Patent Publication Number: US-11395909-B2

Title: Injection port dressing assembly

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
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     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
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     THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
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     INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM 
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     STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR JOINT INVENTOR 
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     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (1) Field of the Invention 
     The disclosure relates to dressing devices and more particularly pertains to a new dressing device for covering an injection port in a patient. 
     (2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98 
     The prior art relates to dressing devices including an I.V. dressing that includes a triangular housing and a channel extending into the housing. The prior art discloses a wound dressing that has a fluid channel integrated therein for facilitating a wound to be flushed with a fluid. The prior art discloses an injection port dressing that include a dome that is positioned between a pair of adhesive dressings. The prior art discloses an injection port dressing that includes a dome and a channel extending into the dome for accommodating an injection tube of the injection port. The prior art discloses a wound dressing that can be evacuated with vacuum pressure for reducing pressure on a wound. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a dressing that is positionable around an injection port in a patient to inhibit bacteria from accessing the injection port. The dressing has a tube opening therein to accommodate an injection tube from the injection port. A dome is provided and the dome is coupled to the dressing to cover the injection port when the dressing is placed on the patient. The dome is comprised of a translucent material to facilitate the injection port to be visible through the dome. An adhesive layer is coupled to the dressing to adhesively engage the patient&#39;s skin. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
       The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of an injection port dressing assembly according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a bottom perspective view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a top view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a bottom view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a right side view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective in-use view of an embodiment of the disclosure showing a dressing being positioned over an injection port. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective in-use view of an embodiment of the disclosure showing a dressing in place over an injection port. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS. 1 through 7  thereof, a new dressing device embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 7 , the injection port dressing assembly  10  generally comprises a dressing  12  that is positionable around an injection port  14  in a patient to inhibit bacteria from accessing the injection port  14 . The injection port  14  may be a surgically installed Huber needle port commonly employed in an in-patient medical setting. The dressing  12  has a tube opening  15  therein to accommodate an injection tube  17  from the injection port  14 . Additionally, the dressing  12  may be comprised of a gauze-like material common to medical dressings. 
     The dressing  12  has a top surface  16 , a bottom surface  18  and a perimeter edge  20  extending therebetween, and the perimeter edge  20  has a back side  22 , a front side  24 , a first lateral side  26  and a second lateral side  28 . The back side  22  is rounded outwardly between the first lateral side  26  and the second lateral side  28 . Each of the first lateral side  26  and the second lateral side  28  has an angled portion  30  which angles inwardly at an intersection between the first lateral side  26 , the second lateral side  28  and the front side  24 . 
     The dressing  12  has a hole  32  extending through the top surface  16  and the bottom surface  18 . In this way the hole  32  surrounds the injection port  14  when the dressing  12  is applied to the patient. The hole  32  is positioned adjacent to a center of the dressing  12  and the hole  32  has a bounding edge  34 . The dressing  12  has a cut  36  extending from the front side  24  toward the hole  32  and the cut  36  has a terminal end  38 . The tube opening  15  extends through the top surface  16  and the bottom surface  18 . Moreover, the tube opening  15  is aligned with the terminal end  38  to facilitate the dressing  12  to be positioned around the injection tube  17  for positioning the injection tube  17  in the tube opening  15 . The cut  36  and the tube opening  15  are each centrally positioned between the first lateral side  26  and the second lateral side  28  of the perimeter edge  20 . 
     A dome  40  is coupled to the dressing  12  to cover the injection port  14  when the dressing  12  is placed on the patient. The dome  40  is comprised of a translucent material to facilitate the injection port  14  to be visible through the dome  40 . In this way the injection port  14  can be visualized and assessed by a medical provider without the need to remove the dressing  12 . Existing injection port dressings are stretched over the injection port  14 , which results in uncomfortable tugging of the patient&#39;s skin. Additionally, the outer edges of existing injection port dressings tend to roll up from the tension that results from being stretched over the injection port  14 . The dome  40  facilitates the dressing  12  to lie completely flat on the user&#39;s skin while the dome  40  covers the injection port  14 . In this way the dome  40  alleviates the problems of tugging and rolling of the edges of conventional dressings. 
     The dome  40  has a bottom edge  42  and an outer surface  44 , the outer surface  44  is concavely arcuate with respect to the bottom edge  42 , and the bottom edge  42  is bonded to the top surface  16  of the dressing  12 . Moreover, the bottom edge  42  is aligned with and is coextensive with the bounding edge  34  of the hole  32  in the dressing  12  such that the dome  40  covers the hole  32 . The outer surface  44  curves upwardly with respect to the top surface  16  of the dressing  12 . Additionally, the dome  40  may be comprised of a non-latex, medically approved material. 
     An adhesive layer  46  is coupled to the dressing  12  to adhesively engage the patient&#39;s skin. The adhesive layer  46  is bonded to the bottom surface  18  of the dressing  12  and the adhesive layer  46  has an exposed surface  48  with respect to the dressing  12 . The adhesive layer  46  may comprise a non-toxic skin adhesive that is approved for use in a surgical environment. A protective sheet  50  is provided that has a first surface  52  and the first surface  52  removably engages the exposed surface  48  of the adhesive layer  46 . The first surface  52  completely covers the exposed surface  48  for protecting the adhesive layer  46  until the dressing  12  is applied to the patient. 
     In use, the protective sheet  50  is removed from the adhesive layer  46  and the dome  40  is placed over the injection port  14 . The injection tube  17  is extended through the tube opening  15  and the dressing  12  is then flattened out on the patient&#39;s skin for retaining the dome  40  over the injection port  14  and to protect the injection port  14  from exposure to bacteria. The dome  40  facilitates the injection port  14  to be covered and to be visible while the dressing  12  protects the injection port  14  from infection. Additionally, the dressing  12  does not uncomfortably tug on the patient&#39;s skin in the manner of existing injection port dressings to enhance comfort for the patient. The dressing  12  is removed when an injection is to be administered into the injection port  14 . 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.