Vapor permeable dressing

A bandage to be placed on the skin of a patient, the bandage comprising:

• a layer of elastomeric nonwoven fabric;
• an absorbent pad bonded to the fabric on a first side of the fabric facing the skin, there being a layer of adhesive on said first side of the fabric for securing the bandage to the skin;
• and
• a layer of film impervious to a liquid but pervious to a vapor of the liquid, the film being bonded to said fabric on a second side of said fabric opposite said first side.

A breathable surgical dressing comprising:

• a conformable elastomeric film permeable to water vapor but impermeable to liquid water;
• a layer of conformable elastomeric fabric bonded to said film to form therewith a laminated structure;
• and
• adhesive means disposed along a surface of said laminated structure for securing said dressing to the skin of a patient;
• and wherein
• said adhesive means comprises a layer of adhesive material having multiple perforations therein to increase a capacity to breathe in the adhesive layer;
• and
• said fabric comprises a breathable structure from a class of breathable structures consisting of nonwoven filamentary material and perforated sheet material, the fabric having passages for transpiration of water vapor, the fabric having a density in the range of approximately 15-250 grams per square meter and a thickness in the range of approximately 0.05-0.75 millimeters.

A surgical dressing comprising:

• a conformable elastomeric film permeable to water vapor but impermeable to liquid water;
• a protective layer of conformable elastomeric fabric bonded to said film to form therewith a laminated structure, said protective layer of fabric having a multidimensional recoverable elastic strain at least double an unstrained length of the fabric to be conformable to a patient's body;
• and
• adhesive means disposed along said film on a side opposite said protective layer for securing said dressing to the flesh of a patient, and wherein said laminated structure together with said adhesive means are permeable to water vapor, said laminated structure being sufficiently elastic to conform to contours of the patient's flesh.

A surgical dressing comprising:

• a conformable elastomeric film permeable to water vapor but impermeable to liquid water;
• a protective layer of conformable elastomeric fabric bonded to said film to form therewith a laminated structure, said protective layer of fabric having a multidimensional recoverable elastic strain at least double an unstrained length of the fabric to be conformable to a patient's body;
• and
• adhesive means disposed along said film on a side opposite said protective layer for securing said dressing to the flesh of a patient, and wherein said laminated structure together with said adhesive means are permeable to water vapor, said laminated structure being sufficiently elastic to conform to contours of the patient's flesh;
• and
• wherein said film is transparent and a portion of said protective layer is deleted to form a window for viewing the patient's flesh beneath said film.

A breathable surgical dressing comprising:

• a plurality of layer assemblies disposed one upon the other to produce a laminated structure, each of said layer assemblies comprising
• a conformable elastomeric film permeable to water vapor but impermeable to liquid water, and a protective layer of conformable elastomeric fabric bonded to said film;
• and wherein
• in each of said layer assemblies, said fabric comprises a breathable structure from a from a class of breathable structures consisting of nonwoven filamentary material and perforated sheet material, the fabric having passages for transpiration of water vapor, the fabric having a density in the range of approximately 15-250 grams per square meter and a thickness in the range of approximately 0.05-0.75 millimeters;
• and
• said dressing further comprises adhesive means disposed along the film in a first of said layer assemblies on a surface of the film opposite the protective layer of said assembly for securing said dressing to a patient;
• and
• at least one adhesive layer for securing each of successive ones of said assemblies to each other to form said laminated structure, successive adhesive layers providing successively smaller adhesive forces which are smaller than a force of said adhesive means to permit selective addition and subtraction of said layer assemblies from said laminated structure for adjusting a capacity of said dressing to breathe.

A breathable surgical dressing comprising:

• a conformable elastomeric film permeable to water vapor but impermeable to liquid water;
• a protective layer of conformable elastomeric fabric bonded to said film to form therewith a laminated structure;
• and
• adhesive means disposed along said film on a surface thereof opposite said protective layer for securing said dressing to the skin of a patient, said laminated structure being sufficiently elastic to conform to the contours of the patient's body;
• and wherein
• said fabric comprises a breathable structure from a class of breathable structures consisting of nonwoven filamentary material and perforated sheet material, the fabric having passages for transpiration of water vapor, the fabric having a density in the range of approximately 15-250 grams per square meter and a thickness in the range of approximately 0.05-0.75 millimeters;
• the bonding of said protective layer to said film provides for a releasable securing of said protective layer to said film;
• the bonding of said protective layer to said film is accomplished by a second breathable layer of adhesive, said second breathable layer of adhesive being disposed on a surface of said protective layer in a form of an array of spaced-apart islands of adhesive material to increase a capacity for breathing by said second breathable layer.

An air-permeable bandage for use on human and animal skin comprising:

• absorptive pad means for absorbing exudate from the skin;
• and
• a layer of conformable elastomeric filamentary fabric secured to said absorptive pad means and having an adhesive layer for securing the bandage to the skin, said fabric layer having a discontinuous form open to a transpiration of water vapor and air with an open area greater than approximately 30% of the total surface area of the fabric layer, the fabric layer having a recoverable stretch in each of three dimensions in excess of approximately 100%;
• and
• indicia imprinted on said fabric, the indicia elongating during a stretching of said fabric to indicate an amount of tension in the fabric.

A vapor permeable dressing comprising:

• a conformable elastomeric film permeable to water vapor but impermeable to liquid water;
• a protective layer of conformable elastomeric fabric bonded to said film to form therewith a laminated structure, the protective layer of fabric having a multidimensional recoverable elastic strain at least double an unstrained length of the fabric to be conformable to a patient's body;
• and
• adhesive means disposed along said film on a side opposite said protective layer for securing said dressing to the flesh of a patient, the adhesive layer including a topical reagent disposed along a surface of the adhesive layer opposite said film, and wherein said laminated structure together with said adhesive means are permeable to water vapor, said laminated structure being sufficiently elastic to conform to contours of the patients flesh;
• and wherein
• said protective layer deforms more readily in response to an abrasive force than does a composite structure comprising a film, said adhesive means, and the skin secured by the adhesive means to said film, thereby to distribute an abrasive force over the composite structure to inhibit tearing of said film.

A vapor permeable dressing comprising:

• a conformable elastomeric film permeable to water vapor but impermeable to liquid water;
• adhesive means disposed along said film for securing said film to the flesh of a patient, said adhesive means being permeable to water vapor;
• and
• a release sheet removably securable to said film for detachment from said film prior to application of said dressing to the patient, said adhesive means being disposed between said film and said release sheet;
• and
• wherein said release sheet includes a topical reagent disposed along a surface of said release sheet facing said adhesive means, there being a bonding force securing said reagent to said release sheet and an attractive force between said reagent and said adhesive means, said attractive force being greater than said bonding force for retention of said reagent with said adhesive means upon a separation of said release sheet from said film.

A dressing for aseptic topical delivery of medication to a patient comprising:

• a hydrophilic pad;
• means for securing said pad to a site on the skin of a patient, said securing means including a window providing access to said pad for the delivery of liquid medication to the pad, contact of the pad with the skin providing for delivery of the medication from the pad via the skin to the patient;
• and
• hydrophilic filter means disposed between said window and said pad for admission of liquid medication to said pad while inhibiting ingress of microbial infection.

A breathable surgical dressing comprising:

• a conformable elastomeric film permeable to vapor of a liquid but impermeable to the liquid;
• adhesive means disposed along said film on a surface thereof for securing said dressing to the skin of a patient;
• and
• a release sheet removably secured to said adhesive means, said release sheet comprising a first section and a second section which overlap each other, said second section having at least one fold, said first section having two folds arranged in a reversing fold sequence to allow for a snap action at a location on said film upon release of a portion of the first section from said adhesive means during an uncovering of the adhesive means;
• and
• wherein said release sheet includes an arrangement of variable release force means for signaling an approach to said location.

A breathable surgical dressing comprising:

• a conformable elastomeric film having a first end and a second end opposite said first end, said film being permeable to vapor of a liquid but impermeable to the liquid, a portion of said film serving as a wound contacting region;
• adhesive means disposed on a surface of said film for securing said dressing to the skin of a patient;
• a release sheet removably secured to said adhesive means, said release sheet comprising a first section extending from said first end toward said second end, and a second section extending from said second end toward said first end to meet said second section;
• means on at least one of said sections of release sheet for varying a release force to provide a snap action at a location on said film distant from said first and said second ends and independent of a position of said wound contacting region.

A breathable surgical dressing comprising:

• a conformable elastomeric film having a first end and a second end opposite said first end, said film being permeable to water vapor but impermeable to liquid water, a portion of said film serving as a wound contacting region;
• adhesive means disposed on a surface of said film for securing said dressing to the skin of a patient;
• a release sheet removably secured to said adhesive means, said release sheet comprising a first section extending from said first end toward said second end, and a second section extending from said second end toward said first end to meet said second section;
• means on at least one of said sections of release sheet for varying a release force to provide a snap action at a location on said film distant from said first and said second ends and independent of a position of said wound contacting region;
• wherein said force varying means provides for a reduction of release force via a plurality of stages of withdrawal of said at least one section of release and is operative to produce a continuous variation of release force during one of said stages.