PATIENT GARMENT

CROSS REFERENCE TORELATED PATENTAPPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/626,224

filed on November 8, 2004.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention concerns garments to be worn by patients while receiving medical

treatment or while being examined and more particularly, in receiving treatments involving tubes inserted into the patient's body, such as for dialysis, catheters, etc. The need to obtain access to certain parts sites on a patient's body for examination or treatment requires that a patient wear a hospital gown. Such gowns are not suitable for street wear and do not allow a patient to be inhibited while moving about a hospital or other facility since they have large openings enabling ready access by medical personnel for examination or treatments. It would be desirable if such garments could be practically worn when commuting to the hospital or other medical facility to save time.

Tubes are typically taped to be held in position, but this has been found to be ineffective as the tape comes loose as the patient moves about. While garments have been

developed which have improved the street wearability of the garments, the problem of the tubes attached while moving about has not been satisfactorily solved.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a garment which is suitable as

street wear and also secures the tubes in position so as to allow the patient to move about freely.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The above object and other objects which will become apparent upon a reading of the following specification and claims are achieved by a patient garment which is conventional in

appearance and substantially free from exposed openings but which has a plurality of openable

flaps allowing openings to be formed over particular body sites such as the upper chest, arms, inner thighs of each leg or groin. The flaps may comprise covering panels mounted over openings in the

garment which can be folded away after disengaging a fastening such as mating hook and loop strips to obtain access to the body sites. Adjacent each openable panel is one or more tube holder loops formed by strips attached at each end to form a loop through which the tubes are routed to be held in position as the patient moves about. The straps can be sewn or detachably attached by fasteners such as mating hook and loop patches or strips.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a pictorial view of a person wearing a patient garment according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged front view of a top piece of the patient garment shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary front view of a bottom piece of the patient garment shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 A is an enlarged fragmentary pictorial view of a region of the patient

garment having one of the tube holder loop attached with tube segments shown held therein.

Figure 4B is an enlarged pictorial view of the loop shown in Figure 4A which is

opened to allow a tube to be easily removed or emplaced.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION In the following detailed description, certain specific terminology will be employed

for the sake of clarity and a particular embodiment described in accordance with the requirements

of 35 USC 112, but it is to be understood that the same is not intended to be limiting and should not be so construed inasmuch as the invention is capable of taking many forms and variations within

the scope of the appended claims. Referring to the drawings, a patient garment 10 according to the invention comprises a two piece pant suit having a top piece 12 and a patents bottom 14. The patient garment 10 is conventionally configured but has a plurality of openable flaps including flaps 16, 18, 20.

The top piece 12 is shown in Figure 2 in further detail, and includes an upper torso pullover with sleeves. An openable flap 16 is shown located over the upper chest. The flap 16 includes a fabric panel 22 sewn to the garment across the bottom adjacent the bottom of an opening 24 and having mating hook and loop strips 26 A, 26B located on respective sides of the panel 22 and opening 24. This enables the panel 22 to be folded down to expose the opening 24 to allow

access to the wearer's body at the site at the opening 24, as for insertion of tubes 28.

According to the present invention a series of loops 30, 32, 34 preferably openable are arranged from a point adj acent the opening 24 up to the top of the shoulder and down the sleeve 36 on the same side as the opening 24. The tubes 28 are routed through the strap loops 30, 32, 34

as shown to secure the tubes in proper position and allow the patient some freedom of movement

without creating a danger that the tubes 28 will be pulled out by his or her motion. Referring to Figure 3, the bottom piece 14 resembles a pair of pants, but has a pair of openable flaps 18, 20, each including a fabric panel 35, 37 having a bottom edge sewn to one of

the pants legs adjacent a respective opening 36, 38. Strips 4OA, B carrying hook and loop features

enable the panels 35, 37 to normally be held in position over the respective openings 35, 37 but able to be folded back when access to the wearer's body sites at those openings 35, 37 is necessary for insertion of tubes for dialysis or some other treatment or examination purposes. A single strap loop 44, 46 is located above each openable flap 18, 20, each comprised of strips 48, 50 having patches formed with mating hook and loop features to enable tubes to be held in position above a respective access opening 35, 37. Additional strap loops may be provided. Also, as seen in Figure 1 additional openable flaps can be provided, as the flap 52 with strap loop 53 over the groin area. Or, the patient's garment 10 could have an openable flap 54 with strap loop 55 on the upper arm and a second right side openable flap 17 on the upper chest.

The hook and loop fasteners can be replaced with straps, buttons, etc.