Surgical dressings including bandage and the like

Claim 2

A covering for the absorbent material of a nonadherent surgical dressing, which comprises sheetlike layer portions of flexible plastic material adapted to enclose said absorbent material on opposite sides thereof, at least that sheetlike layer portion intended to be applied to a wound being generally planar and having therein a plurality of openings for the passage therethrough of exudation from a wound, said openings comprising hollow open-ended tunnellike portions upstanding and projecting outwardly from the face of said sheetlike layer portion intended to be applied to a wound and thus in a direction away from the other of said sheetlike layer portions, and the longitudinal axes of said tunnellike portions lying in the plane of said sheetlike layer portion intended to be applied to a wound.

Claim 3

A covering according to claim 1 in which the upstanding tunnellike portions are arranged in spaced parallel relation so as to extend throughout the area of said sheetlike layer portions.

Claim 4

A covering according to claim 1 in which a plurality of spaced rows of tunnellike portions, each row itself comprising a single tunnellike portion, are provided.

Claim 5

A covering according to claim 1, in which a plurality of spaced rows of tunnellike portions, each row itself comprising a plurality of evenly spaced tunnellike portions, are provided.

Claim 6

A covering according to claim 1 in which a plurality of spaced rows of tunnellike portions, each row itself comprising a plurality of spaced sets of single tunnellike portions, are provided.

Claim 7

A covering according to claim 1 in which a plurality of spaced rows of tunnellike portions, each row itself comprising a plurality of spaced sets of multiple tunnellike portions, which are themselves interconnected, are provided.

Claim 8

A covering according to claim 1 in which there are a plurality of spaced rows of said hollow open-ended tunnellike portions, each row itself comprising a plurality of evenly spaced tunnellike portions extending in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the said row.

Claim 9

A covering according to claim 1 in which there are a plurality of spaced rows of hollow open-ended tunnellike portions, the tunnellike portions in any one row being arranged directly in line with those in the next adjacent row.

Claim 10

A covering according to claim 1 in which there are a plurality of spaced rows of hollow open-ended tunnellike portions, the tunnellike portions in any one row being arranged in staggered relation with respect to those in the next adjacent row.

Claim 11

A surgical dressing which comprises a member of absorbent material and, on opposite sides of said member, a sheetlike layer portion of flexible plastic material, at least that sheetlike layer portion intended for application to a wound being generally planar and having therein a plurality of openings for the passage of exudation from a wound, said openings comprising hollow openended tunnellike portions upstanding and projecting outwardly from the face of said sheetlike layer portion intended to be applied to a wound and remote from said member, and the longitudinal axes of said tunnellike portions lying in the plane of the sheetlike layer intended to be applied to a wound, whereby to permit free passage of exudation from the wound to said member while preventing direct mutual contact of skin tissue and said member.

Claim 12

A surgical dressing which comprises a member of absorbent material and, on opposite sides of said member, a sheetlike layer portion of flexible plastic material, at least that sheetlike layer portion intended for application to a wound being generally planar and having therein a plurality of openings for the passage of exudation from a wound, said openings comprising hollow openended tunnellike portions upstanding and projecting outwardly from the face of said sheetlike layer portion intended to be applied to a wound and remote from said member, and the longitudinal axes of said tunnellike portions lying in the plane of the sheetlike layer intended to be applied to a wound, whereby to permit free passage of exudation from the wound to said member while preventing direct mutual contact of skin tissue and said member.

Claim 13

A covering according to claim 1 in which the upstanding tunnellike portions are arranged in spaced parallel relation so as to extend throughout the area of said sheetlike layer portions.

Claim 14

A covering according to claim 1 in which a plurality of spaced rows of tunnellike portions, each row itself comprising a single tunnellike portion, are provided.

Claim 15

A covering according to claim 1, in which a plurality of spaced rows of tunnellike portions, each row itself comprising a plurality of evenly spaced tunnellike portions, are provided.

Claim 16

A covering according to claim 1 in which a plurality of spaced rows of tunnellike portions, each row itself comprising a plurality of spaced sets of single tunnellike portions, are provided.

Claim 17

A covering according to claim 1 in which a plurality of spaced rows of tunnellike portions, each row itself comprising a plurality of spaced sets of multiple tunnellike portions, which are themselves interconnected, are provided.

Claim 18

A covering according to claim 1 in which there are a plurality of spaced rows of said hollow open-ended tunnellike portions, each row itself comprising a plurality of evenly spaced tunnellike portions extending in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the said row.

Claim 19

A covering according to claim 1 in which there are a plurality of spaced rows of hollow open-ended tunnellike portions, the tunnellike portions in any one row being arranged directly in line with those in the next adjacent row.

Claim 20

A covering according to claim 1 in which there are a plurality of spaced rows of hollow open-ended tunnellike portions, the tunnellike portions in any one row being arranged in staggered relation with respect to those in the next adjacent row.

Claim 21

A surgical dressing which comprises a member of absorbent material and, on opposite sides of said member, a sheetlike layer portion of flexible plastic material, at least that sheetlike layer portion intended for application to a wound being generally planar and having therein a plurality of openings for the passage of exudation from a wound, said openings comprising hollow open-ended tunnellike portions upstanding and projecting outwardly from the face of said sheetlike layer portion intended to be applied to a wound and remote from said member, and the longitudinal axes of said tunnellike portions lying in the plane of the sheetlike layer intended to be applied to a wound, whereby to permit free passage of exudation from the wound to said member while preventing direct mutual contact of skin tissue and said member.

Claim 22

A surgical dressing which comprises a member of absorbent material and, on opposite sides of said member, a sheetlike layer portion of flexible plastic material, at least that sheetlike layer portion intended for application to a wound being generally planar and having therein a plurality of openings for the passage of exudation from a wound, said openings comprising hollow open-ended tunnellike portions upstanding and projecting outwardly from the face of said sheetlike layer portion intended to be applied to a wound and remote from said member, and the longitudinal axes of said tunnellike portions lying in the plane of the sheetlike layer intended to be applied to a wound, whereby to permit free passage of exudation from the wound to said member while preventing direct mutual contact of skin tissue and said member.