Abstract: A thermal treatment system warming basin for warming a sterile liquid or medium includes a heating pad disposed on the exterior surface of the basin floor in various configurations (e.g., spiral, `I`, `X` or serpentine configurations, multiple heating pad segments disposed about the basin floor, etc.) to prevent damage to a sterile surgical drape placed over the system when objects are placed within the basin. The configurations cover a portion of the basin floor to permit the basin to absorb thermal energy that may otherwise be absorbed by and cause damage to the drape. In addition, a thermal treatment system and corresponding sterile surgical drape may include a variety of mechanisms to ensure sterility of a sterile liquid within a basin. In particular, the drape may include a reflective material segment to reflect infrared light emitted from an infrared light source toward a detector to indicate the proper positioning and/or presence of the drape on the thermal treatment system.

Abstract: A stand is disposed in a heated thermal treatment system basin to support objects placed in the basin above the heated basin floor. The stand may be circular, rectangular or other shape to accommodate various shaped basins and prevent a surgical drape disposed in the basin and containing a heated sterile medium from puncturing. A substantially circular stand includes a substantially circular frame elevating a platform having a plurality of spokes reinforced by a plurality of concentric rings, while a substantially rectangular stand includes a substantially rectangular frame elevating a platform having a plurality of intersecting perpendicular rods to form a grid.

Abstract: A surgical drape for use in a thermal treatment system having an automatic dislodgement mechanism for dislodging congealed liquid is accomplished by a drape having either a coefficient of friction approximately in the range of 0.4-1.0 as measured against steel per ASTM 1983 a metalocine-based olefin film having a flexibility approximately in the range of 10K-12K psi secant modulus measured by ASTM D882, a securing mechanism, or a preformed container portion having ribs or ridges to prevent the drape from being drawn beneath the automatic dislodgement mechanism. The securing mechanisms may be attached to the drape either at the ends of a drape portion hanging down from a top surface of the system, or at a location coincident the top surface of the machine. Further, the securing mechanisms may be separate units disposed on the drape subsequent to disposal of the drape in the basin.

Abstract: A surgical drape for use in a thermal treatment system congealing a sterile medium within a basin and automatically dislodging the congealed sterile medium adhered to the drape adjacent basin walls is accomplished by a drape having a drape portion covering the system housing with part of the drape portion disposed in the basin. The drape may further include a pre-formed container portion fitted to match the contour of, and being disposed within, the basin. The container portion may accommodate various shaped basins and include individual fluted sections, drape deformities, or an inflatable bladder surrounded by the fluted sections for facilitating dislodgement of the congealed medium. Further, the drape or pre-formed container portion may include a substantially annular bladder, or a bladder having a plurality of individually inflatable sections for manipulation of the drape relative to the basin to dislodge the congealed sterile medium.

Abstract: A surgical drape for use in a thermal treatment system congealing a sterile medium within a basin and automatically dislodging the congealed sterile medium adhered to the drape adjacent basin walls is accomplished by a drape having a drape portion covering the system housing with part of the drape portion disposed in the basin. The drape may further include a pre-formed container portion fitted to match the contour of, and being disposed within, the basin. The container portion may accommodate various shaped basins and include individual fluted sections, drape deformities, or an inflatable bladder surrounded by the fluted sections for facilitating dislodgement of the congealed medium. Further, the drape or preformed container portion may include a substantially annular bladder, or a bladder having a plurality of individually inflatable sections for manipulation of the drape relative to the basin to dislodge the congealed sterile medium.

Abstract: The presence of a drape on a thermal treatment system for ensuring sterility of a sterile medium contained within a thermal treatment system basin is determined by the use of a drape identifier and corresponding detector. When a drape containing the identifier is placed on the corresponding thermal treatment system, a detector senses and verifies the drape identifier to determine the presence of the drape on the thermal treatment system. A controller receives a signal from the detector indicating whether or not a drape is present on the thermal treatment system. If a drape is not present on the thermal treatment system, the controller prevents thermal treatment system operation.

Abstract: Sterile surgical fluid is maintained in one or more temperature controlled basins provided at the top of a cabinet. One or more insulated temperature controlled compartments are formed in the cabinet for storing supplemental supplies of the surgical fluid at the temperatures close to the temperatures of the basins to facilitate replenishing and/or replacing the fluid in the basins. The storage compartments can be used for long-term temperature controlled fluid storage when basin temperature is not being controlled (i.e., between surgical procedures).

Abstract: Reinforced surgical drapes are utilized in combination with a thermal treatment system including a basin recessed in a top surface of a system housing to ensure sterility of a sterile medium and to reduce drape costs. A reinforced surgical drape typically includes a primary drape layer of relatively thin construction that may puncture or tear under stress and at least one reinforcing layer selectively attached to drape portions receiving stress during use to prevent the drape from puncturing or tearing. Each reinforcing layer includes at least one segment that may either reinforce substantially the entire drape or the stressed drape portions. Alternatively, a surgical drape may be reinforced by disposing at least one drape over another drape placed on a thermal treatment system. The multiple drape embodiment enables immediate generation of a sterile field above a previously used or damaged drape, and further enables reuse of an underlying drape since an overlying drape provides the sterile field.

Abstract: A sterile surgical drape for use with a system for thermally treating a sterile medium is accomplished by a drape including liquid sensitive material that changes color upon contact with liquid to indicate the presence of a leak. The liquid sensitive material may be placed between the drape and a receiving basin or affixed to the drape in the form of indicia symbolically directing placement of the drape over the system. The system may include a single basin and be of the type that either thermally cools or heats the sterile medium, or the system may include a plurality of basins with each basin either thermally cooling or heating the sterile medium. The drape typically includes liquid sensitive material affixed thereto in the form of various indicia indicating which portions of the drape are placed over the corresponding portions of the thermal treatment system.

Abstract: A surgical drape for use in a thermal treatment system congealing a sterile medium within a basin and automatically dislodging the congealed sterile medium adhered to the drape adjacent basin walls is accomplished by a drape having a drape portion covering the system housing with part of the drape portion disposed in the basin. The drape may further include a pre-formed container portion fitted to match the contour of, and being disposed within, the basin. The container portion may accommodate various shaped basins and include individual fluted sections, drape deformities, or an inflatable bladder surrounded by the fluted sections for facilitating dislodgement of the congealed medium. Further, the drape or preformed container portion may include a substantially annular bladder, or a bladder having a plurality of individually inflatable sections for manipulation of the drape relative to the basin to dislodge the congealed sterile medium.

Abstract: The sterility of a drape for use on surgical equipment is ensured by the use of bar codes and a microprocessor. When a drape containing a bar code is placed on the corresponding surgical equipment, a bar code reader ascertains the bar code on the drape. A microprocessor receives the bar code and determines whether the bar code has been previously written to memory indicating the drapes prior use. If the bar code is not present, the current bar code of the drape is written into memory, and subsequent operation of the surgical equipment commences. If the bar code is present, the microprocessor prevents the surgical equipment from operating. The microprocessor conserves memory by deleting bar code numbers of drapes that surpass a user determined time period.

Abstract: A sterile surgical drape for use with a system for thermally treating sterile medium is accomplished by a drape including indicia symbolically directing placement of the drape over the system. The system may include a single or plurality of basins for thermally cooling and/or heating the sterile medium. The drape includes various indicia indicating which portions of the drape are placed over the corresponding portions of the thermal treatment system. The indicia may include symbols indicating the center of the basins, the direction to unfold the drape after removing the drape from its package, the proper orientation of the drape when placed on the system, and alignment of the drape on the system such that the drape overhangs the top surface of the system for a sufficient length to reduce the risk of contamination to the sterile medium. The indicia assist the operator in properly aligning and placing the drape over the system to ensure sterility.

Abstract: The features of a surgical slush machine are augmented by supplemental basins for surgical liquid to thereby permit simultaneous availability of warm and/or chilled liquid and/or surgical slush. The basins are disposed in close sequential adjacency, and a common sterile drape is disposed over and contoured to all of the basins to provide separate sterile receptacles in the drape for the various sterile media. Basin centering indicia on the drape facilitate deployment of the drape relative to the basins and selectively removable covers insulate and protect the sterile medium between periods of use. Cooling and heating of the respective basins is effected independently with individual power controls.

Abstract: A sterile drape assembly includes a sheet of sterile drape material bonded to a disk-like member. The drape establishes a sterile field atop a surgical slush machine and is conformable to a cooling basin to provide a drape container impervious to the sterile slush medium. The disk-like member is preferably bonded to the bottom of the drape container and is engageable by a movable member projecting into the basin. The movable member (e.g., a longitudinally reciprocable vertical shaft) moves the member and the drape to dislodge frozen pieces of the sterile medium that attach to the sides of the drape container.

Abstract: A sterile drape assembly includes a sheet of sterile drape material bonded to a disk-like member. The drape establishes a sterile field atop a surgical slush machine and is conformable to a cooling basin to provide a drape container impervious to the sterile slush medium. The disk-like member is preferably bonded to the bottom of the drape container and is engageable by a movable member projecting into the basin. The movable member (e.g., a longitudinally reciprocable vertical shaft) moves the member and the drape to dislodge frozen pieces of the sterile medium that attach to the sides of the drape container.

Abstract: The features of a surgical slush machine are augmented by a separate warming basin for surgical liquid to thereby permit simultaneous availability of the warmed liquid and surgical slush. The slush cooling basin is disposed adjacent the warming basin, and a common sterile drape is disposed over and contoured to both basins to provide separate sterile receptacles in the drape for the liquid and slush. Basin centering indicia on the drape facilitate deployment of the drape relative to the basins. Cooling and heating of the respective basins are effected independently with individual power controls.

Abstract: Frozen pieces of sterile medium, such as saline, are dislodged from a sterile drape container in a surgical slush producing machine a manipulating the drape relative to the cooled basin to which the drape container conforms. Manipulation of the drape is achieved by pushing, twisting, pulling, lifting, etc., on the drape to displace it from the basin. Such movement of the drape may be effected on a continuous and automatic basis, or by manual means using a member or implement to facilitate drape movement. The system cabinet includes a refrigerated compartment for pre-chilling sterile liquid to be used in forming the surgical slush.

Abstract: The features of a surgical slush machine are augmented by a separate warming basin for surgical liquid to thereby permit simultaneous availability of the warmed liquid and surgical slush. The slush cooling basin is disposed adjacent the warming basin, and a common sterile drape is disposed over and contoured to both basins to provide separate sterile receptacles in the drape for the liquid and slush. Basin centering indicia on the drape facilitate deployment of the drape relative to the basins. Cooling and heating of the respective basins are effected independently with individual power controls.

Abstract: Frozen pieces o sterile medium, such as saline, are dislodged from a sterile drape container in a surgical slush producing machine by manipulating the drape relative to the cooled basin to which the drape container conforms. Manipulation of the drape is achieved by pushing, twisting, pulling, lifting, etc. on the drape to displace it from the basin. Such movement of the drape may be effected on a continuous and automatic basis, or by manual means using a member or implement to facilitate drape movement. The system cabinet includes a refrigerated compartment for pre-chilling sterile liquid to be used in forming the surgical slush.

Abstract: The system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,393,659 (Keyes et al) for producing surgical slush is improved to permit the slush to be collected directly in a drape or sheet, thereby eliminating the separate product basin and liquid thermal transfer medium required in the prior system. The sheet is made to conform to a heat transfer basin atop the system refrigeration unit and is impervious to the surgical liquid from which the slush is formed. In order to prevent damage to the drape by abrupt edges of basin spacers permanently projecting from the heat transfer wall into the basin interior, the spacers are covered or recessed by protective members eliminating all possible contact between the sheet and the spacer edges.