Abstract:
The present invention is a surgical drape that has several circumferential and longitudinal breakaway sections that can be easily removed to facilitate quick customization during surgery. The removable sections are fastened to the drape in a manner that reduces debris, which could cause contamination of the surgery field, as well as limit the potential injury to patients caused by the current use of scissors to customize drapes while in surgery.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/733,546 filed on Dec. 5, 2012, entitled “Drapes with Circumferential and Longitudinal Breakaways”, the entirety of which is incorporated herein. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates generally to a surgical drape that has several circumferential and longitudinal breakaway sections that can be easily removed to facilitate quick removal of one or more drape sections to enable customization of the drape prior to or during surgery while reducing or minimizing debris. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    Presently, surgical drapes come in various shapes and sizes designed to fit the contours of the body. For example, there are rectangular drapes, U-shaped drapes, and tube stockinettes. These drapes may also include various cut-outs or windows to best fit the drape to the body and/or frame a surgical site. When draping, it is common for drapes to be layered over and around the surgical site thus creating a frame, window or fenestration. However, during the draping process, scrubbed team members may be required to further customize the drapes in order to make them the right size for the surgical site. In order to do so, this requires that the drape be cut with scissors or modified in some other manner. However, the use of scissors to customize surgical drapes and stockinettes may contaminate the surgical field as well as cause potential injury to the patient. Therefore, what is needed is a surgical drape or stockinette that includes circumferential and longitudinal breakaways allowing for customization of the opening without contaminating the sterilized environment while limiting potential patient injury. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    This summary is provided to introduce concepts in a simplified form that are further described in the detailed description of the invention. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended for determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. 
         [0007]    The present invention provides a sterile surgical drape or stockinette that has several circumferential and longitudinal breakaway sections that enable one or more drape sections to be removed and discarded to facilitate quick customization prior to or during surgery. The removable sections or panels are fastened or connected to each other to form one drape or stockinette. The drape or stockinette is ideally suited for an extremity such as an arm or leg. Sections or panels can be removed from the drape in a manner that minimizes debris as such debris can contaminate the surgical field. In addition to minimizing the debris, the detachable sections of the drape and the detachment mechanism or design minimizes or limits the potential injury to patients compared with the current standard drapes used in surgery today where scissors are used. Scissors are used to cut current drapes to the appropriate customized length for surgery as well as to remove any sections to provide access to a particular area on the patient. 
         [0008]    One embodiment of the present invention is a medical drape comprising: two or more drape panels wherein each panel is comprised of a drape material and has at least one attachment edge for connecting to other panels; at least one fastening device for connecting an attachment edge of a first drape panel to the attachment edge of a second drape panel; wherein the fastening device is comprised of at least two mating elements each mating element running the approximate length of the first attachment edge and the second attachment edge which mate together to connect the one or more drape panels; and a connecting piece which interconnects the mating elements, wherein upon removal of the connecting piece the mating elements can be separated and the drape panels separated. In another embodiment, the medical drape comprises a stockinette. 
         [0009]    In one embodiment, this medical drape has at least two mating elements that are coils and the connecting piece is a linear string intertwined between the mating coils. These coils may be made of plastic. Additionally, in one embodiment, the coils are connected to the edge of the panel by stitching. 
         [0010]    In another embodiment, the medical drape&#39;s mating elements are a line of mating teeth and the connecting piece is a slider bow which mates the teeth to connect the panels or when removed separates the teeth. These teeth could be plastic. Also, these teeth could be placed along a longitudinal tape section which is attached to the edge of the panel. 
         [0011]    These and other objects, features, and/or advantages may accrue from various aspects of embodiments of the present invention, as described in more detail below. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of the invention, is better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawing. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, exemplary constructions of the invention are shown in the drawings. However, the invention is not limited to the specific methods and instrumentalities disclosed herein. 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  illustrates a first embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 2A  illustrates a profile view of one embodiment of the fastening mechanism of the present invention in an unfastened state; 
           [0015]      FIG. 2B  illustrates a profile view of one embodiment of the fastening mechanism of the present invention in a fastened state; 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  illustrates a second embodiment of the present invention; 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
       [0017]    Particular embodiments of the present invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the figures. 
         [0018]    In accordance with  FIG. 1 , a first embodiment of the present invention provides a surgical drape or stockinette  10  with several sections  20 ,  30 ,  40  that can be easily removed prior to or during surgery to quickly gain access to the surgery field. The drape  10  may be made of sterile two-ply material such as cotton, plastic, or paper material, and may include, for example, carbon fiber, ABS plastic, polyurethane, rubber, latex, synthetic rubber, or polymer elements. The drapes  10  material may include a liquid resistant layer and a liquid absorbent layer to keep the patient and the surgical area dry and sterile. In the preferred embodiment, the drape  10  is made from an impervious material. The drape  10  could be shaped as a stockinette or tube (see  FIG. 1 ) for fitting over extremities, or as a rectangle sheet (see  FIG. 3 ) which lays over the patient&#39;s entire body or a part of the body. In the preferred embodiment, the drape  10  would be sterile so it could be used in the operating room and as part of the draping process of an arm or leg. In addition, the drape  10  would be disposable to limit the risk of contamination. The color of the drape may vary, though ideally it would be blue and white as common in the medical field. 
         [0019]    In one exemplary embodiment,  FIG. 3 , the drape  60  would have a rectangular shape with standard and non-standard dimensions including up to 250×250 cm which could cover the patient&#39;s entire body. In other embodiments,  FIG. 1 , the drape  10  would be considered an extremity stockinette and may cover only a portion of the patient&#39;s body such as his arm or leg. The stockinette  10  would come in a set of sizes such as extra small, small, medium, large, and extra large so as to allow it to fit different patient extremity sizes. The set stockinette size would not only determine the circumference variance of the tube but also the overall length of the stockinette  10 . 
         [0020]    In the operating room, this sterile stockinette or drape  10  is pulled or rolled over that patient&#39;s extremity through opening  12  after the extremity&#39;s skin is sterilized. Once the stockinette or drape  10  is fitted on the extremity, it is brought through a separate drape (not shown) with a hole that is then fully opened to cover the rest of the body and operating room&#39;s table, thus creating a complete sterile field. However, at this point the entire body and the extremity are covered. Therefore, in order to perform a surgical procedure on the extremity, portions of the drape must be removed to provide a frame or window to the area on the extremity which needs the procedure. 
         [0021]    Therefore, the stockinette or drape  10  has several removable sections  20 ,  30 ,  40  throughout the drape  10  that allows for quick customization of the drape  10  so it can be used in a variety of surgeries. For example, the drape  10  configured or sized for application over an arm can have sections  20 ,  30 ,  40  removed to provide access to the wrist, hand, forearm, elbow, or upper arm for the procedure or surgery. The drape  10  might also be sized fit over a patient&#39;s leg so it can be used to perform surgery on a patient&#39;s foot, ankle, calf, knee, or thigh. These sections are again removed by disconnecting the panel  20 ,  30 ,  40  from the drape  10  and exposing just the area of the arm or leg that is undergoing surgery. 
         [0022]    In one embodiment, the sections  20 ,  30 ,  40  can be removed by utilizing a circumferential breakaway  27 ,  37  to shorten the length of the drape  10  on an extremity. This means there are several circumferential breakaways  27 ,  37  which may be equidistant apart running along the width of the drape that allows for quick and easy customization. This prevents the potential contamination of a sterile environment that may occur when the drape is “rolled up” or cut to acquire the appropriate length. 
         [0023]    In another embodiment, there are several sections  20 ,  30 ,  40  on the drape  10  that utilize a combination of circumferential breakaways  27 ,  37  and longitudinal breakaways  34 ,  44 . These allow the middle section  30  to be removed in a manner that exposes only a specific portion of the extremity. An example of this for an upper extremity would be to allow just the elbow to be exposed while leaving the arm and forearm covered. 
         [0024]    The lower circumferential breakaway point or edge  31 ,  41  of a section  30  and section  40  is fastened to the upper circumferential breakaway point  26 ,  36  of an adjacent section  20  and  30  by a fastener  55 . The left longitudinal breakaway point or edge  32  and  42  of the left middle and upper section is secured to the right longitudinal breakaway point or edge  33 ,  43  by a fastener  55 . These fasteners  55  allow for quick removal with limited debris. The fasteners  55  may be zip strips, cohesive or adhesive material, pins, buttons, clips, ties, snaps, zippers, hook and loop devices (i.e. a Velcro like material), perforated tear strips, magnetic strips, or lace and interconnected coils. 
         [0025]      FIG. 2  shows one embodiment of a fastener  55  where the drape sections  20 ,  30 ,  40  are attached by a fastener  55  that incorporates two coils  57 ,  58  and a single piece of lace or string  59 . These coils  57 ,  58  may be made out of a flexible material such as plastic, metal, or cotton. The lace  59  is also made out of a flexible material which may be plastic or cotton or other. The two coils  57 ,  58  run parallel to each other and can be pushed together causing the coils to interconnect creating one unobstructed opening. The lace  59  is threaded through the opening to keep the interconnected coils in place preventing them from separating. Once the lace  59  is cut and taken out, the coils  57 ,  58  easily separate allowing for the breakaway section to be removed. 
         [0026]    By way of example, if a doctor is preparing a patient for an elbow surgery, the doctor would roll the drape  10  up the patient&#39;s arm which had been inserted into opening  12 . The doctor would then cut the lace  59  along circumferential opening  27  and  37  and remove the lace  59  from the coils  57 ,  58 . Once detached panels  20 ,  30 , and  40  would be separated. However, the doctor still needs to remove panel  30  from the patient&#39;s arm. The doctor would then cut and remove lace  59  along longitudinal joint  33 . After separating joint  33  the panel  30  could be easily removed from the patient&#39;s arm. 
         [0027]    The fastener  55  is attached to the edges of the drape panels or sections  20 ,  30 ,  40 . In one embodiment, the fastener  55  is attached to the edges of panels  20 ,  30 ,  40  via an adhesive, such as glue. For example, the fastener  55  may be glued to one side of the drape panel  20 ,  30 ,  40 . Optionally, the fastener  55  is glued to the back side of the drape panel  20 ,  30 ,  40 , or attached to the edge of the drape panel  20 ,  30 ,  40 . In another embodiment, the fastener  55  is stitched into the panels  20 ,  30 ,  40 . 
         [0028]    In a further embodiment, the fastener  55  is integrated into the design of the drape edge manufacturing. For example, the drape edge may be plastic formed via a think panel mold. The mold for the drape  10  would automatically have fastening elements designed into the mold such that the fastening edges would be produced with the mating elements already integrated. For our example, the plastic teeth element of a zipper design or plastic coil elements of the coil and lace design could be integrated into the drape mold. Further, the manufacturing process of the drape could incorporate the teeth or coil design as a separate component which the plastic sheeting of the drape panel is formed around and then allowed to cure or cool to interconnect the teeth or coil  57 ,  58 . The fastener  55  could also be attached to the drape panels  20 ,  30 ,  40  by utilizing a 3d printer that prints the fastener  55  onto the edges of the drape panels  20 ,  30 ,  40  in a manner that securely attaches it to the panels and the panels or mating elements to each other. 
         [0029]    The coil fastener  55  depicted in  FIG. 2  could also be wound through the drape panels  20 ,  30 ,  40 . For example, the coil  57 ,  58 , itself, would be “stitched” into the drape fabric by winding it repeatedly through the panel until it has been wound through the entire length of the drape. This could be done during the curing of the drape plastic edges or after curing. 
         [0030]      FIG. 3  displays a second embodiment of the drape  60  in which the drape is rectangular shape and lays over the patient&#39;s entire body. The sections  70 ,  80 ,  90  are attached together by latitudinal breakaways  77 ,  87  and longitudinal breakaways  84 . The upper latitudinal breakaway point or edge  81 ,  91  of a section  70 ,  80 ,  90  is secured to the lower latitudinal breakaway point or edge  76 ,  86  of a section by a fastener  55 . The left longitudinal breakaway point or edge  82  of the left section is secured to the right longitudinal breakaway point  83  of a section by a fastener  55 . 
         [0031]    In use, the drape  60  is applied or draped over a patient and sections of the drape may be removed. For example, if the drape  60  was draped over a patient that needed hip surgery, the surgical team could remove panel or section  80  by separating fastener  55  around panel  80 . In the preferred embodiment, fastener  55  would use the lace and coil design previously described. 
         [0032]    The drapes and stockinettes  10 ,  60  described herein are representative examples. The drapes  10 ,  60  could have more panels or sections  20 ,  30 ,  40 ,  70 ,  80 ,  90  in the design to enable doctors to create smaller openings or windows. Further, some drapes  10 , could be specifically designed for known procedures, such as having a full drape  10  with only one center panel which can be removed such as would be useful for a procedure on the chest or stomach. 
         [0033]    The examples provided herein are merely for the purpose of explanation and are in no way to be construed as limiting of the present method and product disclosed herein. While the invention has been described with reference to various embodiments, it is understood that the words which have been used herein are words of description and illustration, rather than words of limitation. Further, although the invention has been described herein with reference to particular means, materials, and embodiments, the invention is not intended to be limited to the particulars disclosed herein; rather, the invention expands to all functionally equivalent structures, methods and uses, such as are within the scope of the appended claims. Those skilled in the art, having the benefit of the teachings of this specification, may affect numerous modifications thereto and changes may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. 
         [0034]    It will be recognized by those skilled in the art that changes or modifications may be made to the above described embodiment without departing from the broad inventive concepts of the invention. It is understood therefore that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiment which is described, but is intended to cover all modifications and changes within the scope and spirit of the invention.