Patent Publication Number: US-2020281681-A1

Title: Parking surgical instruments within a sterile field using force attenuating polymer gel

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This Application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/815,043 filed Mar. 7, 2019, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention generally relates to polymeric compounds and in particular to a viscoelastic, force-attenuating elastomeric compound with adhesive properties and to its application to improved position maintenance for parked surgical instruments in a sterile field during a surgical procedure. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     When surgical instruments are maintained with only the force of gravity they can often fall out of the sterile field during a procedure, requiring a new instrument to be opened or the current instrument to be sterilized. This can lead to extended duration of the procedure, and increased cost of the procedure. Additionally, surgical instruments are often required to be securely parked in a location that is inconvenient for the procedure. 
     Such conventional methods and systems have generally been considered satisfactory for their intended purposes. However, there is a need in the art for improved position maintenance of surgical instruments during surgical procedures. The present invention provides a solution for these needs. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A system for parking and maintaining surgical instruments within a sterile field includes a layer of force attenuating polymer gel configured and adapted to be sterilized and attached to a structure within the sterile field. 
     The layer force attenuating polymer gel can be sterilized and attached as a tray liner to a surgical tray for parking surgical instruments within the sterile field and the layer of force attenuating polymer gel and the surgical tray can be sterilized and enclosed in a sterile package. 
     The layer of force attenuating polymer gel can be sterilized and can be sewn in to a surgical drape for parking surgical instruments within the sterile field. The layer of force attenuating polymer gel can be attached to a surgical drape in a manner where the parked surgical instruments are maintained at an angle that is less than forty-five degrees relative to the horizontal plane and wherein the surgical drape and sewn in layer of force attenuating polymer gel can be sterilized and are enclosed in a sterile package. 
     At least one piece of two sided adhesive tape can be attached on one side to the layer of force attenuating polymer gel for attaching to a surgical drape and wherein the layer of force attenuating polymer gel with attached adhesive tape can be sterilized and enclosed in a sterile package. At least one piece of a hook and loop fastener can be attached on one side to the layer of force attenuating polymer gel for attaching to a surgical drape. One portion of the hook and loop fastener is attached to the layer of force attenuating polymer gel and the opposite portion of the hook and loop fastener is attached to the surgical drape. The portion of the hook and loop fastener attached to the surgical drape can be sewn into the surgical drape or, the portion of the hook and loop fastener that can be attached to the surgical drape is free to be placed anywhere along the surgical drape. The layer of force attenuating polymer gel with attached hook and loop fastener can be sterilized and enclosed in a sterile package. At least one alligator clip can be attached to the layer of force attenuating polymer gel for attaching to a surgical drape and wherein the layer of force attenuating polymer gel with attached alligator clips can be sterilized and enclosed in a sterile package. 
     These and other features of the systems and methods of the subject disclosure will become more readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       So that those skilled in the art to which the subject invention appertains will readily understand how to make and use the devices and methods of the subject inventions without undue experimentation, preferred embodiments thereof will be described in detail herein below with reference to certain figures wherein: 
         FIG. 1A  is a perspective view of a surgical tray in a sterile field constructed in accordance with embodiments of the present invention, showing a layer of force attenuating polymer gel attached to a surgical tray in a sterile field; 
         FIG. 1B  is a perspective view of the surgical tray of  FIG. 1A  with an attached layer of force attenuating polymer gel enclosed in a sterile packaging; 
         FIG. 2A  is a perspective view of a surgical drape in a sterile field constructed in accordance with embodiments of the present invention, showing a layer of force attenuating polymer gel sewn into the surgical drape; 
         FIG. 2B  is a perspective view of the surgical drape of  FIG. 2A  with a sewn in layer of force attenuating polymer gel enclosed in a sterile packaging; 
         FIG. 3A  is a perspective view of a surgical drape in a sterile field constructed in accordance with embodiments of the present invention, showing a layer of force attenuating polymer gel attached to the surgical drape using at least one piece of two sided adhesive tape; 
         FIG. 3B  is a perspective view of a layer of force attenuating polymer gel of  FIG. 3A  with at least one piece of two sided tape attached and enclosed in a sterile packaging; 
         FIG. 4A  is an exploded view of a surgical drape in a sterile field constructed in accordance with embodiments of the present invention, showing a layer of force attenuating polymer gel attached to the surgical drape using at least one piece of hook and loop fastener; 
         FIG. 4B  is a perspective view of a layer of force attenuating polymer gel of  FIG. 4A  with at least one piece of hook and loop attached and enclosed in a sterile packaging; 
         FIG. 5A  is a perspective view of a surgical drape in a sterile field constructed in accordance with embodiments of the present invention, showing a layer of force attenuating polymer gel attached to the surgical drape using at least one alligator clip; and 
         FIG. 5B  is a perspective view of a layer of force attenuating polymer gel of  FIG. 5A  with at least one alligator clip attached and enclosed in a sterile packaging. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Reference will now be made to the drawings wherein like reference numerals identify similar structural features or aspects of the subject invention. For purposes of explanation and illustration, and not limitation, a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a system for parking and maintaining surgical instruments in a sterile field constructed in accordance with embodiments of the invention shown in  FIG. 1A  and is designated generally by reference character  100 . Other embodiments in accordance with the invention, or aspects thereof, are provided in  FIGS. 2A-5B  as will be described. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1A , system  100  for parking and maintaining surgical instruments in a sterile field  106  includes, a layer  102  of force attenuating polymer gel, referred to as “the gel” or “gel” throughout this description. Also shown is a surgical tray  104  where the layer of gel  102  is attached to the surgical tray  104  for parking surgical instruments when not in use but are maintained within sterile field  106 . It is contemplated that the gel can be the gel described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,041,719, the contents of which are hereby incorporated in their entirety. The gel  102  has a tacky outer surface and can be placed on a surgical tray  104  so that when surgical instruments are parked on the gel  102 , they are maintained within sterile field  106  even if bumped or tilted. With reference now to  FIG. 1B , it is contemplated that the gel  102  and the surgical tray  104  can be sterilized and enclosed in a sterile package  108 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2A , a surgical drape  204  incorporates a layer of the gel  202 . The gel layer  202  is sewn into surgical drape  204  in a manner such that when surgical drape  204  is placed over a patient, the gel layer  202  is maintained at an angle less than forty-five degrees relative to the horizontal plane. The tacky nature of the gel  202  will maintain parked surgical instruments within sterile field  204 , but will also maintain parked surgical instruments in close proximity to the surgical procedure. It is contemplated that a layer of gel  202  can be incorporated into the surgical drape to reduce the risk of removing surgical instruments from sterile field  206  by maintaining parked surgical instruments in very close proximity to the surgical procedure. As seen in  FIG. 2B , it is contemplated that the gel  202  as sewn into surgical drape  204  can be sterilized and enclosed in a sterile package  208 . 
     With reference now to  FIG. 3A , at least one piece of two sided adhesive tape  310  is affixed to one side of the gel layer  302  so that the gel layer  302  can be attached to the surgical drape  304  by removing the paper backing from the adhesive tape  310  and placing the gel layer  302  onto the surgical drape  304 . It is contemplated that the gel  302  and attached adhesive tape can be sterilized and enclosed in a sterile package  308  to maintain the sterile state until needed for use in a surgery. Those skilled in the art would readily appreciate that adhesive tape  310  and surgical drape  304  need not necessarily be packaged together in a kit. 
       FIG. 3B  shows the gel layer  302  attached to surgical drape  304  with at least one piece of two sided adhesive tape  310 . While the gel layer  302  is shown near the head of the patient, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the gel layer  302  can be attached to surgical drape  304  in any place along surgical drape  304  that is most convenient for the surgical procedure. 
     With reference now to  FIG. 4A , at least one piece of hook and loop fastener  410  is affixed to one side of the gel layer  402  for attaching to surgical drape  404 . One portion of the hook and loop fastener  410  is attached to gel layer  402  while the other portion of hook and loop fastener  411  can be sewn into surgical drape  404  or can be freely existing in sterile package  408  to be attached anywhere along surgical drape  404 . It is contemplated that the gel  402  and attached hook and loop fastener  410  can be sterilized and enclosed in a sterile package  408  to maintain the sterile state until needed for use in a surgery. Those skilled in the art would readily appreciate that hook and loop fastener  410  and  411  and surgical drape  404  need not necessarily be packaged together in a kit. 
       FIG. 4B  shows the gel layer  402  attached to surgical drape  404  with at least one piece of hook and loop fastener  410 . Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the gel layer  402  can be attached to surgical drape  404  in any place along surgical drape  404  that is most convenient for the surgical procedure. 
     With reference now to  FIG. 5A and 5B , at least one alligator clip  510  is affixed to one side of the gel layer  502  for attaching gel layer  502  to surgical drape  504 . It is contemplated that the gel  502  and attached alligator clip can be sterilized and enclosed in a sterile package  508  to maintain the sterile state until needed for use in a surgery. Those skilled in the art would readily appreciate that alligator clips  510  and surgical drape  504  need not necessarily be packaged together in a kit. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the gel layer  502  can be attached to surgical drape  504  in any place along surgical drape  504  that is most convenient for the surgical procedure. 
     The methods and systems of the present invention, as described above and shown in the drawings, provide for improved position maintenance of parked surgical instruments in a sterile field during a surgical procedure. While the apparatus and methods of the subject invention have been shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that changes and/or modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject invention.