Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed to an easy release medical dressing such as a plaster or covering and especially, to an easy release dressing provided with at least one lip or flange having an adhesive skin contact side.

Background of the Invention

Dressings are a vital part of any first aid kit and are used to provide a protective covering whilst a wound heals. To ensure they are securely applied they are typically provided with an adhesive part, usually a lip or a flange, that attaches directly to the skin and can be pressure released, by pulling. The disadvantage associated with adhesive dressings is the discomfort or pain one feels when they are removed. This can be overcome by using less sticky adhesives but then the security of the dressing is compromised. Historically, the medical industry has tried to find adhesives with the right amount of tackiness so they provide the necessary security but can be removed without too much discomfort.

Another field where a dressing is applied to a body part is where a device or apparatus is attached to the skin such as a canula or tubing, for example when performing dialysis. Here again, the device must be securely attached to a patient whilst a procedure takes place but easily removed, without damaging the epidermis so that, where necessary, the process can be repeated.

A colostomy is a surgical procedure in which a patient's colon is provided with an artificial opening, referred to as a stoma, through which the colon may be artificially

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SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) evacuated. A disposable colostomy bag is coupled with the stoma for the collection of human waste. The bag is typically constructed with plastics material, rubber or a similar liquid impermeable material and has an opening thereon for receiving the stoma. Once the bag is full, it is usually detached from the stoma, discarded, and replaced. Existing stoma bags are attached to the body using an adhesive flange plate. Upon changing these stoma bags, an adhesive remover in spray form is used to dissolve the adhesive layer between the stoma bag flange plate and the wearer’s skin. The flange is then gently prized from the body.

However, the existing stoma bags require the application of adhesive remover spray repeatedly to the outer rim of the stoma bag flange plate which creates slow and sometimes uncomfortable removal. This process is also time-consuming and requires excessive amounts of adhesive remover spray than is required which may be costly.

It is an aim of the present invention to provide a dressing, such as for example a plaster, with a system that provides an easy release of the dressing for repeated, even daily, use.

Statements of the Invention

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a dressing comprising: a covering for protecting a wound or opening; and at least one flange coated with an adhesive layer configured to attach the dressing to the skin of a human body having a spiral pathway in the adhesive layer; wherein, the spiral pathway comprises a first end point to receive an adhesive remover fluid and a second end point at its extremity to release pressure or excess adhesive remover fluid.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said fluid may be a liquid or a gas.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the gas may be air or a gas that corresponds with the nature of the adhesive whereby, the air lifts the flange away from the skin to facilitate removal of the dressing, or the gas degrades the adhesive and also works to lift the flange away from the skin to facilitate removal of the dressing. Alternatively, the adhesive remover may be a liquid which degrades the adhesive and also, ideally, works to lift the flange away from the skin to facilitate removal of the dressing.

Advantageously, the spiral pathway is a spiral groove in the flange or more particularly the adhesive of the flange. This provides the advantage to better guide the adhesive removal fluid, gas or solution, into the centre of or across the flange.

Preferably, the dressing further comprises attachment means at the first end point. Advantageously, the attachment means are a connector adapted to receive an adhesive remover fluid, gas or solution, such as a spray.

This system provides the advantage that an adhesive remover fluid, gas or solution, can be directly injected into the heart of the flange through the opening thus creating more effective removal of the dressing. This penetrative system will enable the use of less adhesive removal fluid and will ease the work for a carer to remove the dressing from a sick or injured patient for example children. This will also reduce the chances of damaging the skin upon removal of the dressing.

This system will also enable the use of stronger medical adhesives on the flanges of dressings thus creating a stronger seal between the flange of the dressing and the skin, resulting in less chance of the dressing coming away and the wound being exposed and/or leakage of wound exudate from the dressing. This is a very important consideration for wearers of dressings who live active lives.

In any preferred aspect or embodiment of the invention said spiral pathway may, advantageously, also include tributaries or capillaries i.e. , small off-shoots that enable the adhesive remover to penetrate a greater surface area of the dressing to further facilitate removal of the dressing from the epidermis. Most ideally, the tributaries or capillaries are concentrated near to the covering of the dressing and so in the area being treated.

Most preferably the dressing is a plaster, of any size or shape, and it has at least one flange, or a number of flanges, or even a single flange running around the perimeter of the dressing, but in any event, at least one flange or each flange is provided with said spiral pathway. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the flange(s) is/are preferably made from hydrocolloids or breathable silicon.

Most suitably the adhesive remover used is an organosilicon compound, such as hexamethyldisiloxane.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention is concerned with the safe removal of a dressing by ensuring an adhesive remover penetrates a layer of adhesive to either breakdown the adhesive thus gently ensuring it can be easily lifted from the skin or to provide a force to lift it evenly and with equally applied pressure from the skin.

In the claims which follow and in the preceding description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word “comprise”, or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising” is used in an inclusive sense i.e. , to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention.

All references, including any patent or patent application, cited in this specification are hereby incorporated by reference. No admission is made that any reference constitutes prior art. Further, no admission is made that any of the prior art constitutes part of the common general knowledge in the art. Preferred features of each aspect of the invention may be as described in connection with any of the other aspects.

Other features of the present invention will become apparent from the following examples. Generally speaking, the invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including the accompanying claims and drawings). Thus, features, integers, characteristics, compounds or chemical moieties described in conjunction with a particular aspect, embodiment or example of the invention are to be understood to be applicable to any other aspect, embodiment or example described herein, unless incompatible therewith.

Moreover, unless stated otherwise, any feature disclosed herein may be replaced by an alternative feature serving the same or a similar purpose.

Throughout the description and claims of this specification, the singular encompasses the plural unless the context otherwise requires. In particular, where the indefinite article is used, the specification is to be understood as contemplating plurality as well as singularity, unless the context requires otherwise.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the following wherein:

Figure 1 is a top view of a stoma bag according to the present invention; and Figure 2 is a top view of a stoma flange plate according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3A is a cross-sectional view of a flange plate according to a first embodiment the present invention.

Figure 3B is a cross-sectional view of a flange plate according to a second embodiment the present invention.

Figure 1 shows a stoma bag 10 having a top part 1 and a bottom part 2 forming a pouch 12 of a pear shape in this example. The top part 1 has an opening dimensioned and configured to receive the stoma via a flange plate 14 surrounding a stoma hole 16.

In this embodiment of the invention the stoma flange plate 14 is acting, in part, as a dressing and so attaching the stoma bag to the skin of a patient.

Figure 2 shows the flange plate 14 having a spiral groove 18 of around 2mm-4mm diameter set into the flange plate 14 starting at the outer edge 20 and working its way into the centre 22 of the flange plate 14. The spiral groove 18 does not bear adhesive and acts as a pathway for an adhesive remover fluid, such as an adhesive remover liquid to reach the adhered areas. Small side grooves 26 branch from the spiral groove 18. The number and the direction of these are adjusted as required, although it is preferred that they are concentrated in the region where removal is to be most greatly facilitated such as adjacent a wound and so typically are focussed about the covering that is typically provided in a dressing. In this example, six small side grooves 26 are shown.

An entry point 23 is located on the outer edge 20 of the flange plate 14 to the spiral groove 18 for attachment of a nozzle of an adhesive fluid dispenser. The adhesive remover is usually a solution which will then move through to the centre 22 of the flange plate 14 via pressure and capillary action. At the end of the spiral 18 a release hole 24 is located to stop the back pressure. The stoma bag 10 is secured to the user’s body like any other stoma bags using a flange plate 14 bearing adhesive.

Figure 3A shows the cross-section of a flange plate 14 having a spiral groove 18 through the adhesive layer 19 acting as a pathway in this instance. The spiral groove 18 bears no adhesive while the other areas outside the spiral groove 18 bears adhesive. The adhesive remover solution will penetrate throughout the spiral groove 18 of the flange plate 14 with one short burst where it is most needed. The flange plate can then be removed with ease.

Figure 3B shows the cross-section of a flange plate 14 having a single track 17 through the adhesive layer 19 acting as a pathway in this instance. The single track 17 bears no adhesive while the other areas outside the single track 17 bears adhesive. The adhesive remover solution will penetrate throughout the single track 17 of the flange plate 14 with one short burst where it is most needed. The flange plate can then be removed with ease. This system provides a simplified method to attach the nozzle of an adhesive remover spray to the entry point 23 on the flange plate 14. The entry point 23 can be a hole, an extension of the spiral groove 18 or a separated connector adapted to receive an adhesive remover spray.

Although not shown in the figures, the same technology can be applied to a dressing such as a plaster of any size or shape, and so the diagrammatic view Figure 2 could represent a circular plaster where the wound covering is depicted by a breathable and possibly drug impregnated material, shown as 16, and the surrounding flange 14 has adhesive applied to its underside and a channel or groove 18 for receiving adhesive remover fluid (liquid or gas). Optionally, but ideally, channel 18 is provided with a number of off-shoots or side grooves 26 that branch from spiral grove 18. The size of these off- shoots or side grooves can be small to provide a ‘capillary bed’ of interconnected channels that enable adhesive remover to permeate the entire dressing, or a large part of the dressing, thus optimising removal of same because the adhesive is broken down or lifted substantially across its skin contact area thus facilitating its removal from the skin.

In certain embodiments the number of off-shoots or side grooves 26 are concentrated near the wound covering part of the dressing thus ensuring removal of the dressing is facilitated at the part of the skin, which is most fragile, i.e., that bordering the wound.

In other embodiments, the number of off-shoots or side grooves 26 are concentrated near an opening or stoma thus ensuring removal of the dressing is facilitated at the part of the skin which is most fragile. As above the dressing is provided with an entry point 23 on the flange 14. The entry point 23 can be a hole, an extension of the spiral groove 18 or a separated connector adapted to receive an adhesive remover dispenser. Equally, the dressing is provided with a release hole 24 which is located at the end of the spiral 18 to overcome any back pressure created by application of the adhesive removal fluid, be it a liquid or a gas.