Heated medical instrument stand with surgical drape and method of detecting fluid and leaks in the stand tray

• US 20040208780A1
• Filed: 05/03/2004
• Published: 10/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microtek Medical Incorporated (Ecolab, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ecolab, Inc.
• Inventors: Faries, Durward I. Jr., Heymann, Bruce R., Hendrix, David
• Granted Patent: US 7,854,230 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 422/3
• 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 medical instrument thermal treatment system according to the present invention is in the form of a stand including a thermally treated tray to thermally treat medical instruments. The stand includes a frame to support the tray, while a drape including a sensing device is disposed over the tray to form a drape container or receptacle within the tray for collecting a sterile medium. The tray is thermally treated to heat the sterile medium in order to warm medical instruments or other medical items placed in the tray. The sensing device provides a signal to the system indicating the presence of liquid and/or leaks within the drape container to facilitate control of system operation.

Claims

1. A system for thermally treating medical instruments to a desired temperature comprising:

a stand including a base and a support member attached to and extending from said base;

a tray supported by said support member to receive at least one medical instrument;

a drape, covering and substantially conforming to said tray, to form a drape container within said tray to receive a sterile liquid and said at least one medical instrument;

a thermal treatment unit to thermally treat said tray;

a temperature sensor to measure temperature of at least one of said thermal treatment unit, said tray and said liquid; and

a controller to control thermal treatment of said tray by said thermal treatment unit in accordance with said measured temperature to thermally treat said liquid and said at least one medical instrument to a desired temperature.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said stand includes a Mayo stand.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said drape includes a sensing device to detect and facilitate indication of conditions within said drape container, and wherein said system further includes a detection unit in communication with said sensing device to determine occurrence of said drape container conditions and to control said controller to operate said thermal treatment unit in accordance with said determined drape container conditions.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said sensing device includes a plurality of conductors each disposed on a sterile drape surface within said drape container and extending therefrom to a non-sterile drape surface, wherein potentials of said conductors are responsive to contact between said conductors and said liquid and indicate conditions of said drape container, and wherein said detection unit determines occurrence of said drape container conditions from said potentials of said conductors.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said plurality of conductors includes a plurality of electrodes.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein said drape includes an opening defined therein to permit passage of said plurality of conductors therethrough and a material segment attached to a drape surface coincident said opening to seal said opening and secure said plurality of conductors within said drape container.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein said drape includes an opening defined therein to permit passage of said plurality of conductors therethrough and a plurality of material segments, wherein each of the sterile and non-sterile drape surfaces includes at least one of said material segments disposed coincident said opening to seal said opening and secure said plurality of conductors within said drape container.

8. The system of claim 3, wherein said sensing device includes a plurality of conductive and insulating drape segments with potentials of said conductive segments being responsive to contact between said conductive segments and said liquid to indicate conditions of said drape container, and wherein said detection unit determines occurrence of said drape container conditions from said potentials of said conductive segments.

9. The system of claim 3 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.

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

11. The system of claim 9, wherein at least one indicator includes an audio indicator to produce audio signals to indicate occurrence of a drape container condition.

12. The system of claim 3, 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.

13. The system of claim 3, 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.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein said thermal treatment unit is operative to cool said liquid and said at least one medical instrument in said drape container.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein said thermal treatment unit is operative to heat said liquid and said at least one medical instrument 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 tray.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein at least said controller is disposed within a housing secured to said support member and said drape includes a pre-formed portion configured for placement over said housing.

18. The system of claim 1 further including a processor to collect information relating to at least one of said liquid and said at least one medical instrument and to generate a report including said collected information.

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

20. The system of claim 18 further including a communications module to establish communications and transfer information with another device.

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

49. The system of claim 4, wherein said plurality of conductors are each disposed through said drape to extend between said sterile and non-sterile drape surfaces.

50. The system of claim 4, wherein said plurality of conductors each extend along said sterile drape surface and traverse a drape peripheral edge to extend between said sterile and non-sterile drape surfaces.

51. The system of claim 3, 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.

22. A device for detecting conditions within a tray of a medical instrument thermal treatment system and facilitating control of thermal treatment of said tray and liquid and at least one medical instrument contained therein in response to said detected conditions, wherein said medical instrument thermal treatment system includes a stand with a base, a support member extending from said base and supporting said tray and a housing secured to said support member and including a system control unit, said device comprising:

a surgical drape to cover said stand and substantially conform to said tray to form a drape container within said tray to receive said liquid and said at least one medical instrument; and

a sensing device to detect and facilitate indication of conditions within said drape container.

23. The device of claim 22, wherein said sensing device includes a plurality of conductors each disposed on a sterile drape surface within said drape container and extending therefrom to a non-sterile drape surface, wherein potentials of said conductors are responsive to contact between said conductors and said liquid and indicate conditions of said drape container.

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

25. The device of claim 23, wherein said drape includes an opening defined therein to permit passage of said plurality of conductors therethrough and a material segment attached to a drape surface coincident said opening to seal said opening and secure said plurality of conductors within said drape container.

26. The device of claim 23, wherein said drape includes an opening defined therein to permit passage of said plurality of conductors therethrough and a plurality of material segments, wherein each of the sterile and non-sterile drape surfaces includes at least one of said material segments disposed coincident said opening to seal said opening and secure said plurality of conductors within said drape container.

27. The device of claim 23, wherein said sensing device includes a plurality of conductive and insulating drape segments with potentials of said conductive segments being responsive to contact between said conductive segments and said liquid to indicate conditions of said drape container.

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

29. The device of claim 22, wherein said drape includes a pre-formed portion configured for placement over said housing.

52. The device of claim 23, wherein said plurality of conductors are each disposed through said drape to extend between said sterile and non-sterile drape surfaces.

53. The device of claim 23, wherein said plurality of conductors each extend along said sterile drape surface and traverse a drape peripheral edge to extend between said sterile and non-sterile drape surfaces.

54. 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.

30. A method of thermally treating medical instruments to a desired temperature within a medical instrument thermal treatment system including a stand with a thermally treated tray to receive at least one medical instrument, said method comprising:

(a) disposing a drape over said stand substantially conforming to said tray to form a drape container within said tray;

(b) receiving a sterile liquid and at least one medical instrument within said drape container;

(c) thermally treating said tray, via a thermal treatment unit, and measuring temperature of at least one of said thermal treatment unit, said tray and said liquid; and

(d) controlling thermal treatment of said tray by said thermal treatment unit in accordance with said measured temperature to thermally treat said liquid and said at least one medical instrument to a desired temperature.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein said stand includes a Mayo stand.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein said drape includes a sensing device, and step (c) further includes:

(c.1) detecting conditions within said drape container, via said sensing device, and facilitating indication of said detected drape container conditions; and

step (d) further includes;

(d.

     1) determining occurrence of said drape container conditions and controlling operation of said thermal treatment unit in accordance with said determined drape container conditions.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein said sensing device includes a plurality of conductors each disposed on a sterile drape surface within said drape container and extending therefrom to a non-sterile drape surface, and step (c.1) further includes:

(c.1.1) altering potentials of said conductors in response to contact between said conductors and said liquid to indicate conditions of said drape container; and

step (d.

     1) further includes;

(d. 1.1) determining occurrence of said drape container conditions from said potentials of said conductors.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein said sensing device includes a plurality of conductive and insulating drape segments, and step (c.1) further includes:

(c.1.1) altering potentials of said conductive segments in response to contact between said conductive segments and said liquid to indicate conditions of said drape container; and

step (d.1) further includes;

(d.1.1) determining occurrence of said drape container conditions from said potentials of said conductive segments.

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

(d.2) actuating at least one of a visual and an audio indicator to indicate said determined occurrence of said drape container conditions.

36. The method of claim 32, wherein step (d. 1) further includes:

(d.1.1) disabling said thermal treatment unit in response to determining the presence of a leak or absence of said liquid within said drape container.

37. The method of claim 32, wherein step (d.1) further includes:

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

38. The method of claim 30 further including:

(e) collecting information relating to at least one of said liquid and said at least one medical instrument and generating a report including said collected information.

39. The method of claim 38 further including:

(f) printing a hardcopy of said report.

40. The method of claim 38 further including:

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

41. The method of claim 40, wherein step (f) further includes:

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

55. The method of claim 32, wherein step (c.1) further includes:

(c.1.1) detecting and facilitating indication of said drape container conditions including the presence of said liquid and a leak within said drape container.

42. A method for detecting conditions within a tray of a medical instrument thermal treatment system and facilitating control of thermal treatment of said tray and a sterile liquid and at least one medical instrument contained therein in response to said detected conditions, wherein said medical instrument thermal treatment system includes a stand with said tray and a housing secured to said stand and including a system control unit, said method comprising:

(a) forming a surgical drape to cover said stand and substantially conform to said tray to form a drape container within said tray to receive said liquid and said at least one medical instrument; and

(b) disposing a sensing device on said drape to detect and facilitate indication of conditions within said drape container.

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

(b.1) disposing each conductor on a sterile drape surface in said drape container with each conductor extending therefrom to a non-sterile drape surface, wherein potentials of said conductors are responsive to contact between said conductors and said liquid and indicate conditions of said drape container.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein said drape includes an opening defined therein, and step (b.1) further includes:

(b.1.1) disposing said plurality of conductors through said opening and attaching a material segment to a drape surface coincident said opening to seal said opening and secure said plurality of conductors within said drape container.

45. The method of claim 43, wherein said drape includes an opening defined therein, and step (b.1) further includes:

(b.1.1) disposing said plurality of conductors through said opening and attaching a plurality of material segments to said drape, wherein each of the sterile and non-sterile drape surfaces includes at least one of said material segments disposed coincident said opening to seal said opening and secure said plurality of conductors within said drape container.

46. The method of claim 42, wherein said sensing device includes a plurality of conductive and insulating drape segments, and step (b) further includes:

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

47. 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 tray.

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

(a.1) forming said drape to include a pre-formed portion configured for placement over said housing.

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

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

57. The method of claim 43, wherein step (b.1) further includes:

(b.1.1) disposing said conductors through said drape to extend between said sterile and non-sterile drape surfaces.

58. The method of claim 43, wherein step (b.1) further includes:

(b.1.1) disposing said conductors on said sterile drape surface to extend along that surface and traverse a drape peripheral edge to extend between said sterile and non-sterile drape surfaces.