Patent ID: 7073204

Claim:
A system comprising: a medical tubing; and a garment, comprising: an inner layer; an outer layer combinable with said inner layer to define a compartment proximate to an operative region for said medical tubing; said compartment at least partially bordered by a permanent attachment between said outer layer and said inner layer; said outer layer comprising a plurality of outer panels releasably attachable along a substantially vertical outer joint aligned approximately along a vertical centerline of a wearer of said garment; said inner layer further comprising a releasably attachable substantially vertical inner joint for access to an anatomical region of a body of the wearer of said garment; in a first operative mode, said inner joint releasably attached and said outer joint releasably attached, an opening to said compartment defining a first perimeter of a finite and non-zero length, in a second operative mode, said inner joint releasably closed and said outer joint at least partially open, said opening to said compartment defining a second perimeter, a ratio of said second perimeter to said first perimeter between approximately 1.2 and approximately 10; in said second operative mode, said substantially vertical outer joint substantially intersecting a substantially non-vertical outer joint at an angle of from approximately 20 degrees to approximately 160 degrees; said compartment comprising one or more access points along a lateral portion of said outer layer, said compartment defining a volume substantially sufficient to contain said medical tubing; said compartment comprising a support for said medical tubing; and in a third operative mode: said medical tubing residing within said compartment; said compartment allowing insertion of said medical tubing into the anatomical region of the body of the wearer of said garment without removal of said garment; said compartment comprising a support for said medical tubing proximate to the operative region for said medical tubing without substantially irritating a portion of skin of the wearer of said garment; said compartment comprising a means for accessing said medical tubing without removal of said garment; said compartment comprising a means for substantially limiting visibility of said medical tubing to an observer; and said compartment comprising a means for protecting said medical tubing from operational interference.