Surgical drape with conductor and method of detecting fluid and leaks in thermal treatment system Basins

• US 7,347,210 B2
• Filed: 05/03/2004
• Issued: 03/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microtek Medical Incorporated (Ecolab, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Medical Company, Inc. (Ecolab, Inc.)
• Inventors: Faries, Durward I. Jr., Heymann, Bruce R., Hendrix, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown; Michael A.
• Application Number:
  US10/836,236
• Publication Number:
  US 20040200480A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,422 Days
• Field of Search: 128849-856, 62/66, 458/0, 465/5
• US Class Current: 128/849
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 46/10 specially adapted for instruments, e.g. microscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 7/0085 Devices for generating hot or cold treatment fluids

Abstract

A drape according to the present invention includes a sensing device and is disposed over a thermal treatment system having a basin recessed therein. A drape portion is pushed down into, and conforms to, the basin to form a drape receptacle within the basin for collecting a sterile medium. The sensing device includes electrodes that are typically disposed through the drape and sealed via patches on the non-sterile drape surface. The electrodes provide signals indicating the presence of liquid and/or leaks within the drape container to the system to facilitate control of system operation. In addition, a drape utilized for a plural basin thermal treatment system may form a drape receptacle within each basin. Each drape receptacle includes a sensing device to detect the presence of liquid and/or a leak within that drape receptacle and provide signals to the system to facilitate control of system operation.

Claims

1. A system for detecting conditions within containers formed by surgical drapes during surgical procedures and controlling thermal treatment of said containers in response to said detected conditions, said system comprising:

a thermal treatment unit to thermally treat a liquid and including a basin;

a surgical drape, covering and substantially conforming to said basin, to serve as a drape container for said liquid;

a sensing device including a plurality of conductors each disposed on a sterile drape surface within said drape container and extending therefrom through said drape to a non-sterile drape surface, wherein said conductors are secured to said drape via a plurality of material segments disposed on said non-sterile drape surface, and wherein potentials of said conductors are responsive to contact between said conductors and said liquid and indicate conditions of said drape container;

a controller to operate said thermal treatment unit to control a temperature of said basin; and

a detection unit in communication with said drape to determine occurrence of said drape container conditions from said potentials of said conductors and to control said controller to operate said thermal treatment unit in accordance with said determined drape container conditions.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of conductors includes a plurality of electrodes.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said drape includes an opening defined therein to permit passage of said plurality of conductors therethrough and said material segments are attached to said drape non-sterile surface proximate said opening to seal said opening.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said plurality of material segments encompass said opening with a first portion of each material segment attached to said drape non-sterile surface and second portions of said material segments attached to each other to seal said opening.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein each material segment includes a fold between said first and second portions.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein said second portion of each material segment extends transversely relative to said first portion of that material segment and said drape non-sterile surface.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein said plurality of conductors are disposed through said opening and between said plurality of material segments.

8. The system of claim 1 further including a plurality of indicators to indicate drape container conditions, wherein said indicators are actuable in response to control signals generated by said detection unit in accordance with said determined occurrence of said drape container conditions.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein at least one indicator includes a visual indicator to visually indicate occurrence of a drape container condition.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein at least one indicator includes an audio indicator to produce audio signals to indicate occurrence of a drape container condition.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said detection unit disables said thermal treatment unit in response to determining the presence of a leak or absence of said liquid within said drape container.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said detection unit enables said thermal treatment unit in response to determining the presence of said liquid and absence of a leak within said drape container.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein said drape detects and facilitates indication of conditions of said drape container including the presence of said liquid and a leak within said drape container.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein said thermal treatment unit is operative to cool said liquid in said drape container.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein said thermal treatment unit is operative to heat said liquid in said drape container.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein said drape includes a pre-formed container portion to form said drape container within said basin.

17. The system of claim 1 further including a processor to collect information relating to said liquid and to generate a report including said collected information.

18. The system of claim 17 further including a printer to print a hardcopy of said report.

19. The system of claim 17 further including a communications module to establish communications and transfer information with another device.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein said processor generates said report in electronic form and said communications module transmits said report to said other device.

21. The system of claim 1 further including:

a plurality of said thermal treatment units to thermally treat said liquid and each including a basin, wherein said surgical drape covers and substantially conforms to each said basin to serve as said drape container for said liquid in each said basin;

a plurality of said sensing devices each including a plurality of said conductors disposed on said sterile drape surface within a corresponding drape container and extending therefrom to a non-sterile drape surface;

at least one controller to operate said thermal treatment units to control temperature of each said basin; and

at least one detection unit in communication with each said sensing device to determine occurrence of drape container conditions within said each basin from said potentials of said conductors associated with that basin to control said at least one controller to operate said thermal treatment units in accordance with said determined drape container conditions.

22. A device for detecting conditions within a basin of a thermal treatment system during surgical procedures and facilitating control of thermal treatment of said basin and liquid contained therein in response to said detected conditions, said device comprising:

a surgical drape to cover and substantially conform to said basin to serve as a drape container for said liquid; and

a sensing device including a plurality of conductors each disposed on a sterile drape surface within said drape container and extending therefrom through said drape to a non-sterile drape surface, wherein said conductors are secured to said drape via a plurality of material segments disposed on said non-sterile drape surface, and wherein potentials of said conductors are responsive to contact between said conductors and said liquid and indicate conditions of said drape container.

23. The device of claim 22, wherein said plurality of conductors includes a plurality of electrodes.

24. The device of claim 22, wherein said drape includes an opening defined therein to permit passage of said plurality of conductors therethrough and said material segments are attached to said drape non-sterile surface proximate said opening to seal said opening.

25. The device of claim 24, wherein said plurality of material segments encompass said opening with a first portion of each material segment attached to said drape non-sterile surface and second portions of said material segments attached to each other to seal said opening.

26. The device of claim 25, wherein each material segment includes a fold between said first and second portions.

27. The device of claim 25, wherein said second portion of each material segment extends transversely relative to said first portion of that material segment and said drape non-sterile surface.

28. The device of claim 25, wherein said plurality of conductors are disposed through said opening and between said plurality of material segments.

29. The device of claim 22, wherein said drape includes a pre-formed container portion to form said drape container within said basin.

30. The device of claim 22, wherein said sensing device detects and facilitates indication of conditions of said drape container including the presence of said liquid and a leak within said drape container.

31. A method of detecting conditions during surgical procedures within a container formed within a thermal treatment system basin by a surgical drape to contain liquid and controlling thermal treatment of said drape container in response to said detected conditions, said method comprising:

(a) placing said surgical drape over said thermal treatment system to cover and substantially conform to said basin to serve as a drape container for said liquid, wherein said drape includes a sensing device with a plurality of conductors disposed on a sterile drape surface within said drape container and extending therefrom through said drape to a non-sterile drape surface, and wherein said conductors are secured to said drape via a plurality of material segments disposed on said non-sterile drape surface;

(b) altering potentials of said conductors in response to contact between said conductors and said liquid to indicate conditions of said drape container; and

(c) determining occurrence of said drape container conditions from said potentials of said conductors and controlling said thermal treatment system to thermally treat said basin in accordance with said determined drape container conditions.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein said plurality of conductors includes a plurality of electrodes, and step (b) further includes:

(b.1) altering potentials of said electrodes in response to contact between said electrodes and said liquid to indicate conditions of said drape container.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein step (c) further includes:

(c.1) detecting and facilitating indication of said drape container conditions including the presence of said liquid and a leak within said drape container.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein step (c) further includes:

(c.1) actuating at least one of a visual and an audio indicator to indicate said determined occurrence of said drape container conditions.

35. The method of claim 31, wherein step (c) further includes:

(c.1) disabling said thermal treatment system in response to determining the presence of a leak or absence of said liquid within said drape container.

36. The method of claim 31, wherein step (c) further includes:

(c.1) enabling said thermal treatment system in response to determining the presence of said liquid and absence of a leak within said drape container.

37. The method of claim 31 further including:

(d) collecting information relating to said liquid and generating a report including said collected information.

38. The method of claim 37 further including:

(e) printing a hardcopy of said report.

39. The method of claim 37 further including:

(e) establishing communications and transferring information with another device.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein step (e) further includes:

(e.1) generating said report in electronic form and transmitting said report to said other device.

41. The method of claim 31 wherein said thermal treatment system includes a plurality of said basins, and step (a) further includes:

(a.1) placing said surgical drape over said thermal treatment system to cover and substantially conform to each said basin to serve as a drape container for said liquid, wherein said surgical drape includes a plurality of said sensing devices each including a plurality of said conductors disposed on said sterile drape surface within a corresponding drape container and extending therefrom to said non-sterile drape surface;

step (b) further includes;

(b.1) altering potentials of said conductors of a corresponding drape container in response to contact between those conductors and said liquid to indicate conditions of that drape container; and

step (c) further includes;

(c.1) determining occurrence of conditions of each said drape container from said potentials of said conductors associated with that drape container and controlling said thermal treatment system to thermally treat said basins in accordance with said determined drape container conditions.

42. A method of detecting conditions within a basin of a thermal treatment system during surgical procedures and facilitating control of thermal treatment of said basin and liquid contained therein in response to said detected conditions, said method comprising:

(a) forming a surgical drape to cover and substantially conform to said basin to serve as a drape container for said liquid;

(b) disposing a sensing device including a plurality of conductors on a drape portion serving as said drape container with said conductors disposed on a sterile drape surface within said drape container and extending therefrom through said drape to a non-sterile drape surface, wherein said conductors are secured to said drape via a plurality of material segments disposed on said non-sterile drape surface, and wherein potentials of said conductors are responsive to contact between said conductors and said liquid and indicate conditions of said drape container.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein said plurality of conductors includes a plurality of electrodes, and step (b) further includes:

(b.1) disposing said electrodes on said sterile drape surface within said drape container, wherein said electrodes extend between sterile and non-sterile drape surfaces.

44. The method of claim 42, wherein step (b) further includes:

(b.1) defining an opening within said drape to permit passage of said plurality of conductors therethrough; and

(b.2) attaching said material segments to said drape non-sterile surface proximate said opening to seal said opening.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein step (b.2) further includes:

(b.2.1) attaching said material segments to said drape non-sterile surface to encompass said opening with a first portion of each material segment attached to said drape non-sterile surface and second portions of said material segments attached to each other to seal said opening.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein each material segment includes a fold between said first and second portions.

47. The method of claim 45, wherein step (b.2.1) further includes:

(b.2.1.1) attaching said material segments to said drape non-sterile surface with said second portion of each material segment extending transversely relative to said first portion of that material segment and said drape non-sterile surface.

48. The method of claim 45, wherein step (b) further includes:

(b.3) disposing said plurality of conductors through said opening and between said plurality of material segments.

49. The method of claim 42, wherein step (a) further includes:

(a.

     1) forming said drape to include a pre-formed container portion to form said drape container within said basin.

50. The method of claim 42, wherein step (b) further includes:

(b.1) disposing said conductors on said sterile drape surface within said drape container, wherein said potentials of said conductors indicate conditions of said drape container including the presence of said liquid and a leak within said drape container.