Integrated Surgical Drape With Separable Elements for Sterile Setup

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current draping methods for spinal surgery are time-consuming, cumbersome, and fail to maintain a sterile field, especially when using 3D radiographic equipment, leading to potential contamination and inaccuracies in navigation technology due to makeshift draping systems.

Innovation Solution

A one-piece, customizable disposable surgical drape that provides sterile coverage, allows for navigation readability through clear plastic or lens, and includes a longitudinal separation and under-table wrapping capability, ensuring sterility and ease of use.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If multiple separate drapes are used to cover patient and equipment, then sterile coverage can be achieved, but the setup time increases and procedure becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesterile coverageVSAvoidsetup time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple separate drapes into a single integrated drape system that simultaneously covers the patient and surgical equipment. This unified drape includes a patient coverage portion and an equipment coverage portion connected together, eliminating the need to handle and position multiple separate drapes while maintaining complete sterile coverage of all critical areas.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The integrated drape serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a patient drape, an equipment drape, and a sterile barrier all in one component. The single drape structure provides sterile coverage for both the patient's surgical site and the surrounding equipment, reducing the number of components needed while maintaining comprehensive protection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Reliability

If multiple separate drapes are used to cover patient and equipment, then sterile coverage can be achieved, but the number of components and complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesterile coverageVSAvoidnumber of components

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Measurement precision

If 3D radiographic equipment is positioned in the sterile field, then imaging accuracy improves, but the risk of contamination increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimaging accuracyVSAvoidcontamination risk

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The integrated drape system covers both the patient and the 3D radiographic equipment in a single sterile barrier, eliminating the need to position equipment through openings in the drape. The equipment coverage portion extends to envelop the imaging device, maintaining the sterile field integrity while allowing the equipment to be positioned for accurate imaging.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

4Measurement precision

If navigation technology reference frames are exposed, then navigation accuracy improves, but the sterile field integrity is compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenavigation accuracyVSAvoidsterile field integrity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The integrated drape includes a transparent or radiopaque window portion in the equipment coverage area that allows the navigation reference frame to be visible through the drape material. This localized transparent section enables navigation accuracy while the rest of the drape maintains sterile field integrity, as the reference frame remains covered by the sterile drape barrier.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS20250331943A1Surgical drape with separable elements

Publication Date: 2025.10.30 CREATIVE SURGICAL SOLUTIONS LLC

AI summary

The present disclosure relates to a surgical drape to be used in conjunction with a surgical procedure, and more specifically to a surgical drape that includes one or more of the following: (1) a patient drape for use with a standalone non-draped image acquisition device (requiring circumferential access to the patient); (2) a patient drape for use with a standalone non-draped image acquisition device with image guidance navigation technology; (3) the means to provide temporary sterile coverage of an underlying sterile field; (4) the means to provide sterile separation of at least a portion, if not the entire temporary sterile coverage; (5) the means to provide covering of the undersurface of the operating surface and enclosing any suspended medical devices, wires, cables, tubes, etc; and (6) a single-use disposable outer surgical drape that ensures sterility of a covered surgical apparatus, device, or machine, or an inner drape associated therewith.