Conformable adhesive wound closures
Assignee3M Innovative Properties Company
InventorWayne K. Dunshee
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wound closure including a wound bridging portion that has sufficient dimensional stability to hold the wound edges in proper alignment, even in the face of substantial stretching of the wound closure as a whole, is disclosed. The wound closure is dimensionally stable directly over the wound. The remainder of the wound closure is preferably substantially more extensible and elastic than the wound bridging portion to improve conformability and adhesion of the wound closure to the patient. The wound closures may include opposing end portions of unequal lengths yielding an asymmetric shape that facilitates close placement of the wound closures along a wound.
Claims30
A wound closure for closing a wound in skin, the wound closure comprising:
- an adhesive for adhering the wound closure to skin;
- opposing elastomeric end portions;
- and
- a wound bridging portion between the end portions;
- wherein the wound closure recovers at least 85% after being stretched 30%, and wherein the wound bridging portion stretches less than the end portions when subjected to the same force, whereby the wound bridging portion tends to maintain the wound closed against forces generated by stretching of skin.
A wound closure for closing a wound in skin, the wound closure comprising:
- opposing end portions and an intermediate portion separating the end portions;
- and
- an adhesive for adhering the wound closure to skin;
- wherein the end portions and the intermediate portion comprise an elastomeric backing;
- and wherein a reinforcing layer is attached to the backing only in the intermediate portion such that the intermediate portion defines a wound bridging portion comprising the elastomeric backing and the reinforcing layer;
- and further wherein the wound closure recovers at least 85% after being stretched 30% and the wound bridging portion stretches less than the end portions when subjected to the same force, whereby the wound bridging portion tends to maintain the wound closed against forces generated by stretching of skin.
A wound closure for closing a wound in skin, the wound closure comprising:
- an adhesive for adhering the wound closure to skin;
- two opposing end portions located at opposing ends along a length of the wound closure;
- and
- a wound bridging portion separating the opposing end portions, the wound bridging portion having a width less than a width of the end portions;
- wherein the opposing end portions comprise unequal lengths as measured from the wound bridging portion to the ends of the wound closure.
A method of tending a wound, comprising:
- providing a wound closure having a short side and a long side, the wound closure comprising:
- an adhesive for adhering the wound closure to skin;
- two opposing end portions located at opposing ends along a length of the wound closure;
- and
- a wound bridging portion separating the opposing end portions, the wound bridging portion having a width less than a width of the end portions;
- wherein the opposing end portions comprise unequal lengths as measured from the wound bridging portion to the ends of the wound closure, with the shorter end portion comprising the short side of the wound closure and the longer end portion comprising the long side of the wound closure;
- and
- adhering the wound closure to a patient such that the wound bridging portion spans a wound.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.