Sterile compartmented packaging arrangement

Abstract

A medical procedure supply kit includes at least two compartmented trays adapted for containing medical supplies. The trays are separably connected to one another along a perforated edge. Each tray contains the medical supplies required for one stage of a multi-stage medical procedure. With this construction the medical supplies for each stage are kept together and useable in stages by separating the trays along the perforated edge and opening each tray separately.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a sterile compartmented packaging arrangement and more particularly to a medical procedure supply kit that keeps medical supplies used in a multiple stage medical procedure that is conducted over a time interval of hours, days or longer, sterile and together yet separable so that the necessary supplies for a given stage can be accessed in stages when needed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Many different medical supply kits and/or trays are available for many of the known medical procedures. These kits and/or trays typically include sterile medical supplies in some sort of sealed packaging.

[0003] Institutions and care providers are often compelled to obtain individually packaged medical supplies, or kits and/or trays that include all the medical supplies necessary for a medical procedure bundled in a single package.

[0004] However, many medical procedures are staged procedures, wherein some medical items or supplies in a sterile condition are required presently and other additional medical items in a sterile condition are required at a future period, hours or days later. In these situations, use of individually packaged medical supplies is not desirable and kits and/or trays containing the required medical supplies once opened to obtain the items needed to begin a procedure suffer the fate of having the items required in future stages to become exposed to the environment and pose a health risk when used in the future.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The present invention provides a package containing items for any two, or more, staged medical procedure in which a care provider requires some items in sterile condition presently and other items for a subsequent stage or stages hours or days later.

[0006] The present invention also provides a sterile compartmental packaging arrangement wherein some items are used in a dirty part of the procedure and for aseptic and infection control reasons the rest of the items or components are kept sterile until just before the clean procedure use.

[0007] Accordingly a medical procedure supply kit meeting the needs and objects of the invention includes at least two compartmented trays adapted for containing medical supplies. The trays are separably connected to one another along a perforated edge. Each tray contains the medical supplies required for one stage of a multiple stage medical procedure. With this construction the medical supplies for each stage are kept together and useable in stages by separating the trays along the perforated edge and opening each tray separately. Further, both portions of the kit may be identified with the same code number to help facilitate accurate medical accounting and billing and tracking.

[0008] In a disclosed embodiment each tray includes a compartment having a bottom and side walls and a cover removably sealed over the compartment. Each compartment contains medical supplies. The compartment and cover are made of plastic with suitable sterile barrier properties and the cover may be heat sealed or otherwise adhered over the compartment.

[0009] The trays are adapted to maintain the medical supplies in a sterile environment.

[0010] In a more specific embodiment, a medical procedure supply kit for hemodialysis machine procedure includes two compartmented trays separably connected to one another along a perforated edge. The non-contact edges of the kit are not perforated. One of the trays is adapted to contain medical supplies for starting a patient on dialysis. The other tray is adapted to contain medical supplies for removing the patient from dialysis. Supplies for starting and removing the hemodialysis patient from the diayzer machine are sometimes referred to as (ON-OFF) kits, or trays. This kit provides all the medical supplies required for the staged procedure and allows a care provider to pull an ON-OFF kit from medical supplies stock room, open each tray separately, when required, and separate the trays from one another for use.

[0011] The tray for starting dialysis may include drape, mask, sheet of labels, PVP prep pad, alcohol prep pads, needles and syringes. The tray for removing a patient from dialysis may include a dialysis use only label, a sheet of labels, alcohol prep pads, non-vented plugs, needles, syringes and island dressing, or other items.

[0012] A method for use in a medical procedure requiring sterile medical supplies at spaced time intervals in the procedure, includes the steps of:

[0013] providing a kit including a plurality of compartmented trays wherein the number of compartmented trays represents the spaced intervals in the procedure when sterile medical supplies are desired;

[0014] each compartmented tray is connected to another compartmented tray along a perforated edge for separation by a care provider;

[0015] separating each compartmented tray as its sterile medical supplies are needed in the procedure;

[0016] opening the tray to access the needed medical supplies; and

[0017] repeating the steps of separating and opening according to the demands of the procedure.

[0018] A method of using the kit in a dialysis procedure includes two compartmented trays; one tray including sterile medical supplies for starting dialysis; and the other tray including sterile medical supplies for removing a patient from dialysis.

[0019] The method includes the steps of separating the tray for starting dialysis from the tray for removing a patient from dialysis along said perforated edge;

[0020] opening the tray for starting dialysis and using the sterile medical supplies therein as needed to initiate dialysis; performing the dialysis; and

[0021] opening the tray to remove the patient from dialysis and using the sterile medical supplies therein as needed to discontinue dialysis.

[0022] These and other features and advantages of the invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of the invention taken together with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] In the drawings:

[0024] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a medical procedure supply kit constructed in accordance with the present invention; and

[0025] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the medical procedure supply kit of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] Referring now to the drawings in detail, a medical procedure supply kit constructed in accordance with the present invention is generally indicated by reference numeral 10 and used by health care providers to separate and make available medical items in sterile condition for a medical procedure having multiple stages conducted over an extended time interval of hours, days or longer periods. As is hereinafter more fully described, the medical procedure supply kit 10 provides separably connected trays which are separable for use and remain sterile until individually opened.

[0027] As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, and by way of example, an embodiment of the supply kit 10 is shown for use in a two stage medical procedure for dialysis.

[0028] Supply kit 10 includes two compartmented trays 12, 14. Tray 12 is adapted for containing medical supplies 16 for starting a patient on dialysis and tray 14 contains medical supplies 18 for removing a patient from dialysis. The trays, 12, 14 are separably connected to one another along a perforated edge 20 extending continuously between the two compartmented trays 12, 14.

[0029] Each tray 12, 14 includes a compartment 22 having a bottom 24 and inside 26 walls, and a cover 28 removably sealed over the compartment containing the medical supplies 16, 18. The compartment 22 and cover 28 are preferably made of a plastic type material and the cover is sealed over the compartment to maintain sterility of the medical supplies contained therein.

[0030] In use, a care provider separates the trays 12, 14 from one another for use in the dialysis procedure. Tray 12, designated the ‘ON’ tray, may include medical supplies such as a drape, mask, sheet of labels, PVP prep pad, alcohol prep pads, needles and syringes. The tray 12 is opened to provide access to the medical supplies therein and the patient is started on dialysis after being attended to by the care provider together with the use of the medical supplies contained in the tray.

[0031] After the dialysis procedure is completed, some hours later, the care provider accesses tray 14, designated the ‘OFF’ tray, and disconnects or removes the patient from the dialysis procedure. The tray 14 may include a dialysis use only label, a sheet of labels, alcohol prep pads, non-vented closed, needles, syringes and a dressing, or other items.

[0032] As can be understood the sterile medical supply kit can be used wherever medical supplies in a sterile condition are required presently and other medical supplies are required in a sterile condition for subsequent stages of a multiple state medical procedure, hours or days later. Preferably such kits include a plurality of compartmented trays wherein the number of compartmented trays represents the spaced intervals in the medical procedure when sterile medical supplies are desired. Each compartment and tray is connected to another compartmented tray along a perforated edge extending continuously between each compartmented tray for separation by the user or care provider. Each compartmented tray can be separated from the others as its sterile medical supplies are needed in the medical procedure.

[0033] Although the invention has been described by reference to a specific embodiment, it should be understood that numerous changes may be made within the spirit and scope of the inventive concepts described. Accordingly, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the described embodiment, but that it have the full scope defined by the language of the following claims.

Claims

1. A medical procedure supply kit comprising:

at least two compartmented trays adapted for containing medical supplies;

said trays being separably connected to one another along a perforated edge;

each said tray adapted to contain the medical supplies of one stage of a multi-stage medical procedure whereby the medical supplies for each stage are kept together and useable in stages by separating the trays along the perforated edge and opening each tray separately.

2. The medical procedure supply kit of claim 1 wherein each tray includes a compartment having a bottom and side walls and a cover removably sealed over the compartment containing medical supplies.

3. The medical procedure supply kit of claim 2 wherein said compartment and cover are made of plastic and said cover is sealed over said compartment.

4. The medical procedure supply kit of claim 1 wherein said trays maintain the medical supplies in a sterile environment.

5. A medical procedure supply kit for dialysis procedures, the kit comprising:

two compartmented trays separably connected to one another along a perforated edge;

one of said trays adapted to contain medical supplies for starting a patient on dialysis;

the other said trays adapted to contain medical supplies for removing a patient from dialysis;

whereby a care provider can separate the trays from one another and open each tray separately.

6. The medical procedure supply kit of claim 5 wherein said tray for starting dialysis comprises at least one of a drape, mask, sheet of labels, PVP prep pad, alcohol prep pads, needles and syringes.

7. The medical procedure supply kit of claim 5 wherein said tray for removing a patient from dialysis comprises at least one of a dialysis use only label, a sheet of labels, alcohol prep pads, non-vented plugs, needles, syringes and dressing.

8. A method for use in a medical procedure requiring sterile medical supplies at spaced time intervals in the procedure, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a kit including a plurality of compartmented trays wherein the number of compartmented trays represents the spaced intervals in the procedure when sterile medical supplies are desired;

each compartmented tray being connected to another compartmented tray along a perforated edge for separation by a user;

separating each compartmented tray as its sterile medical supplies are needed in the procedure;

opening the tray to access the needed medical supplies; and

repeating the steps of separating and opening according to the demands of the procedure.

9. The method of claim 8 in a dialysis procedure wherein said kit includes two compartmented trays; one of said trays including sterile medical supplies for starting dialysis;

the other of said trays including sterile medical supplies for removing a patient from dialysis.

10. The method of claim 9 including the steps of separating the tray for starting dialysis from the tray for removing a patient from dialysis along said perforated edge;

opening the tray for starting dialysis and using the sterile medical supplies therein as needed to initiate dialysis; performing the dialysis; and

opening the tray to remove the patient from dialysis and using the sterile medical supplies therein as needed to discontinue dialysis.