Method and apparatus for forming and collecting surgical slush

• US 5,400,616 A
• Filed: 07/14/1994
• Issued: 03/28/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microtek Medical Incorporated (Ecolab, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Medical Company, Inc. (Ecolab, Inc.)
• Inventors: Faries, Durward I. Jr., Heymann, Bruce R., Licata, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Tapoical, William E.
• Application Number:
  US08/274,869
• Time in Patent Office: 257 Days
• Field of Search: 62/66, 62/68, 62/340, 62/342, 128/846, 128/849, 4/DIG. 18, 4/452, 4/484, 4/580, 4/655
• US Class Current: 62/340
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 46/10 specially adapted for instruments, e.g. microscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 7/0241 Apparatus for the preparation of hot packs, hot compresses, cooling pads, e.g. heaters or refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: F25C 1/125 on flexible surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: F25C 5/06 by deforming bodies with which the ice is in contact, e.g. using inflatable members

Abstract

Frozen pieces of sterile medium, such as saline, are dislodged from a sterile drape container in a surgical slush producing machine a manipulating the drape relative to the cooled basin to which the drape container conforms. Manipulation of the drape is achieved by pushing, twisting, pulling, lifting, etc., on the drape to displace it from the basin. Such movement of the drape may be effected on a continuous and automatic basis, or by manual means using a member or implement to facilitate drape movement. The system cabinet includes a refrigerated compartment for pre-chilling sterile liquid to be used in forming the surgical slush.

Claims

1. Apparatus for forming sterile surgical slush comprising:

a cabinet housing the apparatus;

a basin disposed in said cabinet;

a refrigeration system for cooling said basin;

a sterile drape overlying said apparatus and conforming to said basin to define a drape container for receiving sterile liquid to be converted to slush;

wherein said refrigeration system cools the basin sufficiently to freeze the sterile liquid therein and cause pieces of the frozen liquid to adhere to the drape container; and

manipulation means for automatically manipulating said drape relative to said basin to dislodge the frozen pieces from the drape.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said manipulation means includes:

a movable member disposed between said drape and said cabinet; and

drive means for continuously moving said movable member to displace successive portions of said drape from said basin.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said drive means includes means for repetitively moving said movable member back and forth in opposite directions.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said manipulation means includes means for issuing pressurized fluid between said drape and said basin.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a refrigerated compartment in said cabinet for storing and pre-chilling containers of said sterile liquid.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said manipulation means comprises means for lifting the bottom of the drape container sufficiently far away from the bottom of the basin to displace at least portions of the sides of the drape container from the cooled basin.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said manipulation means includes a plate disposed between said drape container and the bottom of the basin, and means for automatically and repetitively raising and lowering said plate.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said manipulation means includes a bladder disposed between the drape container and the basin, and means for automatically and repetitively inflating and deflating said bladder.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said manipulation means includes means for rotationally twisting the drape container relative to the basin.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said manipulation means includes at least one separation member movable along the sides of the basin between the basin and drape container, and means for moving said separation member to separate portions of the drape container from the basin.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said manipulation means includes means for rolling said separation member along the basin.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said manipulation means includes a plate disposed between the drape container and the basin, and means for automatically and continuously wobbling said plate to periodically displace different locations of the drape from the basin.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said manipulation means includes means for automatically and periodically delivering pressurized air to and exhausting pressurized air from between the drape container and the basin.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said manipulation means includes a member disposed on the top surface of said cabinet adjacent said basin and beneath said drape, and means for automatically moving said member to cause said drape to move relative to said basin.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said means for moving includes means for automatically sliding said member along said top surface.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said manipulation means includes means for automatically and repetitively raising and lowering successive portions of said drape relative to said basin.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said manipulation means includes means for imparting vibrations to the basin and drape container.

18. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said manipulation means includes means for repetitively and sequentially separating plural portions of said drape from the sides of said basin.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said means for sequentially separating includes:

a generally annular member disposed beneath said drape; and

means for raising and lowering said annular member from different locations sequentially to tilt the annular member in changing angular orientations and displace the drape from the sides of said basin.

20. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said means for sequentially separating includes:

a generally annular member disposed between said drape and said basin; and

means for raising and lowering said annular member from different locations in sequence to tilt the annular member in changing angular orientations and displace the drape from the sides of said basin.

21. In a surgical slush machine of the type wherein a sterile medium in liquid form is contained in a liquid-impervious sterile drape container conformed to a basin being cooled to cause the sterile medium to freeze and adhere to the drape adjacent the cooled portions of the basin, apparatus for detaching frozen pieces of the sterile medium from the drape, said apparatus comprising:

manipulation means for automatically and repetitively manipulating the drape relative to the basin to displace said drape from the cooled portions of the basin; and

wherein said drape container is positioned to collect said detached pieces as sterile slush.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein said manipulation means comprises means for lifting a part of the drape container sufficiently far away from the basin to displace at least portions of the drape container from the cooled portions of the basin.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein said means for lifting includes a member disposed between said drape container and the bottom of the basin, and means for repetitively and mechanically raising and lowering said member.

24. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein said means for lifting includes a member disposed beneath said drape container, and means for repetitively and mechanically raising and lowering said member.

25. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein said manipulation means includes means for repetitively and sequentially separating plural portions of said drape from the sides of said basin.

26. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein said means for sequentially separating includes:

a generally annular member disposed beneath said drape; and

means for raising and lowering said annular member from different locations in sequence to tilt the annular member in changing angular orientations and displace the drape from the sides of the basin.

27. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein said means for sequentially separating includes:

a generally annular member disposed between said drape and said basin; and

means for raising and lowering said annular member from different locations in sequence to tilt the annular member in changing angular orientations and displace the drape from the sides of the basin.