Surgical Instrument Tray with Segmented Compartments and Protective Guards
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional surgical transfer trays fail to adequately shield sharp instruments, often exposing medical professionals to injury and do not efficiently manage multiple instruments during surgical procedures, leading to safety risks and inefficient handling and disposal.
Innovation Solution
A multi-purpose tray system that includes a transfer tray container with compartmentalized receptacles to safely store and transfer multiple surgical instruments, featuring narrow slots and protective guards to shield sharp portions, and a counting tray that integrates with the transfer tray for orderly instrument counting and disposal, forming a 'three-in-one' system for transfer, organization, and disposal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional transfer trays are used to hold surgical instruments, then instrument transfer is enabled, but sharp portions of instruments remain exposed causing injury risk
Solution Approach 1:
The transfer tray is divided into multiple separate compartments, each designed to hold a specific surgical instrument type. Each compartment includes protective features such as shields or covers that segment the instrument-holding space, preventing direct exposure of sharp portions while maintaining organized access for surgical staff.
Solution Approach 2:
Protective barriers, shields, or covers are introduced as intermediary elements between the surgical instruments and the users. These intermediaries allow instrument transfer to occur while physically blocking direct contact with sharp portions, thus mediating the interaction between users and hazardous instruments.
2Reliability
If conventional transfer trays hold only one instrument at a time, then each instrument can be individually shielded, but multiple instruments require multiple trays occupying excessive space
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple separate tray functions are merged into a single integrated transfer tray structure. The tray combines multiple compartments that can simultaneously hold different surgical instruments (scalpels, suture holders, etc.), each with appropriate protective features, eliminating the need for multiple separate trays while maintaining individual instrument shielding.
Solution Approach 2:
The transfer tray is designed as a multi-functional device that can accommodate various types of surgical instruments in different compartments simultaneously. Each compartment is optimized for specific instrument types while the overall tray structure provides universal protection and organization for multiple instruments in a single unit.
3Adaptability or versatility
If large protective valleys are used in one-size-fits-all trays, then various instrument sizes can be accommodated, but users may inadvertently reach into the valley and contact sharp instruments
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a single large protective valley, the tray is segmented into multiple smaller, specialized compartments. Each compartment is sized and shaped to fit specific instrument types, providing adequate protection while limiting the reach-in area. The segmentation ensures that users can access instruments of various sizes without exposing their hands to large open spaces where inadvertent contact could occur.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention provides a transfer tray for transferring one or more surgical instruments securely. The present invention further provides a counting tray for the collection and securing of used surgical instruments. Additionally, the present invention provides a surgical instrument disposal container comprising a transfer tray coupled to a counting tray such that used surgical instruments are enclosed within the counting tray by the transfer tray.