US3468310A - Ostomy garment - Google Patents

Description

P 23, 1969 a. M. KIMBALL 3,468,310

OSTOMY GARMENT Filed Nov. 25, 1966 FIG.\. F162.

mvsmon BETTY M. K IMBALL ATTORNEY United States Patent Office 3,468,310 OSTOMY GARMENT Betty M. Kimball, 5904 Cecil Ave., Baltimore, Md. 21207 Filed Nov. 25, 1966, Ser. No. 597,033 Int. Cl. A61f /44 U.S. Cl. 128-283 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An ostomy garment in the form of a body encircling band similar to a girdle adapted to encircle the abdomen of a wearer and having inner and outer panel portions forming a pocket for containing a receptacle or bag like member for receiving the discharge from the stoma of the wearer and tapered padding on each side of the bag like member decreasing in thickness from adjacent the latter to the outer margins of the pocket to simulate the natural contour of the abdomen of the wearer.

This invention relates to surgical garments and more specifically to such garments for use in connection with various ostomy appliances.

Such appliances frequently consist of a disc which is adhesively attached to the body of the wearer and over the stoma or opening in the abdomen. The disc is provided with a central opening which in turn has a surrounding short tubular neck or flange. A receiver or bag like member is then attached to this flange to receive the discharge from the stoma.

The garment which is the subject matter of this invention fits completely around the body of the wearer in the abdominal region much in the nature of a girdle and not only has provisions for accommodating the appliances above mentioned but assists in holding them in proper position and facilitates their use and substantially eliminates any bulkiness of appearance which such appliances frequently cause.

The device is equally adaptable to a person with a colostomy, ileostomy, ileal bladder or interostomy with slight variations.

It is the main object of this invention, therefore, to provide a garment of the nature above mentioned which has the features of comfort and convenience stated and which will afford a substantial degree of confidence in its use to the wearer and enable him to engage in substantially all activities which a normal person enjoys.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a surgical garment with portions broken away and partly in section,

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view,

FIGUGRE 3 is a sectional view substantially on line 33 of FIGURE 1, and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary view of the lower portion thereof.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the garment consists of a main body portion which may be made of any suitable fabric material, but preferably of one of the well known stretch fabrics of which foundation garments or girdles are frequently made. The body portion may be of one piecee or several pieces joined together but it is fashioned to surround and closely fit the body of the wearer from about the waist to the upper thighs and extend across the back, around the hips and across the abdomen as is customary with girdles.

The garment is preferably provided with a side opening at 11 which is held closed by any convenient closure means such as a conventional slide fastener 12.

3,468,310 Patented Sept. 23, 1969 Within the main body portion 10' of the garment and extending substantially across the entire front thereof there is provided an inner panel 13 which, together with the main body, forms a pocket portion 14. The inner panel 13 is fastened to the main body portion 10 at its sides 15 and 16 by any suitable means such as sewing. It is similarly fastened to the main body portion 10 along its upper edge 17 and lower edge 18, except in the case of the lower edge it is left unfastened in the region 19 for a short extent, the purpose of which will be hereinafter described.

A substantially round opening 20 is provided in the inner panel 13, and although it is shown substantially centrally located in the drawing, it should be understood that its location is determined by the location of the stoma in the abdomen of the wearer.

The outer main body 10- of the garment is provided with an elongated opening 21 opposite the opening 20 in the inner panel which is held closed by a slide fastener or similar closure means 22 as shown.

The pocket 14 between the inner panel 13 and the main body 10 provides a space for containing the receptacle or bag 23 of the ostomy appliance. Those portions of the pocket between the inner panel 13 and outer main body portion 10 not occupied by the bag 23 are filled with suitable padding 24-. This padding is of greatest thickness adjacent the bag 23 and gradually tapers toward the edges adjacent the points where the inner panel 13 and the outer main body of the garment are joined so as to give to the garment a natural body contour simulating as closely as possible the natural shape of the abdomen of the wearer and eliminating entirely any tell-tale bulges which would indicate to an observer that the wearer is not a normal person.

The disc member 25 forms the connection between the stoma and the bag or receptacle. It surrounds the stoma and is usually adhesively attached to the skin of the abdomen in this area and is provided with a hollow tube-like short neck 26 with an external head 27. The bag or receptacle is provided With an opening into which th neck extends in close fitting leak-proof relationship and it is held therein by the head 27. As may be seen from the drawing, the neck 26 of the disc extends through the opening 20 in the inner panel 13 and the area of the inner panel surrounding the opening engages the outer surface of the disc to assist in holding the same against the abdomen of the wearer.

The bag or receptacle may be of any convenient shape but it is preferably provided with a discharge tube 28 at its lower end which is normally held closed by folding the same over upon itself and clamping the folded over end by any suitable means as indicated at 29. The discharge tube 28 is positioned adjacent the unfastened region 19 between the inner panel 13 and outer main body portion 10 of the garment to facilitate emptying the bag when needed.

Although not necessary to the function of the garment but solely as added features of convenience, the garment may be equipped with garters 30 and a removable crotch piece 31 as are frequently used in conventional garments of the girdle type.

In applying the garment the disc 25 is first applied to the abdomen at the stoma and the bag or receptacle attached to the neck 26 of the disc. The garment is then applied and the bag is drawn thru the opening 20 in the inner panel 13 and positioned in the pocket 14 with the neck 26 of the disc projecting through the opening 20. The side opening 11 is then closed by the slide fastener 12 and the garment is in place on the body. Access to the bag is then readily had through the front opening 21 and slide fastener 22 when needed.

Having thus described a preferred form of my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A surgical garment for use with an ostomy appliance comprising a main body portion of flexible sheet material fashioned to fit around the body of a wearer and cover the same in region of the abdomen, an inner panel of flexible sheet material secured within the main body portion and forming a pocket with the main body portion, an opening in the inner panel adapted to receive a discharge conductor of an ostomy appliance, an opening in the main body portion opposite the opening in the inner panel, a closure means for said second opening, padding occupying a portion of said pocket, said padding extending from an inner region of said pocket spaced from said opening in said inner panel to the outer regions of said pocket, said padding adjacent said inner region presenting edges which together with said main body portion and said inner panel define an open space in said pocket adapted to receive a discharge receptor of an ostomy appliance.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 in which the flexible sheet material of said main body portion and said inner panel is fabric and in which the padding tapers and decreases -in thickness from said inner region to said outer regions of said pocket to simulate the contour of the human abdomen.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2 ,688,327 9/1954 Berg 128-283 2,691,375 10/1954 Tasse 128283 2,784,718 3/1957 Fenton l28283 2,788,785 4/1957 Present 128-283 CHARLES F. ROSENBAUM, Primary Examiner

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