Modular, sterilizable surgical table for use in medical procedures

Abstract

A modular sterilizable surgical table that obviates the need for sterile drapes is particularly adapted for use during surgery in hospital operating rooms or in a veterinary health care facility. The table may include a movable base to which a plurality of posts is fixedly attached. A plurality of sterilizable sleeves may be detachably coupled to the plurality of posts. A first sterilizable shelf structured to hold sterilized medical instruments and / or supplies during a medical procedure is detachably coupled to at least one of the sleeves. A second sterilizable shelf structured to hold sterilized medical instruments and / or supplies is detachably coupled to at least another one of the sleeves. Each of the sleeves and shelves is each removable from the table sterilization. The shelves may be adjustable and include one or more lips to retain items placed on the shelves.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 682,851 filed on May 20, 2005, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The invention relates generally to medical tables commonly covered with sterilized disposable surgical drapes and used during surgical or other medical procedures to both store and provide surgeon and nurse access to sterilized medical instruments and supplies and, more particularly, to an improved medical table that is compact and eliminates the need to use sterilized drapes or disposable covers. [0004] 2. Related Art [0005] Various types of specialized equipment are used to perform surgeries and other medical procedures. In particular, stainless-steel tables found in doctor's offices and operating rooms are used to hold a wide variety of sterilized medical instruments and supplies during sur...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The invention is a compact, ergonomically-designed, medical table for use in surgery and other medical procedures. The table is made up of a movable base, support members, and sterilizable platforms that can be easily detached and sterilized. The table can be used in hospitals and other medical facilities with standard autoclaves. The table is designed to be easily disassembled and sterilized, which eliminates the need for disposable drapes and makes the table more reusable. The table can be used in a variety of medical procedures and is adaptable to different needs and preferences."

Problems solved by technology

Because most conventional surgical tables are not easily disassembled for sterilization, the sterilization requirements are typically met by laying a sterilized disposable drape (cover) on the table surface(s) prior to the start of a medical procedure and then disposing of the drape(s) after the procedure is completed.

Conventional surgical tables are typically made from surgical grade stainless steel and their size makes them bulky and awkward to use.

Thus, conventional surgical tables used in the operating rooms of most hospitals cannot be readily sterilized using steam under pressure, dry heat, chemical vapor, or other types of sterilization methods.

The size of the table hinders free and easy movement of the table and the people in and around the operating room.

Small operating rooms further exacerbate this problem, because the bulky dimensions of a conventional surgical table leaves the nurse (and / or doctor(s)) with little floor space in which to work.

Additionally, instruments and / or drapes positioned on the table may fall to the floor if the table is bumped or a drape is snagged.

After the surgery or other medical procedure is finished, the drapes are considered to be biohazards, and must be properly incinerated, which increases disposal costs and adds regulatory compliance.

However, this conventional approach suffers drawbacks in that in addition to traversing the six foot length of the table, the nurse may also have to tilt the trays or baskets on the top shelf and / or stand on tiptoe or on a step stool) to see what instruments and / or supplies are inside.

Moreover, instrument trays and other supplies are likely to fall off the narrow top shelf and cascade onto those on the tabletop.

Additionally, use of the top shelf requires an extra disposable drape, which increases the hospital's overhead costs.

One disadvantage associated with this operating room instrument table is that it consumes a large area of floor space since only a single table top is included for each movable base / table support frame.

This leads to yet another disadvantage, which is that the person handling the instruments is not free to move about the operating room, but rather is confined within the center of the modular table units.

To move about the operating room, the person must push one of the modular table units out of position, and risk bumping another table unit and thereby knocking instruments into disarray and / or onto the floor.

During long medical procedures, this may generate fatigue and / or increase the risk that instruments may be bumped and / or dropped.

One disadvantage of this apparatus is that neither the auxiliary shelf nor the surgical table to which it is attached are detachable for sterilization.

Another disadvantage is that paper and / or clear plastic surgical drapes, with all the drawbacks referenced above, must be used to cover the auxiliary shelf and table before the auxiliary shelf and table can be used in surgery.

A further disadvantage is that the auxiliary shelf cannot be angled relative to the main shelf.

Consequently, it is difficult for a user of the table to view and / or access items placed on the auxiliary shelf.

However, the shelf and other parts of the surgical stand cannot be readily disassembled and sterilized.

A disadvantage of the accessory tray of Boyd, et al. is that the tray is particularly adapted to store sterile absorbent pads commonly used in neurosurgery to absorb blood or retain accumulated blood or brain fluids, meaning it has little if any utility for other medical procedures.

Another disadvantage of this apparatus is that the shelf of the surgical stand is equipped with a continuous raised lip that tends to retain blood and other fluids drained from any used surgical instruments and / or supplies that may be placed on the shelf during a procedure.

Although today's health care facilities are crowded with new types of medical devices, instruments, equipment, and packaged supplies, virtually no significant improvements have been made to the commercially available medical tables themselves, particularly those used during surgical procedures in hospital operating rooms.

Recent medical studies have generated stringent sterilization requirements, most of which are difficult or impossible to satisfy simply by hand cleaning and ultrasonic cleaning alone.

In addition to being bulky and non-ergonomic, conventional surgical tables are difficult to sterilize and are costly because they require the use of expensive sterilized disposable drapes.

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