Compression bandage

Abstract

A compression bandage shaped as an elongate rectangle is made of a textile fabric on which a hook strip is fastened along a narrow side of a small portion of a lateral face, or hook side. The fabric contains elastic filaments running in a longitudinal direction and, in a transverse direction, includes virtually inelastic supporting filaments having a spring constant in the longitudinal direction that ranges from 0.3 to 3 Newtons/cm of longitudinal stretching and a per meter length and per decimeter width of the compression bandage. Small loops made of soft filaments are interwoven and distributed uniformly over the entire area of the lateral face, or fleece side, opposite the hook strip. These small loops are oriented approximately perpendicularly to the lateral face, in size and distance from one another, and are complementary to the hooks of the hook strip for forming a releasable hook-and-loop closure.

1 - 13 . (canceled) 
     
     
         14 . A method for aiding in healing of a patient after a surgical procedure, comprising the steps of:
 providing a compression bandage comprising:
 a textile fabric shaped as an elongated rectangle; 
 a hook strip comprised of hooks and fastened along a small portion of a first lateral face of said textile fabric defining a hook side thereof; 
 elastic filaments running in a longitudinal direction along said textile fabric and having, in a transverse direction, virtually inelastic supporting filaments, said elastic filaments having a spring constant in the longitudinal direction of 0.3 to 3 Newtons/cm of longitudinal stretching per meter length per decimeter width of said compression bandage; and, 
 a fleece side of said textile fabric having loops of soft filaments interwoven and uniformly distributed over a second lateral face positioned oppositely said hook strip, said loops being oriented approximately perpendicularly to said second lateral face and, in size and distance from one another, being complementary to said hooks of said hook strip, said fleece side and said hook side forming a releasable hook-and-loop closure; 
   laying said compression bandage around, and over, a patient's wound incurred from a surgical procedure by pressing said hook strip closed at a pressing point on said fleece side; and,   adjusting compressive pressure of said compression bandage by choosing said pressing point.   
     
     
         15 . The method for aiding in healing of a patient after a surgical procedure according to  claim 14 , wherein said step of laying said compression bandage around, and over the patient's wound includes the step of:
 selecting the pressing point so that each end of said compression bandage overlap and the compressive pressure of up to approximately 55 mm Hg is established.   
     
     
         16 . The method for aiding in healing of a patient after a surgical procedure according to  claim 14 , further comprising the steps of:
 reducing the compressive pressure in stages by opening said releasable hook-and-loop closure; and,   selecting a different pressing point by laying said compression bandage around, and over, the patient's wound incurred from the surgical procedure by pressing said hook strip closed at a pressing point on said fleece side, so that a different amount of compressive pressure is established that is less than the compressive pressure that previously existed.   
     
     
         17 . A method for aiding in healing of a patient after a surgical procedure on a female breast, comprising the steps of:
 providing a first compression bandage and a second compression bandage, each of said first compression bandage and said second compression bandage comprising:
 a textile fabric shaped as an elongated rectangle; 
 a hook strip comprised of hooks and fastened along a small portion of a first lateral face of said textile fabric defining a hook side thereof; 
 elastic filaments running in a longitudinal direction along said textile fabric and having, in a transverse direction, virtually inelastic supporting filaments, said elastic filaments having a spring constant in the longitudinal direction of 0.3 to 3 Newtons/cm of longitudinal stretching per meter length per decimeter width of said compression bandage; 
 a fleece side of said textile fabric having loops of soft filaments interwoven and uniformly distributed over a second lateral face positioned oppositely said hook strip, said loops being oriented approximately perpendicularly to said second lateral face and, in size and distance from one another, being complementary to said hooks of said hook strip, said fleece side and said hook side forming a releasable hook-and-loop closure; and, 
 a hollow spherical segment fixed on said fleece side, said textile fabric being fixed at an edge of said hollow spherical segment and at points uniformly distributed over an inner surface of said hollow spherical segment, 
   positioning said hollow spherical segment of said first compression bandage over a point of surgery on a first female breast of a patient;   folding said hollow spherical segment of said second compression bandage over a second female breast of the patient;   connecting said first compression bandage and said second compression bandage to one another at a first point between the first female breast and the second female breast of the patient; and,   connecting said first compression bandage and said second compression bandage at a second point around the patient's back via said hook strip of said first compression bandage to connect with said second compression bandage so that said first compression bandage and said second compression bandage lie on the patient's body, so that said hollow spherical segment of said first compression bandage and said hollow spherical segment of said second compression bandage are, respectively, retained on said first female breast and said second female breast of the patient.   
     
     
         18 . The method for aiding in healing of a patient after a surgical procedure on a female breast according to  claim 17 , further comprising the step of:
 alternately releasing, displacing and pressing on between said releasable hook-and-loop closure of said first compression bandage and said releasable hook-and-loop closure of said second compression bandage.