THOMAS J O'KEEFE, MD
Medical Practice at Elliott Dr, Ypsilanti, MI

2004014, Jul 29, 2004

Feb 17, 2004

10/468749

Thomas O'Keefe - Ann Arbor MI, US

A61F005/00

602/003000

A cast or splint construction that is provided as a flat, multilayered construction pre-configured to have a general form specific to the type of cast to be applied. The multilayer cast construction can be trimmed to size appropriate for the individual body part. The cast construction has one or more inner layers that rest against the patient's skin. Preferably, the skin-contacting layer is made of a material capable of wicking away moisture from the patient's skin. An outer layer of a wettable, breathable, and durable fabric forms the exterior surface of the multilayered cast construction. One or more central layers are sandwiched between the inner layer and the outer layer. The central layers contain one or more layers of padding material and channels of hardenable material. Stitching binds the multiple layers into a unitary multilayer cast construction and defines alternating flexible and hardenable regions. The plurality of alternating flexible and hardenable regions extends in the lengthwise direction relative to the longitudinal axis of a body part, and generally form a ribbed structure. Even after the hardenable regions have been hardened, the flexible regions bend bidirectionally upward and downward in a direction perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of the ribbed structure. This allows for the cast to be removed and re-used during the patient's course of treatment.