Package assembly for plastic film bandage

A package assembly for a plastic film bandage, which comprises:

• a plastic film bandage having skin adhesive on one side thereof;
• a transparent support sheet removably attached to the other side of said plastic film bandage and extending beyond the edge of said bandage in at least one area;
• a tube communicating across an edge of said bandage, a portion of said tube being positioned against said one side thereof;
• means for anchoring said tube into the above-described position, said anchoring means comprising a plastic member defining a tube-receiving bore and a pair of opposed, thin edges positioned essentially parallel to said bore, one wall of said plastic member extending between said edges being substantially planar, and an opposed wall of said plastic member extending between said edges defining an outwardly projecting, curved surface, said opposed wall being attached to said on side of the bandage;
• peel-away protection sheet means releasably attached to said bandage and covering the one side of said bandage and that portion of said tube which is positioned against said one side;
• and hinge means attaching said support sheet and at least a portion of said peel-away protection sheet means at a peripheral position spaced from said bandage, said hinge means being defined by a line of adhesive which joins said support sheet and protection sheet means, whereby, upon opening of said package assembly, at least a portion of said protection sheet means may be removed from contact with the plastic film bandage and may serve as a grippable extension of said support sheet as the bandage is applied to a patient.

The method of applying a plastic film bandage having skin adhesive on one side thereof to a patient, said plastic film bandage having a support sheet removably attached to the other side opposed to said one side of said plastic film bandage and extending beyond the edge of said bandage in at least a pair of opposed areas, said bandage carrying a tube which communicates across an edge of said bandage, a portion of said tube being positioned against said one side thereof, said tube having means for anchoring it into position, said bandage plus said anchoring means and a portion of said tube also being covered with peel-away protection sheet means on said one side of the bandage, said support sheet and peel-away protection sheet means being connected together at a peripheral position spaced from said bandage by hinge means, which method comprises:

• removing said peel-away protection sheet means from the one side of the bandage to expose said skin adhesive;
• gripping at least a portion of said protection sheet means to extend it into approximately a plane similar to the plane occupied by said support sheet, with said extended portion of the protection sheet means and support sheet being connected by said hinge means, while grasping an opposed area of said support sheet on the other side of said bandage from said hange means, without touching said bandage;
• bringing the adhesive-carrying one side of said bandage into adjacent, facing relation to the site of application without touching said bandage, and bringing said one side into adhesive contact with said site of application;
• and thereafter peeling away said support sheet from said plastic film bandage.