Medical solution thermal treatment system and method of controlling system operation in accordance with detection of solution and leaks in surgical drape containers

• US 20030172937A1
• Filed: 02/25/2003
• Published: 09/18/2003
• 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., Blankenship, Calvin, Heymann, Bruce R., Hendrix, David
• Granted Patent: US 6,910,485 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 128/846
• 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 including a sensing device is disposed over a thermal treatment system having a basin recessed therein to form a drape container or receptacle within the basin for collecting a sterile medium. The thermal treatment system may either heat or congeal the sterile medium. The sensing device is typically disposed through the drape to provide a signal indicating the presence of liquid and/or leaks within the drape container to the system to facilitate control of system operation. In addition, the sensing device may be affixed to a plural basin drape utilized for a multiple basin thermal treatment system. The drape forms a drape receptacle within each basin, while a sensing device is typically disposed within each drape receptacle to detect the presence of liquid and/or a leak within that drape receptacle to facilitate control of system operation in substantially the same manner described above.

Claims

1. A device for detecting conditions within a thermal treatment system basin for thermally treating a sterile liquid comprising:

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

a sensing device to ascertain conditions of said drape container, wherein said sensing device is disposed on a sterile drape surface within said drape container and extends therefrom through a surgical drape opening to a non-sterile drape surface; and

at least one material segment attached to said drape and including dimensions greater than said opening to cover and seal said opening with said sensing device disposed therethrough;

wherein said opening is defined in said surgical drape at a drape location coincident an area of said thermal treatment system outside the confines of said basin.

2. The detecting device of claim 1, further including a plurality of material segments to seal said opening, wherein at least one material segment is attached to a sterile drape surface coincident said opening and at least one material segment is attached to a non-sterile drape surface coincident said opening.

3. The detecting device of claim 1, wherein said opening is defined in said surgical drape at a drape location coincident a thermal treatment system top surface.

4. The detecting device of claim 1, wherein said opening is defined in said surgical drape at a drape location coincident a thermal treatment system side wall.

5. The detecting device of claim 1, wherein said sensing device includes at least one conductor to detect said drape container conditions.

6. The detecting device of claim 5, wherein said at least one conductor includes an electrode.

7. The detecting device of claim 5, wherein said surgical drape includes a receptacle attached to said sterile drape surface to contain a proximal portion of each conductor, wherein said receptacle includes a series of openings defined therein to enable said liquid within said drape container to contact said each conductor to ascertain said drape container conditions.

8. The device of claim 5, wherein a potential of said at least one conductor indicates conditions of said drape container including the presence of said liquid and a leak within said drape container.

9. The detecting device of claim 1, wherein said sensing device includes a connector to receive a distal end of each said conductor and couple said sensing device to said thermal treatment system.

10. The detecting device of claim 1, wherein:

said thermal treatment system includes a plurality of said basins to thermally treat said liquid; and

said drape covers and substantially conforms to each said basin to serve as said drape container for said liquid in each said basin, wherein said drape further includes a plurality of said sensing devices each disposed on said sterile drape surface within a corresponding drape container and extending therefrom through a corresponding surgical drape opening to said non-sterile drape surface;

wherein each opening is defined in said surgical drape at a drape location coincident an area of said thermal treatment system outside the confines of a corresponding basin, and wherein each opening with a corresponding sensing device disposed therethrough is sealed by at least one material segment attached to said drape and covering that opening.

17. The detecting device of claim 1, wherein said sensing device includes at least one conductor to detect said drape container conditions.

18. The detecting device of claim 17, wherein said at least one conductor includes an electrode.

19. The detecting device of claim 17, wherein said surgical drape includes a receptacle attached to said sterile drape surface to contain a proximal portion of each conductor, wherein said receptacle includes a series of openings defined therein to enable said liquid within said drape container to contact said each conductor to ascertain said drape container conditions.

20. The detecting device of claim 17, wherein a potential of said at least one conductor indicates conditions of said drape container including the presence of said liquid and a leak within said drape container.

11. A device for detecting conditions within a thermal treatment system basin for thermally treating a sterile liquid comprising:

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

a sensing device to ascertain conditions of said drape container, wherein said sensing device is disposed on a sterile drape surface within said drape container and extends therefrom through a surgical drape opening to a non-sterile drape surface; and

a single material segment attached to said drape and including dimensions greater than said opening to cover and seal said opening with said sensing device disposed therethrough;

wherein said opening is sealed by said material segment on a single drape surface and is exposed with respect to a drape surface opposing that single drape surface.

12. The detecting device of claim 11, wherein said opening is sealed by said material segment on a drape sterile surface.

13. The detecting device of claim 11, wherein said opening is sealed by said material segment on a drape non-sterile surface.

14. The detecting device of claim 11, wherein said opening is defined in said surgical drape at a drape location coincident said thermal treatment system basin.

15. The detecting device of claim 11, wherein said opening is defined in said surgical drape at a drape location coincident a thermal treatment system top surface.

16. The detecting device of claim 11, wherein said opening is defined in said surgical drape at a drape location coincident a thermal treatment system side wall.

21. The detecting device of claim 11, wherein said sensing device includes a connector to receive a distal end of each said conductor and couple said sensing device to said thermal treatment system.

22. The detecting device of claim 11, wherein:

said thermal treatment system includes a plurality of said basins to thermally treat said liquid; and

said drape covers and substantially conforms to each said basin to serve as said drape container for said liquid in each said basin, wherein said drape further includes a plurality of said sensing devices each disposed on said sterile drape surface within a corresponding drape container and extending therefrom through a corresponding surgical drape opening to said non-sterile drape surface;

wherein at least one opening with a corresponding sensing device disposed therethrough is sealed by a single material segment attached to said drape and covering that opening.

23. A method of detecting conditions within a thermal treatment system basin for thermally treating a sterile liquid comprising the steps of:

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

(b) defining an opening in said surgical drape at a drape location coincident an area of said thermal treatment system outside the confines of said basin;

(c) disposing a sensing device on a sterile drape surface within said drape container to ascertain conditions of said drape container with said sensing device extending through said surgical drape opening to a non-sterile drape surface; and

(d) attaching at least one material segment, including dimensions greater than said opening, to said drape to cover and seal said opening with said sensing device disposed therethrough.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein step (d) further includes:

(d.1) attaching a plurality of said material segments to said drape to seal said opening, wherein step (d.1) further includes;

(d.1.1) attaching at least one material segment to a sterile drape surface coincident said opening; and

(d.1.2) attaching at least one material segment to a non-sterile drape surface coincident said opening.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein step (b) further includes:

(b.1) defining said opening in said surgical drape at a drape location coincident a thermal treatment system top surface.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein step (b) further includes:

(b.1) defining said opening in said surgical drape at a drape location coincident a thermal treatment system side wall.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein said sensing device includes at least one conductor to detect said drape container conditions and said surgical drape includes a receptacle attached to said sterile drape surface and including a series of openings defined therein, and step (c) further includes:

(c.1) disposing proximal portions of each conductor within said receptacle to enable said liquid within said drape container to contact said each conductor to ascertain said drape container conditions.

28. The method of claim 27, further including the step of:

(e) measuring a potential of said at least one conductor to ascertain conditions of said drape container including the presence of said liquid and a leak within said drape container.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein said sensing device includes a connector to receive a distal end of each said conductor, and said method further includes the step of:

(e) coupling said sensing device to said thermal treatment system via said connector to ascertain said drape container conditions.

30. The method of claim 23, wherein said thermal treatment system includes a plurality of said basins to thermally treat said liquid, and step (a) further includes:

(a.1) forming said drape to cover and substantially conform to each said basin to serve as said drape container for said liquid in each said basin;

step (b) further includes;

(b.1) defining a plurality of openings in said surgical drape each associated with a corresponding basin with at least one opening defined at a drape location coincident an area of said thermal treatment system outside the confines of a corresponding basin;

step (c) further includes;

(c.1) disposing a plurality of sensing devices on said sterile drape surface each within a corresponding drape container and extending through a corresponding surgical drape opening to said non-sterile drape surface; and

step (d) further includes;

(d.1) attaching a plurality of material segments to said drape with each opening and corresponding sensing device disposed therethrough associated with at least one segment to seal and cover that opening.

31. A method of detecting conditions within a thermal treatment system basin for thermally treating a sterile liquid comprising the steps of:

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

(b) defining an opening in said surgical drape;

(c) disposing a sensing device within said drape container to ascertain conditions of said drape container with said sensing device extending through said surgical drape opening to a non-sterile drape surface; and

(d) attaching a single material segment to said drape, including dimensions greater than said opening, to cover and seal said opening with said sensing device disposed therethrough, wherein said opening is sealed by said material segment on a single drape surface and is exposed with respect to a drape surface opposing that single drape surface.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein step (d) further includes:

(d.1) attaching said material segment to a drape sterile surface to cover and seal said opening.

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

(d.1) attaching said material segment to a drape non-sterile surface to cover and seal said opening.

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

(b.1) defining said opening in said surgical drape at a drape location coincident said thermal treatment system basin.

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

(b.1) defining said opening in said surgical drape at a drape location coincident a thermal treatment system top surface.

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

(b.1) defining said opening in said surgical drape at a drape location coincident a thermal treatment system side wall.

37. The method of claim 31, wherein said sensing device includes at least one conductor to detect said drape container conditions and said surgical drape includes a receptacle attached to said sterile drape surface including a series of openings defined therein, and step (c) further includes:

(c.1) disposing proximal portions of each conductor within said receptacle to enable said liquid within said drape container to contact said each conductor to ascertain said drape container conditions.

39. The method of claim 37, wherein said sensing device includes a connector to receive a distal end of each said conductor, and said method further includes the step of:

(e) coupling said sensing device to said thermal treatment system via said connector to ascertain said drape container conditions.

40. The method of claim 31, wherein said thermal treatment system includes a plurality of said basins to thermally treat said liquid, and step (a) further includes:

(a.1) forming said drape to cover and substantially conform to each said basin to serve as said drape container for said liquid in each said basin;

step (b) further includes;

(b.1) defining a plurality of openings within said surgical drape each associated with a corresponding basin;

step (c) further includes;

(c.1) disposing a plurality of sensing devices on said sterile drape surface each within a corresponding drape container and extending through a corresponding surgical drape opening to said non-sterile drape surface; and

step (d) further includes;

(d.1) attaching a plurality of material segments to said drape to cover and seal said openings with a corresponding sensing device disposed therethrough, wherein at least one opening with a corresponding sensing device disposed therethrough is sealed by a single material segment.

38. The method of 37, further including the step of:

(e) measuring a potential of said at least one conductor to ascertain conditions of said drape container including the presence of said liquid and a leak within said drape container.