Thermal treatment system and method for maintaining integrity and ensuring sterility of surgical drapes used with surgical equipment
First Claim
1. An apparatus for ensuring sterility of a sterile medium contained within a thermal treatment system basin by controlling thermal treatment of the basin in response to detecting the presence of a sterile drape, providing a sterile field for the sterile medium, on the thermal treatment system, said apparatus comprising:
- a thermal treatment system for thermally treating the sterile medium, said thermal treatment system including a basin;
a surgical drape covering and substantially conforming to said basin to serve as a drape container and to provide a sterile field for the sterile medium, said surgical drape including a surgical drape identifier for indicating the presence of said surgical drape on said thermal treatment system;
a detector disposed within said thermal treatment system to sense said surgical drape identifier and to verify the presence of said surgical drape on said thermal treatment system; and
a controller to enable said thermal treatment system to thermally treat the sterile medium in response to said detector verifying the presence of said surgical drape on said thermal treatment system.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A thermal treatment system warming basin for warming a sterile liquid or medium includes a heating pad disposed on the exterior surface of the basin floor in various configurations (e.g., spiral, `I`, `X` or serpentine configurations, multiple heating pad segments disposed about the basin floor, etc.) to prevent damage to a sterile surgical drape placed over the system when objects are placed within the basin. The configurations cover a portion of the basin floor to permit the basin to absorb thermal energy that may otherwise be absorbed by and cause damage to the drape. In addition, a thermal treatment system and corresponding sterile surgical drape may include a variety of mechanisms to ensure sterility of a sterile liquid within a basin. In particular, the drape may include a reflective material segment to reflect infrared light emitted from an infrared light source toward a detector to indicate the proper positioning and/or presence of the drape on the thermal treatment system. The infrared light source and corresponding detector may be disposed within the thermal treatment system below the basin or within the system top surface. Alternatively, magnetic media may be attached to the drape, while a magnetic detector is disposed within the thermal treatment system on the exterior surface of the basin floor or within the system top surface. The magnetic detector senses the drape magnetic media to detect the proper positioning and/or presence of the drape on the thermal treatment system.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. An apparatus for ensuring sterility of a sterile medium contained within a thermal treatment system basin by controlling thermal treatment of the basin in response to detecting the presence of a sterile drape, providing a sterile field for the sterile medium, on the thermal treatment system, said apparatus comprising:
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a thermal treatment system for thermally treating the sterile medium, said thermal treatment system including a basin; a surgical drape covering and substantially conforming to said basin to serve as a drape container and to provide a sterile field for the sterile medium, said surgical drape including a surgical drape identifier for indicating the presence of said surgical drape on said thermal treatment system; a detector disposed within said thermal treatment system to sense said surgical drape identifier and to verify the presence of said surgical drape on said thermal treatment system; and a controller to enable said thermal treatment system to thermally treat the sterile medium in response to said detector verifying the presence of said surgical drape on said thermal treatment system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method of ensuring sterility of a sterile medium contained within a thermal treatment system basin by detecting the presence of a sterile surgical drape disposed over a thermal treatment system wherein the sterile surgical drape provides a sterile field above the basin, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) physically placing a drape identifier on surgical drapes; (b) verifying the presence of a drape placed on the thermal treatment system by detecting in the thermal treatment system said drape identifier of said drape placed on the thermal treatment system; and (c) enabling temperature control of the basin only in response to said detector verifying the presence of said drape on said thermal treatment system. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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Specification