fastener may be located near a shoulder portion of the robe for attaching and detaching the front upper portion to the corresponding back upper portion.  
         [0005]     A further embodiment of the present invention provides a method for accessing a front of a patient&#39;s body, wherein the patient is laying down and wearing a back-open gown, at least one side of a front upper portion of the gown being releasably attachable to a corresponding side of a back upper portion of the gown to provide frontal access through a chest portion of the gown, and the gown having at least one fastener located near a shoulder portion for attaching and detaching the front upper portion to the corresponding back upper portion. The method comprises manipulating the gown by detaching at least one side of a front upper portion of the gown from a back upper portion; and folding down the detached front portion of the gown.  
         [0006]     An even further embodiment of the present invention provides a patient gown, comprising a removable cover means having a front portion, a back portion, armholes at either sides, and a main opening extending along a length of the back portion. A frontal access means may include a secondary opening near a top portion of the cover means, and frontal fastening means may be positioned relative to the secondary opening. The frontal fastening means may provide for detachment and reattachment of a front upper portion of the cover means to a corresponding back upper portion of the cover means.  
         [0007]     According to one aspect of the present invention, a patient gown comprises a removable covering having a front panel and a back panel, wherein the front panel and back panel may be releasably attached to form sleeves at either sides. The front panel may be stitched to the back panel along a seam running lengthwise below the sleeves, and a main opening extends along a length of the back panel. A frontal opening may extend across a top portion of the covering relative to a shoulder line, the frontal opening enabling an upper portion of the front panel to be temporarily detached from the back panel down to a lowest point of each sleeve. At least one rear fastener is preferably positioned relative to the main opening to provide for multiple positions for attachment and enable expansion or reduction of a fit size of the covering. At least one shoulder fastener is preferably positioned relative to the frontal opening to provide for multiple positions for attachment of the front panel of the covering to the back panel and thus to enable expansion or reduction of a fit size. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]      FIG. 1  is a front view of a patient gown in a completely open position.  
         [0009]      FIG. 2  is a front view of a patient gown in a closed position.  
         [0010]      FIG. 3  is another front view of a patient gown which has been manipulated to show releasable attachment of portions of the gown.  
         [0011]      FIG. 4  is a still further front view of a patient gown which has been manipulated to show a top-open position.  
         [0012]      FIG. 5  is a front view of a patient gown being worn by a patient and manipulated to provide access to the patient&#39;s chest area.  
         [0013]      FIG. 6  is a rear view of a patient gown in a back-open position.  
         [0014]      FIG. 7  is a rear view of a patient gown in a closed position.  
         [0015]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of another patient gown. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0016]      FIGS. 1 and 2  show front views of a patient gown  10  according to an embodiment of the present invention. In  FIG. 1 , the gown  10  is laid out in a completely open position, as it may be prior to assembly. As shown, a drape of material forms a front panel  12  including a length of material sufficient to preserve a patient&#39;s privacy. Two rear flaps  56 ,  58  may be stitched to sides of the front panel  12 . Specifically, bottom edges of the rear flaps  56 ,  58  may align with a bottom edge of the front panel  12 , and abutting side edges may be stitched together from the bottom alignment up to a lowest point of an armhole, thereby forming seams  17 . Although in  FIG. 1  the rear flaps  56 ,  58  are stitched to the front panel  12  at seams  17 , one or both of the flaps  56 ,  58  and the front panel  12  may alternatively be formed from a single piece of material.  
         [0017]     Each of the rear flaps  56 ,  58  may be folded behind the front panel  12  and thereby form a rear panel of the gown  10 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , for example, the back panel includes the two flaps  56 ,  58 , which may be manipulated to create an opening  54 . The flaps  56 ,  58  may also be closed as shown in  FIG. 7 . The rear flaps  56 ,  58  may then be secured to one another by engaging fasteners  50  and  52 , as described in further detail below. Furthermore, upper extensions of the rear flaps  56 ,  58  may fold back over a top of the front panel  12  so that fasteners  20  and  22  may engage. When fasteners  50  and  52  are engaged, and fasteners  20  and  22  are also engaged, the gown  10  is in a closed position, as shown in  FIG. 2 . A patient may prefer to wear the gown  10  in this closed position to retain privacy when access to the patient&#39;s body is not needed.  
         [0018]     Optionally, the front panel  12  of the gown  10  may further include a recessed neck line  13 . The neck line  13  allows the gown  10  to fit comfortably on the patient without restraint.  
         [0019]     As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the gown  10  may be assembled to include armholes  14 ,  14 ′. For example, extensions of the front panel  12  and back panel flaps  56 ,  58  may be contoured to form sleeves. Specifically, a lower sleeve  16  may extend from the front panel  12 , whereas an upper sleeve  18  may extend from the rear panel. The lower sleeve  16  and the upper sleeve  18  may optionally be sewn together at one end proximal to the patient&#39;s underarm and left free at another end proximal to the patient&#39;s shoulder. In this regard, the upper sleeve  18  may wrap around the patient&#39;s shoulder and be releasably attached to the lower sleeve  16 .  
         [0020]     As shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , the upper sleeve  18  is formed of a larger quantity of material than the lower sleeve  16 . Accordingly, the upper sleeve  18  may extend over to a position forward of the patient&#39;s shoulder, and thereby overlap with the front panel  12  and the lower sleeve  16 . Further to this embodiment, fasteners may be positioned forward of the patient&#39;s shoulder and more proximal to the patient&#39;s chest. In this regard, a physician may easily and quickly reach the fasteners or portions of material near the fasteners for detachment such as when a patient is facing the physician or when the patient is lying on his back. Similarly, the physician may easily reattach the front panel  12  and lower sleeve  16  to the upper sleeve  18  without strain.  
         [0021]     As shown in  FIG. 3 , fasteners may be positioned on the patient gown  10  in order to secure the gown  10  around a patient&#39;s shoulders. For example, one or more fasteners  22  may reside on an upper portion of the front panel  12 , and one or more corresponding fasteners  20  may reside on an abutting surface of the upper sleeve  18  which extends from the rear panel  58 . When the upper sleeve  18  is wrapped around the patient&#39;s shoulder, the fasteners  20 ,  22  may engage, thereby securing the gown in place. Fasteners such as hook and loop fasteners, or Velcro®, may engage particularly well.  
         [0022]     Fasteners may also be included on the rear panels  56 ,  58  of the gown to provide a relatively secure closure of the main opening  54 . For example, at least one fastener  52  may be placed on an outer surface of the rear panel  56  near the opening  54 . Correspondingly, at least one mating fastener  50  may be placed on an inner surface of the rear panel  58 . Accordingly, when the rear panel  58  is folded over the rear panel  56 , the fasteners  50 ,  52  may engage.  
         [0023]     As shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the front panel  12  of the patient gown  10  may be detached so as to gain frontal access to the patient. The upper sleeve  18  extending from the rear of the gown  10  may be temporarily detached from the lower sleeve  16  extending from the front panel  12 . An upper portion of the front panel  12  may then be folded down. For example, the entire upper front panel  12  including lower sleeves  16 ,  16 ′ and neck line  13  may be pulled away from the patient&#39;s chest. Alternatively, only one side of the gown  10  may be temporarily detached and pulled away from the patient if access to the patient&#39;s entire torso is unnecessary. According to one embodiment, the front panel  12  and back flaps may only be stitched together from their bottom edges to a height approximating a patient&#39;s hip. In this regard, the front panel  12  may be detached at the sleeves and pulled down to expose the patient&#39;s torso and groin.  
         [0024]     The fasteners  20 ,  22  may be arranged to provide for adjustment of a fit size of the gown  10 . For example, as shown in  FIG. 3 , fasteners  22  may be three Velcro® strips approximately 1″ wide and 2.5″ long. The fasteners  22  may be positioned about 2″ apart, approximately parallel to one another and out of parallel (e.g., angularly or approximately perpendicular) to an upper seam  26  of the lower sleeve  16  on its outer surface. The corresponding fastener  20  may be a single long strip of Velcro® approximately 1″ wide and 8″ long. The fastener  20  may be positioned approximately parallel to a lower seam  28  of the upper sleeve  18  on its inner surface or near its edge. Accordingly, when the upper sleeve  18  is wrapped around the patient&#39;s shoulder, the fastener  20  may interlock with any or all of the fasteners  22  at any point along their lengths in order to secure the gown  10  around the patient&#39;s shoulders. If the fastener  20  interconnects at a lower point of the fasteners  22 , the sleeve of the gown  10  will in turn be wrapped tighter around the patient&#39;s arm and thereby change a fit size. Use of multiple smaller fasteners in this configuration saves material and is thus more economical.  
         [0025]     In addition to providing for adjustment of the gown size around the patient&#39;s arms and shoulders, fasteners  20 ,  22  also provide for secure attachment of the front panel  12  to the rear panels  56 ,  58  despite inexact placement. For example, a physician may quickly fold up the front panel  12  and the lower sleeve  16  and fold down the upper sleeve  18  to achieve a secure attachment of the gown  10  around the patient. The physician need not take additional time to align and interconnect the fasteners  20 ,  22 .  
         [0026]     Similar to the fasteners  20 ,  22 , the fasteners  50 ,  52  may provide for adjustment of a fit size of the gown  10 . That is, the fasteners  50 ,  52  may be variably positioned so that the gown  10  fits more snugly or loosely around a patient&#39;s torso. For example, as shown in  FIG. 6 , Velcro® strips may be positioned on an outer surface of the rear panel  56 . The strips may be approximately 1″ wide and 5.5″ long. Three strips may be oriented approximately parallel and 3.5″ apart. This group of strips may be non-parallel (e.g., approximately perpendicular) to and 1.5″ away from an edge  66  of the rear panel  56 . At least one corresponding fastener  50  may be formed of a Velcro® strip approximately 1″ wide and 13″ long, and positioned on an inner surface of the rear panel  58 . The strip  50  may be oriented approximately parallel to and 1.5″ away from a seam  68  of the panel  58 . Accordingly, the rear panel  58  may be folded over the rear panel  56  to interconnect the fasteners  50 ,  52 .  
         [0027]     It should be understood that many alternative embodiments of the present invention exist, particularly with respect to the fasteners  20 ,  22 ,  50 ,  52 . The fasteners may vary in form and position, and may also retain the ability to adjust gown sizing. For example, the Velcro® strips may be any size, any number of strips may be used, and the positioning of the strips on the gown and orientations may be modified. Further, although the above-described embodiment employs hook and loop fasteners, such as Velcro®, any type of fastening means may be used. For example, ties, snaps, buttons, clips, buckles, or zippers may temporarily secure the upper sleeve  18  to the lower sleeve  16 .  
         [0028]     Although the upper sleeve  18  in the above described embodiment wraps around the patient&#39;s shoulder to the front of the patient&#39;s body, it should be understood that the upper and lower sleeves  18 ,  16  may vary in design. For example, the respective portions of material may be sized as to overlap near different areas of the patient&#39;s body, such as above the patient&#39;s shoulder, over the patient&#39;s armpit, or over the patient&#39;s collar bone. The fasteners  20 ,  22  may corresponding be repositioned near the overlap. Further, the gown  10  may have shorter or no sleeves, as shown in  FIG. 8 . Accordingly, straps  88  and  88 ′, as opposed to upper sleeves  18  and  18 ′, may extend from the rear flaps  56 ,  58  over the patient&#39;s shoulders and attach to the front panel  12 .  
         [0029]     According to the above-described embodiment, the rear flaps  56 ,  58  are joined with the front panel  12  up to the lowest points of the armholes  14 ,  14 ′. However, in a variant of this embodiment, shown in  FIG. 8 , seams  17  join the rear flaps  56 ,  58  to the front panel  12  only up to a point proximal to a patient&#39;s hip. Accordingly, when the straps  88 ,  88 ′ are detached from the front panel  12 , the front panel  12  may potentially be folded down to expose the patient&#39;s torso, navel, and groin. Thus, a physician may perform a wider range of medical procedures without requiring removal or strenuous manipulation of the gown  10 . Further to this embodiment, the patient may prevent exposure through sides of the gown  10  when access is not needed by securing tabs  82  and  84 . For example, an end of each of the tabs  82 ,  84  may be sewn to the rear flaps at a point under the armholes  14 ,  14 ′. Opposing ends of the tabs  82 ,  84  may then be fastened to the front panel  12  by fasteners  83 ,  85 . The fasteners  83 ,  85  may be any type of fastener, such as hook and loop, snaps, buckles, buttons, or pins.  
         [0030]     Garment measurements of the gown may vary. For example, the gown  10  may be produced in several sizes, such as child, adult, and plus. In each of the sizes, further fit adjustment may be achieved by repositioning the fasteners  20 ,  22 ,  50 ,  52  as described above.  
         [0031]     According to an aspect of the present invention, a method for gaining frontal access to a patient wearing the gown  10  described above is provided. In this method, a patient is first fitted with the gown  10 . Fasteners  50 ,  52 , and/or  20 ,  22  may be adjusted to achieve a comfortable fit for the patient. Once the patient is outfitted, the patient may prepare for a medical procedure to be performed by a physician. In many instances, this may mean the patient lies on his back on the physician&#39;s table. As the patient lies down, the rear panels  56 ,  58  of the gown can become pinned beneath him. Depending on the medical procedure, the patient may be required to undergo anesthesia, in which case the patient cannot voluntarily move to allow the physician to readjust the gown  10 . However, the physician may temporarily detach the upper sleeve  18  from the lower sleeve  16 . Once detached, the front panel  12  of the gown  10  becomes freed and may be folded down, thereby exposing the patient&#39;s chest or the frontal torso area. Accordingly, the physician gains frontal access to the patient and may perform procedures such as checking a heart rate or administering shock therapy.  
         [0032]     Once the medical procedure has been completed, the physician may reattach the front panel  10  by folding it up against the patient&#39;s chest and folding the upper sleeve  18  over the lower sleeve  16  to engage the fasteners  20 ,  22 . This method may be repeated any number of times without wearing down the fabric of the gown  10  or the fasteners.  
         [0033]     Although the invention herein has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the present invention. It is therefore to be understood that numerous modifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that other arrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.