Abstract:
Embodiments of the present invention include a calibration and measurement system designed primarily for use in the rapid evaluation and characterization of open or visible wounds in patients. The invention in a preferred embodiment comprises a set of colored concentric rings, typically constructed of paper or synthetic paper. The practitioner removes only as many rings, from the center outward, until the entire wound is visible within the open aperture at the center of the remaining rings. The area dimensions of the wound are then read out from the size of the inner remaining ring. Photography optionally records the wound appearance and size. A related system is developed for linear dimensioning of wounds. This embodiment is also designed to standardize the color scheme for accurate photography wound description. The color scheme is also applicable to a linear device to accurately describe wound size. Embodiments of the invention are also useful in forensic and accident investigations.

Description:
[0001]    This application is a continuation of, and claims the benefit of, U.S. application Ser. No. 12/069,045 filed Feb. 7, 2008, the entire contents of which application is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    This invention relates generally to the field of wound calibration and measurement in hospitals and all other medical settings, and in forensic and accident investigations. 
         [0003]    The treatment of wounds is often dependent upon rapid assessment of the nature of the wound. Size in terms of the area, or the length of the wound, is often critical. An accurate description and assessment of the measured wound allows for documentation of demonstrated healing and possibly reduce legal liabilities. Hospitals, nursing homes, home health care and military field hospitals are examples of assessing wound size initially and through the progression of the healing process of the wound. Furthermore, SB 1301 mandated all acute care hospitals to report stage 3 and stage 4 wounds to state licensing agencies. When these state agencies investigate the wound, accurate wound size is imperative to demonstrate healing. 
         [0004]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,159,167 describes a disposable wound measuring assembly. This invention comprises a device that looks like a graduated glass cylinder on its side, complete with length markings, as on a ruler. The device includes an indicator ring that can be positioned along the length of the cylinder to mark the length of a wound. 
         [0005]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,619,804 is directed toward an anatomical tape measuring reel with a window indicator to display the length measured. 
         [0006]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,414,943 describes a manual anatomical measuring tape, with no take-up reel. 
         [0007]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,428 describes a sophisticated computer-aided wound measuring apparatus based on laser technology. 
         [0008]    It is possible, and indeed frequent practice, to measure wounds with a standard ruler, measuring tape, or other well-known simple devices displaying length demarcations. 
         [0009]    However, such simple devices do not record details of size or physical appearance of the wound. Thus, medical personnel prefer to record details via the use of photography. But photographs of wounds often do not display the visual indicia used to measure the wound. Frequently these indicia are obscured, or too small to see. 
         [0010]    Thus, there is a need in the medical industry for a wound calibration system that is easy to use, rapid in operation, and capable of being reliably recorded by photography for future diagnosis and treatment of the patient. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0011]    An exemplary embodiment of the present invention is a wound calibration system that comprises elements of color, dimensioning, and optionally of photography. 
         [0012]    The primary object of the invention is to provide a means for documenting accurate sizing of a wound on a patient in a hospital or other medical care environment. 
         [0013]    Another object of the invention is to provide a means for recording wound size. 
         [0014]    Another object of the invention is to provide a means for accurately recording wound size via the use of photography. 
         [0015]    Another object of the invention is to provide a standardized color scheme across the medical care environment for measurement of wound sizes. 
         [0016]    Another object of the invention is to provide a calibration scheme to facilitate the rapid and accurate sizing of a wound on a patient in a hospital or other medical care environment. 
         [0017]    Yet another object of the invention is to provide a standardized color scheme for use in forensic investigations, such as at crime scenes. 
         [0018]    Still another object of the invention is to provide a standardized color scheme for use in accident investigations, such as at vehicle or aircraft crash sites. 
         [0019]    Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed. 
         [0020]    The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. It is to be understood that in some instances various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of the invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0021]      FIG. 1  is a plan view of a preferred embodiment of the current invention. The different shades of each ring are meant to indicate distinctive colors. 
           [0022]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a simplified embodiment of the present invention, with fewer rings and different shape. 
           [0023]      FIG. 3  is a plan view of a lineal embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0024]      FIG. 4  shows another view of a simplified embodiment of the present invention, including the pull away colored tabs to attach to the medical chart to reflect the size of the ring used. 
           [0025]      FIG. 5  is a plan view of a lineal embodiment of the present invention, with notation area depicted. 
           [0026]      FIG. 6  shows the use of a ring of the current invention to highlight a wound on the ankle of a person. 
           [0027]      FIG. 7  shows another embodiment of the present invention utilizing ellipses. 
           [0028]      FIG. 8  shows a further embodiment utilizing squares. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0029]    Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or manner. 
         [0030]    Referring now to  FIG. 1  we see a preferred embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment  100  has an inner aperture  101 , and concentric rings extending outward there from. The rings, in order from smaller inward-most to larger outermost, are: Ring  105 , the smallest ring, with an inner area of 5 square centimeters; ring  110 , the second smallest ring, with an inner area of 10 square centimeters; ring  125 , the 3rd smallest ring, with an inner area of 25 square centimeters; ring  150 , the next larger ring, with an inner area of 50 square centimeters; ring  175 , the second largest ring, with an inner area of 75 square centimeters; and finally, ring  200 , the largest ring, with an inner area of 100 square centimeters. Each ring is encoded with a label or other visual indicia indicating the size of its inner area. 
         [0031]    The rings are also color-coded. From innermost ring, the color scheme number  1  currently provided is: ring  105 , orange; ring  110 , green; ring  125 , blue; ring  150 , yellow; ring  175 , turquoise; and finally, ring  200 , red. 
         [0032]    The rings are used as a quick measure of the size of a wound on a patient. The operating assistant places the ring set just above the wound, and sequentially removes rings from the set, one at a time, from inward to outward, i.e. smallest to largest. After each ring removal, the operator views the wound through the central aperture. At the stage where sufficient rings have been removed to produce an aperture encompassing the entire wound, the operator stops and notes the size of the smallest remaining ring from its label or other indicia. This denotes the approximate wound size. An alternate method of application of the current invention is to remove one ring from the label and use the ring to photograph an accurate description of the wound. 
         [0033]    Adhesive tabs corresponding to the color of the ring used can be applied to the medical chart as to reference the color. The size can also be embossed onto the tab. 
         [0034]    A hospital is required to photograph the wound of a patient. This photograph is utilized to facilitate medical treatment and document the increase or decrease of the wound size. Observations have shown that the visual indicia tend to be too small to photograph effectively. Thus, a standardized color scheme allows for the photograph to record the wound size without reference directly to the visual indicia. The technician first arranges the rings in place around the wound. The photographer then takes color photographs. The photographs will record the wound appearance and size, through reference to the color of the rings. 
         [0035]    Table I shows a color scheme and calibration size for a wound calibration system according to the current invention. If a color scheme, such as this one (though another will do as well—color scheme is arbitrary), is employed in standardized fashion, medical personnel can easily review photographs of the current invention in use and, from the color alone, determine wound size. Personnel can also refer to a chart, such as the one shown in Table I. 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE I 
               
             
             
               
                   
               
               
                 Ratings of wound size calibrated by the  
               
               
                 Present Invention color code 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Sq cm 
                 Cm lineal 
                 Color 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 5 
                 5 
                 Yellow 
               
               
                   
                 10 
                 10 
                 Blue 
               
               
                   
                 15 
                 15 
                 Orange 
               
               
                   
                 20 
                 20 
                 Magenta 
               
               
                   
                 25 
                 25 
                 Green 
               
               
                   
                 50 
                 50 
                 Purple 
               
               
                   
                 75 
                 75 
                 Cyan 
               
               
                   
                 100 
                 100 
                 Lime 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0036]      FIG. 2  shows a slightly different embodiment of a simplified form. This embodiment encompasses only 3 rings: ring  205 , ring  210 , and ring  215 . By enlarging the width of the rings, this embodiment could be of coarser precision. For instance, ring  205  might define a width of 5 square centimeters within its inner border, while ring  210  may be as large as 25 cm, and ring  215  up to 75 cm. This might be useful in fast, approximate resolution of wound size, where speed is more important than precision and accuracy. The rings should be color coded according to a standardized scheme, so that, in the scheme of Table I, these rings would be colored as follows: ring  205 , orange;  210 , blue; and ring  215 , cyan. 
         [0037]    The ring set in one embodiment has adhesive backing, and thus forms a type of tape or label. It may be desirable to facilitate photography. The rings will later be removed. The rings are disposable to prevent the spread of infection from patient to patient. 
         [0038]    Whether through the use of adhesive or other means, it is important in most embodiments of the current invention to design the rings such that they stay attached, in close contact with one another, until the inner ring or rings are removed during calibration and measurement. In one embodiment, the rings are prepared in a stack, such as for note pads. Adhesive is used to connect the rings to each other within a set, and to connect sets together in a stacked pad, from which each set is removed as needed for use. This method is equally effective for bars, or other shapes as employed in the current invention. 
         [0039]    It is important to note that the present invention contemplates other geometric shapes aside from circles. Concentric polygons of any closed shape could be used. Examples are nested triangles, squares, pentagons, hexagons, and octagons.  FIGS. 7 and 8  shows respective embodiments utilizing elliptical and square shapes, for example. Other geometric shapes or irregular shapes are possible for use as well. Circles or rings are preferred, for a circle has a constant radius at all points around the circumference of the circle. This simplifies interpretation of photographs. 
         [0040]      FIG. 3  illustrates an alternative form of the current invention. This embodiment is designed to measure the length of an irregular or linear wound. In this embodiment, the colored bars represent different lengths displayed with numeric ruler indicia. The bars are arranged side by side, as part of a flexible label. The bars can also be embodied as a rigid or semi-rigid composition, tape, or mounted on a transparent solid surface.  FIG. 3  illustrates the bars as a label. 
         [0041]    This embodiment can be even more simply and efficiently used than the area-calibrating rings. The operator simply applies the color bar ruler label next to the wound, and reads the ruler measurement of the wound. The bar ruler label can be applied to the patient using the adhesive that is optionally incorporated onto the backs of the bars. The colored bars next to each other offer an incremental reference for sizing. Photography may be employed as well, as described above. The color bar ruler label is held close to the wound at the point of the bar closest in length to the wound. Alternatively, all bars except the closest in length to the wound can be removed from the set, leaving only the single bar for the photograph. Also the bar ruler label can be trimmed with scissors so that it is scaled to the size of the wound. 
         [0042]    Although the bars are useful in visual calibration, they are essential in the photographic record, for the numerical indicia of the ruler often do not record on the camera as well as do the colors. 
         [0043]    In the example displayed in  FIG. 3 , the yellow bar  305  is on top, and represents a length of 5 centimeters. Lower bars  310 ,  315 ,  320 ,  325  of different colors extend to 10, 15, 20, and 25 cm. The chart of Table 1 provides the details. 
         [0044]    It will be noted that the color code displayed for the bars in the wound size length calibration system of  FIG. 3  is the same as the color code displayed for the rings in Table I. Ideally, the color scheme will be the same for both, as it reduces the possibility of confusion or error in the measurement and calibration process. 
         [0045]    However, it is certainly possible within the contemplation of the current invention to have different color schemes for linear measurement, as in bars, as distinct from area measurement, as in rings. Indeed, in alternative embodiments of the current invention, colors need not be used. Each ring need only be visually distinct from each other ring, and the same for the bars. This could be accomplished by shading, cross-hatching or other drawing techniques, or use of additional visual indicia. 
         [0046]    We make the above point so as to reinforce two important points of the present invention. First, the color code scheme is not important in and of itself. The color red, for instance, could represent a shorter length wound, or a longer one. Red could represent a small area wound, or a larger one. The importance is in the standardization of a scheme, such that red always means the same length bar, or inner area circle or polygon. Second, the linear dimension calibration of the bars is not the same (though related) dimension as the Table I rings provide. Nevertheless, color can and will be standardized and coordinated between the rings and bars, example being the red bar can have a value of 5 linear centimeters and the red ring represents 5 sq cm. 
         [0047]    The rings or bars are preferably distributed as sets, mounted on a pad. In some embodiments, there is extra room on each sheet of the pad for writing notes, as displayed in  FIG. 5 , item  300 . This could be valuable, for instance in dating the calibration, or making some other notes to be used in subsequent medical diagnosis. There may also be pull tabs on the bars, at the left of the zero point. Pull tabs are useful in that they carry the information of the length of the wound. The tabs are adhesive, and can easily be applied to paper surface, such as a patient&#39;s chart. This preserves useful and important information correlating to the patient&#39;s wound. 
         [0048]    Similar pull tabs associated with rings are found in  FIG. 4  where pull tab  550  corresponds to ring  450 ; tab  525  corresponds to ring  425 ; and tab  500  corresponds to ring  410 . The pull tab shares the same color as the corresponding ring. Thus, if ring  425  is green, indicating a 25 sq cm wound area, as per Table 1, the corresponding pull tab  525  comprises the same color green. 
         [0049]      FIG. 6  indicates the use of the present invention. In this figure, the injured area on the ankle is approximately 10 sq cm in area, and is so measured in  FIG. 6  by the 10 sq cm ring,  410 . The photograph is taken to record the wound, its measured size, and appearance. A pull tab could also go into the patient&#39;s file, indicating a 10 sq cm wound area. 
         [0050]    The uses of the present invention are not limited to the medical field. Forensic investigators will also find the invention useful. For instance, crime scene investigators could measure wounds, scars, or markings on bodies, or on other surfaces through the use of the rings or bars of the current invention. Photographs could be taken, and the information recorded for subsequent study. Investigators in accident investigations could make similar use of the present invention, for example to calibrate areas at a crash site. 
         [0051]    While the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment or embodiments, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.