Transparent Surgical Drape for Intra-operative Registration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional surgical drapes hinder intra-operative patient registration as anatomical landmarks and artificial fiducials become inaccessible once the patient is draped, preventing re-registration during image-guided surgery.
Innovation Solution
A surgical drape with an impervious section, an incision section, and a transparent section that allows visual observation of the patient's body part, enabling intra-operative registration by positioning the transparent section adjacent to the impervious and incision sections, allowing medical personnel to see through the drape for registration purposes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional surgical drape is used to cover the patient, then sterility of the workplace is maintained, but anatomical landmarks and artificial fiducials become inaccessible for registration
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical drape is divided into three distinct sections: an impervious section for sterility, an incision section for access, and a transparent section for visualization. This segmentation allows each section to serve its specific function simultaneously, resolving the contradiction between maintaining sterility and enabling access to anatomical landmarks.
Solution Approach 2:
Different sections of the drape have different properties tailored to their specific functions: the impervious section provides sterility barrier properties, the transparent section provides visual transparency, and the incision section provides access. This local differentiation of properties allows the drape as a whole to satisfy multiple conflicting requirements.
2Reliability
If the patient is draped preoperatively, then sterility is established, but intra-operative re-registration becomes impossible as landmarks are covered
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the drape into transparent and impervious sections, the design enables both preoperative sterility establishment and intra-operative re-registration. The transparent section specifically addresses the adaptability need by allowing visualization of landmarks throughout the surgical procedure.
Solution Approach 2:
The drape design accommodates dynamic needs during surgery by allowing the transparent section to remain in place while enabling repeated registration procedures. This dynamic adaptability allows the system to respond to intra-operative registration needs without compromising sterility.
3Ease of operation
If a transparent section is added to the surgical drape, then intra-operative visualization is enabled, but drape complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The drape is segmented into three functional sections that can be manufactured and assembled as standardized components. This segmentation manages complexity by breaking down the complex requirement into simpler, modular sections with clearly defined functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The transparent section serves multiple functions: it allows visualization of anatomical landmarks, enables intra-operative registration, and maintains the integrity of the sterile field. This multi-functionality justifies the added complexity by delivering multiple benefits from a single design element.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a surgical drape (1) comprising: - an impervious section (2) having absorbing properties; - an incision section (3) comprising an incise foil; and - a transparent section (4); wherein The invention further relates to a method of registering a patient's body part with a pre-acquired image dataset of the body part, comprising the following steps: - providing a surgical drape (1) comprising a transparent section (4), for example a surgical drape (1); - covering the patient's body part with the surgical drape (1) so as to provide a sterile workplace separated from an unsterile area by the surgical drape (1); - use the transparent section (4) of the surgical drape (1) to visually identify the patient's body part covered by the surgical drape (1); and - approach and register the patient's body part with a registration instrument (7), for example a pointer instrument.