Patent ID: 7074180

Claim:
In a method for a closed chest, video-assisted diagnostic or surgical treatment of a patient that comprises positioning a viewing scope having an elongated nosepiece suitable for gathering and transmitting images to a small video camera so that the nosepiece is inserted through a first percutaneous intercostal opening in the patient to view an internal region of the patient requiring diagnostic or surgical treatment and transmitting the image so gathered through the video camera to a viewing monitor, providing at least a second percutaneous opening suitable for inserting a surgical or diagnostic instrument therethrough, inserting a first diagnostic or surgical instrument through said second opening to perform an internal diagnostic or surgical procedure in the patient's cavity while viewing the image of said procedure on the monitor, the improvement that comprises (a) draping said monitor with a transparent, sterile surgical drape, said drape completely covering said monitor and being fastened around a periphery of a screen of said monitor, and (b) positioning said draped monitor within a surgical field so that the surgeon can perform the internal surgical or diagnostic procedure and view it on said monitor so that the surgeon's visual access to the monitor correlates as closely as possible to the visual access of an input end of the viewing scope.