Garment for securing an external portion of a catheter
View Patent ↗A garment includes a vertical opening and a transverse flap on the front panel thereof for securing an external portion of a central line or catheter having at least two distal lumens or branches. The external portion of the catheter extends through a gap between a pair fasteners of the vertical opening. In order to secure the catheter, the flap includes a stopper that is fastened to front panel such that the stopper is located between the distal branches of the catheter. If one or both of the distal branches are pulled or tugged, a junction or transition area of the catheter is pressed against the stopper and limits further motion of the catheter to prevent dislodgement thereof. The flap further includes a series of fasteners for releasably coupling a free edge thereof onto the front panel to house the external portion of the catheter under the closed flap.
1. A garment for securing an external portion of a catheter having a single proximal shaft that transitions to at least two distal branches via a junction, the garment comprising:
an opening extending vertically along a front panel of the garment, the opening including a first series of fasteners for releasably closing the opening, wherein the first series of fasteners have spaces therebetween configured to allow the catheter to pass therethrough;
a flap coupled to an exterior surface of the front panel of the garment, the flap extending across the front panel in a direction generally transverse to the vertical opening, wherein the flap is positioned adjacent to the vertical opening and includes a second series of fasteners for releasably coupling a free edge of the flap onto the front panel to form a pocket between the exterior surface of the front panel and an interior surface of the flap, the pocket configured to enclose the external portion of the catheter between the exterior surface of the front panel and the interior surface of the flap when the flap is closed; and
a stopper coupled to flap and positioned to releasably fasten the flap to the front panel between the distal branches of the catheter and adjacent to the junction of the catheter.
2. The garment according to claim 1 , wherein the vertical opening is defined by an outer strip and an inner strip of overlapping material, and the first series of fasteners for releasably closing the opening couple the outer strip and the inner strip together.
3. The garment according to claim 1 , wherein the vertical opening is horizontally offset from a central longitudinal axis of the garment.
4. The garment according to claim 1 , wherein the flap is a segment of material having a top edge that is secured to the exterior surface of the front panel of the garment and the free edge of the flap is a bottom edge of the flap.
5. The garment according to claim 4 , wherein the stopper is located approximately midway between the top edge and the bottom edge of the flap.
6. The garment according to claim 4 , wherein the flap extends across the front panel in a downward angle between zero and 45 degrees relative to a horizontal axis of the garment.
7. The garment according to claim 1 , wherein the stopper is located on a first side edge of the flap adjacent to the vertical opening.
8. The garment according to claim 7 , wherein a separator fastener is located on a second side edge of the flap opposite the first side edge.
9. The garment according to claim 8 , wherein the stopper and the separator fastener are located between a top edge of the flap and the free edge of the flap.
10. The garment according to claim 1 , wherein the stopper is a fastener that requires more force to separate than the second series of fasteners for releasably coupling the free edge of the flap onto the front panel.
11. The garment according to claim 1 , wherein the garment is a one-piece bodysuit.
12. The garment according to claim 1 , wherein the garment is a tee-shirt.
13. A garment for securing an external portion of a catheter, the garment comprising:
an opening extending vertically along a front panel of the garment, the opening including a first series of fasteners for releasably closing the opening, wherein the first series of fasteners have spaces therebetween configured to allow the catheter to pass therethrough;
a flap coupled to an exterior surface of the front panel of the garment, the flap extending the front panel in a direction generally transverse to the vertical opening, wherein the flap is positioned adjacent to the vertical opening and includes a second series of fasteners for releasably coupling a free edge of the flap onto the front panel to form a pocket between the exterior surface of the front panel and an interior surface of the flap, the pocket configured to enclose the external portion of the catheter between the exterior surface of the front panel and the interior surface of the flap when the flap is closed; and
a stopper coupled to the flap and positioned adjacent the opening and between the free edge of the flap and an opposing edge of the flap, wherein the stopper releasably fastens the flap to the front panel between the second series of fasteners and the opposing edge of the flap.
14. The garment according to claim 13 , wherein the vertical opening is defined by an outer strip and an inner strip of overlapping material, and the first series of fasteners for releasably closing the opening couple the outer strip and the inner strip together.
15. The garment according to claim 13 , wherein the flap is a segment of material, wherein the opposing edge of the flap is a top edge that is secured to the exterior surface of the front panel of the garment and the free edge is a bottom edge of the flap.
16. The garment according to claim 15 , wherein the stopper is located approximately midway between the top edge and the bottom edge of the flap.
17. The garment according to claim 15 , wherein the flap extends across the front panel in a downward angle between zero and 45 degrees relative to a horizontal axis of the garment.
18. The garment according to claim 1 , wherein the stopper is located on a first side edge of the flap adjacent to the vertical opening, and a separator fastener is located on a second side edge of the flap opposite the first side edge.
19. The garment according to claim 1 , wherein the stopper is a fastener that requires more force to separate than the second series of fasteners for releasably coupling the free edge of the flap onto the front panel.
20. A method of securing an external portion of a catheter having a single proximal shaft that transitions to at least two distal branches via a junction, the method comprising the steps of:
passing the at least two external distal branches of the catheter through a space between a pair of fasteners that releasably close a vertical opening that extends down a front panel of a garment, wherein the garment further includes a flap coupled to an exterior surface of the front panel and positioned adjacent to the vertical seam, the flap extending across the exterior surface of the front panel in a direction generally transverse to the vertical opening;
fastening a stopper located on the flap to the exterior surface of the front panel of the garment such that the stopper is located between the distal branches of the catheter and adjacent to the junction of the catheter, wherein the stopper reduces the risk of unintentional dislodgement of the catheter; and
fastening a series of fasteners located on a free edge of the flap onto the front panel of the garment in order to enclose the external portion of the catheter under the flap between an interior surface of the flap and the exterior surface of the front panel.