Pulse oximetry finger sleeve

• US 20060053522A1
• Filed: 09/14/2004
• Published: 03/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Catherine Ann Andress Kimbell
• Original Assignee: Catherine Ann Andress Kimbell
• Inventors: Kimbell, Catherine Ann Andress
• Application Number:
  US10/939,556
• Publication Number:
  US 20060053522A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 2/21
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/247 Hygienic covers, i.e. for covering the sensor or apparatus during use
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14552 Details of sensors specially adapted therefor

Abstract

This invention is new in the medical field. Patient care people use a hand-held device with a plastic finger clip which comes in contact with the patient'"'"'s finger to obtain an oxygen concentration and pulse rate during breathing treatments or for patients on oxygen for evaluation. It is not possible to sufficiently clean the finger clip between patients. I have never seen anything resembling this Pulse Oximetry Finger Sleeve anywhere even on patients who are in isolation for specific purposes of preventing spread of infection. The Pulse Oximeter Finger Sleeve is of soft plastic and shaped like one finger of a glove and would be placed on the patient'"'"'s finger before placing the pulse oximeter finger clip, which is not disposable, on the patient'"'"'s finger in order to prevent the spread of infection from patient to patient.

Claims

1. What I claim as my invention is the Pulse Oximetry Finger Sleeve which is much like a one finger glove made of thin, opaque, disposable plastic, which will fit over any one finger of the patient. This will enable all the Respiratory Therapists and Nurses using a pulse oximeter to check the patient'"'"'s oxygen saturation and heart rate, which is done hundreds of thousands of times a day in every hospital and nursing home in America, to continue using the hand-held pulse oximeters and finger clips over and over again on all patients all over the hospital (as is currently being done) without the problem of transmission of disease from patient to patient. As a Certified Respiratory Therapist since 1974, I have never seen or heard of any form of prevention for infection control that specifically addresses this area of potentially serious cross contamination or spread of infection from patient to patient. This is an area of neglect and has been overlooked as there are no infection control measures in place which addresses this problem.