Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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MANUALLY FORMED SPLINTS HAVING
SHEET METAL STRUCTURE
Background of the Invention
The present invention relates to splints
for use in immobilizing injured body members, and
particularly to an improved splint of sheet metal
construction.
In moving injured people from an accident site
to a location where bone fractures and dislocations can
be reduced and cast, it is important for minimization of
further trauma that injured members be immobilized as
well as possible by the proper use of splints. While a
serviceable splint can be fashioned from nearly any
stiff material, many previously known splints designed
for use by medical emergency personnel at the site of,
e.g., an automobile accident, have serious shortcomings~
For example, inflatable plastic splints, which
derive their ability to provide support from the shape
o~ individual inflated air cells, often exert an unde-
sired amount of pressure upon portions of an injured
limb which is desired to be immobilized. Such splints
are also susceptible to being punctured, particularly at
the scene of an automobile accident, where shards of
glass may be present and may even be embedded in the
clothing or skin of an accident victim. Inflatable
splints are, to some extent, self-molding to accommodate
the shape of the victim. In general, however, they must
be provided in a variety of different sizes to well
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accommodate all the possibilities. A further problem of
inflatable splints is that they are likely to be uncom~
fortably hot, tending to cause perspiration which might
result in additional contamination of skin wounds.
Splints are easily made of cardboard or corru-
gated paper board, but they do not stand up well where
they are subjected to moisture, as where a person is
injured while outdoor~ in bad weather conditions or
where a wound continues to discharge fluid. Such card-
board splints need to be padded to prevent uncomfortable
pressure and also to prevent chafing.
Casting tape, containing a plaster which
quickly react~ with water to harden, may be difficult
or impossible to use at an accident scene, and forms a
cast which is opaque to X-rays.
Preshaped metal splints, of stamped or forged
sheet aluminum, for example, are available, but do not
Eit precisely in many cases, because of the different
sizes of patients and the variation from normal con-
figuration when bones have been broken. While such
splints may, to some extent, be bent to fit a patient,
such bending is difficult to accomplish and ordinarily
would require the use of tools~ Because of the rigidity
of such splints, padding is necessary for their use.
A common disadvantage of all of the types of
splint materials mentioned above is that they require a
considerable amount of room for storage and thus can
usually not be carried in an emergency vehicle or
emergency medical pack in all of the sizes which might
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be needed. Compromises must be made often, therefore,in using a splint made of such materials.
Scheinberg U.S. Patent No. 3,943,923 discloses
a splint made of an elongate sheet of PVC coated mal-
leable aluminum, thin enough to be bent by hand, withthe sheet bent into the form of generally round-bottomed
U-shaped elongate splint members extending longitudinally
along the oppo~ite sides of an injured limb as a splint.
It is desired, however, to provide a splint which ia
more precisely conformed to the patient, particularly
where bones of a limb have been broken and the limb has
been bent into an unusual configuration which is not
easily accommodated by a substantially straight splint
as provided by the previous Scheinberg invention.
Where neck injuries are involved, a key
requirement for safety of a patient is to immobilize the
patient's head and neck as completely as possible. This
requires that a neck brace or cervical splint be able to
conform to the patient and provide ample support for the
patient's neck and head. This has not been easily
accomplished using previously available splints. While
the well-known bulky collars of resilient foam material
provide ample support, application of such a collar may
be excessively difficult to accomplish without dis-
turbing the location of the patient's neck and head.Because of the possible injury of the spinal cord where
a neck injury has occurred, it is desired to have a neck
splint which can be applied with a minimum of movement
of the patient.
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Injured fingers often need to be splinted
where the bones or joints have been broken or dislocated,
and also in case of surgery performed on the fingers.
In the case of surgery, not only is it important to
immobilize the fingers, at least temporarily, but it i8
also desirable to provide protection against accidental
bumping. Previously available splints for use in sup-
porting or protecting fingers have been unnecessarily
clumsy and difficult to use.
In view of the above, it is desired to provide
an improved splint material and a splint made from such
material for use in supporting and immobilizing limbs,
fingers, and the neck of a patient, and to be able to
use a single, compactly packagable material as a splint
in any of several of such possible situations. Prefer-
ably, such splint material should be able to be stowed
in a small space until its use is required, so that it
can be easily carried by medical personnel. Addition-
ally, preparation and use of a splint from such splint
mat~erial should be possible in a short time and without
special tools.
Summary of the Invention
The present invention provides an improved
material and methods for its use in preparing splints
which avoid many of the shortcomings of the previously
available splints and the previously available splint
materials. In accordance with the present invention a
thin soft metal sheet, preferably having a protective
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cushioning covering such as a layer of a soft micro-
cellular foam plastic, is provided in a small package,
from which it may be opened into a relatively narrow
elongate sheet. This sheet may then be bent to include
a stiffening longitudinal flange and to conform to a
patient's injured body member. The metal sheet, which
is otherwise too soft and flexible to support and immo-
bilize a body member, may easily be formed manually into
a structural beam configuration having a "T" cross sec-
tion shape, with the cross bar, or arms, of the "T"lying substantially in supporting contact with the sur-
face of the injured member. The stem, or base, of the
"T" extends away from the injured member as a stiffening
flange or rib, with a properly oriented double thickness
of the sheet of metal thereby providing the required
structural rigidity to support the injured member.
Additionally, the material provided by the
present invention may be formed into a cervical splint,
in the form of a collar, in a configuration including a
plurality of ribs or flanges extending longitudinally
along the patient's neck at spaced-apart locations about
the neck. These flanges provide the required amount of
stiffness to support the patient's neck and head, while
the inherent flexibility of the sheet metal permits it
to be bent to a shape conforming closely to the patient.
Thus the upper and lower edges of the cervical splint of
the invention, formed by wrapping a thin elongate sheet
of padded metal around the neck of the patient, can be
bent to rest comfortably against the patient's head, jaw,
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collar bones, chest and back to provide ample support
and rigidity for adequate protection of an injured neck.
While capable of providing sufficient support
for injured body members, the material used in the pres-
ent invention is, nevertheless, transparent to X rays.
As a result, radiographic examination is possible without
removal of a splint according to the present invention.
The present invention provides an improved
splint for use by medical emergency personnel for
immobilizing fractured limbs and the like.
The present invention provides, in particular,
a construction of an improved cervical collar or neck
splint which is easily fashioned to fit the patient, yet
provides needed support and is readily portable in a
configuration which occupies a minimum amount of space.
It is an important feature of the present
invention that it provides a thin malleable sheet of
metal as material for making a splint having a configu-
ration resembling a "T" in cross section, which provides
sufficient structural rigidity to properly support an
injured body member, yet is easily bent by hand to a
required form, and can be stored in a configuration
occupying a minimum amount of space.
It is another important feature of the present
invention that it provides a thin elongate sheet of mal-
leable metal covered with a layer of resilient padding
material, and manually bendable into a required shape
for use as a splint for supporting the injured limbs or
neck of a patient.
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The present invention provides a material for
use in constructing a splint molded to the shape of a
deformity to fit a patient better than splints made from
previously available materials and yet which provides
ample support for injured body members. Furthermore,
the present invention provides a splint which can be
used without separate padding, unlike most previously
available spllnts.
Brief Descri~tion of the Drawings
FIG. l is a view showing an elongated strip of
material for use according to the present invention in
making splints for supporting injured body members.
FIG. 2 shows the splint material of FIG. l in
a compact form in which it may be packaged for inclusion
in medical emergency kits.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view, taken along line
3-3 of FIG. 1, of the splint material of the present
invention.
FIG. 4 is a view of the splint material of
FIG; l in use according to the present invention as a
splint for supporting a person's arm.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view, taken along line
5-5, of the splinted arm shown in FIG. 4.
FIG. 6 is a view of a hand and wrist supported
by a splint according to the present invention.
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FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line
7-7 of the wrist splint shown in FIG. 6.
FIG. 8 is a view of a finger splint according
to the present invention in use on a patient's hand to
support an injured finger.
FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line
9-9 of the finger splint shown in FIG. 8.
FIG. 10 is a view of a cervical splint accord-
ing to the present invention being used to support the
neck of a patient.
FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line
11-11 qhowing the configuration of the cervical brace
shown in FIG. 10.
_tailed Description of the Invention
Referring now to FIGS. 1-5 of the drawings,
a piece 10 of splint material according to the present
invention, in a preferred embodiment, includes an elon-
gate sheet 12 of malleable metal, preferably a sheet of
aluminum. The aluminum is soft and untempered and pref-
erably has a thickness 13 in the range from 0.005 inch
to 0.025 inch so that it is easily bendable by hand to a
desired shape for use as a splint. The sheet of alumi-
num preferably has a width 14, for example, of at least
3-1/2 inches for adults, and has a length adequate for
use as a splint 15 for an injured limb 17, for example
at least 20 inches, and preferably at least 36 inches.
Eack generally flat face and the edges of the
aluminum shee~ 12 are preferably covered by a layer of
an X-ray-transparent resilient padding, such as foam
66
material 16, attached to the aluminum sheet 12 by a
flexible adhesive. The foam material 16 may be of either
the closed-cell or open-cell type, and is provided for
the purposes of thermal insulation, padding, a texture
intendd to provide comfort for the patient, and to some
extent to resist slippage of the splint 15 along the
skin of the patient.
While the thickness 18 of the foam layer 16 is
not critical, a preferred thickness is in the range of
1/8 to 1/4 inch. 1/32 inch is considered to be a mini-
mum effective thickness, while a layer as thick as 1/2
inch may be useful. An acceptable foam material is a
microcellular low density closed-cell expanded ethylene
vinyl acetate with a flexible adhesive material already
applied to one side of the foam, manufactured by ~onarch
Rubber Co. of Baltimore, Maryland, and available under
the trademark 1I Bevalite" from Boyd Corporation of
Portland, Oregon. Such material is available in roll
form and can be applied to the sheet 12 of aluminum as
shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, or may be applied in a thickness
18 of 1/8 inch on one side and 1/4 inch on the other
side of the sheet 12.
The sheet 10 of splint material may be stored
in a folded configuration as shown in FIG. 2, thus
occupying a minimum amount of space so that the material
may be enclosed in a small conveniently sealed package
(not shown). The sheet 10 of splint material may be
manually unfolded and bent into the desired shape for
use as a splint 15 by medical technicians or doctors at
the scene of an injury-producing accident.
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The foam-covered thin aluminum sheet material
for use in fashioning splints and neck braces has the
desirable general properties of being light in weight,
being easily packaged in a compact oval form, being
transparent to X-rays, and being useable for all sizes
of patients. This makes it advantageous for use by
emergency medical teams, in particular ski safety patrol
teams whose e~uipment is limited in weight because of
the mode of travel.
Ambulance crew personnel need not carry a
selection of different sizes of splints since the
present splint material, in folded form, takes so little
room and may be formed on the scene of an accident into
a splint for nearly any eventuality of broken limbs.
Since the material is thin and soft it may be cut easily
using scissors which are always available to emergency
crew personnel, to enable such per~onnel to prepare a
splint in the necessary size, and to form the splint to
conform to the body of the injured person in the most
comfortable manner possible.
Referring now also to FIGS. 4 and 5, a splint
15 for supporting an injured arm 17 and wrist is made
according to the present invention by manually forming
the elongate sheet of material according to the inven-
tion into a beam having a "T" cross-sectional shape.
This is done by folding the splint material 10 along a
centrally-located longitudinal axis 20 of the elongate
sheet. Thereafter, the lateral portions 22 and 24 thus
defined are folded apart in opposite directions along
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fold lines 26 and 28 which are substantially parallel
with the axis 20 to form the arms 30 and 32 of the T
shape. The base, or vertical stem portion 36, of the T
thus includes two parallel layers of the sheet metal as
the legs of a narrow U shape of which the central longi-
tudinal axis 20 is the bottom. The distance between the
longitudinal axis 20 and the folds 26 and 28 may vary
over the length of the splint 15, but is preferably at
least about 0.25 inch. The flat top of the T shape is
then placed against the patient's injured limb 17. The
arms 30 and 32 of the T shape should be bent upwardly,
as shown most clearly in FIG. 5, to conform further to
the shape of the injured limb 17 and to provide ample
support for the injured limb without concentrated pres-
sure at any location. The piece of splint material 10may also be shaped by manually bending the soft metal
sheet to conform to bony protrusions such as the
patient's wrist and elbow without excessive pressure.
The splint 15 is fastened to the injured limb 17 to sup-
port the fleshy portions of the arm 17 gently but firmlyto prevent motion which could cause additional trauma in
the case of a bone fracture within the splinted limb.
The splint formed thus in accordance with the
present invention may be held in place by many conven-
tional means, including elastic bandages, adhesive tape33, or a wrapping secured in place by the use of mating
hook-and-loop fastener materials of the type sold under
the trademark Velcro.
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Depending on the extent of the particular
injury which has occurred, a portion of the elongate
sheet 10 of splint material may be provided on each side
of an injured limb, as shown in FIG. 4, where a trans-
verse bend 34 located near the middle of the length ofthe elongate sheet extends around the arm of the patient
near the elbow.
Alternatively, the elongate sheet 10 of
material may be folded in a similar location along a
transverse fold 38 (FIGS. 6 and 7), bringing the result-
ing two longitudinal sections of the elongate sheet of
material closely parallel with one another before the
splint material is bent into the T-shaped beam structure
previously described~ In either case, the vertical base
or trunk portion 36 of the T extends outwardly from the
surface of the limb 17 being supported by the splint 1~,
acting as a longitudinal, outwardly-extending flange or
rib which stiffens the splint. This provides the struc-
tural strength required to support the injured limb
despite the inability of the ribbon-like elongate sheet
10 of soft material to provide such support before being
bent to include the T-shaped beam structure. In some
instances it may even be desirable to provide three or
more layers of the splint material 10 thus bent to con-
form to an injured limb and one another, in the T-shaped
beam configuration described, where an unusual amount of
strength is required.
As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the material of the
invention may be used in a narrower strip for use as a
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finger splint 40 incorporating the T-shapsd beam,
including a stem 36' and arms 30' and 32'. Such a strip
may be manufactured in a narrower width or a wider piece
may be cut down. In the latter case, it is desirable to
fold over a narrow marginal portion to hide the edge of
the metal sheet 12. Such a finger splint 40 may be
formed manually in a bent configuration to support a
finger 42 in a desired amount of flexure. A portion 44
of the material extends around the tip of the finger 42
and is bent to conform to the back of the finger, pro-
viding protection of the tip and back of the finger
against being reinjured. The finger splint 40 is par-
ticularly useful in connection with surgery on fingers,
where it is desired to provide padding and protection
for a finger, tailored specifically to the finger. The
finger splint 40 may be fastened to the finger 42 in a
conventional manner.
The splint material of the present invention
is also particularly useful in the form of a cervical
collar or neck brace 50, shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. For
this application, the elongate sheet 10 of material is
wrapped completely around the patient's neck as a collar,
with the opposite ends 52 and 54 of the elongate sheet
overlapping one another. The sheet 10 of material should
have a width 14 about equal to the length of a person's
neck, or at least about 3 inches, and preferably about
4 inches. At locations spaced apart from one another
around the circumference of the patient's neck, outwardly-
projecting, vertically-extending stiffening "posts" or
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flanges 56 are defined by sets of three substantially
parallel folds which will support the patient's neck and
head against lateral movement.
Each flange has a central fold 58 of about
180 which forms an area of doubled thickness and places
the two portions of the splint material 10 on either
side of that fold 58 substantially parallel and along-
side one another. Each central fold 58 extends substan-
tially transversely across the elongate sheet of splint
material 10. The generally parallel folds 60 and 62 are
located, respectively, on either side of the central
fold, at a distance of 0.25-1.0 inch, for example, the
two layers of the material are bent apart along folds 60
and 62, which are bent in the opposite direction from
the fold 58, and include an angle of about 90 degrees
each. The flange 56 stands out directly away from the
patient's neck when the cervical splint or collar 50 is
applied, thus including the T shape used in the splint
15. Because of the flexibility of the splint material
10, the folds 60 and 62 may not be exactly parallel and
straight, but may vary somewhat in distance from the
central fold 58 to provide a snug fit of the collar 50.
To provide the greatest security for the
flangeq, top and bottom corner portions 68 of each of
the flanges 56 can be folded over to prevent the central
fold 58 of each flange from opening.
The longitudinal marginal portions 64 and 66
(FIG. 1) of the splint material 10 become top and bottom
edges of a collar 50 formed in this manner. Because of
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the flexibility of the aluminum sheet material 12, these
marginal portions 64 and 66 may be flared outwardly to
conform to the contours of the patient's jaw and collar-
bones to provide comfortable, yet firm, support for the
patient's neck. To provide comfortable padding in this
application the layer of padding material 16 should be
within the range of 1/32 inch to 1/3 inch in its thick-
ness 18, with the thickness 18 preferably in the range
of 1/32 inch to 5/32 inch.
The terms and expressions which have been
employed in the foregoing specification are used therein
as terms of description and not of limitationl and there
is no intention, in the use of such terms and expres-
sions, of excluding equivalents of the features shown
and described or portions thereof, it being recognized
that the scope of the invention is defined and limited
only by the claims which follow.
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