SURGICAL PACK

Abstract

A surgical pack having a flexible body and a removable cover. A sleeve is disposed on the bottom surface of the pack to receive a user's hand to facilitate the support and control of the pack with the one hand.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally pertains to surgical procedures. More particularly, but not by way of limitation, the present invention pertains to surgical procedures that use accessories and consumables disposed in a surgical pack.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

A variety of items are used in surgery. For example, in ophthalmic surgery, such items include a surgical console, accessories (e.g. probes, handpieces, other hand-held instruments), and various consumables (e.g. surgical cassettes; tubing sets or cables that connect the console or cassette in the non-sterile field to the probe or handpiece in the sterile field). Such items are often provided in sterile packs or kits for distribution purposes. Typically, each tubing set or cable in a pack is separately coiled and banded.

Two persons are required to prepare the surgical system for use. One is the scrub (or sterile) nurse and the other is the circulating (or non-sterile) nurse. The scrub nurse is fully gowned and gloved and works in the sterile field, while the circulating nurse is not gowned or gloved and works in the non-sterile field. The scrub nurse must remain in the sterile field and is not allowed to contact the non-sterile field, while the circulating nurse must remain in the non-sterile field and is not allowed to contact the sterile field. The scrub and circulating nurses work together to aseptically transfer sterile items from the sterile field to the non-sterile field and visa versa.

Among various duties, the scrub nurse assembles sterile items in the sterile field while the circulating nurse connects the sterile tubing set and cable connectors transferred from the sterile field to the non-sterile field. Since each tubing set or cable is individually coiled and banded, the scrub nurse must locate and unband each coil, locate the appropriate end for transfer to the console or cassette, and aseptically transfer the proper end to the circulating nurse. The circulating nurse must then aseptically accept the connector end from the scrub nurse and locate the correct mating connector on the console or cassette before making the connection.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary, conventional surgical pack 300 for housing various surgical accessories and consumables. Pack 300 generally includes a body 302 and a cover 304. Body 302 has an interior 306 and an opening 308. Body 302 is formed from conventional, rigid plastic in a shape to conveniently store the required surgical accessories and consumables. Cover 304 is removably coupled to body 302 and is disposed over opening 308. Cover 304 is formed from a breathable, porous material, such as, by way of example, high density polyethylene. A preferred material for cover 304 is the TYVEK® material available from E.I. duPont de Nemours and Company of Wilmington, Del. Cover 304 is removably coupled to body 302 via an adhesive. Pack 300 is suitable for sterilization via conventional gamma radiation or ethylene oxide processes.

Conventional surgical packs such as pack 300 are subject to certain limitations. For example, after pack 300 is used in a surgery, the rigid plastic of body 302 consumes a relatively large amount of space when pack 300 is disposed in a trash container or receptacle in the operating room. Therefore, a need continues to exist in the ophthalmic surgical field for an improved pack for housing various surgical accessories and consumables.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a surgical pack having a body made from a lightweight flexible material, a cover removably coupled to a top surface of the body, and a sleeve disposed on a bottom surface of the body. The body has an interior with a surgical accessory and/or a surgical consumable disposed therein. The sleeve has an opening for receiving a user's hand to facilitate the support and control of the pack with the one hand.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and for further objects and advantages thereof, reference is made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective, partially sectional view of a conventional surgical pack;

FIG. 2 is a bottom, perspective view of the surgical pack of the present invention showing the sleeve and the placement of a user's hand within the sleeve; and

FIG. 3 is a top, perspective view of the surgical pack of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The preferred embodiments of the present invention and their advantages are best understood by referring to FIGS. 2-3 of the drawings, like numerals being used for like and corresponding parts of the various drawings.

FIGS. 2-3 show a surgical pack 10 for housing various surgical accessories and consumables according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As used herein, a “surgical accessory” refers to a probe, handpiece, or other hand-held instrument used in a microsurgical procedure. As used herein, a “surgical consumable” refers to a surgical cassette, tubing, or cable used in a microsurgical procedure. Pack 10 is preferably an ophthalmic surgical pack.

Pack 10 generally includes a body 12 and a cover 14. Body 12 has a bottom surface 16, a top surface 18, and an interior. Body 12 is preferably formed from flexible, lightweight material. A flexible, lightweight plastic is the preferred material for body 12. Cover 14 is removably coupled to body 12 around a perimeter of top surface 18, preferably via an adhesive. Cover 14 is formed from a breathable, porous material, such as, by way of example, high density polyethylene. A preferred material for cover 14 is the TYVEK® material available from E.I. duPont de Nemours and Company of Wilmington, Del. Pack 10 is suitable for sterilization via conventional gamma radiation or ethylene oxide processes. The interior of body 12 holds one or more surgical accessories 30, one or more surgical consumables 32, or one or more surgical accessories 30 and one or more surgical consumables 32, depending upon the surgical procedure for which pack 10 is intended. Surgical accessories 30 and surgical consumables 32 are shown in dashed or hidden lines within the interior of body 12 in FIG. 3.

After pack 10 has been used in a surgery, the flexible material of body 12 allows for easy disposal and reduced trash volume. However, the flexible material makes pack 10 difficult for a scrub nurse or other user to support and control with one hand during the setup for a surgical procedure. For this reason, a sleeve 20 having an opening 22 is disposed on bottom surface 16 of body 12.

During use, a scrub nurse or other user inserts his or her hand and/or arm 24 into sleeve 20 via opening 22. Sleeve 20 allows the scrub nurse to support and maintain control of pack 10 during the setup for a surgical procedure. With the other hand, the scrub nurse is then able to remove cover 14 and access the surgical accessories 30 and/or surgical consumables 32 within the interior of body 12.

It is believed that the operation and construction of the present invention will be apparent from the foregoing description. While the apparatus and methods shown or described above have been characterized as being preferred, various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

Claims

1. A surgical pack, comprising:

a body made from a lightweight, flexible material, said body having an interior with a surgical accessory disposed therein;

a cover removably coupled to a top surface of said body;

a sleeve disposed on a bottom surface of said body, said sleeve having an opening for receiving a user's hand to facilitate the support and control of said pack with said hand.

2. The surgical pack of claim 1 wherein said pack is an ophthalmic surgical pack.

3. The surgical pack of claim 1 wherein said body is made from plastic.

4. The surgical pack of claim 1 wherein said interior has a surgical consumable disposed therein.

5. A surgical pack, comprising:

a body made from a lightweight, flexible material, said body having an interior with a surgical consumable disposed therein;

a cover removably coupled to a top surface of said body;

a sleeve disposed on a bottom surface of said body, said sleeve having an opening for receiving a user's hand to facilitate the support and control of said pack with said hand.

6. The surgical pack of claim 5 wherein said pack is an ophthalmic surgical pack.

7. The surgical pack of claim 5 wherein said body is made from plastic.