US3196870A

US3196870A - Limb immobilizer for intravenous feeding or the like

Info

Publication number: US3196870A
Application number: US193258A
Authority: US
Inventors: Carl A Sprecher; Kerry H Gingrich; George J Pence
Original assignee: LEBANON MACHINE AND Manufacturing CO Inc
Current assignee: LEBANON MACHINE AND Manufacturing CO Inc
Priority date: 1962-05-08
Filing date: 1962-05-08
Publication date: 1965-07-27
Anticipated expiration: 1982-07-27

Description

c. A. SPRECHER ETAL 3,198,?Q

LIMB IMMOBILIZER FOR INTRAVENOUS FEEDING OR THE LIKE Filed May 8, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet l a. PRIOR ART INVENTORJ' CARL A SPRECHER KERRY nememcn BY GEORGE J. ZITTORNEY y 1965 c. A. SPRECHER ETAL 3, 70

LIMB IMMOBILIZER FOR INTRAVENOUS FEEDING OR THE LIKE Filed May 8, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORfi CARL A. SPRECHER KERRY H. GINGRICH GEORGE J. FENCE ATTORNEY United States Patent C) 3396,8743 lillvlll llt iMGElLEZER FUR INTRAVENOUS FEEDING fill THE Lil;

Carl A. Spreeher, Kerry H. Gingrich, and @eorgel. Pence, Lebanon, Pa, assignors to Lebanon Machine Co. l no, Lebanon, Pa, 21 corporation of Pennsylvania Filed May 8, 1962, Ser. No. 193,258 12 Qlaims. (Cl. l28-l33) The present invention relates to a new improved device for immobilizing the upper and lower arms of a human to prevent movement at the elbow joint, thereby facilitating intravenous administration of food, blood, or other fluids.

It has been common hospital practice for several decades to inject various fluids like liquid food, blood, serum, saline solution, and dextrose, into the circulatory system of a human through a needle inserted in the vein extending up the arm, utilizing a fluid container at an elevated level whereby the fluid will flow through associated tubing to the needle and into the vein at a suitable rate. (For convenience, this procedure will hereafter be referred to as intravenous administration, or IV administration.

it is necessary to immobilize the arm of the patient during intravenous administration. For example, movement of the patients arm may cause the needle to penetrate the other side of the vein, as a result of which the fluid will infiltrate into the arm outside the vein and under the skin, causing the arm to blow up until the fluid is absorbed into the system. Of course, this is undesirable and to be avoided.

The common practice for immobilizing the upper and lower arms of the patient for intravenous administration is to secure the arm of the patient, palm side up, on a board which extends from approximately the knuckles of the hand to above the elbow. The board is tied to the patients arm by winding gauze or tape around the palm and the board at one end, and around the upper arm and the board at the other end. This use of arm boards for intravenous administration has a number of serious shortcomings. For one thing, the patient is very uncomfortable. Since intravenous administration may commonly last for four or live hours, and may commonly be applied several times a day, patients not only frequently complain, but also tend to move the arm due to discomfort. Taping of the arm to the board does not sufficiently immobilize it, and the patient frequently moves the arm to such extent that the needle penetrates the other side of the vein with the deleterious results previously noted.

This extensively used arm board practice for intravenous administration also has a number of other serious disadvantages. When gauze is used, it does not hold well and slips so that the patients arm is not sufficiently immobilized. Hence, it is common practice to use adhesive tape to prevent the arm from slipping with respect to the board. However, adhesive tape is irritating to many people, and generally involves the problem of pulling arm hair which may cause skin irritation or even provide sources of infection. Some people are allergic to adhesive tape, in which case it is necessary to use a hypoallergenic tape that is more expensive than common adhesive tape (but does not eliminate other discussed shortcomings of the arm board method for IV administration). When the arm is quite hairy, it is sometimes shaven in order to tape the board for IV administration. If the patient should be allergic to adhesive tape, his

ice

skin will often blister and pull away when the tape is removed with resultant sores.

Another disadvantage of the prevailing arm board approach for IV administration is that the hospital must maintain and store a comparatively large number of boards for use on patients having different size arms. Still another serious problem is keeping these arm boards sterile.

The above-discussed and other shortcomings of the prevailing arm board practice for intravenous administration have been recognized for some time, and there have been a number of efforts to overcome the objectionable features of this practice. Some hospitals have tried to pad and/or shape the arm board to make the patient more comfortable so that he will be less likely to move the arm. However, this procedure has not worked out well in the past and has not been generally adopted. Another approach recently introduced to eliminate various bothersome problems generally encountered with the prevailing arm board technique comprises use of a wooden board enclosed within a paper cover with a sheet of cushioning material interposed between the board and the side of the paper cover beneath the arm. This device is designed so that a single board may be used repeatedly, with replacement of the cushioning material and cover for each different patient, in order to reduce the chances of cross contamination which may occur when a soiled or contaminated board is used. However, since this new covered and cushioned board is still secured to the arm by tape, gauze, ties or the like, its use is subject to various shortcomings and disadvantages of the long-standing typical arm board IV administration practice discussed earlier.

Another attempt to improve on the common arm board practice has been to provide a unit comprising a board enclosed in a plastic cover which has three pairs of eyelets, one each at opposite ends of the boards, and one at the center of the board. This board is applied by tying gauze through the eyelets and around the arm. This arrangement has been found unsatisfactory because it has a tourniquet effect, with cutting off of blood circulation, since it is necessary to tie the gauze or other material rather tightly to properly secure the board. Hence, this device has not been put into use by many hospitals.

In still another attempt to improve on the common arm board practice, arm boards have been molded of plastic material shaped to the contour of the underside of the arm. However, these are tied to the arm with tape or gauze, and thus retain most of the objectionable aspects of the above-discussed common arm board practice. Furthermore, these contoured arm boards are quite expensive and are very limited as to use with persons of varying size, so that a relatively large supply of such molded contour boards is needed by a hospital. Hence, this attempt to overcome the shortcoming of the common arm board practice for intravenous administration has not met with substantial acceptance (especially since most hospitals have serious budgetary problems).

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a new improved device for positively immobilizing the arm during intravenous administration, thereby eliminating the shortcomings and disadvantages of arm boards and other variations heretofore used and providing many new advantages such as greater convenience for doctors and nurses, increased patient comfort, economical advantages, etc.

More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new improved arm immobilizer device which positively restrains the upper and lower arms and prevents motion at the elbow joint, thereby facilitating intravenous administration. It is a related object of this invention to provide such a new improved arm immobi lizer device which is very comfortable for the patient and even allows movement of the upper and lower arm as a unit without permitting elbow movement.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a new improved arm immobilizer which has only three lines of contact with the arm but has no straps or the like going completely around the arm, thus completely avoiding the possibility of a tourniquet effect which may cut off blood circulation in the arm. It is another related object of this invention to provide a new improved arm immobilizer of very simplified but highly effective design through use of a pair of relatively short bars of sufficient length to provide enough counter leverage to prevent a strong person from bending his arm connected by two transverse end straps which go over the inside of the upper and lower arms, respectively, plus an intermediate strap which extends below the elbow in such manner as to positively prevent it from bending. I

It is still another important object of the present invention to provide such a new improved arm immobilizer device which is designed so that a given unit is usable for various sized persons, whereby it is feasible for a hospital to stock only one standard adult size and one standard child size. It is another related object to provide such a new improved arm immobilizer wherein the transverse straps are adjustable so that a given size unit can be adjusted to accommodate the difference in size of upper and lower arms typically encountered with most individual patients. It is another related object of this invention to provide such a new improved arm immobilizer in which the longitudinally extending elements are such that they can be shaped by hand to accommodate unusual elbow or arm contours for a given patient.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new improved arm immobilizer which makes intravenous administration much easier and quicker for doctors and nurses, while also making it much more comfortable and safer for patients. It is another related object to provide means for increasing the efliciency of nursing staffs by enabling a substantial saving in time required for applying and removing arm immobilizing means for intravenous administration. It is still another related object of the present invention to provide a new improved arm immobilizer which will result in significant annual savings on tape and gauze for a hospital.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a new arm immobilizer which can be readily sterilized by washing or dipping in a standard cold antiseptic solution. It is another related object of this invention to provide such a new improved arm immobilizer which is very compact and easy to store.

It is another important object of the present invention to provide a new improved arm immobilizer which is easy to manufacture, so that it can be sold at relatively low price to hospitals, which are necessarily cost conscious, whereby utilization of the device for its intended purpose is economically feasible.

Still other objects and advantages of the present inven tion will be apparent from the following description thereof, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing the arm of a patient applied with tape to an arm board in typical manner according to long-standing practice;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view showing a preferred embodiment of the new improved arm immobilizer of the present invention applied to the arm of a patient (shown in phantom to permit clear illustration of the invention);

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the preferred embodiment of arm immobilizer according to this invention, which is shown in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary and somewhat exaggerated cross-sectional view taken along line 44 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary and somewhat exaggerated cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 in FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6 is an end view of the preferred embodiment of arm immobilizer shown in FIGURE 2, looking in a direction of arrow 6 in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 7 is a plan view of another embodiment of the new improved arm immobilizer of the present invention;

FIGURE 8 is a partial perspective showing of the embodiment in FIGURE 7 illustrating how it would be applied to the arm of a patient (somewhat similarly to the embodiment shown in FIGURE 2); and

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary plan view of still another embodiment of the arm immobilizer according to the present invention.

It is noted that in the drawings and following description, like elements are identified by like numerals throughout. In discussing the modifications of FIGURES 7-8, and FIGURE 9, certain modified elements are identified with like numerals as in FIGURES 1-5 plus subscripts, as below amplified.

Referring to FIGURE 1, the prevailing prior art practice for intravenous administration is illustrated therein. A board 12 is secured to the underside of the arm of a patient indicated at UA (upper arm) and LA (lower arm) by means of gauze or tape tied around the board and the patients palm and upper arm as illustrated at 14 and 16. A needle 13 is inserted in the vein and secured by adhesive 2t), and the needle is connected to a conduit 22 through which a fluid, such as liquid food, blood, or the like is fed into the vein via the needle. Normally, the board 12 and the patients arm rest on the bed indicated at 24.

Referring to FIGURES 2-6, there is shown a preferred embodiment of the arm immobilizer according to the present invention generally indicated by the numeral 26. This arm immobilizer comprises a pair of relatively elongated steel bars 28 and 3% which are of like configuration. Each of the

bars

28 and 30 is provided at its ends with slots 32. As will be apparent from the drawings, each of bars 23 and 30 is bent outwardly intermediate its ends at 34 to form an intermediate section 36 which is parallel to, but spaced from, the main longitudinally aligned sections of

bars

28 and 30. Like cross straps 33 extend through the slots 32 at the opposite ends of

bars

28 and 30 in a manner which is especially apparent from FIG- URES 2, 3 and 6. It will be noted that each strap 38 has a conventional buckle of configuration as shown, and that each strap 38 extends through the buckle 40 in such manner that the length of the cross strap 38 is adjustable. This permits ready variation of the spacing between

metal bars

28 and 30 as desired.

Referring particularly to FIGURES 2 and 6, it will be seen that one end 37 of each strap 38 is secured to the main portion of the strap on one side of buckle 40 by means of a rivet 42; and that the other end 39 of the strap 38 is passed through the buckle 4t) and secured to the main portion of the strap by means of another rivet 44. Although other types of adjustable strap and buckle arrangements could be used, this particular construction has proven preferable, because it does not permit doctors, nurses, or other hospital personnel to disassemble the arm immobilizer 26 when adjusting the spacing between the

bars

28 and 30.

The arm immobilizer 26 also includes a third strap 46 which is substantially wider than straps 38 and is secured at one end thereof to central section 36 of bar 28 by a rivet 4-8, or like means. Straps 38 and 45 are made of suitable material, such as one of the commercially available sheet plastics. One side of the strap 46 is provided with securing means which comprises a first section 50 of a material known as Velcro, plus another section of opposing Velcro indicated at 52. Referring to FIG- URES 3, 4 and 5, the portion of the Velcro indicated at Ell in efiect constitutes a large number of tiny eyelets extending from a base sheet; and the portion of opposing Velcro indicated at 52 comprises a large number of very small hook-like projections adapted to engage the eyelets of Velcro section 50. [Such Velcro material is available from the Velcro Corporation (Selling Agent), 681 5th Avenue, New York 22, New York, and since this per se is not the present invention, detailed description thereof is deemed unnecessary] Referring to FIGURES 3 and 6, the arm immobilizer 26 is applied to the arm of a patient by extending

bars

28 and 30 along the side of the arm, locating intermediate sections 36 opposite the elbow joint, with one cross strap 38 extending over the lower arm LA and the other cross strap extending over the upper arm UA. The central larger strap 46 is extended from bar 23 below the elbow and up over the inside and then the outside of the intermediate section 35 of bar 30, and then back underneath the elbow. The opposing Velcro section 52 is pressed against Velcro section 59, and when this is done, the Velcro sections and 52 become secured to each other through the engagement of the Velcro projections and eyelets previously discussed. The result is immobilization of the upper and lower arms of the patient due to restriction of the elbow and upper and lower arms by the coaction of

bars

28 and 30 and

straps

38 and 46.

Since either of cross straps 38 is intended to go across the inside of the arm, they are made relatively narrow so as to provide exposure of substantially the entire arm. Thus, the entire length of the vein along the lower arm is available for multiple intravenous administration if necessary. The wider central strap 4-6 is made of suflicient width so that when extended below the elbow, it will prevent movement thereof. The intermediate sections 36 of bars 23 and 30 provide a ready reference whereby a doctor or nurse may properly locate the immobilizer 26 along the length of the arm by merely placing sections 36 opposite the elbow. The bars 23 and 30 are of such length that a strong person would not be able to exert suiiicient leverage to bend the arm at the elbow. The buckles til permit adjustment of the size of straps 38 and thus of the spacing between the ends of bars 28 and 3th for the upper and lower arms, respectively, of a given individual in order to accommodate difference in size of the upper and lower arms. Similarly, straps 38 and buckles 4b permit adjustment in the lateral size of immobilizer 26, whereby a given size unit can be used for different persons of varying size. in fact, with immobilizer 26, it is possible for hospitals to standardize and use one basic adult size and one basic child size.

To remove the arm immobilizer 26 from the arm of a patient, the end of the central strap 4d is merely pulled away to disengage opposing Velcro section 52 from Velcro section 50, whereafter the unit 26 can be simply and quickly removed from the arm.

The immobilizer 26 has been found remarkably elficient in preventing the patient from moving the lower arm with respect to the upper arm, thereby making it possible to carry out intravenous administration without encountering the problems with existing practices as previously discussed. Furthermore, the immobilizer 26 of the present invention has been found to be very comfortable for the patient. In addition, the construction of immobilizer 26 makes it inherently trouble-free for use by unskilled hospital personnel, as well as making it extremely easy and simple to apply and remove.

It is noted that the bars 28 and 3t) are so constructed that the outwardly bent central sections 36 will accommodate typical variations in the elbow joints of most persons; but that the

bars

28 and 30 may readily be bent to accommodate any unusual variations in size or configuration of a patients elbow joint.

As will be apparent, the arm immobilizer 26 applies restraining force to the elbow and upper and lower arms along three semi-circular bands (355 and 46), with no band going entirely around any part of the arm. Hence, the arm immobilizer 2d eliminates the possibility of any tourniquet eliect which would cut off blood circulation in the arm.

't is noted that the inside-closing side of a limb bendable at a joint is known as the fiexor side and the outside-opening side of a limb bendable at a joint is known as the extensor side. Thus, FIGURES 1 and 2 in the drawings show the flexor side of a human elbow joint between upper arm UA and lower arm LA; and, in FIG- URE 2, the spaced straps 38 of immobilizer 26 are disposed on the fiexor side of the arm, with the center strap 41; being disposed on the extensor side of the arm below the elbow joint.

Referring to FZGURES 7 and 8, there is shown another embodiment of the arm immobilizer according to the present invention generally indicated by the numeral 26a. in this unit, bars 28 and 3t), cross straps 33, and other components identified with like numerals as in FIGURES 2-6 are of like construction as such elements of the abovedescribed embodiment of FEGURES 2-6, whereby further detailed discussion of such elements believed unnecessary. The difference between the embodiment of FIGURES 7-8 and that of FIGURES 2-6 lies in use of a different form of center strap indicated at 46a with different securing means indicated at Stla. As will be noted from FIGURES 7 and 8, the strap 46a comprises a first section 47 of suitable non-elastic material, such as sheet plastic, which is secured at one end to bar 28 by rivet 48 with its other end sewed or otherwise secured to a band of elastic material 49. The other end of elastic band $9 is sewed around one side 51 of the securing means 56a, which is in the form of a J-shaped hook. As will be apparent from FIGURE 8, the modified arm immobilizer 26a is applied similarly to the immobilizer 26 of FIGURE 2. That is, straps 28 and Ell are extended along the upper and lower arms with bent sections 36 opposite the elbow, and the broad central strap 46a is extended from bar 28 below the elbow and up the inside of the bar 3t), and then down over the outside of bar 3%, and beneath the elbow. The l-shaped end 53 of securing means Stla is hooked over the upper side of central sections 36 of bar 28. As will be apparent, the spacing between

bars

28 and 36 may be adjusted by means of straps 38 and buckles ill for different size patients, with the elastic section l? of strap 46a accommodating variations in the size of the patients elbow. As will be apparent, the arm immobilizer embodiment 26a of FIGURES 7-8 is removed by unhooking l-shaped hook means Ella and removing the immobilizer from the arm similarly to the preferred embodiment of FIGURES 2-6.

Referring to FIGURE 9, there is shown still another embodiment of the arm immobilizer of the present invention generally indicated by the numeral 26b. This embodiment is generally similar to that of FIGURES 2-6 with like components being identified by the same numrals as in FIGURES 2-6, whereby further detailed description thereof is believed unnecessary. The principal difference in this embodiment lies in the use of a plain strap 46b which is secured to bar 23 by a rivet 43 and cooperates with another short strap 54 which is secured to section 36 of the other bar 3%) by means of a rivet 56 and has a buckle 58. This arm immobilizer embodiment 26b is applied to the arm of a patient in a similar manner as the arm immobilizer of FIGURES 2-6 and/ or FIGURES 7-8, excepting that the strap 46b is passed beneath the elbow and through buckle 58, with the cross straps 38 extending over the upper and lower arms, to thereby secure the immobilizer 2%. As will be apparent, the adjustability of end cross straps 38 and the use of strap 46b with buckle 58 permits a given unit to be are save varied in size for accommodation of variations in size of the upper and/or lower arms for different patients.

To illustrate tl e size of a typical embodiment of arm immobilizer 26 suitable for adults, the dimensions of the components would be approximately as follows:

Inches Overall length of bars 28 and 3t) 11 Thickness of bars 28 and 3f) /s Length of intermediate sections 36 of bars 23 and 39 2to 2 /2 idth of end straps 38 /4 Width of below-the-elbow central strap 4-6 2 /2 Length of central strap 12 Other elements would be proportioned in relation to the foregoing approximately as shown in the drawings.

It has been found preferable to make bars 23 and 3% of a chrome or nicide plated mild steel so that they are resistant to contamination, do not bother the patient, can be easily kept sterile, and can be readily bent if necessary to accommodate elbow variations. Other components are made of commercially available suitable materials as previously indicated.

Straps 38 and 46 (or 46a or 46b) can be made available for replacement; e.g., if the straps are nicked with a scissors.

it is noted that the above-described arm immobilizer of this invention also can be used for other purposes besides intravenous administration. For example, immobilizer 26 can be used to prevent patients, especially children, from touching wounds on the head or ot rer parts of the body which cannot be reached when the upper and lower arms are immobilized with respect to each other in a straight line. It is also noted that the present invention is especially suitable for military field use and for civilian defense, and particularly for portable hospital installations which have been developed for such emergencies.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the new improved arm immobilizer of the present invention shown in the drawings and described above completely avoids the use of gauze, tape or the like, as in current arm board intravenous administration practice, thus eliminating the serious objectionable aspects of the prevailing practice which have not heretofore been successfully overcome by prior attempts in that direction. It will also be apparent that the present invention solves other abovediscussed serious shortcomings and disadvantages of prior art arrangements for immobilizing the arm of a patient for intravenous administration, and that the present invention achieves the many important objects and advantages discussed earlier in this application. For example, this invention achieves truly effective arm immobilzation, eliminates any tourniquet effect, enables use of a standard size unit for different persons, simplifies iospital and storage problems, helps prevent contamination, etc.

Definition-The term flexible material used in the claims with reference to strap means recited therein refers to a plastic, cloth or like fle ible material suitable for such straps, in accordance with the disclosure herein, as distinguished from straps made of metal or other relatively rigid material.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United tates Letters Patent is:

1. A device for immobilizing a limb of a human being which is bendable at a joint comprising: a pair of relatively elongated and relatively rigid members; first and second strap means of pliable non-metallic material attached to at least one of said elongated members and connecting said elongated members at spaced locations for spanning the human limb with which it is adapted to be used on the joint closing side of the human limb at locations spaced from the joint; third strap means of flexible material intermediate said first and second strap means adapted to span the side of the human limb opposite said joint closing side in engagement with the joint, said third strap means being attached to at least one of said elongated members and including means adapted to effectively secure said pair of elongated members in lateral relation to each other; each of said first and second strap means being spaced a sufficient axial distance from said third intermediate strap means so that the human limb with which said device is adapted to be associated cannot be freely bent by muscular power when the intermediate third strap means is disposed at the joint; each of said first and second strap means including means adapted to adjust the length thereof to vary the lateral distance etween the parts of said pair of elongated members connected by said first and second straps, thereby adapting said device for use on different size limbs.

2. A device for immobilizing a limb of the human body which is bendable at a joint comprising: first and second relatively elongated and relatively rigid members; first and second strap means of pliable non-metallic material attached to at least one of said elongated members and connecting said elongated members at spaced locations for spanning the human limb with which it is adapted to be used on the joint closing side of the human limb at locations spaced from the joint; third strap means of flexible material intermediate said first and second strap means adapted to span the side of the human limb opposite said joint closing side in engagement with the joint, said third strap means being attached to at least one of said elongated members and including means adapted to effectively secure said first and second elongated members in relation to each other; each of said first and second strap ieans being spaced a sufficient axial distance from said third intermediate strap means so that the human limb with which said device is adapted to be associated cannot be freely bent by human muscular power when the intermediate third strap means is disposed at the joint; each of said first and second strap means including means adapted to adjust the length thereof to vary the lateral distance between the parts of said first and second elongated members connected by said first and second strap means, thereby adapting said device for use on different size human limbs; said adjustment means for each of said first and second strap means being constructed so that the first and second strap means do not disassemble during adjustment of the length thereof.

3. A device for immobilizing a limb of a human being which is bendable at a joint comprising: a pair of relatively elongated and relatively rigid members; first and second strap means of pliable non-metallic material having at least one end thereof passing through aperture means formed adjacent the opposite ends of at least one of said elongated members and connecting said elongated members at spaced locations for spanning the limb with which it is adapted to be used on the joint closing side of the limb at locations spaced from the joint so that said elongated member and straps can be compactly collapsed When not in use; third strap means of flexible material intermediate said first and second strap means adapted to span the side of the limb opposite said joint closing side in engagement with the joint, said third strap means having means secured thereon adapted to effectively secure said pair of elongated members in relation to each other; said third strap means also being connected to one of said elongated members and adapted to pass about said other elongated member; each of said first and second strap means being spaced :1 sufficient axial distance from said third intermediate strap means so that the limb with which said device is adapted to be associated cannot be freely bent by mucular power when the intermediate third strap means is disposed at the joint.

4. A device for immobilizing a limb of a human body which is bendable at a joint comprising: a pair of relatively elongated and relatively rigid members; first and second strap means attached to at least one of said elongated members connecting said elongated members at spaced locations, each of said strap means adapted to be disposed over one side of one part of said human limb on opposite sides of said limb joint; third strap means having a portion secured to one of said elongated members and adapted to extend laterally across a limb joint in engagement therewith, and including means whereby said third strap means can effectively secure said first and second elongated members in relation to each other; said first and second strap means being spaced a sufiicient axial distance so that the human limb cannot be bent by muscular power of the human to which the device is applied with said third strap means disposed at the joint, each of said elongated members being bent intermediate its ends at a location adapted to be disposed adjacent a human limb joint when in use.

5. A device as defined in claim 4 wherein: said third strap securing means comprises two portions of said third strap means which incorporate means for maintaining said two portions secured to each other upon engagement thereof.

6. A device as defined in claim 5, wherein: one of said two portions comprises a plurality of eyelets and the other of said two portions comprises a plurality of projections, said eyelets and projections being engageable with each other so as to secure said third strap means.

7. A limb immobilizer device as defined in claim 4, wherein: said third strap securing means comprises hook means as part of said third strap means, said hook means being connectable to one of said elongated members.

8. A limb immobilizer device as defined in claim 7, wherein: said third strap means includes an elastic portion so that it can accommodate difierent size human limbs.

9. A limb immobilizer device as defined in claim 4, wherein: said third strap means comprises a relatively elongated strap secured to one of said elongated members and adapted to extend laterally across a limb joint and said securing means includes buckle means attached to the other said elongated members and adapted to cooperate with said elongated strap.

W. A device as defined in claim 4, wherein: each of said first and second strap means is adjustable in size to permit variation of the distance between said elongated members for use of said device on different size human limbs.

11. An immobilizer device as defined in claim 10, wherein: each of said straps includes adjustment means so arranged that the strap will not dissassemble during adjustment of the length thereof.

12. A limb immobilizer device as defined in claim 4, wherein: at least one of said first two strap means is relatively narrow to provide maximum exposure of the portion of the limb engaged thereby, and said third strap means is relatively wide so as to fully overlap the joint of the limb on which said device is used.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 664,838 1/01 Dean 119-127 1,456,580 5/23 Sullivan 128133 X 1,709,046 4/29 Throgmorton 128-133 2,266,230 12/41 Mazzeo et a 128-l33 2,266,231 12/41 Mazzeo et al. 128-133 2,551,617 5/51 Maybert 128214 2,697,436 12/54 Coston 128214 2,744,526 5/56 Saylors 128*214 OTHER REFERENCES Jour. A.M.A.; Oct. 18, 1958, page 930.

RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner.

RICHARD J. HOFFMAN, JORDAN FRANKLIN,

Examiners.

Claims

1. A DEVICE FOR IMMOBILIZING A LIMB OF A HUMAN BEING WHICH IS BENDABLE AT A JOINT COMPRSING: A PAIR OF RELATIVELY ELONGATED AND RELATIVELY RIGID MEMBERS; FIRST AND SECOND STRAP MEANS OF PLIABLE NON-METALLIC MATERIAL ATTACHED TO AT LEAST ONE OF SAID ELONGATED MEMBERS AND CONNECTING SAID ELONGATED MEMBERS AT SPACED LOCATIONS FOR SPANNING THE HUMAN LIMB WITH WHICH IT IS ADAPTED TO BE USED ON THE JOINT CLOSING SIDE OF THE HUMAN LIMB AT LOCATIONS SPACED FROM THE JOINT; THIRD STRAP MEANS OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL INTERMEDIATE SAID FIRST AND SECOND STRAP MEANS ADAPTED TO SPAN THE SIDE OF THE HUMAN LIMB OPPOSITE SAID JOINT CLOSING SIDE IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE JOINT, SAID THIRD STRAP MEANS BEING ATTACHED TO AT LEAST ONE OF SAID ELONGATED MEMBERS AND INCLUDING MEANS ADAPTED TO EFFECTIVELY SECURE SAID PAIR OF ELONGATED MEMBERS IN LATERAL RELATION TO EACH OTHER; EACH OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND STRAP MEANS BEING SPACED A SUFFICIENT AXIAL DISTANCE FROM SAID THIRD INTERMEDIATE STRAP MEANS SO THAT THE HUMAN LIMB WITH WHICH SAID DEVICE IS ADAPTED TO BE ASSOCIATED CANNOT BE FREELY BENT BY MUSCULAR POWER WHEN THE INTERMEDIATE THIRD STRAP MEANS IS DISPOSED AT THE JOINT; EACH OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND STRAP MEANS INCLUDING MEANS ADAPTED TO ADJUST THE LENGTH THEREOF TO VARY THE LATERAL DISTANCE BETWEEN THE PARTS OF SAID PAIR OF ELONGATED MEMBERS CONNECTED BY SAID FIRST AND SECOND STRAPS, THEREBY ADAPTING SAID DEVICE FOR USE ON DIFFERENT SIZE LIMBS.