Abstract:
A kit for supporting a patient&#39;s arm includes a waist band, to be worn around the patient&#39;s torso and having a first fastener; a pillow having second and third fasteners; and an arm sling with a fourth fastener attached to at least one of the panels of the arm pouch. The first and second fasteners are fastenable to and releasable from each other to releasably secure the pillow to the waist band, and the third and fourth fasteners are fastenable to and releasable from each other to releasably secure the sling to the pillow, to thereby secure the arm at an abducted position relative to the torso. The first and fourth fasteners may also be fastenable to and releasable from each other to releasably secure the sling to the waist band when the pillow is not present, to immobilize the arm at a non-abducted position.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/651,521, filed on May 24, 2012, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
       [0002]    STATEMENT AS TO RIGHTS TO INVENTIONS MADE UNDER FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 
         [0003]    NOT APPLICABLE 
       REFERENCE TO A “SEQUENCE LISTING,” A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING APPENDIX SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISK 
       [0004]    NOT APPLICABLE 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    Physicians frequently treat many shoulder ailments with shoulder slings. For example, following a shoulder dislocation or shoulder surgery, a physician may place the patient&#39;s affected arm in a sling so that the shoulder remains motionless while it heals. Many simple slings comprise just a pouch that is supported by a strap around the wearer&#39;s neck. The wearer&#39;s forearm rests within the pouch such that the elbow is at a 90 degree angle and the forearm extends across the wearer&#39;s abdomen. However, a sling alone does not immobilize the arm to the extent necessary to heal from many procedures. 
         [0006]    For certain shoulder treatments or at certain times during the healing process it is sufficient or even advantageous for the aim to be immobilized immediately against the front of the body, but for other treatments it is advantageous for the patient to maintain his or her shoulder at certain angles of abduction, extension, and rotation. For these treatment situations, a physician frequently employs a sling in combination with an elevation support device, such as a pillow or bolster. The pillow maintains the wearer&#39;s arm at the desired angles, while straps and/or a pouch maintain the position of the wearer&#39;s arm relative to the pillow. Such a pillow is typically either integral to a sling, or provided completely separate from it. In the latter case, a number of straps, buckles, or the like are necessary to retain the pillow in the desired position relative to the body, and the arm in the desired position with respect to the pillow. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The present disclosure thus provides a kit including a combination of sling, pillow, and waist band, all of which are provided separately and can be removably secured to one another with simple hook and loop fasteners (commonly known as Velcro) to create a customized system almost entirely free of plastic or metal buckles. The waist band can be fastened to itself to secure it around the patient&#39;s waist. Hook tape is provided along a portion of outside surfaces of both the waist band and the pillow, and interior surfaces of the pillow and sling include loop fasteners, so that the sling can be attached to the waist band with or without the intervening pillow. Additional straps may be provided to help immobilize the sling (and thus the arm) with respect to the pillow or waist band (and thus the body). 
         [0008]    In more detail, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide a kit for supporting a patient&#39;s arm. The kit includes a waist band, to be worn around the patient&#39;s torso and having a first fastener; a pillow having a second and a third fastener; and a sling having two panels defining a pouch to support the arm, a strap attached to the panels to be hung from the patient&#39;s opposite shoulder, and a fourth fastener attached to at least one of the panels. The first and second fasteners are readily repeatedly fastenable to and releasable from each other to releasably secure the pillow to the waist band, and the third and fourth fasteners are readily repeatedly fastenable to and releasable from each other to releasably secure the sling to the pillow, to thereby secure the arm at an abducted position relative to the torso. 
         [0009]    The first and fourth fasteners may also be readily repeatedly fastenable to and releasable from each other to releasably secure the sling to the waist band when the pillow is not present, to immobilize the arm at a non-abducted position. 
         [0010]    The fasteners may be hook and loop fasteners. 
         [0011]    The kit may further include an additional strap to wrap around the sling and the arm, and at least partway around the pillow, when the pillow is present. The additional strap may also be wrappable around the sling, the arm, and the waistband, when the pillow is not present. The additional strap may be readily repeatedly fastenable to and releasable from either of these wrapped positions. The additional strap may have a first end with a fifth fastener and a second end with a sixth fastener The fifth and sixth fasteners may be fastenable to the pillow or to the waistband to secure the additional strap to either of the wrapped positions. The fifth and sixth fasteners may be hook and loop fasteners. 
         [0012]    Another embodiment of an additional strap is to be wrapped behind the patient&#39;s elbow. This additional strap has a first end readily repeatedly fastenable to and releasable from the sling. A second end of the additional strap is readily repeatedly fastenable to and releasable from the waist band, when the pillow is not present; or the pillow, when the pillow is present, in a position at which the additional strap wraps behind the patient&#39;s elbow, whether or not the pillow is present. The first and second ends of the additional strap may include hook and loop fasteners. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a sling. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a waist band. 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a pillow. 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is a front view of a forearm strap. 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is a front view of an elbow strap. 
           [0018]      FIGS. 6-14  illustrate a method of use of the inventive system, where: 
           [0019]      FIG. 6  illustrates the application of a waistband. 
           [0020]      FIG. 7  illustrates the application of a pillow. 
           [0021]      FIG. 8  illustrates the application of a sling when the pillow is used. 
           [0022]      FIG. 9  illustrates the attachment of the sling to the pillow. 
           [0023]      FIG. 10  illustrates the application of the forearm strap when the pillow is used. 
           [0024]      FIG. 10A  illustrates attachment of the forearm strap to the pillow, with the arm and sling removed for clarity. 
           [0025]      FIG. 11  illustrates the application of the sling when the pillow is not used. 
           [0026]      FIG. 12  illustrates the attachment of the sling to the waist band, when the pillow is not used, and the optional application of the forearm strap. 
           [0027]      FIG. 13  illustrates the application of the forearm strap when the pillow is not used. 
           [0028]      FIG. 14  illustrates the application of the elbow strap when the pillow is not used. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0029]    Post shoulder surgery products are notoriously cheap; ill fitting; uncomfortable for the patient; and nearly impossible, given the myriad of strap devices, antiquated buckles, and lack of precise sizing options, for a healthcare worker to apply them correctly to the patient. The system described herein speaks to that frustration by providing a sleek kit of easily used elements, dually usable with or without an abduction pillow. The system is easily and comfortably worn by the patient and easily applied by the healthcare worker. 
         [0030]    Furthermore, the system described herein is the only such system that is usable with the ultra-comfortable Ultimate Arm Sling®, whose stretch element does not fit the prototype of other known shoulder immobilization systems. This system was developed after years of requests from orthopedic surgeons who use the comfortable, stretchable Ultimate Arm Sling® and were frustrated with the lack of shoulder immobilizer systems that could be used with such a sling. 
         [0031]    Turning now to the Figures, an exemplary embodiment of such a system will be described in detail. 
         [0032]      FIG. 1  illustrates a sling  10 . The sling  10  may be of any desired construction. In a presently preferred embodiment, the sling  10  is the Ultimate Arm Sling® available from Joslin Orthopedic Gear and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,770,044, 6,102,877, and 5,792,083, the disclosures of all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety, but the sling may be of any desired construction. As is generally known in the art, the sling  10  has two panels  12  defining a pouch dimensioned for an arm to rest therein, and a strap  14  to support the arm by being hung on the patient&#39;s non-treatment shoulder (i.e. the shoulder opposite the arm that is in the sling). In the illustrated embodiment, the sling  10  also has two hand loops  16 , one on either side of the pouch opening, configured for the patient&#39;s thumb to be placed on one side of one of the loops and four fingers to be placed on the other side, to prevent relative movement between the sling  10  and the arm (not illustrated in  FIG. 1 ). The hand loops  16  and further features of the illustrated sling are described in detail in the above-mentioned patents and will be omitted here. The sling  10  has a length of stretchable loop tape  18  attached to the outside of each panel  12  of the pouch. The loop tape  18  may alternatively only be provided on one of the two panels  12 . However, because the Ultimate Arm Sling® is ambidextrous, it is advantageous to provide the loop tape on both panels, so the system as a whole is ambidextrous. It will be appreciated based on a review of the above-mentioned patents that the loop tape  18  is advantageously made of a stretchable elastic material, to keep the integrity of the stretch-to-fit Ultimate Arm Sling® intact. 
         [0033]      FIG. 2  illustrates a waist band  20 . The waist band  20  has a back portion  22 , to extend around the patient&#39;s back, and a relatively wider front portion  24 , to extend around the patient&#39;s stomach, both made of a material that acts as a loop fastener. In other words, in a presently preferred embodiment, the entire soft fabric of the waist band (both the back portion  22  and the front portion  24 ) is made of loop material that adheres to hook. The front and back portions are connected at an adjustable fastener  26  and a buckle  28 . Both fasteners  26 ,  28  may be adjustable; one fastener  26  may be adjustable and the other  28  may be fixed; or the band  20  may consist of a single piece of material joined only with one adjustable or non-adjustable buckle. In the illustrated embodiment, the buckle  28  includes a piece of narrower hook fabric looped through a buckle and attachable to the loop fabric of the front portion  24  of the waist band  20 . The adjustable fastener  26  includes any desired combination of buckles to appropriately adjust the size of the waist band  20 . In the illustrated embodiment, the adjustable fastener  26  needs to be sized only once, and does not come apart to open the waist band  20 . The simpler buckle  28  can then be attached and detached for daily use, without having to resize the adjustable fastener  26 . Furthermore, a length of hook tape  29  is attached to the front portion  24  of the waist band  20 . 
         [0034]      FIG. 3  illustrates a pillow  30 . The pillow  30  may have any desired ergonomic shape to fit comfortably around the patient&#39;s waist at its inner surface  32 , and is substantially flat at its outer surface  34 . In a presently preferred embodiment, the pillow  30  is a foam core 15% to 25% abduction pillow made of a fabric that acts as a loop fastener. A length of hook tape  36  is provided at either end of the pillow  30  to attach to the loop fabric of the waist band  20 , and another length of hook tape  38  (not visible in  FIG. 3 ; see  FIG. 8 ) is attached to the outer surface  34  of the pillow to engage the loop tape  18  on the sling  10 . 
         [0035]      FIGS. 4 and 5  illustrate a forearm strap  40  and an elbow strap  50 , respectively. Each of these straps  40 ,  50  has hook tape  42 ,  44 ,  52 ,  54  at either end. The forearm strap  40  has a wider center portion  46  for increased support. 
         [0036]    Turning now to  FIGS. 6-14 , a method of use of the inventive system will now be described. First, as shown in  FIG. 6 , a patient  60  dons the waist strap  20  using the buckle  28 , by looping the hook tape through the buckle and adhering it to the loop fabric of the waist band  20 . After this step, he or she has two alternative courses of action depending on whether or not the pillow  30  is to be used. 
         [0037]    If the pillow is to be used, turning to  FIG. 7 , the pillow  30  is attached to the waist band  20  by applying the loop fabric of the pillow  30  to the hook tape  29  on the waist band  20 , and by applying the hook tape  36  to the loop fabric of the waist band  20  at either side of the hook tape  29 . Then, turning to  FIG. 8 , the patient dons the sling  10  by inserting his or her thumb and fingers through the hand loops  16  and hanging the strap  14  over his or her neck and non-treatment shoulder, as shown. The loop tape  18  on the panel  12  of the sling closest to the patient&#39;s body is applied to the hook tape  38  on the outer surface  34  of the pillow, leading to the arrangement seen in  FIG. 9 . Optionally, turning to  FIG. 10 , he or she can add the forearm strap  40  to further stabilize the arm, attaching the hook tape  42 ,  44  to the loop fabric at the top and bottom of the pillow  30  as seen in  FIG. 10A  (where the arm and sling have been removed for clarity). The patient can also optionally add the elbow strap by attaching the hook tape  52  to the loop tape  18  on the outermost panel  12  of the sling, and attaching the hook tape  54  to the loop fabric of the pillow  30  at the back end of the pillow  30 . Thus, the arm is sufficiently stabilized in an abducted position, which is desirable for certain procedures or during certain times in the healing process. 
         [0038]    Alternatively, if the pillow is not to be used, such as for certain injuries, or once the pillow has been removed, such as at certain stages in the healing process, turning to  FIG. 11 , the patient dons the sling  10  without attaching the pillow  30  to the waist band  20 . The loop tape  18  on the panel  12  of the sling closest to the patient&#39;s body is applied to the hook tape  29  on the waist band  20 , leading to the arrangement seen in  FIG. 12 . Optionally, as seen in  FIGS. 12 and 13 , the forearm strap  40  can be added to further stabilize the arm, by attaching the hook tape  42 ,  44  to the loop fabric on the inside of the waist band  20 . Additionally or alternatively, turning to  FIG. 14 , the elbow strap  50  can optionally be added. The hook tape  52  of the elbow strap  50  is applied to the loop tape  18  of the sling  10  on the outermost panel  12 , and the hook tape  54  of the elbow strap  50  is applied to the loop fabric of the waist band  20  behind the hook tape  29 . Thus, as is illustrated in  FIG. 14 , the arm is sufficiently stabilized in an non-abducted position, which is desirable for certain other procedures or during certain other times in the healing process. 
         [0039]    Therefore, select components of the disclosed kit can be used for a variety of medical procedures or throughout the duration of a healing process, when the arm should be stabilized at a variety of positions. 
         [0040]    As will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, the exemplary system described herein provides several advantages over other known systems: 
         [0041]    1. stretchable loop strips sewn to each side of the Ultimate Arm Sling® both accommodate adherence to the hook of a Veltex® covered pillow, and maintain the integrity and comfort of the stretch-to-fit Ultimate Arm Sling® 
         [0042]    2. a waistband which is usable with dual functions:
       (A) arm abduction—the waistband provides hook adherence fabric to which the loop pillow fabric adheres (additional flaps on each end of the pillow offer further adherence support) and then to which the arm sling, with loop, adheres, and   (B) arm immobilization—the waistband provides the same type of adherence to the sling when the pillow is removed and the system becomes an arm immobilizer—not offered by any other company in the US.       
 
         [0045]    3. a specially designed open and close “Joslin” tab within easy reach of the patient. Tabs are color coded according to size—green for average adult, orange for large adult sizes—the only opening in the waistband. 
         [0046]    4. forearm and elbow straps for stabilizing the arm with or without the pillow. 
         [0047]    As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof. Many other embodiments are possible without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention. These other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention, which is set forth in the following claims. 
         [0048]    For example, while certain components have been described as being made of loop fabric, and others as having loop tape attached thereto, these embodiments are merely intended to be illustrative, and loop tape vs. loop fabric are interchangeable. It should furthermore be noted that the term “hook and loop fastener” in the context of the claims can refer to hook tape, hook fabric, loop tape, loop fabric, or any combination thereof. Both situations in which the fastener is integral to the relevant item (as in the case of, e.g., the pillow being made from loop fabric as in the described embodiments) as well as attached to it (as in the case of, e.g., the loop tape attached to the panels of sling as in the described embodiments) are within the scope of the claim language that a certain item comprises a fastener, where that fastener comprises a hook fastener or a loop fastener. Furthermore, the generic term “fastener” is not limited to hook and loop fasteners. 
         [0049]    It should further be noted that this application as filed includes several  FIGS. 10 ,  12 , and  14 ) in which the forearm strap  40  and elbow strap  50  are reversed. In the presently preferred embodiment, the forearm strap  40  includes a wider portion  46  for increased support, and the elbow strap  50  does not include such a wider portion. This is clearly illustrated in  FIGS. 4 ,  5 ,  10 A, and  13 .