Removable Sleeve for Facilitating the Application of Compression Stockings

Abstract

An inexpensive sleeve and method of use are disclosed for easing application of a compression stocking onto a foot and leg. By reducing the friction usually encountered when applying a compression stocking or sock, the sleeve protects the foot and leg from injury, and helps to avoid the need for sophisticated stocking or sleeve manipulation. The sleeve is made from a low friction material, such as plastic, silk, Tyvec, or nylon, and therefore is easy to pull over the foot and leg while closely conforming thereto so as to avoid folding and bunching. The sleeve can be disposable and / or closed at one end. The method of use includes pulling the sleeve over the foot and leg, pulling the stocking over the sleeve, and then removing the sleeve through an open stocking toe or through the top of the stocking, leaving the stocking in place.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The invention generally relates to compression stockings, and more specifically to devices that facilitate the application of a compression stocking.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]When worn on a daily basis, compression stockings can provide support and therapeutic treatment for patients who have insufficient venous (blood) and / or lymphatic return flow in one or both of their lower legs. The stockings are typically graduated so as to move fluid only toward the heart, thereby compensating for poorly functioning veins and / or a poorly functioning lymphatic system. Depending on the needs of the patient, compression stockings can provide decreased superficial venous pressure, improved venous return, decreased edema, reduced transcapillary leakage of solutes and fluids, and improved comfort. To accommodate differences in patient anatomy, differences in medical condition, and differences in degree of severity, compression stockings typically come in various si...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0012]The sleeve of the present invention protects the foot and leg from frictional injury, and facilitates application of the stocking by reducing friction while eliminating the need for partial inversion of the stocking or for any other sophisticated manipulation of the sleeve or the stocking. This allows the device to be easily used by patients who are elderly and / or physically challenged. Because the sleeve is inexpensive to produce and preferably disposable, the cost is reduced and the need to clean or launder the device is reduced or eliminated. Because the method of use includes pulling the stocking over the sleeve, rather than pulling the sleeve and stocking on as a unit, sleeve handles are not required, further reducing the cost.

[0013]The sleeve is made from a material with low friction, which in preferred embodiments is plastic, silk, tyvec, or nylon. In preferred embodiments, the invention can be supplied as a plurality of disposable sleeves, and can be supplied in a variety of shapes and sizes so as to account for different patient anatomies. The size and shape of the sleeve can then be selected so as to allow it to be easily drawn over the foot and up the leg, while minimizing any tendency for the sleeve to fold and / or bunch up when pressed against the leg and foot by the compression stocking. This makes removal of the sleeve easy, and avoids discomfort and / or injury to the leg or foot.

[0014]One general aspect of the present invention is a device for facilitating the application of a compression stocking to a patient's foot and leg. The device includes a sleeve that has a shape and size approximating the shape and size of a portion of the foot and leg, while being sufficiently large to allow the sleeve to be easily slid over the foot and up the leg so as to surround and cover the foot and leg portion. The sleeve is constructed using a material that minimizes friction between the sleeve and the stocking when the stocking is pulled over the sleeve.

[0017]In some embodiments the sleeve is sufficiently large to allow the sleeve to be easily slid over the compression stocking for removal when the compression stocking is in place on the foot and leg.

[0024]Another general aspect of the present invention is a method for facilitating application of a compression stocking with an open toe to a patient's foot and leg. The method includes providing a sleeve having a shape and size that approximate the shape and size of a portion of the foot and leg, while allowing the sleeve to be easily slid over the foot and up the leg so as to surround and cover the foot and leg portion, the sleeve being constructed using a material that minimizes friction between the sleeve and the stocking when the stocking is pulled over the sleeve.

[0027]Yet another general aspect of the invention is a method for facilitating the application of a compression stocking to a patient's foot and leg. The method includes providing a disposable sleeve having a shape and size that approximate the shape and size of a portion of the foot and leg, while allowing the sleeve to be easily slid over the foot and up the leg so as to surround and cover the foot and leg portion, the sleeve being open at both ends and constructed using a material that minimizes friction between the sleeve and the stocking when the stocking is pulled over the sleeve.

Problems solved by technology

Because of this tight fit, it can be difficult for a patient to pull a compression stocking over the foot and onto the lower leg, especially if the patient is elderly, physically challenged, and / or has leg sensitivities due to recent surgery or other causes that can lead to discomfort caused by rubbing of the stocking material over the skin of the leg.

This can lead to inconvenience, muscle and joint strain, injury, and failure to use the compression stockings properly.

In addition, because compression stockings are often prescribed after a medical procedure, such as surgery to treat circulatory problems in the leg, and because post surgery patients are typically not allowed to leave the medical environment (hospital, nursing home, rehab facility, or such like) until they are able to independently apply the compression stockings, difficulty in applying compression stockings can lead to extended hospital stays and significant added costs.

While simple in principle, this approach requires sophisticated manipulation of the stocking, which can be difficult for any patient and nearly impossible for an elderly and / or physically challenged patient, such as a patient with arthritis in his or her fingers.

This approach also requires that the lower end of the stocking be pulled over the foot, which can be difficult to accomplish and can be irritating to the skin of the foot.

However, this approach does not avoid the sophisticated manipulation required to invert most of the stocking and then unroll it onto the leg.

Also, the necessity to compress a bulky, rectangular plastic bag around the foot can cause folding and bunching of the excess plastic of the bag.

This can increase friction and cause displacement of the bag during stocking installation, and can irritate and even injure the skin of the foot during removal of the bag, when the folded and bunched plastic is dragged across the foot while being simultaneously pressed against the skin of the foot by the compression stocking.

Finally, this approach does not address the problem of how to apply a closed-toe compression stocking.

However, slipper devices are somewhat costly, and are therefore not disposable.

Also, a slipper device does not eliminate the necessity for sophisticated manipulation of the stocking before application.

Also, this solution is somewhat expensive, since a durable, re-usable lining sleeve must be supplied, typically with straps that facilitate pulling on the sleeve (since the method of use makes it very difficult to pull on the stocking).

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