Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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il General background of the invention
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I¦ The present invention is with respect to a jacket ~or
the continuous feeding of a patient through a tube, having
front and back parts joined together by two shoulder parts
1 and at their edges, at least one of the two parts being able
to be undone for taking off and putting on the jacket, the
front part having pockets for a pump and at least one nutrient
solution container.
ll Continuous feeding by way o a tube may be used in
~j place of infusion therapy, which is normally undertaken in
¦l a hospital so that the patient becomes bed-ridden simply be-
,~ cause of the treatment, this being the cause of high hospili-
zation costs and the use of hospital beds simply for such
ij treatment, although the patient might otherwise be treated
i¦ as an out-patient. Feeding by way of infu~ion therapy is
!i likely to be specially troublesome in the case o~ problem
j, patients and children who may frequently not readily be kept
,1 in bed, such persons looking upon this form of feedin~ as
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¦ a nuisance.
These troubles may be put to an end hy continuous en-
l teral tube feeding, in which a flexible tube is used for the
¦¦ supply of nutrients into the patient's body. The nutrient
5 1I solution is placed in a bag or other container whose outlet
I is joined up by way of a pipe with the tube running into the
¦ patient's body, the solution being pumped, normally by a
¦ peristaltic pump, through the pipe at a given,unchanging
¦¦ pumping rate to the tube. The tube, coming from the pump, is
¦ run into the patient's body by an opening therein, as for
I example through a nostril, although it is better for it to
¦ be joined up with the gut
Continous enteral feeding is more specially indicated
in the case of: serious indigestion and malabsorption syn-
dromes, postoperative conditions after resection of thestomach or intestine, and hypercatabolic conditions, as for
example carcinoma.
Early-stage enteral feeding in the case of such condi-
tions may take place not only with the patient hospitalized
2~ ¦ but furthermore as an out-patient, because exact dosing is
¦¦ possible; the makeup of the nutrient material may be changed
Il as desired till the intestine has become used to this way
! of supplying the nutrients; in comparison with discontinuous
! feeding the body makes better use of the nutrients; ~on~
¦ tinuous feeding makes possible a higher rate of energy supply;
¦ there is only a low complication rate;and, more specially
¦ with diabetic patients, metabolism will be more balanced.
Because the feed supplying system has to be supported
i on the body of a patient if he is to be able to get about,
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certain steps have to be taken to keep to the desired con-
ditlons of feeding.
One known jacket for parenteral nutrition is much like
a normal waistcoat with a front part joined up smoothly with
the two shoulder parts and with a back part covering all o~
the patient's back like a normal waistcoat. The jacket itself
is made up of a net synthetic resin material which, although
making possible breathing of the skin,is likely to give
trouble if sweating takes place. The middle of the front part
may be undone, that is to say opened up, using a zipper. Be-
cause the side and back parts are fixed together at their
edges undar the arms of the patient, an~ may not be undone
here, the jacket has to be specially made for different sizes
l of patient, keeping to the regular scale si~es as used for
¦ clo~hing. For this reason may different sorts of jackets have
¦ to be produced so as to keep up with the different possible
I statures of patients.
¦~ Furthermore the known jacket, designed running right
~1 across the full breadth of the patient's chest, has bag pockets
¦ in the chest part itself, such bags then stickin~ out forwards
I and hardly increasing the comfort of the patient who, more
specially in the case of female patient, will be stopped from
moving freely. A further point is that this known jacket makes
l for a bad weight distribution, something caused not only be-
¦! cause o the different height of the parts to be fixed to thejacket (the pump and the container) but furthermore by the way
! in ~hich they placed in relation to the middle line of the
Il body.
I¦ General outline of the invention
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For this reason one purpose of the present invention is
¦ that of designing a jacket of the sort noted which may be
¦ used by patients with a large number of different clothing
~izes.
A still further purpose of the invention is that of
deslgning such a jacket whlch gives a balanced weight dis-
tribution on the patient's body.
In the present invention one further purpose or object
l is that of designing a jacket on these lines such that, when
1 the patient has put it on, he is still in a position, as far
as possible, of freely moving.
For effecting these and further purposes the front part
of the jacket takes the form of an abdominal belt having
pockets, placed side by side, for the pump and the container,
and which is designed for adjustment as to girth or waist size.
In the f~rst place one useful effect of the jacket of
the present invention, as seen in the light of the prior art
jacket, is that the front part is in the form of belt running
across the abdomen o the patient, the belt starting at a
point under the patient's chest and running round his abdomen
to the back part, the back part being of known design or,
to give a further useful effect, as well being in the form
of a belt of the same order of si~e as the front part.
I To make certain that the jacket is kept in place~the
~ abdomlnal belt has two shoulder straps, which may be adjusted
in length, running over the patient's shoulders to be joined
up with the back part. Because the strap length may be changed,
the jacket may be fitted exactly to different lengths of the
upper part of the body.
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A more specially useful effect has been produced in
testing the jacket of the invention if the abdominal belt
¦ may be changed in the girth size by adjustment at the side
~1 edges, that is to say the points between the front and back
ij parts where they are joined to~ether so that a single jacket
~¦ may have a ran~e of adjustment coverin~ 2~ to 3~ in women's
¦I si~es and up to 42 in men's sizes, ~his wide range is made
¦ possible by havin~ on at least one side, or more specially
Il on the two sides, of the jacket a hook and loop fastener
¦I making possible stepless adjustment to different girth sizes.
Furthermore the pockets for the pump and the bag or
other form of container for the nutrient solution are placed
! side by side on the belt in such a way that there is a ~ene-
1¦ rally even weight distribution with respect to the middle
15 1l axis of the patient's body and furthermore the weight of the
pump and the bag are at the level of the abdomen, this giving
the patient a feeling of greater comfort than when such weights
',, are supported at the chest level.
, I.ist of figures and detailed account of working exa~ples
li of the invention
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i Further useful effects, developments and details of the
invention will be seen from the claims and the account now
to be given of working examples using the figures.
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the jacket of the present
25 " invention.
~ Figure 2 is a view of the undone and folded-open condition
', of the jacket on the body side thereof.
' Figure 3 is a view of the opened-up jacket to make clear the
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parts thexeof which are still to be^s^een after the
patient has put on the jacket.
¦l As may be seen from the perspective view of figure 1,
Il the jacket 10 of the invention is made up, as one of its more
S ,, important parts, of a belt part 12 which has a front part 14
! and a back part 16. At the top edge 18 of the belt part
shoulder straps 20 and 22 are fixed in position, the straps
I running together like a letter V on the back part 16 and
,I bein~ fixed on the front part 14 with a certain distance
,I therebetween. The two shoulder straps 20 and 22 are best made
in two parts joined together by steplessly adjusting buckles
24 and 26 so that the straps' length may be changed as de-
sired to get quite the right fit in view of different lengths
'I of the top part of the patient's body. On the other hand such
,i an exact fit may be produced even if the straps are not made
in two pieces each.
i For keeping up with the motion of the patient's body
!' shoulder straps 20 and 22 have a piece of elastic 28 and 30
,' (that is to say elastic band) so that the shoulder strap is
i, kept elastically resting against the patient's body.
,~ The front outer face of front part 14, which is to be
il seen in figures 1 and 3, has a pocket 32 to take up a bag
34 for the desired nutrient solution and which may be taken
' out by undoin~ zippers 36 and 38 at two of the side edges
,, of the pocket for readily taking out or putting in bag 34,
Bag 34 will normally be designed for about 1 liter, althou~h
if it is folded it may then be put in a smaller pocket for
' example on a jacket designed for a child, the bag then
taking up less nutrient solution.
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¦I Pocket 32 has an opening 42 at the lower end of zipper
~¦ 38 with a pipe 44 which is joined up with bag 34. Pipe 44 is
Il at its other end joined up with a pump 46 which will normally
11 be a peristaltic pump and is placed in a pocket 48, which
S ¦¦ is bes-t made with an outer covering for cutting down noise
¦¦ from the pump and is a safeguard against damage to the pump.
¦¦ Pocket 4~ furthermore has narrow openings 50 and 52 at the
¦ sides thereo or running in parts of pipe 44 to the pump.
¦ To make certain of keepin~ the pump 46 in the desired
¦ position pocket 48 may be done up by way of a fold 54 of
material with a hole 58 by way of which it may be fi~ed on a
pin 56 or the like
i Back part 16 has pieces of elastic which are horizontal
1¦ and make possible an elastic change in shape on motion of the
15 l¦ patient's body. Furthermore the outside of the back part
¦¦ 16, which may be seen in the undone condition of the jacket, has
¦, hoop and loop fastener parts 62 and 64 in the form of strips,
¦I which may be seen when the jacket is taken off, such strips
!! running in the length direction of the patient's body.
'¦ The matching hook and loop fastener parts 66 and 68
~¦ are placed on the inner side of the front part 14 and are ge-
¦ nerally horizontal. They as well are in the form of strips
l~ and are responsible for a strong join with the hook and loop
il fastener parts 62 and 64. When done up,the fastener parts are
1l generally at a right angle to each other so as to give the
best possible gripping or joining effect. It is naturally
possible for the girth and the positions of the front and
back parts in relation to each other to be changed any way
~,Jhich may be desired withi~ the size r~nge covered by the
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¦¦ jacket so that one is, ~enerally speaking, not limited to
¦¦ clothing sizes.
~l In place of the hook and loop fasteners it is further-
¦¦ more possible to have any other normal sort of fastener as
¦I for example zippers, hooks et~.
In one form of the invention rings 70 and 72 are placed
I along the side edges of the back part so that a connection
band may be threaded through them if a Eurther connection
¦I bet~een the front and back parts is desired. In this respect
¦¦ this band may be done up on the back part, that is to say
¦¦ fi~ed thereto.
ll ~s part of a further development of the invention the
1i back part 16 is made so large as to come as far as the shoul- !
Il ders, the shoulder straps 20 and 22 naturally then ending
j~ at shoulder level no longer stretching over the shoulders
¦i onto the back.
¦l It is to be noted that the division-up of the hook and
¦¦ loop fasteners 62 to 68 into pieces or strips gives a useful
1l efect inasfar as the fasteners are less stiff and there
¦ will be more comfort on handling the jacket 10.
j The material for the jacket may be one resistant to
I boiling and designed to let air through freely, more special-
¦ ly cotton fabric which~ havin~ such properties, gives a
Il high degree of user comfort. Normally the belt part 12
i~ will have a breadth of 15 to 30 cm or more specially 20 to
~ 23 cm for srown-ups so that it may be comfortably placed bet-
¦! ween the lower ribs and the hips so as to make free and na-
! tural motion of the body possible. Furthermore the arms
I! are kept uncovered so that the arms may be moved freely. By
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the use of the different pieces of elastic on~ may be cer-
tain that the jacket has a sood fit on the body.
~¦ Because of this the patient may underta]ce difrerent
1~ forms of work while seated or while standing. Furthermore
I because the jacket will be put on under the patient's outer-
¦l wear, others will not be able to see that he or she has it on,
thls help~n~ along the patient's mental rehabilitation.
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