Abstract:
A novel container for storing medical guidewires in liquid is disclosed herein. The container comprises a substantially rectangular basin where the guidewire coils are separated horizontally into individual bays. Specific tabs and dividers hold the coils in place and keep the wires untangled. The horizontal placement of the wires enables a clinician to instantly differentiate between wires, select the right coil without spending time in untangling wires and allows storing of the wires is relatively small amount of storing liquid.

Description:
PRIORITY 
     This application claims priority of provisional application No. 61/496,373 filed on Jun. 13, 2011 and incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to medical devices and containers to store medical devices during medical procedures. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to medical devices, in particular, the present invention relates to a container for storing medical guidewires and catheters in solution during medical procedures. 
     Medical guidewires are utilized during endoluminal catheterization procedures typically performed by interventional cardiologists, interventional radiologists and vascular surgeons. 
     Multiple and different types of guidewires are often required during a single procedure. Typically, the same guidewire may be needed more than once during a medical procedure and therefore it is practical and economical to store the guidewires in specific solution during the procedure. 
     Typical length of a guidewire is 31.5 to 118.1 inches (80 to 300 cm); most commonly used are 70.9 inches (180 cm) and 102.4 inches (260 cm) long. Typical diameter of guidewire is between 0.014 to 0.0040 inches. When the guidewire is coiled up a typical coil diameter is between 7.1 and 11.0 inches (18 and 28 cm, respectively). Due to the length and the extremely small diameter of the guidewires, handling of these devices during medical procedures may be difficult. Moreover, guidewires are made of material that by its nature resists coiling. If the guidewire-coil is not properly stored the guidewire may rapidly uncoil and the up shooting end of the wire may cause injury and the wire may get contaminated. 
     Moreover, the wires get easily tangled, and untangling the wires increases risk of contamination. It may be difficult to differentiate between the guidewires if they get tangled. Moreover, a medical procedure most often requires fast action and clearing a tangled guidewire creates unnecessary waste of time. 
     Yet another problem with the currently existing guidewire containers is that the guidewires are stored in liquid and if each guidewire is stored in separate container the amount of storage solution becomes large. Also having each guidewire in separate container creates a problem in operation rooms where available surface space is limited. 
     A further problem with currently available containers is that loading of the guidewires into the container is difficult and slow. 
     There are several containers currently available for storing guidewires. The containers known so far are circular or ovoid shape so as to prevent the guidewire coils from opening. However, none of these solve the problems indicated above. 
     U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,691,946 and 6,547,072 disclose a medical bowl for a coiled guidewire. These devices are meant to help to keep the guidewire in a coil. The bowls allow storing a single guidewire in a single bowl. The idea of stacking a multitude of bowls on top of each other to save surface space in the operation room is disclosed. 
     Similarly, U.S. Patent Application Publication U.S. 2010/017816 discloses a bowl with retention devices to hold a single coiled guidewire in a single bowl. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,416 discloses a container for medical guidewires where several wires can be stored in one container. However, handling of the wires in this container is not easy, loading the wires into the container is slow and difficult, and distinguishing between the wires is also difficult because only the end of the wires remain visible. 
     Accordingly, there is a need for a novel container to store medical guidewires in solution during medical procedures which overcomes the problems described above. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of this invention to provide a container where multiple guidewires can be stored in liquid simultaneously without getting the wires tangled. 
     It is another object of this invention to provide a container that allows clinicians to easily identify the guidewire that is needed at any time. 
     Yet another object of this invention is to provide a container that allows fast retrieval of desired guidewire. 
     Another object of this invention is to provide a container that allows fast loading of desired guidewire. 
     Still another object of this invention is to provide a container where guidewires are separated horizontally and are easily visible. 
     A further object of this invention is to provide a container to store guidewires in relatively small liquid amount. 
     Still another object of this invention is to provide a rectangular container for storing guidewires in liquid. 
     This invention provides a container for storing in liquid a multitude of medical guidewires separated horizontally from each other, said container comprising:
         a substantially rectangular basin having a substantially planar bottom connected to a first and a second end wall and to two side walls with a juncture;   at least two center dividers and optionally a first and a second end tabs attached in a linear arrangement on the bottom along a central axis of the basin,   said at least two center dividers and said optional end tabs extending upward from the bottom and said center dividers horizontally separating at least one bay in the basin;   said optional end tabs comprising a vertical portion, and the vertical portion of the first end tab being attached to the first end wall, and the vertical portion of the second end tab being attached to the second end wall, and the vertical portions having an upper end and a lower end;
           said upper end being attached to a substantially horizontal lip pointing toward center of the basin,   said lower end being attached to a triangular portion, said triangular portion having two sides aligned with the juncture formed by the end wall and the bottom of the basin, and a third side forming an incline from the bottom toward the vertical portion;   
           said center dividers comprising a vertical portion having an upper end and a lower end,
           said upper end being attached to a substantially horizontal lip extending toward the first and the second end wall, whereby the vertical portion and the lip portion form a T-shape,   said lower end being attached to a triangular portion,   said triangular portion having its base along the bottom of the basin and two sides forming inclines from the bottom toward the vertical portion;
               wherein the at least one bay is suitable for storing at least a single guidewire by coiling the guidewire between an end tab and a center divider or between two center dividers and secure the guidewire under the horizontal lips to prevent the guidewire from rising up and uncoiling.   
               
               

     One embodiment of this invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and will be described in more detail herein below. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective of a preferred embodiment. 
         FIG. 3  is a side sectional view of a preferred embodiment along the line  4 - 4  in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a side sectional view of a preferred embodiment along the line  5 - 5  in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment where the container holds three guidewires. 
         FIG. 6  is a top view of a preferred embodiment. 
         FIG. 7  is a bottom view of a preferred embodiment. 
         FIG. 8  is a side view of the long side of a preferred embodiment. 
         FIG. 9  is a side view of the short end side of a preferred embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to  FIGS. 1-9  of the drawings. Identical elements in the various figures are identified with the same reference numerals. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the container is provided. In  FIG. 1 , the substantially rectangular basin is shown generally as  10 , and it comprises a substantially planar bottom  20 , two end walls  30  and two side walls  40 . The end walls and the side walls are connected to the bottom with a juncture  45  preferably in an angle of 90 degrees or more. Attached or molded into the bottom preferably along the longitudinal axis of the basin are two optional end tabs  50  and at least two center dividers  60 . The preferred embodiment comprises two end tabs  50 , as is shown in  FIG. 1 . According to a preferred embodiment the longitudinal axis is a central longitudinal axis, i.e. equally distant from both of the side walls. The end tabs and center dividers are located at an equal distance from both of the side walls. The end tabs are located at close proximity to the end walls and in preferred embodiment they are attached to the end walls. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , a top exploded view of an embodiment of the guidewire basin is provided. The end tabs  50  and the center dividers  60  are shown separately. Each of the end tabs comprises a vertical portion  80  having an upper end  82  and a lower end  83 , a horizontal lip  81  attached to the upper end  82  and a triangular portion  90  attached to the lower end  83 . The vertical portion  80  of each of the end tabs is preferably attached to one of the end walls  30 . The horizontal lips  81  of the end tabs point toward the center of the basin. In one preferred embodiment the triangular portion of the end tabs is a right triangle and the sides forming the right angle are aligned along the right angle formed by right angle juncture  45  of the end wall and the bottom of the basin, whereby the third side  100  of the triangle forms an incline from the bottom toward the end wall. In another preferred embodiment the juncture  45  of the end wall and the bottom of the basin is wider than a right angle and the triangular portion of the end tabs is an obtuse triangle. While the incline  100  is preferably flat as is shown in the drawings, it may also be slightly concave or convex. The surface can be any shape as long as it supports the guidewire coil in a horizontal position above the bottom. 
     Still referring to  FIG. 2 , the center dividers  60  comprise a vertical portion  70  having an upper end  72  and a lower end  73 , a horizontal lip  71  attached to the upper end and a triangular portion  91  attached to the lower end. The horizontal lip extends horizontally toward both of the end walls, whereby the horizontal lip portion and the vertical portion form a T-shape. The triangular portion is preferably an isosceles triangle having its base along the bottom of the basin, the lower end of the vertical portion being attached to a top of the triangle, whereby two sides of the triangle form inclines  102  from the bottom toward the vertical portion  70 . Alternatively, the triangular portion is formed of two right triangles and the lower end of the vertical portion extends to the bottom of the basin and it is secured between the two right triangles. 
     Now referring to  FIG. 3  which provides a sectional view of the basin along the line  4 - 4  in  FIG. 1 . The center dividers  60  horizontally separate individual bays  12  in the basin for storing the guidewires. The end tabs  50  and center dividers  60  comprising the vertical portion ( 70 , 80 ), horizontal lip ( 71 , 81 ) and triangular portion ( 90 , 91 ) form a C-shaped channel to keep the guidewire coils intact. The horizontal lips  71 ,  81  secure the guidewires and prevent the guidewires from rising up and rapidly uncoiling. The inclines  100  and  102  formed by the triangular portions  90 ,  91  keep the guidewires lifted up from the planar bottom  20  of the basin thereby making handling of the wires easier. 
     Now referring to  FIG. 4 , which provides a sectional view of the basin along the line  5 - 5  in  FIG. 1 . The view of the center divider  60  of a preferred embodiment shows that the width of the lip  71 , the vertical portion  70  and the triangular portion  91  is substantially the same. 
     A preferred embodiment of the container as shown in  FIG. 5  holds three coiled guidewires  11 . The coiled guidewires are separated from each other horizontally by the center dividers  60  locating between the two end tabs  50  said dividers and tabs locating along the central longitudinal axis. The guidewires are coiled between an end tab and a center divider or between two center dividers and the guidewires are secured under the lips of the dividers and/or tabs to prevent the guidewires from rising up and getting uncoiled and tangled. The guidewire coils located in the bays  12  are separated by the center dividers  60  and once the basin is filled with storing liquid the coils stay uncontaminated in the liquid. The inclines  100  and  102  formed by the triangular portions keep the coils lifted up from the bottom and thereby help handling of the coiled wires. The dimensions of the basin and the number of the center dividers can be modified so that the basin can hold any number of coiled guidewires. 
       FIG. 6  shows a top view of the container and  FIG. 7  shows the bottom view of the container.  FIGS. 8 and 9  show the side view of the side wall  40  and the end wall  30 , respectively. 
     According to a preferred embodiment of this invention, the guidewires are separated horizontally from each other by the center dividers  60 . This allows placement of several guidewires in one basin. Furthermore, this allows an easy view to each guidewire individually which is enormously helpful during a medical procedure when a clinician has to quickly choose the right guidewire. Moreover, the invention according to this disclosure allows use of relatively small amount of storage liquid because the wires are stored horizontally in relatively shallow basin. 
     According to a preferred embodiment of this invention, the depth of the basin is about 2 to 5 inches (5.08 to 12.7 cm) and most preferably about 3 inches (7.62 cm) and the height of the tabs and dividers is about 0.5 to 2 inches (1.27-5.08 cm) and most preferably 1 inch (2.54 cm). According to a preferred embodiment one basin has three bays and accordingly the basin holds three guidewires separated horizontally by the center dividers. The length of such basin is preferentially about 17 to 24 inches (43.18 to 60.69 cm) and most preferably 19 inches (48.26 cm) and the dividers separate bays that are about 5 to 8 inches (12.70 to 20.32 cm) and most preferably 5.8 inches (14.73 cm) wide. The preferred width of a basin is 10-16 inches (25.4-40.64 cm), most preferably 13 inches (33.02 cm). However, the basin can be made in various sizes and one basin may contain any convenient number of bays separated by the dividers. 
     According to a preferred embodiment the basin is made of polypropylene, but one skilled in the art understands that other materials can also be used. According to one preferred embodiment the basin including the dividers is molded in one piece. According to another embodiment the dividers may be manufactured separately from the basin and the attached to the bottom. 
     According to one preferred embodiment the basin is stackable and several basins can be stacked on top of each other. The basin according to this invention may be disposable or it may be reusable. 
     Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of illustration and that numerous changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention.