Reduced-pressure wound dressings
View Patent ↗Systems, methods, and dressings for treating a linear wound, such as an incision, on a patient are presented. The systems, dressings, and methods involve a sealed wound dressing assembly that helps form a fluid seal around the linear wound while simultaneously encompassing a subcutaneous delivery conduit to deliver fluid to or from a subcutaneous tissue site. In one instance, a reduced-pressure interface is used to allow the subcutaneous delivery conduit to pass through tissue at or near the linear wound and through a wound dressing assembly to a drainage receptacle.
1. A reduced-pressure system, comprising:
a dressing bolster adapted for placing on an epidermis and comprising a plurality of flexibility notches;
an over-drape adapted for providing a fluid seal over the dressing bolster and a portion of the epidermis;
a first reduced-pressure interface adapted to be fluidly coupled to the dressing bolster; and
a second reduced-pressure interface coupled to the over-drape and fluidly coupled to the dressing bolster, wherein the second reduced-pressure interface is sized and configured to receive a subcutaneous delivery conduit and to form a fluid seal about the subcutaneous delivery conduit.
2. The reduced-pressure system of claim 1 , further comprising a pre-formed pathway for routing the subcutaneous delivery conduit through the dressing bolster and the over-drape.
3. The reduced-pressure system of claim 1 , wherein the second reduced-pressure interface comprises a nipple with an aperture having an interior diameter D 1 , wherein the subcutaneous delivery conduit has an external diameter D 2 , and wherein D 1 <D 2 whereby the fluid seal is formed.
4. The reduced-pressure system of claim 1 , wherein the dressing bolster has a first surface and a second surface for deploying over the epidermis; and further comprising:
an inner layer having a first surface and a second surface, and formed with a treatment-area aperture, and wherein the first surface of the inner layer is coupled at least in part to the second surface of the dressing bolster, wherein the inner layer is pre-cut to receive the subcutaneous delivery conduit.
5. The reduced-pressure system of claim 1 , wherein the second reduced-pressure interface comprises one or more o-rings.
6. The reduced-pressure system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a subcutaneous delivery conduit comprising a first conduit segment and a second conduit segment; and
wherein the second reduced-pressure interface comprises an adapter that is sized and configured to:
receive an end portion of the first conduit segment;
receive an end portion of the second conduit segment; and
maintain a fluid coupling between the first conduit segment and the second conduit segment.
7. The reduced-pressure system of claim 1 , wherein the second reduced-pressure interface comprises a molded elastomer having:
a first surface;
a second surface;
an aperture sized to receive the subcutaneous delivery conduit and generate a compressive force against the subcutaneous delivery conduit; and
an adhesive for forming a fluid seal between the second surface and the over-drape.
8. The reduced-pressure system of claim 7 , wherein the second reduced-pressure interface is sized to transfer a hand-generated force equal to an amount of force required to puncture the over-drape with the subcutaneous delivery conduit.
9. The reduced-pressure system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a reduced-pressure source; and
a reduced-pressure delivery conduit for fluidly coupling the reduced-pressure source to the first reduced-pressure interface.
10. The reduced-pressure system of claim 9 , wherein a tissue site is a first tissue site, the reduced-pressure delivery conduit is a first reduced-pressure delivery conduit and the reduced-pressure system further comprises:
a manifold delivery tube having a passageway and a distal end, the distal end configured to be inserted into the subcutaneous delivery conduit and placed adjacent a second tissue site;
a flowable material deliverable through the manifold delivery tube to the second tissue site such that the flowable material is capable of filling a void adjacent the second tissue site to create a manifold having a plurality of flow channels in fluid communication with the second tissue site; and
a second reduced-pressure delivery conduit configured for fluid communication with the plurality of flow channels of the manifold.
11. The reduced-pressure system of claim 10 , wherein the manifold delivery tube and the second reduced-pressure delivery conduit are the same tube.
12. The reduced-pressure system of claim 10 , wherein the manifold is bioresorbable.
13. The reduced-pressure system of claim 1 , wherein the second reduced-pressure interface comprises an elastomer having an aperture sized to receive a subcutaneous delivery conduit.
14. The reduced-pressure system of claim 13 , wherein the second reduced-pressure interface is adapted to generate a compressive force against an outer circumference of the subcutaneous delivery conduit.
15. The reduced-pressure system of claim 1 , wherein the over-drape is disposed between the dressing bolster and the second reduced-pressure interface and configured to provide a fluid seal over the dressing bolster and a portion of the epidermis.
16. The reduced-pressure system of claim 15 , wherein the second reduced-pressure interface is configured to reinforce the over-drape to maintain the fluid seal around a tissue site if the over-drape is breached by the subcutaneous delivery conduit.
17. The reduced-pressure system of claim 9 , further comprising a reduced-pressure indicator fluidly coupled to the reduced-pressure source.
18. A wound dressing assembly, comprising:
a dressing bolster having a first surface and a second surface for deploying over an epidermis and comprising a plurality of flexibility notches;
an over-drape for providing a fluid seal over the dressing bolster and a portion of the epidermis;
a first reduced-pressure interface fluidly coupled to the dressing bolster and operable to receive a reduced-pressure supply conduit; and
a second reduced-pressure interface, comprising an interface body formed with an aperture sized to receive a subcutaneous delivery conduit and to form a fluid seal with the subcutaneous delivery conduit.
19. The wound dressing assembly of claim 18 , wherein the dressing bolster is at least partially pre-cut to allow the subcutaneous delivery conduit to pass to the second reduced-pressure interface.
20. The wound dressing assembly of claim 18 , wherein the second reduced-pressure interface comprises one or more o-rings.
21. The wound dressing assembly of claim 18 , further comprising an inner layer having a first surface and a second surface, formed with a treatment-area aperture, and wherein the first surface of the inner layer is coupled at least in part to the second surface of the dressing bolster.
22. The wound dressing assembly of claim 18 , wherein the interface body comprises a molded elastomer.
23. The wound dressing assembly of claim 18 , wherein the second reduced-pressure interface is tapered.
24. The wound dressing assembly of claim 18 , wherein the dressing bolster further comprises a perforated cylinder of bolster material.
25. A method of treating a tissue site, comprising:
applying a wound dressing assembly to the tissue site, wherein the wound dressing assembly comprises:
a dressing bolster formed from a medical bolster material for placing on a patient's epidermis and substantially sized to overlay the tissue site,
an over-drape for providing a fluid seal over the dressing bolster and a portion of the patient's epidermis,
a first reduced-pressure interface fluidly coupled to the dressing bolster for delivering reduced-pressure to the dressing bolster, and
a second reduced-pressure interface fluidly coupled to the dressing bolster and having an aperture sized to receive a conduit and to generate a compressive force against the conduit;
fluidly coupling a reduced-pressure delivery conduit to a reduced-pressure source and the first reduced-pressure interface;
delivering reduced pressure to the reduced-pressure delivery conduit;
fluidly coupling a subcutaneous delivery conduit to the second reduced-pressure interface, wherein the second reduced-pressure interface is sized to transfer a hand-generated force equal to an amount of force required to puncture the over-drape with the subcutaneous delivery conduit; and
delivering reduced pressure to the subcutaneous delivery conduit.
26. The method of treating a tissue site of claim 25 , wherein the dressing bolster is pre-cut to receive the subcutaneous delivery conduit.
27. The method of treating a tissue site of claim 25 , wherein the tissue site is a first tissue site and further comprising:
coupling a manifold delivery tube to the second reduced-pressure interface, the manifold delivery tube having a passageway and a distal end, the distal end configured to be inserted into the subcutaneous delivery conduit;
delivering a flowable bioresorbable material through the manifold delivery tube to a second tissue site such that the flowable bioresorbable material is capable of filling a void adjacent the second tissue site to create a manifold having a plurality of flow channels in fluid communication with the second tissue site;
coupling a reduced-pressure delivery conduit to the second reduced-pressure interface, the reduced-pressure delivery conduit capable of fluid communication with the plurality of flow channels of the manifold; and
applying reduced pressure to the second tissue site.
28. The method of treating a tissue site of claim 27 , wherein the manifold delivery tube and the reduced-pressure delivery conduit are the same tube.
29. The method of treating a tissue site of claim 25 , wherein the second reduced-pressure interface comprises a molded elastomer.
30. The method of treating a tissue site of claim 25 , further comprising inserting a sensor attached to an external diagnostic device through the second reduced-pressure interface to monitor the tissue site.