PROTECTIVE DEVICE FOR USE WITH MINOR SURGICAL OPERATIONS

Abstract: The present invention relates to a protective device (1) for use with minor surgical operations. According to the invention, the device (1) includes a surgical-drape part (3) which is intended to cover a region around the operation area and a coat part (2) which is intended to be carried by the person performing the operation, and in that said parts are joined together.

Description: Protective device for use with minor surgical operations. When performing major surgery, operating theatre personnel are typically dressed in sterile surgical coats so as not to infect the patient by contact. The patient is also covered with a surgical drape, to absorb blood and other body fluids that exit from the wound area and thereby prevent infection of theatre personnel and contamination of the surroundings, and also to protect the patient from infection by preventing the transportation of bacteria through the drape. With some types of surgery, the risk of airborne infection is very slight or non-existent and from the aspect of infection it suffices to screen the area around the wound and to protect the patient from infection as a result of contact with the surgeon. However, there is no alternative to this form of protection and consequently the surgeon or the person performing the operation must choose between operating in an all-covering coat with a conventional surgical drape arranged around the surgical area, or operating without such protection and under less sterile conditions. The aim of the invention is to provide an alternative to the protection described above which can be used in the case of minor surgical operations, such as when performing so-called day surgery or in emergency departments or emergency wards, and which is cheaper that the aforesaid conventional protec¬ tive device. This aim is achieved in accordance with the invention with the aid of a protective device intended for use on the occasion of minor surgery, said device being characterized in that it includes a surgical-drape part which is intended to cover a region around the operation area and a coat part which is intended to be worn by the person performing the operation, and in that said parts are joined together. According to one embodiment of the invention the drape part and the coat part are integral with one another and include only a front piece and two arms which extend laterally out from the front piece. The protective device also comprises an absorbent top sheet, an intermediate bacteria-tight layer or sheet, and a soft absorbent bottom sheet which when in use faces towards the body of the patient and the body of the operating person, and a sheet of bacteria-tight material is disposed beneath the bottom absorbent sheet in the transition area between drape part and coat part. The top sheet is generally rectangular in shape and extends over the whole of the front piece and over a central part of the drape part. The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a front view of a protective device according to one embodiment of the invention; and Figure 2 shows the protective device of Figure 1 from the rear. The device 1 shown in Figure 1 comprises a coat part 2 and a drape part 3 in which there is provided a surgical opening 4. The coat part 2 is comprised of a front piece 5 and two arms 6, 7 which project out from the front piece 5 and which are formed of superimposed front and rear pieces of material that have been fastened together along their upper and lower edges, as seen in the drawing. The device 1 is produced from one single rectangular piece of material which has been cut to the configuration shown in the drawing. Those pieces that have been cut out from this piece of material between the drape part and the coat part form the rear pieces of material for the arms 6, 7. In the case of one variant of the invention, the arms may be given a form in which their bottom edges extend out at right angles from the front piece, wherein the arms are formed by folding double the cut-out arm blanks and fastening together the free edges that lie against each other in the fold. The inventive protective device can therewith be produced with the minimum of material wastage. The piece of material from which the protective device is cut and produced is comprised of a bottom sheet 8 of soft absorbent material, eg cellular material, a plastic intermedi- ate sheet 9, eg polyethylene film, and an absorbent top sheet 10, eg made of nonwoven material. The function of the top sheet is to absorb blood and other body fluids exiting from the wound area, so as to protect the person performing the operation, ie the operator, and the locality in which the operation is performed against infection and contamination. In the case of the illustrated embodiment, the top sheet 10 does not extend over the whole of the protective device but only in a central region having a width which corresponds to the width of the front piece 2. The intermediate plastic sheet 9 forms a barrier against the transportation of fluid-carried bacteria between the two sides of the device. The bottom sheet 8 is intended to enhance the convenience of and the comfort afforded by the device, by absorbing perspiration and preventing direct contact of the plastic sheet 9 with the patient's and the operator's skin. When using the protective device 1, the operator dons the device by inserting his/her arms through the arms 6, 7. The drape part 3 is then placed on the patient with the operation opening 4 located over the operation area. The distance between the opening 4 and the top edge of the coat part shall be such that the device 1 will not reach down to the floor when the patient lies on an operating table of standard dimensions. The distance between the opening 4 and the front piece 2 will conveniently be greater than half the width of the operating table, and the length of the front piece, ie the distance between the its top and bottom edges, is such that the bottom edge of the front piece will reach down to the edge of the operating table when an operator of average height stands close to the table. That portion of the drape part which lies outside the edge of the operating table will preferably be large enough to allow the operator to move backwards and forwards away from and towards the table to some slight extent without disturbing the portion of the drape part that covers he patient. In order to ensure that the drape part will not "drag" on the floor, that portion of the drape that lies outside the table shall not be greater than twice the table height. The channel that is formed in use when the protective device is so dimensioned will ensure that the operator cannot come into contact with the patient's body. It will be understood that the operator, ie the person performing the operation, cannot leave the patient during the course of surgery, and hence the inventive protective device can be used solely in connection with minor surgical operations that can be carried out relatively quickly. The described protective device is packaged in a folded, sterilized state in a known manner. When the device is to be used, the coat part is first unfolded and then donned, while the drape part remains folded against the coat part. It is preferred that the drape part is not unfolded until it is to be placed over the patient, so as to ensure that the folded drape part will not come into unintentional contact with the operator's body, such as his or her thighs for instance, after the coat part has been donned, the device may be provided conveniently with a plastic piece 11 whose upper edge part is fastened to the rear side of the coat part 2 in the transition region between the coat part and the drape part and which when the coat part is donned depends therefrom and extends to the level of the operator's knees for instance. This will ensure that the drape part will not come unintentionally into contact with the operator's body. The described embodiment of a protective device comprising a coat part and a drape part can, of course, be modified in many ways within the scope of the invention. In particular, the device can be given another form and may be constructed from material different to that mentioned. For instance, the sheet 8 may be excluded when the plastic sheet 9 includes a pattern of outstanding projections such as to impart to the sheet a small total skin-contacting area and to provide good ventila¬ tion. The coat part of the protective device may also be provided with band or tape means whereby said part can be tied or otherwise secured in place on the wearer. Such band or tape means can readily be made integral with the device, for instance by cutting out an edge strip along the top or bottom edges of the arms 6, 7 with the aid of ultrasonic welding, while folding together the remaining edge parts of said arms at the same time and while leaving the inner ends of the tape or band cut-outs joined to the coat part. The back pieces of the arms may alternatively be joined together with a band or tape, eg an elastic band, which extends between opposing ends of the back pieces adjacent the front piece, so that the device can be safely secured even on slender or slim persons. The coat part and the drape part may also be made of mutually different materials and joined together by appropriate joins. The invention shall therefore be considered to be limited solely to the content of the following claims.

Claims: Claims 1. A protective device (1) for use with minor surgical operations, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that it includes a surgical-drape part (3) which is intended to cover a region around the operation area and a coat part (2) which is intended to be worn by the person performing the operation, and in that said parts are joined together. 2. A protective device according to Claim 1, c h a r a c¬ t e r i z e d in that the drape part (3) and the coat part (2) are integral with one another. 3. A protective device according to Claim 2, c h a r a c- t e r i z e d in that the coat part (2) solely comprises a front piece (5) and two arms (6, 7) which project out laterally from said front piece. 4. A protective device according to any one of Claims 2-3 which includes an absorbent top sheet (10), an intermediate bacteria-tight sheet (9), and a soft absorbent bottom sheet (8) which when in use faces towards the body of the patient and the body of the operating person, c h a r a c¬ t e r i z e d in that a piece (11) of the bacteria-tight material is fastened at its upper edge to the bottom absorbent sheet (8) in the transition region between the coat part and the drape part and when the coat part is donned depends a slight distance therefrom. 5. A protective device according to Claim 4, c h a r a c¬ t e r i z e d in that the top sheet (10) is generally rectangular in shape and extends over the whole of the front piece (5) and over a central part of the drape part (3) .

Inventors: HUSMARK ANDERS, WIJESINGHE CHRISTIE, HUSMARK, ANDERS, WIJESINGHE, CHRISTIE
Applicants: HUSMARK ANDERS, MOELNLYCKE AB, WIJESINGHE CHRISTIE, HUSMARK, ANDERS, WIJESINGHE, CHRISTIE
Application year: 1995
Main classification: A41D13
IPC codes: A41D13, A61B19