Apparatus and method for producing sterile slush and heated sterile liquid
First Claim
1. A surgical slush system for producing a sterile, semi-frozen slush from a sterile liquid, comprising:
- a slush generating unit includinga cabinet,a basin at the top of said cabinet,refrigeration means inside said cabinet with said basin directly contacting said refrigeration means, said refrigeration means for cooling said basin to a temperature below the freezing point of said sterile liquid, said refrigeration means including an evaporator mounted to the underside of said basin in heat transfer relationship therewith, and heating means for heating said basin to a temperature above the freezing point of said sterile liquid, said heating means including an electrical heating element mounted to the underside of said basin in heat transfer relationship therewith; and
a sterilized drape, said drape being impervious to the sterile liquid and sized to cover and directly contact said basin, said drape also being sufficiently flexible to conform substantially to the interior shape of said basin whereby said sterile liquid is directly contained by said drape within said basin.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A surgical slush system for producing a sterile, semi-frozen slush from a sterile liquid. The system includes a slush generating unit having a cabinet with a plurality of louvres for air circulation, a basin at the top of the cabinet, a refrigeration means inside the cabinet for cooling the basin to a temperature below the freezing point of the sterile liquid, and a heating means for heating the basin to a temperature above the freezing point of the sterile liquid. A sterilized drape covers the basin. The drape is impervious to the sterile liquid and is sufficiently flexible to conform substantially to the interior shape of the basin with the sterile liquid being directly contained by the drape within the basin. An air filter in the form of a thin flexible sterilized sheet is fixed to and extends outwardly from the margin of the drape and is sized to extend over the louvres.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. A surgical slush system for producing a sterile, semi-frozen slush from a sterile liquid, comprising:
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a slush generating unit including a cabinet, a basin at the top of said cabinet, refrigeration means inside said cabinet with said basin directly contacting said refrigeration means, said refrigeration means for cooling said basin to a temperature below the freezing point of said sterile liquid, said refrigeration means including an evaporator mounted to the underside of said basin in heat transfer relationship therewith, and heating means for heating said basin to a temperature above the freezing point of said sterile liquid, said heating means including an electrical heating element mounted to the underside of said basin in heat transfer relationship therewith; and a sterilized drape, said drape being impervious to the sterile liquid and sized to cover and directly contact said basin, said drape also being sufficiently flexible to conform substantially to the interior shape of said basin whereby said sterile liquid is directly contained by said drape within said basin. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A method for producing a sterile, semi-frozen surgical slush from a sterilized liquid, comprising the steps of:
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(1) providing a surgical slush unit having a rigid basin and refrigeration means directly contacting said basin for cooling said basin to a temperature below the freezing point of said sterilized liquid; (2) covering the interior of said basin with a sterilized drape by directly contacting said drape with said basin and conforming said drape substantially to the interior shape of said basin; (3) introducing a quantity of sterilized liquid directly into said drape; (4) cooling said sterilized liquid within said drape by activation of said refrigeration means in said sterile slush unit so as to cause said sterilized liquid to congeal against the interior surface of said drape; and (5) scraping the congealed sterilized liquid off the interior surface of said drape as said cooling step is performed, thereby producing a quantity of semi-frozen sterile slush of desired consistency. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7)
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8. A combination sterilized drape and air filter for use with a machine for producing a sterile semi-frozen surgical slush from a sterile liquid, said machine having a cabinet including a plurality of sides and a plurality of louvres along one or more of the sides thereof sized for passage of air therethrough to facilitate heat transfer inside said machine and a basin at the top of said cabinet, said combination sterilized drape and air filter comprising:
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a sterilized drape including a thin sheet formed of a material which is impervious to the sterile liquid and sized to cover said basin, said drape also being sufficiently flexible to conform substantially to the interior shape of said basin; and an air filter formed of a thin flexible sterilized sheet fixed to and extending outwardly from the margin of said drape and sized to extend over said louvres, said sheet being pervious to air but substantially impervious to dust particles. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10)
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11. A surgical slush system for producing a sterile, semi-frozen slush from a sterilized liquid, comprising:
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a quantity of sterilized liquid; a slush generating unit including a cabinet including a plurality of louvres along one or more of the sides thereof sized for passage of air therethrough to facilitate heat transfer inside said cabinet, a basin at the top of said cabinet, and refrigeration means inside said cabinet for cooling said basin to a temperature below the freezing point of said sterilized liquid, said refrigeration means including an evaporator mounted to the underside of said basin in heat transfer relationship therewith; a thin sterilized drape, said drape impervious to said sterile liquid and sized to cover said basin, said drape flexibly conforming substantially to the interior shape of said basin, said drape directly abutting said basin along substantially the entire surface of said basin and removable therefrom, said sterilized liquid being directly contained by said drape within said basin; and an air filter including a thin flexible sterilized sheet fixed to and extending outwardly from the margin of said drape and sized to extend over said louvres, said sheet being pervious to air but substantially impervious to dust particles. - View Dependent Claims (12)
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13. A surgical slush system for producing a sterile, semi-frozen slush from a sterilized liquid, comprising:
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a quantity of sterilized liquid; a slush generating unit including a cabinet, a basin at the top of said cabinet, refrigeration means inside said cabinet for cooling said basin to a temperature below the freezing point of said sterilized liquid, said refrigeration means including an evaporator mounted to the underside of said basin in heat transfer relationship therewith, and a heating means for heating said basin to a temperature above the freezing point of said sterile liquid, said heating means including an electrical heating element mounted to the underside of said basin in heat transfer relationship therewith, a mounting stud rigidly fixed to and extending from the underside of said basin, a cover plate mounted to said mounting stud on the underside of said basin beneath said electrical heating element, said cover plate serving to dissipate excess heat from said heating element within said cabinet, and a Teflon®
lock washer extending between said mounting stud and said cover plate and serving to insulate the connection therebetween; anda thin sterilized drape, said drape being impervious to said sterile liquid and sized to cover said basin, said drape flexibly conforming substantially to the interior shape of said basin, said drape directly abutting said basin along substantially the entire surface of said basin and removable therefrom, said sterilized liquid being directly contained by said drape within said basin.
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Specification