Cervicothoracic Mat with Peripheral Ridge for Surgical Instrument Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for transferring surgical instruments during surgery are prone to sharp injuries, inefficient, and increase the risk of confusion and harm to both surgical team members and patients due to direct handling or tray-based methods, which require additional personnel and can lead to instrument loss or contamination.
Innovation Solution
A cervicothoracic mat with a receiving portion for surgical instruments, featuring lateral extensions and a peripheral ridge to prevent instrument fall-off, allowing instruments to be safely placed on a patient's chest or back, reducing direct handling and maintaining instrument visibility and safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If surgical instruments are directly handed between surgical team members, then the transfer is quick and simple, but the risk of sharp injuries increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cervicothoracic mat serves as an intermediary surface between surgical team members during instrument transfers. Instead of direct hand-to-hand transfer, instruments are placed on the mat which is positioned on the patient's chest, eliminating the need for team members to directly handle sharp instruments and reducing injury risk while maintaining efficient workflow
2Object-affected harmful factors
If surgical instruments are placed in a tray for transfer, then the risk of sharp injuries is reduced, but the transfer process becomes slower and more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the instrument transfer process from traditional trays and removes the intermediate step of picking up instruments from a tray. By placing instruments directly on the cervicothoracic mat positioned on the patient's chest, the system eliminates tray handling time while maintaining safety through the mat's barrier function
3Device complexity
If surgical instruments are set down on the patient without a dedicated surface, then the transfer process is simplified, but the risk of instrument loss and contamination increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cervicothoracic mat serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides a secure surface for instrument placement, maintains sterility by acting as a barrier between instruments and the patient, prevents instrument loss through its contoured design, and keeps instruments visible to the surgical team. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction between simplicity and reliability
Data Source
AI summary
Examples are directed to cervicothoracic mats comprising a top surface including a receiving portion configured to receive surgical instruments and an opposite bottom surface configured to contact a patient, a first lateral surface extending from the top surface, a second lateral surface extending from top surface, and a peripheral portion arranged along the perimeter of cervicothoracic mat proximate to at least a sub-portion of the receiving portion, the peripheral portion being maintained in a non-planar configuration and configured to prevent surgical instruments from falling off of the patient.