Pad for arthoscopic surgery stand

A foam pad for use with an arthoscopic surgery stand wherein said pad is adapted to wrap around the support element of the stand and be releasably retained thereon and a limb retaining means associated with the pad to secure on the pad and stand a limb of a person preparatory to surgery and recovery therefrom.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention. 
This invention relates to a pad and tie means for use with an arthoscopic 
surgery stand. 
2. Description of the Prior Art. 
With the development of arthoscopic surgery particularly in joints of 
humans, the need for hospital room surgery has to some extent been 
eliminated. In some cases the arthoscopic surgery may be performed in 
doctors offices without the need of hospital beds or operating tables. 
The development of microsurgery on knees and elbows, known as arthoscopic 
surgery has resulted in the invention of an arthoscopic surgery stand to 
support the limb during surgery. Such a stand is the subject of a pending 
patent application and preferably includes a cradle member to receive the 
limb and the cradle is mounted on an adjustable stand which can be wheeled 
around an office or hospital for proper positioning. 
With the advent of the arthoscopic surgery stand described above the 
present invention has come into being. Heretofore, there has been no prior 
art on the subject of cushioning pads for arthoscopic stands because no 
such stand had been developed. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is the purpose of the present invention to provide a foam limb 
cushioning pad for use with an arthoscopic surgery stand. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide a foam limb 
cushioning pad that is removable from a support stand so that the same may 
be sterilized or replaced with a new pad. 
A further object is to provide a foam limb cushioning pad that has 
associated with it strap means to retain the human limb in position on the 
stand. 
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a pad of 
convoluted foam whereby the limb resting thereon may be elevated above the 
stand and air allowed to circulate around the limb in the area of contact 
with the pad. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide a foam limb 
cushioning pad wherein the strap means are secured together to hold the 
limb. 
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an open cell 
polyurethane foam pad adapted to cushion a limb from a stand during 
arthoscopic surgery and post surgery rest. 
These and other objects and advantages will become apparent from the 
following part of the specification wherein details have been described 
for the competence of disclosure, without intending to limit the scope of 
the invention which is setforth in the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to the drawings in FIGS. 1 and 3 there is illustrated a stand 10 
generally designated for performing arthoscopic surgery. The stand 10, for 
background and not forming a part of the present invention, preferably 
includes an adjustable vertical rod 12 which may be seated in a caster 
assembly 14 having casters or wheels 16 to move the stand 10 around. 
Mounted on top of the adjustable rod 12 is a tubular member 18. The member 
18 is mounted on the rod 12 by a nut and bolt means 20. The tubular 
support member 18 may be of plastic and is dished so as to cradle a limb 
or elbow 22 of a patient 24. As can be seen the patient 24 may be seated 
in chair 26 and the rod 12 adjusted to present the elbow 22 to the doctor 
for the surgery. On the other hand if a knee is involved then the patient 
24 may lay on a bed with the leg extending over the edge of the bed 
resting on the stand 10. 
The present invention for use with the stand 10 includes a pad generally 
designated 30, best illustrated in FIG. 2. The pad 30 is adapted to be 
wrapped around the tubular support member 18 and secured therearound to be 
described in more detail. 
The pad 30 is preferably made of open cell polyurethane foam and is a sheet 
32 of preferably rectangular shape having opposed parallel edges 34 and 36 
which are normal to edges 38 and 40. 
The bottom surface 42 of the pad 30 is generally flat or uninterrupted and 
the top or upper surface 44 is convoluted, as best seen in FIGS. 1, 3 and 
4. The convolutions of open cell foam is well known in the trade and there 
is commercial equipment available to roll foam therethrough and create 
spaced apart peaks 46 with valleys 48 therebetween. 
While the foam outer or top surface 44 is preferred convoluted, a flat top 
surface may also be used to accomplish the intended result. The main 
concern is to cushion the limb in the area of the elbow 22, as an 
illustration, to assure as much comfort as possible during the arthoscopic 
surgery. 
The pad 30 is also fitted with limb retaining means generally designated 54 
for the purpose of holding a patient's limb fixed on the surgery stand 10 
during an operation. The limb retaining means 54 as shown in FIG. 2 may 
include a two piece strap with sections 56 and 58 of flexible material 
such as cotton. The retaining means 54 may also be a one piece structure, 
secured to the pad 30 without departing from the spirit of the invention. 
Each end 60 and 62 of the respective straps 56 and 58 are secured by 
adhesive or other conventional means to the bottom surface 42 of the 
rectangular sheet 32. The straps 56 and 58 are elongated and project 
normal to the edges 34 and 36 of the sheet 32. They are of a combined 
length to reach around the limb of the patient 24 and be adjustably 
secured together. 
Preferably the strap sections 56 and 58 include hook and loop fastening 
means generally designated 64 of hook and/or loop strips 66 and 68 which 
are sold under the trademark Velcro and are representative of the 
fasteners which may be used. Once the limb is placed on the pad the two 
straps 56 and 58 are pulled around the limb and at least one of the straps 
is pressed into the material straps to fasten the straps about the limb. 
In order to releasably maintain the pad 30 on the tubular support member 
18, the pad retaining means 70 includes hook and/or loop tabs 72 and 74 
which are secured to the bottom 42 of the pad by any conventional means 
and project outward of edge 40. The tabs 72 and 74, as best seen in FIG. 
2, are spaced apart forming an opening 76 therebetween. The purpose of the 
opening 76 is to receive the rod 12 as the pad 30 is wrapped around the 
tubular support member 18 and allow the pad 30 to be retained in a 
relatively smooth uninterrupted position around the member 18. 
At the opposed edge 38 a strip of soft hook and/or loop material 78 is 
applied to the pad 30. The purpose of the material is to catch and 
releasably hold the strips or tabs 72 and 74 when the pieces are engaged 
together. 
While it is preferable to have the limb retaining means 54 integral with 
the pad 30 a retaining means 54' as illustrated in FIG. 5 may be used. The 
means 54' is associated with the pad 30 by being a single piece of 
flexible material 82 that passes through the tubular support member 18 and 
around the limb. There are the hook and loop strips 66' and 68' that were 
previously described to attach the overlapped other end of the strap 
sections 56' and 58'. 
In order to prevent the retaining means 54' from buckling and not lying 
flat as it passes through the tubular member 18 the width of the strap may 
be thinned by cutting opposed recesses 86 and 88 so as to have a center 
section 90 of a width less than the interior diameter of the tubular 
member 18. 
The invention and its attendant advantages will be understood from the 
foregoing description and it will be apparent that various changes may be 
made in the form, construction and arrangements of the parts without 
departing from the spirit and scope thereof or sacrificing its material 
advantages, the arrangements herein before described being merely by way 
of example. I do not wish to be restricted to the specific forms shown or 
uses mentioned, except as defined in the accompanying claims, wherein 
various portions have been separated for clarity of reading and not for 
emphasis.