Glow-in-the-dark gauze, pads, and sponges

Abstract

The present invention provides medical gauze, pads, and sponges that allow for easy confirmation of the absence of residual medical gauze, pads, and sponges in the body without the need to secure a light source during treatment in dark places or to use X-rays. [Solution] The phosphorescent silicone and phosphorescent styrene 2 contain a phosphorescent material. The medical phosphorescent gauze, pad and sponge 2 of the present invention have the phosphorescent silicone and phosphorescent styrene 2 attached to the medical gauze, pad and sponge 1.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a medical gauze, pad and sponge, in which luminous silicon, luminous silicone and luminous styrene are attached to the medical gauze, pad and sponge, so that their presence can be confirmed by dimming the room during surgery, and the surroundings can be brightened by the light sources of the luminous silicon, luminous silicone and luminous styrene even in a dark place to facilitate the operation.

[0002] The medical luminous gauze, pad and sponge of the present invention are basically the same as ordinary medical gauze, and are used for protecting affected areas, skin and body tissues, and absorbing liquids such as blood. The materials of the gauze, pad and sponge mainly include woven fabrics, knitted fabrics, non-woven fabrics, sponges and the like.

Background Art

[0003] During surgical operations, medical gauze, pads and sponges are used to protect incisions and organs, or to absorb and then drain blood and exudate. Sometimes, medical errors occur where the medical gauze, pad or sponge is left remaining in the body before suturing.

[0004] As a medical gauze, pad and sponge for preventing such a situation, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 57-10854 discloses an X-ray contrast gauze, pad and sponge woven with threads containing an X-ray contrast agent. When this gauze, pad and sponge is used, X-ray imaging is performed after the operation, and the absence of the shadow of the X-ray contrast agent-containing thread makes it possible to confirm that no gauze, pad or sponge remains in the body.

[0005] There is also a medical gauze printed with X-ray contrast ink as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-93432.

[0006] The method of using these X-ray contrast gauze, pads, and sponges to confirm that no gauze, pads, or sponges remain in the body is extremely inefficient because it requires taking X-ray images in the radiology room after suturing the affected area post-surgery.

[0007] Furthermore, if it is confirmed that the material remains inside the body after suturing, another surgery will be necessary, which places an immeasurable burden on the patient.

[0008] Furthermore, because medical gauze, pads, and sponges absorb blood, their color can blend in with the surrounding organs, making it difficult to visually locate the gauze at times.

[0009] Furthermore, when operating on areas that are difficult to illuminate during surgery, such as the sides of organs, the affected area becomes difficult to see, making the surgery challenging. Therefore, there was a need to illuminate these hard-to-reach areas. This invention aims to solve the problem.

[0010] To solve the above problems, the objective is to provide medical gauze, pads, and sponges that allow for clearer and easier visual confirmation, compared to conventional products, that no gauze or other materials remain inside the body during surgery. Furthermore, when operating on areas that are difficult to illuminate during surgery, the affected area becomes difficult to see, making the surgery challenging. Therefore, the objective is to provide medical gauze, pads, and sponges that can illuminate these areas. Means for solving these problems

[0011] To achieve the aforementioned objective, the present invention provides medical phosphorescent gauze, pads, and sponges to which phosphorescent silicone, phosphorescent styrene, and phosphorescent styrene are attached and then dried.

[0012] The phosphorescent silicone and phosphorescent styrene are securely attached to the gauze, pads, and sponges through simple processes such as printing, printing, and padding. A thickness of 0.01mm to 3mm is desirable.

[0013] Furthermore, because phosphorescent silicone and phosphorescent styrene are resins, heat treatment may be performed to strengthen their adhesion to gauze, pads, and sponges, to cure them, and to speed up the drying time. The temperature is 40°C to 180°C. The time varies depending on the type and thickness of the resin, but it generally takes 30 seconds to 2 days.

[0014] In addition, the phosphorescent silicone and phosphorescent styrene used may be colored. For example, colorants or pigments may be mixed into the silicone or styrene resin to add color. The phosphorescent silicone and phosphorescent styrene may also be colored with blue or green dyes so that the gauze, pads, and sponges become more visible when they absorb blood or other fluids.

[0015] Furthermore, while phosphorescent materials such as zinc sulfide (ZnS-based) and strontium aluminate (SrAl2O4-based) are often used as phosphorescent materials in phosphorescent silicon, phosphorescent silicone, and phosphorescent styrene, any material that can emit light will suffice.

[0016] The present invention provides a medical phosphorescent gauze, pad, and sponge made from, for example, cotton, rayon, cupro, nylon, polyester, polyurethane, polyethylene, melamine, or other woven, knitted, or nonwoven medical gauze, pad, or sponge made from such materials. By attaching phosphorescent silicone and phosphorescent styrene to part or all of the surface of these materials, a medical phosphorescent gauze, pad, or sponge is obtained.

[0017] The medical phosphorescent gauze, pads, and sponges of the present invention may be obtained by applying phosphorescent silicone, phosphorescent silicone, and phosphorescent styrene in linear patterns along the edges of the gauze, pads, and sponges, as shown in Figure 1, by hand coating, printing, printer, or padding. Multiple lines of phosphorescent silicone, phosphorescent silicone, and phosphorescent styrene may be applied. Alternatively, they may be applied in a polka-dot pattern, as shown in Figure 2. The shape and size of the applied phosphorescent silicone, phosphorescent silicone, and phosphorescent styrene can be freely changed depending on the purpose and application.

[0018] Alternatively, as shown in Figure 3, you can sew the thread to the gauze or sew on an X-ray contrast thread so that it can be grasped with tweezers.

[0019] The medical phosphorescent gauze, pads, and sponges of the present invention have phosphorescent silicone and phosphorescent styrene attached to their surfaces, but because these are soft resins, they retain the inherent flexibility and blood absorbency of the gauze, pads, and sponges without compromising them.

[0020] Furthermore, since the phosphorescent silicone, phosphorescent silicone, and phosphorescent styrene used in the medical phosphorescent gauze, pads, and sponges of the present invention are gel-like resins before drying, it is also possible to mix these resins with an X-ray contrast agent before attaching them to the medical gauze, pads, and sponges. An example of an X-ray contrast agent is barium sulfate, but this is not limited to any agent that is visible to X-rays. By mixing in this agent, it is possible to easily confirm that no residue remains in the body by dimming the room and making the phosphorescent silicone, phosphorescent silicone, and phosphorescent styrene glow, and then confirm the presence or absence of shadows by X-ray imaging, thereby reliably reducing the amount of residue left behind in the medical phosphorescent gauze, pads, and sponges.

[0021] Because phosphorescent silicone and phosphorescent styrene are resins, they can be made into a gel-like state, allowing them to retain their original flexibility even when applied to a surface.

[0022] The medical luminous gauze, pad and sponge of the present invention are preferably subjected to sterilization exemplified by high-pressure steam sterilization and EOG sterilization. In addition, since luminous silicon, luminous silicone and luminous styrene are non-eluting to the human body, the medical luminous gauze, pad and sponge to which the luminous silicon, luminous silicone and luminous styrene are adhered are hygienic and highly safe.

[0023] The medical luminous gauze, pad and sponge of the present invention are inserted into the body through an incision during surgery to absorb or protect bleeding and the like, and then taken out. By darkening the room, the luminous silicon, luminous silicone and luminous styrene glow and appear clearly, so that it is possible to easily visually confirm that none of the medical luminous gauze, pad and sponge remain in the body.

[0024] In addition, a mixture of luminous silicon, luminous silicone and luminous styrene with barium sulfate as an X-ray contrast agent can be reconfirmed by X-ray imaging after surgery.

[0025] In addition, the luminous gauze, pad and sponge of the present invention can serve as a light source to brighten the surroundings.

Examples

[0026] Hereinafter, examples of the luminous gauze of the present invention will be described in detail.

[0027] The luminous gauze of the present invention was prototyped as follows.

[0028] Medical barium sulfate was blended into the luminous silicone resin, and the mixture was sufficiently stirred to obtain a luminous silicone resin.

[0029] A mixture of luminous silicone resin and medical barium sulfate was printed and attached to medical gauze in a polka dot pattern as shown in Figure 2, and dried at 130°C for 3 minutes to produce a prototype. Effects of the Invention

[0030] As described in detail above, the medical phosphorescent gauze, pad and sponge of the present invention can be easily produced by attaching a resin containing a phosphorescent material. Therefore, the productivity of this gauze, pad and sponge is high.

[0031] The medical phosphorescent gauze, pad and sponge of the present invention are inserted into the body during surgical operations to absorb and protect against bleeding blood and exudate, and are flexible and have excellent absorbency for bleeding blood and the like.

[0032] When the room is darkened, the phosphorescent gauze, pad and sponge of the present invention glow, so the gauze can be easily and clearly confirmed without blending in with the surrounding colors, and it is obvious that the absence of residual gauze in the body can be easily visually verified compared with conventional products. In addition, products obtained by mixing an X-ray contrast agent into phosphorescent silicon, phosphorescent silicone and phosphorescent styrene will clearly show the shadows of the medical phosphorescent gauze, pad and sponge of the present invention when subjected to X-ray radiography, so that the residual gauze, pad and sponge in the body can be confirmed again. From this result, by darkening the operating room before suturing the affected area during surgery, the residual gauze in the body can be easily and clearly confirmed visually, and the residual gauze in the body can be confirmed again by X-ray radiography after suturing the affected area, so double confirmation can be performed, and it is obvious that medical accidents can be reduced compared with conventional products.

[0033] This phosphorescent gauze, pad and sponge has phosphorescent silicon, phosphorescent silicone and phosphorescent styrene firmly attached to the surface, and furthermore, the phosphorescent silicon, phosphorescent silicone and phosphorescent styrene are non-eluting to the human body, so it is hygienic and highly safe.

[0034] In addition, during surgery, areas that are poorly lit, dark and make the affected area difficult to see make surgery difficult, but when the medical phosphorescent gauze, pad and sponge of the present invention are used, even poorly lit areas can be brightened, making surgery easier.

[0035] These findings clearly demonstrate that using the phosphorescent gauze, pads, and sponges of the present invention contributes to shortening and simplifying surgical procedures and reducing medical accidents compared to conventional methods. [Brief explanation of the drawing] [Figure 1] This figure shows examples of medical X-ray contrast gauze, pads, and sponges to which the present invention is applied. [Figure 2] This figure shows another embodiment of the medical X-ray contrast gauze, pad, and sponge to which the present invention is applied. [Figure 3] This figure shows another embodiment of the medical X-ray contrast gauze, pad, and sponge to which the present invention is applied. [Explanation of symbols] 1 is phosphorescent gauze, pads, and sponges; 2 is phosphorescent silicone, phosphorescent styrene, and phosphorescent styrene; and 3 is thread or X-ray contrast thread sewn to the medical phosphorescent gauze, pads, and sponges of the present invention so that they can be grasped with tweezers.

Claims

1. Medical gauze, pads, and sponges characterized by having phosphorescent silicone and phosphorescent styrene attached to them.

2. The medical gauze, pad, and sponge according to claim 1, characterized in that the phosphorescent silicon, phosphorescent silicone, and phosphorescent styrene are impregnated with an X-ray contrast agent.

Images