Disposable Drape for Thermal Treatment System Sterile Barrier
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing thermal treatment systems with removable basins require frequent sterilization or replacement of the basin, leading to increased costs and complexity in maintaining a sterile boundary during medical solution warming.
Innovation Solution
A surgical drape device that conforms to the receptacle of the thermal treatment system, providing a sterile barrier and engaging structure to activate the heater without the need for a removable basin, allowing for single-use, cost-effective, and reliable maintenance of sterility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a removable basin is used in the thermal treatment system, then the heater can be activated by the basin engaging the limit switch, but the basin requires frequent sterilization or replacement to maintain sterile boundary
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the sterile barrier function from the basin by introducing a separate surgical drape that conforms to the receptacle. The drape is discarded after single use while the basin can be reused, separating the sterilization requirement from the reusable component.
Solution Approach 2:
The surgical drape is designed as a disposable single-use component that provides the sterile barrier. After one use, the drape is discarded rather than sterilized, eliminating the need for repeated sterilization of the basin while maintaining sterile boundary reliability.
2Reliability
If the basin is sterilized after each use, then sterile boundary is maintained, but cost and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical drape is pre-sterilized and packaged in sterile condition before use. This preliminary sterilization eliminates the need for post-use sterilization processing, saving time while maintaining sterile boundary reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The disposable drape replaces the reusable basin for sterilization purposes. The drape is discarded after single use rather than being sterilized, eliminating sterilization time while maintaining sterile boundary.
3Reliability
If the basin is replaced with a new sterilized basin after each use, then sterile boundary is maintained, but cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sterile barrier function is extracted from the basin and assigned to a separate disposable drape. This allows the expensive basin to be reused while the inexpensive drape is discarded, reducing overall cost while maintaining sterile boundary reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The surgical drape serves as the disposable single-use component that provides sterile barrier. It is much less expensive than the basin, so discarding it after one use is more cost-effective than replacing or re-sterilizing the basin.
4Reliability
If a surgical drape is introduced to provide sterile barrier, then sterile boundary reliability improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical drape is made of flexible material that conforms to the receptacle shape. This flexibility simplifies installation as the drape can be easily draped over the receptacle and will naturally conform to its contours, reducing installation complexity despite adding a new component.
Solution Approach 2:
The drape serves multiple functions: providing sterile barrier, conforming to various receptacle shapes, and enabling heater activation through the engaging structure. This multi-functionality justifies the added component while maintaining overall system simplicity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The drape device enables efficient and cost-effective thermal treatment of medical solutions by eliminating the need for frequent basin sterilization or replacement, maintaining a sterile environment while simplifying the operation of the thermal treatment system.
Implementation Method 1
The activated heater applies heat to the receptacle that is transferred to the basin and fluids disposed within the basin
Data Source
AI summary
A drape device is provided for use with a thermal treatment system, where the thermal treatment system includes a receptacle dimensioned to receive a basin, a heater to heat items placed within the receptacle and a limit switch that is operable to identify when the basin or other item is placed within the receptacle and to further activate the heater upon identification by the limit switch of the basin or other item being placed within the receptacle. The drape device includes a drape that can be placed within the receptacle to provide a barrier between items placed on the drape and the receptacle. The drape device further includes engaging structure configured to engage the drape and one of the basin and the receptacle. In one embodiment, the engaging structure includes an actuation member that facilitates operation of the limit switch and activation of the heater without the use of the basin. In another embodiment, the engaging structure is securable to the basin to facilitate securing of the drape within the basin during use of the thermal treatment system.