CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based on and claims the benefit of priority from U S Prov Pat Appl No 61/162,708, entitled "HEP-LOC DRY MITT", filed on 03/24/2009, the contents of which are incorporated by reference

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1 Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a protective cover for the hand and forearm More specifically, this invention relates to a sealable glove that fits loosely over the hand and forearm of a patient during bathing to protect a Hep Lock or IV site from getting wet

2 Description of the Prior Art

Intravenous (IV) therapy is the giving of liquid substances directly into a vein Any accessible vein can be used although arm and hand veins are used most commonly Heparin Locks (Hep Locks) are small tubes attached to a catheter that are inserted into the arm and held in place with tape in order to administer drugs and fluids without injecting patients multiple times unnecessarily Moisture introduced to unprotected Hep Lock or IV sites through washing or bathing substantially increases the risk of infection Accordingly, Hep Lock and IV sites must be protected during bathing

In the prior art, the typical "homemade" approach for an individual who desires to bath is to place a plastic type bag over the arm and to secure it by tying or placing a rubber band around the upper portion above the Hep Lock or IV site Some bags, as in U S Pat No 4,346,699 to Little et al , have resilient necks at the upper portion above the Hep Lock or IV site to provide for a snug fit Although these sometime provide satisfactory sealing, the seal in most instances is not proper and results in moisture entering the Hep Lock or IV site Standard latex gloves provide a fit that is too tight and is difficult to apply over the Hep Lock and IV site The tight fit has the potential to infiltrate and/or dislodge the Hep Lock or IV from the site What is needed is a sealable, water-impermeable glove that fits loosely over the hand and forearm of a patient during bathing to protect the Hep Lock or IV site and allows the patient full use of the sealed hand during bathing

However, in view of the prior art considered as a whole at the time the present invention was made, it was not obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art how the limitations of the art could be overcome

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The long-standing but heretofore unfulfilled need for a sealable, water-impermeable glove that fits loosely over the hand and forearm of a patient during bathing to protect a Hep Lock or IV site and allows the patient full use of the sealed hand during bathing is now met by a new, useful, and nonobvious invention

The claimed invention includes a disposable, thin, water-impermeable plastic glove that covers the hand and forearm of a patient after IV fluids have been discontinued and the patient is ready to shower or bath The glove includes a hand portion, a tubular forearm portion, a wrist opening, and an adhesive strip The hand portion has a palm portion with individual finger and thumb extensions The tubular forearm portion is connected to the hand portion and can be folded into an inverted position over the hand portion Similarly, the forearm portion has a second non-inverted position that extends laterally from the hand portion The wrist opening is located at the proximal end of the forearm portion and has an adhesive strip disposed on the inner circumference of the wrist opening The outer surface of the adhesive strip is initially masked by a layer of non-adhesive material that is peeled off to expose the adhesive strip

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a fuller understanding of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which

FIG 1 is an image of a preferred embodiment of the invention in the non-inverted position, FIG 2 is an illustration of the adhesive strip, and FIG 3 is an illustration of a preferred embodiment of the invention in the inverted position DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and within which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments by which the invention may be practiced It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention

As previously described, the invention includes a disposable, thin, water-impermeable plastic glove that covers the hand and forearm of a patient after IV fluids have been discontinued and the patient is ready to shower or bath The claimed invention protects and prevents the patient's Hep Lock or IV catheter site from getting wet Additionally, the claimed invention provides protection to the hand and forearm (including suture/wound sites) from harsh chemicals and other liquids Whatever the individuals intentions may be (ι e , the user has a cast) the claimed invention prevents the hand and forearm from getting wet Likewise, the claimed invention may be adapted to prevent an individual's foot and leg from getting wet

In a preferred embodiment, as collectively shown in FIGS 1-3, the glove can be self applied and is adapted for easy insertion of the hand into the glove 10 The wrist opening 20 of the glove 10 has, for example, a Y-" adhesive strip 30 around the opening The adhesive strip 30 is water-resistant and adheres to the patient's skin when applied The outer surface of the adhesive strip 30 is initially masked by a layer of non-adhesive material 22 (e g coated paper such as the protective tabs on a "Band-Aid" that are peeled off) When the adhesive strip is masked the wearer can easily maneuver the glove and unfold the cuff to position the adhesive strip near the skin At this point, the mask material 22 is peeled off the adhesive strip 30, as shown in FIG 2 The final step in wearing the glove is to press the cuff around the arm and to press the loose folds of the cuff, thus forming a water-resistant seal around the arm

As it can be seen in FIG 3, the forearm portion 12 of the glove 10 can be inverted over the hand portion 14 for easy insertion of the hand Once the hand is inserted, the forearm portion 12 can be retracted and the adhesive strip 30 applied to the skin The purpose of the invention is protection of an Hep Lock, IV site, suture/wound dressing, and skin from exposure to harsh chemicals This invention reduces the risk of contamination causing swelling, redness, and pain (ι e , infection) The invention provides the benefit of saving time for health care professionals Usage of a preferred embodiment includes, but is not limited to, hospitals, in-patient facilities, urgent care centers, emergency rooms, beauty salons, restaurants, homes etc

It will be seen that the advantages set forth above, and those made apparent from the foregoing description, are efficiently attained and since certain changes may be made in the above construction without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matters contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall there between