Reinforced thermoplastic patient restraints for radiation therapy
AssigneeMed-Tec Iowa, Inc.
InventorsRobert Ungemach, Jeffre Nibbelink
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A patient restraint member is provided for medical procedures, such as radiation therapy. The restraint member is formed from a sheet of thermoplastic material that can be softened upon heating so as to be formable into a shape corresponding to a patient's body part to be restricted and setting upon cooling to retain the shape. The sheet includes spaced apart groups of perforations which minimize shrinkage during the formation process. The sheet also includes solid bands extending between the groups of perforation to provide rigidity and strength to the formed sheet.
Claims9
A patient restraint member for use in medical procedures, comprising:
- a sheet of thermoplastic material that can be softened upon heating so as to be formable into a shape corresponding to a patient's body part to be restrained and setting upon cooling to retain the shape;
- spaced apart groups of perforations punched or molded in the sheets to reduce the force necessary to form, to minimize the heat transferred to the patient, and to minimize the shrinkage of the thermoplastic material;
- and solid bands extending between the groups of perforations.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.