Prismatic source-indicating medical device packaging
The present invention relates to a family of medical device packages designed and fabricated to provide instantaneous recognition as to the source and origin of a sterilized medical device stored therein and for passively retaining said medical device and related items in a desired manually accessible location within the package. The invention provides apparatus and methods for safely transporting, storing, identifying source and origin of, opening, packing and unpacking, evenly balanced packages containing sterilized implantable medical devices (IMDs). The packages and methods of the invention also are designed with features and structures that efficiently enhance the mechanical stability of one or more of the packages when stored in inventory at a clinic, in transport, and on an initial packaging site, and promote ease of handling and complement implant procedure efficiency in the operating room.
The invention relates to a family of medical device packages designed and fabricated to provide instantaneous recognition as to the source and origin of a sterilized medical device stored therein and for passively retaining said medical device and related items in a desired manually accessible location within the package.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONContainers designed for storing and transporting medical devices and surgical equipment are well known in the art. Generally, these types of containers include a container and a cover with sufficient volume to hold medical devices and components securely.
One of the general requirements for medical device containers is the need to maintain physical protection for a sterilized device package. Specifically, the primary features of most sterilized medical device packages are to provide protection and maintain sterility of the device until final delivery to an operating room.
Due at least in part to the proliferation of diverse device devices a wide variety of different medical device packages populate the inventory of many hospitals and clinics. The different packages must be stored in a readily accessible manner but currently popular so-called ergonomic (or non-prismatic) shaped packages do not easily stack together and a clinician must oftentimes physically remove a package in order to determine the features and the model of the device and/or the manufacturer of the device. In addition, once a prior art package is opened the package does not typically provide a stable platform for the package or the device itself.
There is, therefore, a need to provide apparatus and methods for safely transporting, storing, identifying source and origin of, and opening and utilizing stable, well-balanced packages containing sterilized implantable medical devices (IMDs), with features and structures that efficiently enhance the mechanical stability of one or more of the packages when stored in inventory at a clinic, in transport, and on an initial packaging site, promote ease of handling and complement implant procedure efficiency in the operating room.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to a family of medical device packages designed and fabricated to provide instantaneous recognition as to the source and origin of a sterilized medical device stored therein and for passively retaining said medical device and related items in a desired manually accessible location within the package. The invention provides apparatus and methods for safely transporting, storing, identifying source and origin of, opening, packing and unpacking, evenly balanced packages containing sterilized implantable medical devices (IMDs). While diverse IMDs can be securely conveyed within the inventive package, without limitation, the inventive package can be used for implantable pulse generators, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, drug pumps, neurological, muscle and deep-brain stimulation devices, medical electrical leads, stents, and the like. The packages and methods of the invention also are designed with features and structures that efficiently enhance the mechanical stability of one or more of the packages when stored in inventory at a clinic, in transport, and on an initial packaging site, and promote ease of handling and complement implant procedure efficiency in the operating room.
In addition, the inventive packaging optionally includes package tracking features including wireless resonant antenna, g-force data logging and/or impingement of forces that exceed a predetermined threshold (e.g., using a uni- or multi-axis accelerometer or the like), optically encoded device information (e.g., universal product code), and/or automated shelf-life indicating means (e.g., a tactile, visual, and/or auditory signal or flag) that either automatically operate upon initial product release, during a given prescribed shelf-life, or following expiration of the prescribed shelf-life and/or intermittently indicates shelf-life status when the IMD package is handled or moved.
The package optionally includes apertures to enable a gradual but continuous release of sterilization gas residues and provide for equalization of pressure during, for example, a pressure excursion encountered during transit.
The apertures provide an exit for gases such as ethylene oxide, hydrogen peroxide or the like that might otherwise accumulate in the interior of the package which could render the package and the IMD unacceptable in certain jurisdictions with strict emission standards.
The package optionally includes one or more security seal members or structures that indicates that the package has been opened for the first time, thus providing visible proof if the package was tampered with, opened, or otherwise possibly compromised. One type of member includes a short segment or segments of adhesive tape (e.g., fabricated from PVC or other more environmentally friendly materials). Another type of member includes a dual purpose package wrap covering all or a portion of exposed surfaces of the package and optionally including one or decorative source-identifying symbols, logos, trademarks and the like.
While multiple embodiments of the present invention are described, depicted, and claimed herein still other embodiments of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art following review of the instant patent document. All such embodiments are intended to be expressly covered hereunder. Also the invention can be modified in various insubstantial ways without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive wherein common elements are sometimes identified in the various views by common reference numerals and the elements depicted are not rendered to scale.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
On an area of the external major surface 112 preferably source-identifying indicia 106 is displayed and as depicted the indicia 106 forms an integral part of the major surface 112 (i.e., the indicia 106 is included in the mold for the package 100 and is formed during injection of resin material into the mold). One of the inventive aspects of the present invention includes the foregoing source-identifying indicia 106 and either in lieu of or in addition to indicia 106 the resin or other material used to fabricate the package 100 (or at least one externally visible portion of the package 100) is colored per a trade dress color, a trademark color, of the sponsor, manufacturer or other source of the articles carried within the package 100. For example, in one embodiment of the invention the indicia 106 comprises one or more logos, trademarks or service marks owned by Medtronic, Inc. of Minneapolis, Minn., U.S.A. and the resin utilized to fabricate the package 100 is PMS code number 301 (blue) as identified by the Pantone Matching System (PMS) codes distributed by Pantone, Inc. of 590 Commerce Boulevard, Carlstadt, N.J., U.S.A. In another example the indicia comprises a logo, trademark or service mark of Vitatron B. V. a subsidiary of Medtronic, Inc. that operates with a relatively newly released source identifying trademark color for its products a green hue or hues corresponding to PMS code number 376 (primary) and/or PMS code number 382 (secondary). That is, more than one color can be utilized, as appropriate depending on the trademarks or trade dress of the person or firm who supply the devices or materials provided along with the source-identifying package 100.
Also depicted in
The package 100 can also include an RF or optical scanner-compliant label or similar 300, for example, usable with a manual scanner 304 which emits optical or RF radiation 304 and contains memory and transmitting circuitry for collecting and correlating the scanned packages 100. Such a capability improves inventory management and tracking of the package during transit, among other advantages.
The package 100 can also include printed product identification code field 400 (e.g., a UPC-type code) as is known in the art and widely supported in many fields of endeavor, including many hospitals and clinics.
While not depicted an embodiment of a self-supporting tray in which the implantable medical device may be stored. Tray is typically sterilized and may be made from foam or plastic material, including a hollow central interior portion with a flange extending thereabout for placing the medical device and other information therein. While also not specifically depicted, at least one breakaway strip can be adhered across a seam where the sides of package 100 overlap to provide a visible indication whether the package 100 has been opened (e.g., operates as a tamper-proof indicator). When the package 100 is opened a tensile force is exerted on breakaway strip that ultimately breaks to allow the package 100 to open. A broken strip serves as visible proof that package 100 has been opened and/or tampered with thus enabling the end user to reject the package 100.
While some selected and representative embodiments have been shown in accordance with the present invention, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. A source-identifying package for transporting a sterilized medical device, comprising:
- a first major cover having an exterior and an interior, wherein the interior has three walls and an open side wall location;
- a minor cover member coupled to the first major cover with a first hinge at the open side wall location of the first major cover;
- a second major cover having an exterior and an interior, wherein the interior has four wall members and the second major cover having a hinged coupling to the minor cover and wherein said four wall members are configured to slide inside the three walls of the first major cover;
- a source-identifying color or indicia disposed on at least one of the first major cover, the second major cover and the minor cover member; and
- at least a pair of cooperating interlocking structures disposed on one of the three walls and one of the four walls in opposing locations so that when the package is closed together the structures releasably retain the respective walls together.
2. A package according to claim 1, further comprising:
- an aperture formed in at least one of: the minor cover member, the first major cover, the second major cover.
3. A package according to claim 1, further comprising:
- a pair of rib members disposed on opposing ends of the minor cover member and configured to provide a biasing force to a corresponding one of the four side wall members.
4. A package according to claim 1, wherein at least three of the four wall members are fabricating with between about one half of a degree and three degrees of draft.
5. A package according to claim 4, further comprising:
- at least two crowned regions located where at least two of the four wall members abut.
6. A package according to claim 1, further comprising:
- a manual access cut-out feature in one of the three side walls.
7. A package according to claim 6, wherein the cut-out is disposed on the wide wall opposing the open side wall location.
8. A package according to claim 7, wherein the cut-out is configured with one of a geometric configuration and an irregular configuration.
9. A package according to claim 1, wherein the sterilized medical device comprises an implantable pulse generator (IPG).
10. A package according to claim 1, wherein the sterilized medical device comprises an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD)
11. A package according to claim 10, wherein the sterilized medical device further comprises at least one medical electrical lead for the ICD.
12. A package according to claim 1, wherein the sterilized medical device comprises an implantable drug pump.
13. A package according to claim 1, wherein the sterilized medical device comprises an implantable neurological stimulator.
14. A package according to claim 1, wherein the sterilized medical device comprises an implantable stent.
15. A package according to claim 1, wherein the sterilized medical device comprises an implantable orthopedic structure.
16. A package according to claim 1, further comprising:
- a mechanical impact sensor.
17. A package according to claim 1, wherein the mechanical impact sensor comprises one of a single-axis accelerometer and a multiple-axis accelerometer and including wireless telemetry for conveying signals to a remote unit and wherein said remote unit includes data logging and impact memory storage.
18. A package according to claim 1, wherein the sterilized medical device further includes a product information label having symbols that can be read with a machine vision device.
19. A package according to claim 1, wherein the sterilized medical device comprises one of a wireless radio frequency (RF) identification circuitry and an optical scanner identification label.
20. A source-identifying package for transporting a sterilized medical device, comprising:
- a generally prismatic container devoid of protruding external surface features when in a closed configuration, said container including a major first cover and a major second cover each radially hinged to a minor cover disposed between the major first and second covers, and wherein the exterior of the container includes at least one indicia from the group: a trademark, a logo, a slogan, a trade dress feature, a service mark, a name of a commercial entity, a trade name, an icon;
- wherein at least one of the first major cover, the second major cover, and the minor cover are predominantly colored consistent with a characteristic tradedress color of the owner of said at least one indicia; and
- wherein when the container is disposed in an open configuration the major first and the major second cover and the intermediate cover assume a substantially coplanar relationship.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 28, 2005
Publication Date: Nov 2, 2006
Inventors: Glenn Biddick (Minneapolis, MN), Chad Kornegor (Inver Grove Heights, MN), Judy Salzer (Coon Rapids, MN), Dennis Zanto (New Brighton, MN), James Domke (Edina, MN), Shelley Lillie (Stillwater, MN), David Bohn (Ham Lake, MN), William Wenger (St. Paul, MN)
Application Number: 11/116,960
International Classification: B65D 85/00 (20060101);