JACKETS WITH POCKETS AND REMOVABLE SLEEVES FOR USE IN THE

HOSPITAL SETTING

Technical Domain

The present invention is related to a textile article developed to be used as a way to warm up healthcare professionals and allowing them to transport personal and/or professional objects, said article being in the form of a jacket with pockets and removable sleeves.

Such jacket has the particularity of being functional, not just in terms of warming up the user, but also for allowing to store small personal and/or professional objects and, simultaneously, fulfilling the requirements of asepsis and sterilization imposed to the healthcare providers.

To have such effect, the jacket of the present invention is made of a material that has antimicrobial, semi-permeable and anti-static permanent properties besides having a system of pockets with hidden zippers, removable sleeves and sealed sewing threads .

Therefore, the present invention belongs to the area of protective clothing for professional use, particularly to be used by healthcare professionals, preferentially in a hospital setting. Background of the invention

Infections Related with Medical Aid (IRMAs) and nosocomial infections are those acquired in places were medical care is provided, i.e. in the hospital environment, etc. These types of infections represent an important public health challenge as they contribute to an increase in the morbidity and mortality rate, length of hospital stay and healthcare- related costs. Nowadays it becomes evident that there is an imperative need to control the IRMAs due to the increase prevalence of microbial strains with high resistance to antibiotics or multi-resistant strains.

The clothing used by the healthcare professionals is, for sure, one of the potential vehicles for the transmission of microbial agents and, for that reason, is obliged to fulfil certain requirements, which depend on the areas in which the clothing is used.

The Operating Room (OR) can be divided, generically, in three different areas, according to the specific activities performed in each one of them (ACSS, 2011) . This division has the purpose to promote circulation fluxes and/or to control the accesses into or out of the OR, being:

Free area - Includes the reception and hosting zone of patients, personnel or materials;

Restricted area - Includes the operating room, anaesthesia induction room, disinfecting room, backup room to store a stock of sterile material nearby the operating room; and

Semi-restricted area - Includes the areas of peripheral support to the operating rooms, warehouses to store clean and sterile material, working rooms to process and store the surgical instruments, offices and the corridors to access the restricted areas. The circulation in this area is limited to professionals and patients, but on special occasions, it can be allowed the presence of visitors or patient relatives/friends . The professionals, visitors and patient relatives should use the uniform of the operating room (protective clothing) , the hair contained and protected and use anti-static footwear. The clear definition of these fluxes protects professionals, patients and materials from potential sources of contamination (AORN, 2012) .

Still, it is important to have in mind the comfort of patients and healthcare professionals. One should be mindful of the risk of hypothermia on the anesthetised patient, who has an extensive surface of the body naked and exposed, submitted to immobilization, vasoconstriction, surgical incision, perfusion of cold fluids and ventilated with cold gases. In such cases, and considering the adult patients, Putstep quoted by Hoet (1985) states that in an environment with 50% of humidity, it is necessary to maintain the temperature between 24 and 27°C to prevent the establishment of hypothermia. Below 21°C all patients have hypothermia and between 21 and 24°C only one third are hypothermic. The temperature inside the operating room should be maintained between 19°C and 24°C for a relative humidity of 50 to 55% (minimum limit of 40% and maximum limit of 60%) .

In paediatric surgery the risk of hypothermia and its consequences can have a bigger negative impact reaching cardiac arrest or even death, therefore the maintenance of the normal body temperature in the paediatric patient is mandatory . As for the comfort of the healthcare professionals, it can be taken in consideration the necessity of lower temperatures (19-21°C) for the surgical team that is equipped with surgical coats, gloves and under the surgical lights. The rest of the staff requires temperatures between 21 and 24°C.

The reason to have maximum and minimum limits of temperature and humidity is related to the fact that there is an increase in microbial growth when the temperatures are closer to the body temperature and the humidity rates are above 55%. Also, cold temperatures inhibit microbial growth. On another hand, environments with a low relative humidity rate (<50%) increase the risks related to the presence of static electricity.

In order to create temperatures that are comfortable to the healthcare professionals, it is common to adapt warm, non- sterile, clothing to be used by the team members as well as using cold light on the operative lights.

These measures might not be enough to maintain a comfortable sensation and sometimes the healthcare professionals are forced to improvise other solutions, such as using their own warm and comfortable clothing under the hospital uniform.

Apart from this, it is necessary to fulfil the requirements established by the Hygienization Protocols and the Protocols of Infection Control of the surgical site in order to respect the asepsis condition imposed in the three areas of the OR. The key aspects of such requirements are (AORN "Guideline for surgical attire - AORN J 101 (Feb.2015) 189-194. AORN, Inc, 2015. http://dx.doi.Org/10.1016/j.aorn.2014.12.003) :

- The protection clothing (or hospital uniform) can be made of antimicrobial fabrics; - Jewellery (such as, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings) that cannot be contained or confined in the interior of the clothing should not be used in the semi-restricted or restricted areas;

- Once inside the restricted areas, all the non-contaminated personnel should cover their arms with a piece of clothing with long sleeves;

- Electronic hand-portable equipment, such as mobile phones, tablets or other devices used for mobile communication, should be cleaned with a low-level antiseptic solution, according to the manufacturer instructions for its use, before and after being taken into the peri-operative environment ;

- The protective clothing should be washed in a specific laundry prepared to process the hospital clothing, after daily use or after being contaminated.

The common clothing and clothing washed with a domestic laundry machine do not fulfil the requirements of water temperature for washing nor the detergents for processing the clothing (AST Standards of Practice for Surgical Attire, Surgical Scrub, Hand Hygiene and Hand Washing

( http : / /www . ast . org/AboutUs /Guidelines_Public_Comment / ) .

For the clothing, nowadays, healthcare professionals have diverse options going from generic to technical solutions. From the generic clothing, the most established one, there are jackets and vests that are meant to be used in assisting sports practice or leisure, in outdoor activities, such as snow sports, mountaineering, etc. in cold environments.

These clothing solutions are known to be robust, long lasting and versatile while performing several tasks and activities. Being solutions made to assist this kind of activities, they have several pockets to store items needed while practising such activities.

Despite the wide range of cover, and versatility, these clothing have the specific necessities inherent to the practice of healthcare by the healthcare professionals are not foreseen. It is not even possible due to the fact that the fabrics from which they are made of and the solution itself do not obey to the requirements imposed to the materials and/or the clothing to be worn for such use, some of them mentioned above.

On the other hand, the increased necessity to have reinforced safety and protection against close contact with products biologically hazardous, potentially threatening, is not foreseen with the use of this kind of solutions, i.e. the clothing to be used in facilities in which there is the risk of contact with products biologically hazardous, generally comprehend the use of facial masks that can have an autonomous air circuit and/or an integral protective suits, usually including gloves and footwear.

The necessity to have a mechanism that unequivocally identifies the professional, who is using this kind of solutions (jackets/vests), is also not foreseen in these situations, considering the standard needs the healthcare professionals have, forcing them to improvise non-optimal solutions to minimally fulfil the clothing requirements demanded to the users.

On another perspective, the necessity the healthcare professionals have to closely store several personal and/or professional objects and to have storing solutions purposely developed to store personal and/or professional objects with a standard size, such as a smartphone, a powerbank or a stethoscope, make the solutions available nowadays unable to satisfy such needs.

At the level of the material composing the items used in the health sector, particularly the clothing items, it has been seen that the technological materials developed to respond, permanently, to the need to control microorganisms proliferation has been focused more on satisfying the patients needs and support and less on the protection of the health care professionals.

So, there is a need to find an efficient solution for such situation .

The present invention aims to overcome the obstacles and disadvantages of the solutions available nowadays for the healthcare providers, proposing a jacket with removable sleeves and pockets, to store its own sleeves and specific personal and/or professional objects of daily use, storage and easy reading of the institutional identification card, outer layer with permanent and washing-resistant antimicrobial properties, permanent repellence to fluids, inner layer with anti-static and antimicrobial permanent properties, permanent repellence to fluids, zippers spirals that when closed become completely covered, invisible and water resistant, having a cover for the sliding-head of the zipper (a "garage" for the zippers head) and a pocket to store writing material, with a lapel to close it preventing the accidental accumulation of residues or debris at the bottom of such pocket, which fulfils the asepsis requirements demanded for the use on a hospital setting, for example by the AORN. Summary of the invention

The present invention is related to a textile article in the form of a jacket with pockets and removable sleeves for use in hospital setting, which was developed to be used as a warm up article for healthcare professionals allowing them to transport personal and/or professional objects as well whilst fulfilling the requirements of asepsis imposed to the healthcare providers as mentioned on the guidelines of AORN.

Therefore, the present invention discloses a jacket with pockets and removable sleeves made of a functional textile material and having at least 5 pockets according to claim

1.

This jacket, being made of a functional textile having at least two layers, wherein the external layer defines the jacket external surface with permanent antimicrobial and semi-permeable properties, and the internal layer defines the jacket internal surface with permanent anti-static and antimicrobial properties, results in a comfortable, safe and functional clothing article that warms up its user and simultaneously fulfils the requirements of asepsis, imposed to the healthcare providers while working on a hospital settings, i.e. preventing the dissemination of microbes.

Additionally, a set of pockets with different storing functions and removable sleeves makes it suitable for being used in different locations of the hospital settings, namely having different temperatures and allowing its user to carry his personal and/or professional objects even in a more asepsis restricted areas. Description of the figures

Fig.l - Represents the view of the frontal aspect of the jacket in a preferred embodiment, wherein:

1 superior left pocket,

la system that covers the sliding head of the zipper of the superior left pocket (1),

lb water-resistant zipper of the superior left pocket (1), lc transparent wall, located on the area of the hidden pocket, which in turn is inside the superior left pocket and that allows easy visualization and reading of the institutional identification card,

2 superior right pocket,

2a system that covers the sliding head of the zipper of the superior right pocket (2),

2b water-resistant zipper of the superior right pocket (2),

3 inferior left pocket,

3a system that covers the sliding head of the zipper of the inferior left pocket (3),

3b water-resistant zipper of the inferior left pocket (3),

4 inferior right pocket,

4a system that covers the sliding head of the zipper of the inferior right pocket (4),

4b water-resistant zipper of the inferior right pocket (4),

5 small pocket for storing writing material located on the sleeves ,

5a lapel that functions store writing material, 6 system that covers the sliding head of the zipper of the midline,

7 water-resistant zipper of the midline,

8 water-resistant zipper that allows detaching the sleeves from the jacket,

9 collar of the jacket that does not reach more than the inferior third of the user's neck,

10 adaptation and adjustment system of the extremity of the left sleeve of the jacket to the user's body,

11 adaptation and adjustment system of the extremity of the right sleeve of the jacket to the user's body,

12 adaptation and adjustment system of the lower part of the anterior, posterior and lateral faces of the jacket to the user's body,

15 piace created to allow the user to embroider, stamp or glue, preferably, with reflective material information that defines the post the user has on the institution or its name.

Fig.2 - Represents the view of the back aspect of the jacket with the sleeves having been removed and transforming the jacket into a vest, in another preferred embodiment of the invention, wherein:

8 water-resistant zipper that allows detaching the sleeves from the jacket,

9 collar of the jacket that does not reach more than the inferior third of the user's neck,

12 adaptation and adjustment system of the lower part of the anterior, posterior and lateral faces of the jacket to the user's body,

13 representation of the sleeves inside the pocket (14) with high capacity,

14 pocket with high capacity located in the posterior face of the jacket, 14a system that covers the sliding head of the zipper of the superior right pocket (14),

14b water-resistant zipper of the superior right pocket (14), 14c, d sleeves inside the pocket (14)

16 piace created to allow the user to embroider, stamp or glue, preferably, with reflective material information that defines the hospital and/or department to which the user belongs to.

Description of the invention

The present invention is related to a textile article developed to be used as a way to warm up the healthcare providers in a hospital setting, in a form of a jacket (fig. 1) with removable sleeves (fig. 2) and several pockets (fig.l and fig.2) allowing the user to transport personal and/or professional objects.

In the context of the present invention, "hospital setting" refers to a setting where healthcare is provided and in which the asepsis requirements vary depending on the area and activity the healthcare is being provided, as previously mentioned .

1. The textile material

The jacket of the invention comprises two layers of a functional textile, wherein the external layer presents semi- permeable and antimicrobial properties and the internal layer presents antimicrobial and anti-static properties, preferably having low thickness (for example 5mm), giving an extra comfort sensation to the user. 1.1 The Internal layer

The internal layer defines the internal surface of the jacket of the present invention and is made of a material that has the function of thermogenesis, preferably synthetic karakul or astrakhan, also having the permanent properties of being antistatic and antimicrobial.

1.2 The external layer

The external layer defines the external surface of the jacket of the present invention and is made of a material that has the function of protection against fluid splashes, preferably against biologically hazardous products. Preferably made of synthetic elastane-enriched fabrics it is produced in a way that includes a final bathing of a water repellent product, the external layer also has the permanent properties of being semi-permeable and antimicrobial .

2 . The textile properties

The jacket of the present invention is made of a textile material having permanent semi-permeable, antimicrobial and antistatic effects to allow its use in a comfortable and safe manner by its user, whilst fulfilling the asepsis requirements of hospital settings.

2.1 Thermal effect

In order to decrease the surface area, but to maintain the function of thermogenesis, the inner layer has preferably a hexagonal pattern. In this way, the total surface area is decreased due to the fact that the hexagons are engraved in the fabrics and have their external layout made of a low relief pattern, whilst maintaining the high thermogenesis levels. Also, this hexagonal shape, provides a better management of the shearing forces applied to the tissue, keeping a pleasant sensation of agility and comfort.

2.2 The antimicrobial effect

The permanent antimicrobial effect has the purpose of decreasing the microbial load that may reach the inner layer coming from the outside, but also to prevent the deposit and/or proliferation of commensal microorganisms from the user, this way contributing to avoid the development of possible infections and/or unwanted odours on the inner layer of the jacket, which must to be avoided in hospital settings .

This effect is obtained through the use of a functional textile material (smart textiles), such as a textile material that comprises nanoparticles of an inorganic material, for example silica, silver or other derivate, immobilized in a matrix, for example a polymeric matrix, through encapsulation processes known at the state of the art, in which the nanoparticles mentioned comprise antimicrobial agents and/or water repellent and is anchored, selectively to the fibres of the textile material mentioned, directly or through a coupling agent with specific functional groups to promote the bonding.

The antimicrobial compound is not removed with the washings or the usage of the jacket, due to the existent covalent connections between the nanoparticles containing the agents selected and the textile fibres and for that reason these textiles are commonly known as having "permanent antimicrobial properties". 2.3 The semi-permeable effect

This effect also known as fluid repellence effect, allows only the passage of fluids, namely water, in the form of vapour, due to a bathing with a solution comprising hyper- branched, hydrophobic polymers with ramified structures, orientated in an orderly manner in the textile and crystallise on specifically adjusted comb-polymers (as described by Rudolph Group in - https://www.rudolf.de/en/) . Additional crosslinking agents ensure the optimum attachment and durability. The impermeabilization product is only washed-out when a solution of isopropyl alcohol is used, removing it from the textile fibres.

2.4 The anti-static effect

The antistatic properties are achieved by means of using a carbon fibre in the production of the fabrics. Preferably in a percentage of 1 to 2%, the presence of such carbon fibre the textile prevents the accumulation of static electricity in the jackets fabrics allowing the professional to have a comfortable use of this article. On the other hand, such effect prevents, when the user takes off the jacket, static electricity to be generated. This generally attracts residues and debris, which adhere to the inner layer of the jacket and by so becomes undesirably in contact with the body of the healthcare professional.

3. The storage system - pockets

On the external layer of the jacket of the present invention, it is not possible to identify the sewing threads which bring together the different parts of the jacket, since they are covered with a sealant material, for example reflecting strips glued at high temperatures in order to fuse them with the material of the sewing thread. By this way, the surface in which the microorganisms can get laid and deposited can be reduced and the efficiency of the sealing between the outer and the inner side of the jacket can be increased.

The anterior face of the jacket (front part) comprise pockets, at least four pockets being 2 of them placed at the superior part of the jacket (1, 2) at the level of the right and left pectoral areas, and the other 2 at the inferior part of the jacket (3, 4), in the position corresponding to the inferior half of the abdomen wall, in a para-umbilical position.

Each one of these pockets may have small compartments or comprise elements with additional functionalities than storage .

Therefore, the upper pockets (1,2) are capable of storing objects with small dimensions, for example, a credit card, smartphone, etc.

On the front wall of the superior right pocket (2) there is an area (15) created to allow the user to embroider, stamp or glue, preferably with reflective material information that defines the rank and/or the function of the user has in the institution or its name, i.e. doctor, nurse, assistant, etc. With this information visually easy to read patients are able to identify quickly who is the professional healthcare provider and avoid asking information to the wrong person. The interior of the superior right pocket (2) may have a small orifice that establishes the continuity to the inside of the jacket and has the function of allowing the passage of cables, such as headphones, cables to supply electric energy or cables with other functions.

The interior of the superior left pocket (1) may have a small hidden pocket that has the function of storing the institutional and/or professional identity card, and having a transparent front wall the card can be visually easy to identify and have an easy reading, avoiding the need to hang a cardholder on the neck or on the pocket of the jacket/white coat. The anterior wall of the region of this compartment may have an external transparent layer (lc) so that the institutional identification card can be easily visible.

The inferior pockets (3, 4) have a medium storing capacity and might also have the function of warming up and/or resting the hands or to store personal and/or professional objects.

The inferior right pocket (4) may have in its inside a small compartment, with enough capacity to store a smartphone or a powerbank, and inside of such compartment there is a small orifice that establishes the continuity to the inside of the jacket and has the function of allowing the passage of cables, such as headphones, cables to supply electric energy or cables with other functions.

In the upper aspect of posterior face (back part) of the jacket of the present invention, there is an area (16) created to allow the user to embroider, stamp or glue, preferably, with reflective material information that defines the hospital and/or department to which the user belongs to, i.e. surgery, operating room emergency pathology, etc. With this information that is visually easy to read patients are able to identify quickly to which hospital and/or department the professional healthcare provider belongs to.

The lower aspect of the posterior face (back part) of the jacket of the present invention, comprises a pocket with high capacity (14) . Such pocket extends through the whole back wall of the jacket, from the scapulas to the lumbosacral spine area, and has the function of allowing to store the removable sleeve of the jacket (14c, 14d) .

On the top of such pocket, at the level of the scapulas, there is a mechanism for holding the sleeves using straps, hook-and-loop, spring snap buttons or other holding mechanisms .

In the lower part of the inner aspect of such pocket, occupying the whole width of the lower third of the height of the pocket, there is a hidden compartment that has its opening with a cephalad orientation, it is septate in the midline and has the function of containing the lower extremities of the sleeves of the jacket ensuring they do not move freely inside the high capacity pocket while the user is on the move or performing the professional activities .

When such pocket is not occupied, with the sleeves of the jacket of the present invention, the hidden inner compartment can be used as a compartment to store large volume objects, for example, water canteen, bottle of water, stethoscope, etc. In the area of the arm of both sleeves, in particular in the area of the junction of the lower two thirds with the upper third of a sleeve, it is possible to have a small pocket (5) that has the purpose of storing writing material such as a roller pen, a pencil, etc.

Such pocket has a much reduced capacity. It has an inner layer coating made of a material physically very resistant and on the outside it is made of the same material that has the same permanent antimicrobial properties and fluid repellence effect as the rest of the jacket.

On the upper part of such pocket there is a lapel (5a) that covers the upper quarter of the pocket and has the purpose of creating a lid that functions as a closure system of the pocket, with or without the writing material in it, and prevents the accumulation of residues or debris at the bottom of such pocket.

4 . The closure system

The closure system of all pockets of the jacket is based on zippers (lb, 2b, 3b, 4b and 14b) and the spirals of such zippers are fully covered, invisible and water resistant when they are closed. When the zippers are closed, on the upper extremity there is, preferably, a small cover (la, 2a, 3a, 4a and 14a) that covers the two thirds of the surface of the sliding head of the zipper.

The midline closure (7) , on the anterior face of the jacket, is also made by a zipper that has its spirals fully covered, invisible and water resistant when they are closed. On the upper extremity of such zipper, there is also, preferably, a cover (6) that covers the two thirds of the surface of the sliding head of the zipper.

These mechanisms have the purpose of reducing the exposed area for microbial deposition, either that being on the spiral or on the sliding head when it is closed, as well as increase the impermeability capacity of the present invention to particles. In the sliding head of the zipper, there is a counter-resistance mechanism, located to the zipper pull tab, that forces it to a flatten position avoiding the creation of a disturbing noise or other physical forms of interference with the professional activity .

5 . The elastic system for air and particles containing

In the most inferior part of the jacket of the present invention, along the whole width of the anterior, posterior and lateral faces, there is an elastic system (12), made of an elastane-enriched fabrics, that promotes the adaptation and adjustment of such extremity to the users body, leaving the jacket fit and comfortable, but simultaneously prevents the existence of space that would allow the entrance of air and/or other particles into the inside of the jacket.

In the distal extremities of the sleeves of the jacket of the present invention, there is an elastic system (10, 11) , made of an elastane-enriched fabrics, that promotes a circular adaptation and adjustment of such extremity to the users wrist, leaving the jacket fit and comfortable, while simultaneously closing the space that would allow the entrance of air and other particles into the inside of the j acket . In the proximal extremities of the sleeves there is a zipper (8) that allows detaching the jacket's sleeves, turning it into a vest (Fig. 2) . Such zipper is also composed of spirals that get fully covered, invisible and water resistant when they are closed. In the upper extremity of such zipper, there is a small cover that covers the two thirds of the surface of the sliding head of the zipper.

These mechanisms have the purpose of reducing the exposed surface area for microbial deposition, either that being on the spiral or on the sliding head when it is closed, as well as increasing the impermeability of the present invention to particles. In the sliding head of the zipper, there is a counter-resistance mechanism, located to the zipper pull tab, that forces it to a flatten position avoiding the creation of a disturbing noise or other physical forms of interference with the professional activity.

The collar (9) of the jacket does not reach more than the inferior third of the user's neck in order to avoid any kind of interference with the performance of the healthcare professional .

In this way, during the performance of their activities, the healthcare professionals can be protected, not just against the cold coming from the low temperatures required in the hospital setting, but also against the entrance of water and other fluids, on the form of splashes or through direct contact with small amounts of liquids. Besides the protection, it does allow the evaporation of sweat and it also allows the healthcare professional to closely carry around small personal objects, and/or professional objects, without having the need to go to a locker room forcing the professional away from the care providing task to the patients. Simultaneously, the jacket of the present invention fulfils the requirements of asepsis imposed to the healthcare providers as mentioned on the guidelines of AORN.

So, the jacket accordingly with the present invention results in a comfortable and functional clothing product, that warms up its user and simultaneously fulfils the requirements of asepsis, imposed to the healthcare providers while working on a hospital setting, i.e. that prevents the dissemination of microbes, that does comprehend the existence of pockets and removable sleeves, a textile surface on the outer surface, with permanent water repellence, antimicrobial and semi- permeable properties, and with a textile surface on the inner surface with permanent water repellence, anti-static and antimicrobial properties, in which the preferred embodiment presents :

a) the zippers are water resistant (lb, 2b, 3b, 4b, 7, 8) and have a reduced surface area, with a "garage" (la, 2a, 3a, 4a) to hide and protect the sliding head of such zippers; b) a hidden pocket inside the left superior pocket to hold the institutional identification card

c) thermo sealing the sewing threads in the whole jacket; d) elastic system (10, 11, 12) to adapt the jacket to the professional's body and preventing the entrance of air and residues inside the jacket;

e) pocket for writing material (5) with a lapel (5a) to function as a lid of a closure system;

f) a superior pocket with an internal orifice for the passage of cables coming from an inferior pocket thus allowing to charge the smartphone that remains in the superior pocket; g) an inferior pocket, with a hidden compartment to hold a smartphone or a powerbank and that has in it an orifice that gives access to the inside of the jacket; h) in the back part of the jacket there is an area ( 16 ) created to embroider, stamp or glue, preferably, with reflective material information that defines the hospital and/or department to which the user belongs to allowing the patients to easily read and identify which hospital and/or department the professional healthcare provider belongs to;

i) in the front wall of the jacket there is an area ( 15 ) created to allow the user to embroider, stamp or glue, preferably, with reflective material information that defines the rank and/or the function the user has in the institution or his name, allowing the patients to easily read and identify who is the professional healthcare provider and its function in the institution.