Expandable C-Arm Imaging Drape for Sterile Barrier
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical drapes fail to effectively maintain sterility around large, mobile radiological imaging equipment like C-arm fluoroscopy units during surgeries, leading to potential infections due to unsterilized portions being exposed and requiring cumbersome deployment methods.
Innovation Solution
A flexible, expandable, and collapsible surgical drape system with a sterile outer surface that forms a pocket to enclose the imaging unit, attachable to a patient drape, ensuring sterility by extending and collapsing to accommodate the equipment's movement while maintaining a sterile zone.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple half sheets are disposed about the C-arm fluoroscopy unit, then sterility coverage is improved, but device complexity and ease of operation deteriorate due to cumbersome deployment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate half sheets into a single integrated drape that covers the entire C-arm fluoroscopy unit. This unified drape maintains sterility coverage while eliminating the complexity of deploying multiple separate sheets, allowing surgical staff to use a single pre-configured sterile barrier instead of creatively assembling multiple pieces.
2Reliability
If multiple half sheets are used to drape the C-arm unit, then sterility coverage is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to delays in surgical procedure
Solution Approach 1:
The drape is pre-configured and pre-sterilized as a complete unit before entering the operating room. This preliminary preparation eliminates the time-consuming process of creatively deploying multiple half sheets during surgery, allowing surgical staff to simply unfold and position the pre-assembled drape, thereby maintaining sterility coverage while significantly improving surgical procedure efficiency.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the C-arm unit is moved repeatedly during surgery, then adaptability is improved, but reliability deteriorates as current draping mechanisms become displaced
Solution Approach 1:
The drape is designed with flexible materials and a dynamic structure that can accommodate repeated movement of the C-arm unit during surgery. The drape includes features such as elastic components, adjustable fasteners, and flexible barriers that move with the equipment rather than restricting it, maintaining sterility coverage even when the C-arm is repositioned multiple times throughout the surgical procedure.
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical radiological C-arm imaging unit drape configured to provide a sterile outer surface about an end portion of a C-arm imaging unit and method of providing a sterile surface about an end of a C-arm imaging unit is provided. The drape includes a flexible enclosure having an upper wall with a pair of sidewalls and a rear side extending downwardly from the upper wall. The upper wall and the side walls are extendible between expanded and collapsed positions. When in the expanded position, a pocket sized for receipt of the end portion of the imaging unit beneath the upper wall is formed. The upper wall has a sterile outer surface configured to face away from and overlie the end portion of the imaging unit to maintain sterility in a sterile zone above an operating table. When in the collapsed position, the sterile outer surface shielded from external contamination.