Skin protection mount for transcutaneous sensor application

An apparatus for protecting the skin of a subject comprising:

• an adhesive ring having a ring passage therethrough and an adhesion surface;
• a flexible skin protection mount permanently attached to a patient, having an attachment surface at the interface between the flexible skin protection mount and the skin of the patient bearing an adhesive, an opposed mounting surface onto which the adhesion surface of the adhesive ring adheres, and a mount passage extending therethrough and encompassing an area smaller than the area encompassed by the ring passage, said mounting surface having a surface area and shape substantially the same as the surface area and shape of the adhesion surface of the adhesive ring;
• and
• wherein the adhesive force between said attachment surface and the patient is greater than the adhesive force between said mounting surface and the adhesion surface of the adhesive ring.

A skin protection mount for use with a transcutaneous sensor comprising:

• a transcutaneous sensor having an electrode;
• an adhesive ring having a ring passage between first and second sides thereof, the transcutaneous sensor being attached to the first side of the adhesive ring with an adhesive, wherein the electrode of the transcutaneous sensor passes through the ring passage;
• a skin protection mount having a mount passage extending between an attachment surface for permanently attaching the skin protection mount to the skin of the patient using an adhesive and an opposing mounting surface for releasably engaging with the second side of the adhesive ring using an adhesive;
• and
• wherein the transcutaneous sensor and adhesive ring are releasably engagable with the opposing mounting surface of the skin protection mount such that the electrode of the transcutaneous sensor passes through the mount passage to substantially contact the patient's skin when the transcutaneous sensor and adhesive ring are engaged with the surface protection mount and such that the adhesive force between the attachment surface of the skin protection mount and the skin of the patient is greater than the adhesive force between the opposing mounting surface of the skin protection mount and the second side of the adhesive ring.

A method of protecting the skin of a patient from a transcutaneous sensor having an electrode comprising the steps of:

• adhering the transcutaneous sensor to an adhesive ring with an adhesive, the adhesive ring having a ring passage therethrough for passage of the electrode;
• adhering to the skin a non-removable, flexible skin protection mount with an adhesive, the non-removable, flexible skin protection mount having a mount passage therethrough for passage of the electrode;
• and
• adhering the transcutaneous sensor and adhesive ring to the non-removable, flexible skin protection mount with an adhesive, wherein the adhesive force between the non-removable, flexible skin protection mount and the patient's skin is greater than the adhesive force between the non-removable, flexible skin protection mount and the adhesive ring and wherein the electrode from the transcutaneous sensor passes through the ring passage and the mount passage to substantially contact the patient's skin.