Abstract:
A surgical pack having a flexible body and a removable cover. A sleeve is disposed on the bottom surface of the pack to receive a user&#39;s hand to facilitate the support and control of the pack with the one hand.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention generally pertains to surgical procedures. More particularly, but not by way of limitation, the present invention pertains to surgical procedures that use accessories and consumables disposed in a surgical pack. 
       DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART 
       [0002]    A variety of items are used in surgery. For example, in ophthalmic surgery, such items include a surgical console, accessories (e.g. probes, handpieces, other hand-held instruments), and various consumables (e.g. surgical cassettes; tubing sets or cables that connect the console or cassette in the non-sterile field to the probe or handpiece in the sterile field). Such items are often provided in sterile packs or kits for distribution purposes. Typically, each tubing set or cable in a pack is separately coiled and banded. 
         [0003]    Two persons are required to prepare the surgical system for use. One is the scrub (or sterile) nurse and the other is the circulating (or non-sterile) nurse. The scrub nurse is fully gowned and gloved and works in the sterile field, while the circulating nurse is not gowned or gloved and works in the non-sterile field. The scrub nurse must remain in the sterile field and is not allowed to contact the non-sterile field, while the circulating nurse must remain in the non-sterile field and is not allowed to contact the sterile field. The scrub and circulating nurses work together to aseptically transfer sterile items from the sterile field to the non-sterile field and visa versa. 
         [0004]    Among various duties, the scrub nurse assembles sterile items in the sterile field while the circulating nurse connects the sterile tubing set and cable connectors transferred from the sterile field to the non-sterile field. Since each tubing set or cable is individually coiled and banded, the scrub nurse must locate and unband each coil, locate the appropriate end for transfer to the console or cassette, and aseptically transfer the proper end to the circulating nurse. The circulating nurse must then aseptically accept the connector end from the scrub nurse and locate the correct mating connector on the console or cassette before making the connection. 
         [0005]      FIG. 1  shows an exemplary, conventional surgical pack  300  for housing various surgical accessories and consumables. Pack  300  generally includes a body  302  and a cover  304 . Body  302  has an interior  306  and an opening  308 . Body  302  is formed from conventional, rigid plastic in a shape to conveniently store the required surgical accessories and consumables. Cover  304  is removably coupled to body  302  and is disposed over opening  308 . Cover  304  is formed from a breathable, porous material, such as, by way of example, high density polyethylene. A preferred material for cover  304  is the TYVEK® material available from E.I. duPont de Nemours and Company of Wilmington, Del. Cover  304  is removably coupled to body  302  via an adhesive. Pack  300  is suitable for sterilization via conventional gamma radiation or ethylene oxide processes. 
         [0006]    Conventional surgical packs such as pack  300  are subject to certain limitations. For example, after pack  300  is used in a surgery, the rigid plastic of body  302  consumes a relatively large amount of space when pack  300  is disposed in a trash container or receptacle in the operating room. Therefore, a need continues to exist in the ophthalmic surgical field for an improved pack for housing various surgical accessories and consumables. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The present invention is a surgical pack having a body made from a lightweight flexible material, a cover removably coupled to a top surface of the body, and a sleeve disposed on a bottom surface of the body. The body has an interior with a surgical accessory and/or a surgical consumable disposed therein. The sleeve has an opening for receiving a user&#39;s hand to facilitate the support and control of the pack with the one hand. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and for further objects and advantages thereof, reference is made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  is a perspective, partially sectional view of a conventional surgical pack; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a bottom, perspective view of the surgical pack of the present invention showing the sleeve and the placement of a user&#39;s hand within the sleeve; and 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a top, perspective view of the surgical pack of  FIG. 2 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0012]    The preferred embodiments of the present invention and their advantages are best understood by referring to  FIGS. 2-3  of the drawings, like numerals being used for like and corresponding parts of the various drawings. 
         [0013]      FIGS. 2-3  show a surgical pack  10  for housing various surgical accessories and consumables according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As used herein, a “surgical accessory” refers to a probe, handpiece, or other hand-held instrument used in a microsurgical procedure. As used herein, a “surgical consumable” refers to a surgical cassette, tubing, or cable used in a microsurgical procedure. Pack  10  is preferably an ophthalmic surgical pack. 
         [0014]    Pack  10  generally includes a body  12  and a cover  14 . Body  12  has a bottom surface  16 , a top surface  18 , and an interior. Body  12  is preferably formed from flexible, lightweight material. A flexible, lightweight plastic is the preferred material for body  12 . Cover  14  is removably coupled to body  12  around a perimeter of top surface  18 , preferably via an adhesive. Cover  14  is formed from a breathable, porous material, such as, by way of example, high density polyethylene. A preferred material for cover  14  is the TYVEK® material available from E.I. duPont de Nemours and Company of Wilmington, Del. Pack  10  is suitable for sterilization via conventional gamma radiation or ethylene oxide processes. The interior of body  12  holds one or more surgical accessories  30 , one or more surgical consumables  32 , or one or more surgical accessories  30  and one or more surgical consumables  32 , depending upon the surgical procedure for which pack  10  is intended. Surgical accessories  30  and surgical consumables  32  are shown in dashed or hidden lines within the interior of body  12  in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0015]    After pack  10  has been used in a surgery, the flexible material of body  12  allows for easy disposal and reduced trash volume. However, the flexible material makes pack  10  difficult for a scrub nurse or other user to support and control with one hand during the setup for a surgical procedure. For this reason, a sleeve  20  having an opening  22  is disposed on bottom surface  16  of body  12 . 
         [0016]    During use, a scrub nurse or other user inserts his or her hand and/or arm  24  into sleeve  20  via opening  22 . Sleeve  20  allows the scrub nurse to support and maintain control of pack  10  during the setup for a surgical procedure. With the other hand, the scrub nurse is then able to remove cover  14  and access the surgical accessories  30  and/or surgical consumables  32  within the interior of body  12 . 
         [0017]    It is believed that the operation and construction of the present invention will be apparent from the foregoing description. While the apparatus and methods shown or described above have been characterized as being preferred, various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.