Skin protection mount for transcutaneous sensor application

• US 6,295,463 B1
• Filed: 01/04/2000
• Issued: 09/25/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sensormedics Corporation (Becton Dickinson & Co)
• Original Assignee: Sensormedics Corporation (Becton Dickinson & Co)
• Inventors: Stenzler, Alex
• Primary Examiner(s): Dvorak, Linda C. M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ruddy, David M.
• Application Number:
  US09/477,190
• Time in Patent Office: 630 Days
• Field of Search: 600/372, 600/386, 600/391, 600/392, 600/396, 607/152, 607/149, 602/41
• US Class Current: 600/391
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14542 for measuring blood gases A61B5/14551 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1477 non-invasive
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6833 Adhesive patches

Abstract

A skin protection mount protects the skin surface of a subject from damage that can result from repeated attachment and detachment of transcutaneous sensors connected to the skin of a subject with adhesive. The skin protection mount preferably has a thickness of five mils or less, to provide increased flexibility and increase subject comfort. Preferably, the skin protection mount has adhesive on the side attached to the subject, and lacks adhesive on the opposite side in order to facilitate attachment to and detachment from a skin protection mount of a transcutaneous sensor having an adhesive zing with an adhesion surface. In a preferred embodiment, the mounting surface of the skin protection mount has a surface area larger than the adhesion surface to protect the subject'"'"'s skin from the adhesion surface. The adhesive force between the skin protection mount and the patient is greater than the adhesive force between the skin protection mount and the adhesion surface of the adhesive ring.

Claims

1. An apparatus for protecting the skin of a subject comprising:

an adhesive ring having a ring passage therethrough and an adhesion surface; and

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 larger surface area than the adhesion surface of the adhesive ring.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, 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.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said adhesion surface bears adhesive and said mounting surface is substantially free of adhesive.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said skin protection mount is less than or substantially equal to five mils thick.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said skin protection mount is composed of polyethylene.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said adhesive on said attachment surface is acrylic co-polymer.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said adhesive on said attachment surface is acrylate.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a ring cap secured to the adhesive ring when the adhesive ring is not attached to said mounting surface.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the adhesive ring is part of a unitary sensor assembly.

10. 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.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said adhesion surface bears adhesive and said mounting surface is substantially free of adhesive.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said skin protection mount is less than or substantially equal to five mils thick.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said skin protection mount is composed of polyethylene.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said adhesive on said attachment surface is acrylic co-polymer.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said adhesive on said attachment surface is acrylate.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a ring cap secured to the adhesive ring when the adhesive ring is not attached to said mounting surface.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the adhesive ring is part of a unitary sensor assembly.

18. 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.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the adhesive ring has a thickness between 1 and 3 mils.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the skin protection mount has a thickness of five mils or less.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the mount passage is smaller than the ring passage.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the surface area of the interface between the skin protection mount and the patient'"'"'s skin is greater than the surface area of the interface between the adhesive ring and the skin protection mount.

23. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein a stronger adhesive is used between the interface between the skin protection mount and the patient'"'"'s skin than the adhesive used between the interface between the adhesive ring and the skin protection mount.

24. 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.