Sterile Drape Transparent Pocket for Non-sterile Device Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
During surgical procedures, practitioners often need to adjust environmental settings or access information without leaving the sterile area, risking contamination or requiring complex sterilization of electronic devices.
Innovation Solution
A surgical drape with a transparent pocket allows non-sterile objects, such as electronic devices, to be held and displayed within the sterile area without direct access from the physician-side, maintaining sterility and enabling practitioners to access information and controls without leaving the sterile environment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a non-sterile electronic device is brought into the surgical area, then information and controls can be accessed during surgery, but the device must be sterilized which is complex and resource-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a sterile drape as an intermediary barrier between the non-sterile electronic device and the sterile surgical field. The drape includes a transparent pocket that allows the device to be positioned within the sterile area without direct contact, eliminating the need for complex device sterilization while maintaining information access capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The sterile field is segmented into two zones: a non-sterile zone containing the electronic device and a sterile zone for surgical operations. The transparent pocket acts as a boundary between these zones, allowing the device to remain in the non-sterile zone while being visible and accessible from the sterile zone through the transparent wall.
2Ease of operation
If a scrubbed practitioner leaves the sterile work area to make adjustments or look up information, then the required adjustments can be made, but the practitioner risks contamination and loses focus on the patient
Solution Approach 1:
The electronic device is positioned within the sterile drape so that the scrubbed practitioner can directly interact with the device and access information or make environmental adjustments from within the sterile field. This eliminates the need for the practitioner to leave the sterile area, maintaining both sterility and focus on the patient.
Solution Approach 2:
The transparent pocket in the drape serves as an intermediary that allows the practitioner to access the electronic device while remaining in the sterile field. The transparent wall enables visual access and interaction with the device without compromising the sterile barrier.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a transparent pocket is added to the drape, then non-sterile objects can be displayed within the sterile area, but the drape structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The transparent pocket is designed to accommodate various non-sterile objects including electronic devices, images, and informational materials. This multi-functional design allows a single drape structure to serve multiple purposes: maintaining sterility, displaying information, and enabling device placement without requiring multiple separate systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The transparent pocket is constructed using flexible, thin-film materials that can be integrated into the drape structure. This allows the pocket to be conformable and adaptable to different object sizes and shapes while maintaining the sterile barrier and transparency for observation.
Data Source
AI summary
A drape is disclosed for use during a surgical procedure in a sterile work area. The drape may include a cloth configured to at least partially cover a patient during a surgical procedure. The cloth may have a patient-side and a physician-side. The drape may also include a pocket attached to the cloth. The pocket may have at least one wall that is at least partially transparent, and an opening that is accessible via only the patient-side of the cloth.