Sterile Basin Drape Framing to Eliminate Air-Gap Hot Spots
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fluid warming systems for sterile fluids in surgical procedures face issues with temperature gradients due to air gaps under the drape, leading to local hot spots that can damage the drape and potentially contaminate the sterile fluid, and require precise alignment to prevent punctures and contamination.
Innovation Solution
A dual-layer drape system with a perimeter frame that centers the drape on the basin, allowing air to escape and reducing the risk of air pockets, combined with air gap detectors to prevent temperature excursions, ensures uniform heat transfer and maintains sterility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a drape is placed over the heating basin to maintain sterility, then sterile fluid can be heated while maintaining sterility, but air gaps form under the drape causing local hot spots that can damage the drape and contaminate the sterile fluid
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical alignment procedures with an optical alignment system using a laser pointer and visual markers. The laser pointer projects alignment indicators onto the drape and basin, allowing operators to visually center the drape without complex mechanical positioning mechanisms. This substitution maintains sterility while preventing air gaps that cause hot spots.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a laser pointer as an intermediary tool between the operator and the drape-basin system. The laser provides visual feedback and alignment guidance, enabling precise positioning of the drape to eliminate air gaps. This intermediary facilitates accurate alignment without requiring direct manual manipulation that could compromise sterility or create misalignment.
2Manufacturing precision
If the drape is precisely aligned to prevent air gaps, then uniform heat transfer is achieved, but the alignment process becomes complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates pre-marked alignment indicators on both the drape and the basin before the sterilization process. These visual markers are prepared in advance and guide the alignment process, eliminating the need for complex real-time adjustments. The pre-established visual references enable rapid, accurate positioning that maintains precision while minimizing time loss.
3Productivity
If heating power is increased to warm fluid quickly, then heating efficiency improves, but temperature excursions can occur causing drape punctures and contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback control system using temperature sensors that continuously monitor the fluid temperature and provide real-time feedback to the heating controller. When the fluid approaches the target temperature or when air gaps are detected, the system automatically adjusts or reduces heating power. This feedback mechanism enables rapid heating while preventing temperature excursions that could puncture the drape or cause contamination.
4Ease of operation
If air gaps are allowed under the drape, then the drape can be easily placed without precise alignment, but heat transfer becomes non-uniform creating hot spots
Solution Approach 1:
The laser pointer serves as an intermediary alignment aid that simplifies the placement process while ensuring precision. By providing visual guidance through projected markers, the laser enables operators to easily position the drape correctly without requiring complex manual alignment techniques. This intermediary tool maintains both ease of operation and heat transfer uniformity.
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 solution effectively prevents drape punctures and contamination by ensuring uniform heat transfer and maintaining sterility, reducing the risk of temperature excursions and ensuring precise alignment, thus ensuring the sterile fluid is heated consistently and safely.
Implementation Method 1
Heat was transferred from a heating element below the basin, through the basin, and ultimately through the drape adjacent to the basin to the sterile liquid
Implementation Method 2
air gap detectors to prevent temperature excursions
Implementation Method 3
The basin includes a drainage hole in the bottom of the basin that receives a drain tube
Data Source
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AI summary
Drapes for covering fluid heating devices having basins. Some drapes have a set of at least one perimeter frame trapped between the drape basin layer and the drape device layer by a set of bonds. The perimeter frame aligns the drape with the basin bottom and maintains the basin layer within a perimeter of the perimeter frame so that the maintained basin layer lacks an air gap caused by a wrinkle and makes good contact with the basin bottom. Optionally, the drape may have a low-slip film for basin contact and a non-slip film for at least a portion of the drape beyond the basin. Alternatively, a single layer drape may have a set of at least one perimeter frame bonded to the drape. Some drapes have basin-shaped sterile vented barrier with vents to allow the sterile vented barrier to be inserted into the basin and to vent air out of the basin. The heating system for the fluid heating device may interrupt electricity provided to a heating element when a temperature sensed at an air gap detector exceeds a high temperature setpoint.