Method and devices for its employ for reducing disease-transfer risks
First Claim
1. A puncture-resistant covering for one or more needle electrodes, each having a sharp end and a lead-wire, the electrodes configured for electrical stimulation or recording of biological electrical potentials in clinical or surgical settings, the covering configured for use while the electrodes are inserted into a body to provide these functions, for the purpose of reducing risk of transferring disease that could result from medical personnel suffering skin-scrape or skin-puncture through contact with the sharp ends of said needles, said covering comprising:
- a puncture-resistant patch of suitable shape and size having a front surface and a rear surface and having a thickness of less than one-quarter inch and having a pressure-sensitive adhesive existing on at least one-half of the rear surface for the purpose of securing the covering to the body and holding-in-place the needle electrode(s) and lead-wire(s) that it covers during its use.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention is a method and apparatus, in several embodiments, for providing protection in workplaces in which workers can be exposed to diseases and other contaminations from skin abrasions or punctures by contaminated objects. In its primary application it provides such protection at skin surfaces of healthcare patients into which needle electrodes have been inserted and, under certain conditions, can emerge. This bio-hazard occurs most often during patient-positioning when patients are unconscious due to anesthesia or other reasons. Protection is supplied in the first embodiment by a puncture-resistant head-covering; in the second by a pad that covers and secures needle electrodes, and; in a third as a tissue-penetrating, less hazardous stick-on electrode. The latter two embodiments have pressure-sensitive-adhesive coatings for adhesion to a patient'"'"'s skin.
14 Citations
7 Claims
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1. A puncture-resistant covering for one or more needle electrodes, each having a sharp end and a lead-wire, the electrodes configured for electrical stimulation or recording of biological electrical potentials in clinical or surgical settings, the covering configured for use while the electrodes are inserted into a body to provide these functions, for the purpose of reducing risk of transferring disease that could result from medical personnel suffering skin-scrape or skin-puncture through contact with the sharp ends of said needles, said covering comprising:
a puncture-resistant patch of suitable shape and size having a front surface and a rear surface and having a thickness of less than one-quarter inch and having a pressure-sensitive adhesive existing on at least one-half of the rear surface for the purpose of securing the covering to the body and holding-in-place the needle electrode(s) and lead-wire(s) that it covers during its use. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
Specification