Wound and therapy compress and dressing

Abstract

A method of providing moisture therapy to a subject by applying a moist therapy compress against a treated body portion. The moist therapy compress includes a fluid-permeable shell, a flexible backing fastened to the shell to define an enclosure, and a hydrophilic zeolite fill granules loosely contained within the enclosure. The therapy compress is exposed to a source of moisture to cause absorption of water into the a hydrophilic zeolite, and the moisture is delivered from the hydrophilic zeolite through the fluid permeable shell to the treated body portion.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An article for use as an antimicrobial wound dressing and compress for moist heat therapy of a treated body part of a patient, the article comprising:
 a shell for application to the treated body part of the patient, the shell forming at least one enclosure comprising a shape and size configured to rest in an eye hollow of a human face; and   a plurality of fill granules loosely contained within the at least one enclosure for delivering the moist heat therapy from the fill granules to the treated body part of the patient, the fill granules comprising hydrophilic zeolite molecular sieve particles comprising at most twenty percent weight content of silver.   
     
     
         2 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the hydrophilic zeolite molecular sieve particles are configured to allow repeated absorption and dissipation of moisture to and from the hydrophilic zeolite material. 
     
     
         3 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the shell comprises a synthetic microwave non-responsive fabric. 
     
     
         4 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the shell is fluid permeable. 
     
     
         5 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the silver comprises at least one of the group comprising atomic silver, silver compounds, silver salts, silver chloride, and silver nitrate. 
     
     
         6 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the hydrophilic zeolite molecular sieve particles comprise loaded zeolite and unloaded zeolite. 
     
     
         7 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the shell and the plurality of fill granules are configured to be reused after washing. 
     
     
         8 . An article for use as an antimicrobial wound dressing and compress for moist heat therapy of a treated body part of a patient, the article comprising:
 a flexible backing;   a shell for application to the treated body part of the patient, the shell being attached to the flexible backing to form at least one enclosure comprising a shape and size configured to rest in an eye hollow of a human face; and   a plurality of fill granules loosely contained within the at least one enclosure for delivering the moist heat therapy from the fill granules to the treated body part of the patient, the fill granules comprising loaded zeolite and unloaded zeolite molecular sieve particles.   
     
     
         9 . The article of  claim 8 , wherein the hydrophilic zeolite molecular sieve particles are configured to allow repeated absorption and dissipation of moisture to and from the hydrophilic zeolite material. 
     
     
         10 . The article of  claim 8 , wherein the flexible backing and shell comprises a synthetic microwave non-responsive fabric. 
     
     
         11 . The article of  claim 8 , wherein the shell is fluid permeable. 
     
     
         12 . The article of  claim 8 , wherein the shell and the plurality of fill granules are configured to be reused after washing. 
     
     
         13 . An article for use as an antimicrobial wound dressing and compress for moist heat therapy of a treated body part of a patient, the article comprising:
 a flexible backing;   a shell for application to the treated body part of the patient, the shell being releasably attached to the flexible backing to form at least one enclosure comprising a shape and size configured to rest in an eye hollow of a human face; and   a plurality of fill granules loosely contained within the at least one enclosure for delivering the moist heat therapy from the fill granules to the treated body part of the patient, the fill granules comprising hydrophilic zeolite molecular sieve particles comprising at most twenty percent weight content of silver attained by ion-exchange.   
     
     
         14 . The article of  claim 13 , wherein the hydrophilic zeolite molecular sieve particles are configured to allow repeated absorption and dissipation of moisture to and from the hydrophilic zeolite material. 
     
     
         15 . The article of  claim 13 , wherein the flexible backing and shell comprises a synthetic microwave non-responsive fabric. 
     
     
         16 . The article of  claim 13 , wherein the shell is fluid permeable. 
     
     
         17 . The article of  claim 13 , wherein the silver comprises at least one of the group comprising atomic silver, silver compounds, silver salts, silver chloride, and silver nitrate. 
     
     
         18 . The article of  claim 13 , wherein the hydrophilic zeolite molecular sieve particles comprise loaded zeolite and unloaded zeolite. 
     
     
         19 . The article of  claim 13 , wherein the shell and the plurality of fill granules are configured to be reused after washing.