U.S. patent application number 10/433469 was filed with the patent office on 2004-07-08 for operation sutural needle counter.
Invention is credited to Koseki, Tomoaki.
Application Number | 20040129591 10/433469 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 27531706 |
Filed Date | 2004-07-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040129591 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Koseki, Tomoaki |
July 8, 2004 |
Operation sutural needle counter
Abstract
This invention is related to surgical suture needle counters
with features of parts with which needles are counted are either
protruded or in concave hollow forms one projection or one hollow
parts for each needle, made of material that endures autoclave
sterilization, that can be disposed after use, and with insertion
holes to fit into slits, the bottom base or the side of the
container made of transparent resin, enabling confirmation of
contents after closing and sealing the container, to secure safety
during counting and at the time of disposal for preventing needle
pricking accidents in advance.
Inventors: |
Koseki, Tomoaki;
(Chiyoda-ku, JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Tomoaki Koseki
17-2 Sotokanda
2-Chome
Chiyoda-ku Tokyo
101-0021
JP
|
Family ID: |
27531706 |
Appl. No.: |
10/433469 |
Filed: |
May 30, 2003 |
PCT Filed: |
October 2, 2001 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/IB01/01809 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/380 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61B 2017/06147
20130101; A61B 2090/0804 20160201; A61B 17/06133 20130101; A61B
2017/06142 20130101; A61B 2050/21 20160201 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/380 |
International
Class: |
B65D 085/28 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 2, 2000 |
JP |
2000-338264 |
Jul 10, 2001 |
JP |
2001-208974 |
Jul 13, 2001 |
JP |
2001-214010 |
Aug 13, 2001 |
JP |
2001-245628 |
Oct 2, 2001 |
JP |
2001-306988 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A surgical suture needle counter with the feature of counting
the number of used surgical suture needles, being a sheet of a
container to dispose the needles, and having a shape of the part
with which to count the needles are protruded for each needle.
2. A surgical suture needle counter with the feature of counting
the number of used surgical suture needles, being a sheet of a
container, and having a shape of the part with which to count the
needles being in a hollow form for each needle.
3. A surgical suture needle counter as claimed in claims 1 and 2,
wherein the outer part of the main body is in a round shape that
can be stored inside a petri dish which is used inside an operation
room, and projection to pull out the device is arranged around one
side of the circumference which can be bent.
4. A surgical suture needle counter as claimed in claim 3, wherein
the shape of the bendable projection around one side of the
circumference is in a shape of a calyx reminding a person of a
fruit or a vegetable, the overall color is in a fruit-like or
vegetable-like tone accordingly.
5. A surgical suture needle counter as claimed in claims 1, 2, 3
and 4, wherein the part that constructs the main part of the
counter being a material which can endure the temperature and
pressure of an autoclave (high pressure steam sterilizer) which is
a commonly used sterilization method in an operation room, and does
not easily deform or deteriorate.
6. A manufacturing method of a surgical suture needle counter as
claimed in claims 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, wherein the material is made of
foam and such, the overall body and the part with which needles are
counted are made of foam mold processing forming convex and concave
shapes.
7. A manufacturing method of a surgical suture needle counter as
claimed in claims 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, wherein the material is made of
foam and such, the overall body and the part with which needles are
counted are made of heat press processing forming convex and
concave forms.
8. A manufacturing method of a surgical suture needle counter as
claimed in claims 2, 3, 4, and 5, wherein the material of foam and
such is cut out, and the numbers with which to count needles can be
pasted on a piece of paper and such with numbers printed on to form
the overall shape.
9. A surgical suture needle counter as claimed in claims 1, 2, 3,
4, and 5, wherein concave and convex shapes applied on the outre
rim of the main body of the surgical suture needle counter, and the
concave and convex shapes fit with the concave and convex parts at
the outer rim of the blister pack which is the external package at
the time of shipment, enabling a disposable form.
10. A surgical suture needle counter which counts the number of
used surgical suture needles, and which is a disposable device,
consisting of a main body, a saucer plate and a lid, the main body
being in a columnar of square column pillar shape made of soft
flexible material, the needles counted by pricking needles one by
one onto a multiple number of projections at the surface of the
device, each projection having a number in serial marked, is stored
and fixed in advance onto a resin-made disposable saucer plate, the
bottom part of the saucer plate and the lid having slip-proof
adhesive sheet pasted on the bottom base of the saucer plate and on
the top of the lid in advance, the lid is closed on top of the
saucer plate after the usage and can be disposed as a sealed
container.
11. A surgical suture needle counter as claimed in claim 10 wherein
the surface of the main body is not projected but has a multiple
number of holes, and the needles can be counted by dropping needles
one by one, each hole having a number in serial marked at the
bottom of the hole.
12. A surgical suture needle counter as claimed in claim 11 wherein
not holes but a multiple number of slits to insert needles are
applied, and numbers in serial can be applied, and serial numbers
marked at the side of the slit.
13. A surgical suture needle counter as claimed in claim 12 wherein
the center and the right side of the slit is a round or a square
shape insertion hole.
14. A surgical suture needle counter as claimed in claims 10, 11,
12 and 14 with the feature of having magnetic sheets pasted on the
inside of the lid.
15. A surgical suture needle counter as claimed in claims 10, 11,
12 or 13, wherein double face adhesive sheet is pasted onto the
inside of the lid.
16. A surgical suture needle counter as claimed in claims 10, 11,
12 or 13, wherein double face adhesive sponge is pasted onto the
inside of the lid.
17. A surgical suture needle counter that is a container which
counts the number of used surgical suture needles and can be
disposed, wherein a hollow columnar pillar is halved in the middle
vertically to be opened and closed with a hinge in half-column
state, soft flexible material is fixed onto the left half of the
half-column for used needles to be fixed onto, partitions for
storing needles placed inside the right half of the half-column,
numbers marked onto the bottom base of each partition for counting
needles, and when the two half-columns are closed the overall
appearance becomes a columnar pillar and can be sealed and
disposed.
18. A surgical suture needle counter as claimed in claim 17 wherein
one half of the two half columnar pillars has no partition nor
needle pricking fixing body, but has magnetic sheet pasted on the
inside wall.
19. A surgical suture needle counter as claimed in claim 17 wherein
one half of the two half columnar pillars has no partition nor
needle pricking fixing body, but has double face adhesive sheet
pasted on the inside wall.
20. A surgical suture needle counter as claimed in claim 17 wherein
one half of the two half columnar pillars has no partition nor
needle pricking fixing body, but has double face adhesive sponge
pasted on the inside wall.
21. A surgical suture needle counter that counts the number of used
surgical suture needles and can be disposed, having a form of a
petri dish type short columnar pillar consisting of a saucer plate
and a lid, the outside base of the saucer plate having slip-proof
adhesive sheet, the inside of the saucer plate divided in a radial
form from the center being needle storage space, and the needle
storage space has numbers for counting needles marked for visual
confirmation from the top, the space which is for used needles to
be thrown in, and the counter can be disposed after sealed.
22. A surgical suture needle counter as claimed in claim 21 wherein
the saucer plate and the lid are contacted and fixed so that these
do not separate, the lid has a window for either one or two needle
storage space divided in two in the latter case, wherein the lid
rotates one by one for used needle to be thrown inside the needle
storage space, the top part of the last needle storage space is
closed and does not rotate to the front or rear due to a stopper,
and the counter can be disposed after sealed.
23. A surgical suture needle counter as claimed in claims 21 and 22
wherein the bottom base of the saucer plate is made of transparent
resin, to enable visual confirmation of the content of the counter
after needles are counted, and then the counter is sealed.
24. A surgical suture needle counter as claimed in claims 21, 22,
and 23 wherein adhesive sheet or magnetic sheet is applied on the
inside of the bottom base of the saucer plate to enable the needles
thrown-in to be fixed inside.
25. A surgical suture needle counter that counts the number of used
surgical suture needles and can be disposed, consisting of an
external case, a needle storage rotating body, and a rotating
handle, wherein slip proof adhesive sheet is pasted on the outside
of the bottom base of the external case, the center axis located at
the side center of the inside of the external case pierces and is
stored inside the center of the spherical part of the spherical
columnar needle storage rotating body, the inside of the needle
storage rotating body becomes needle storage space divided into
radial spaces from the center, the spherical parts on the right and
the left of the columnar pillar blocked with a wall, the
surrounding curved side is opened, needles are thrown inside
towards the center of the needle storage rotating body from the top
part of the external case, the top part of the external case having
a multiple number of windows for needle storage space for throwing
in used needles, the surrounding curved side of the needle storage
rotating body having numbers marked for counting the needles to
enable visual confirmation from the top, the needle storage
rotating body connected to a rotating handle via the wall of
external case, used needles are thrown inside needle storage space
by rotating the rotating handle one by one, the top part of the
last needle storage space is closed and would not rotate to the
front or rear due to a stopper, and the counter can be disposed
after sealed.
26. A surgical suture needle counter as claimed in claim 25 wherein
the center axis of the needle storage rotating body is connected
with frame moving lever via external case wall, the frame moving
lever is restricted to one portion of needle storage space for its
upwards and downwards movement range by a restriction projection
which is fixed onto the front side of the external case, a push
spring is set below the frame moving lever, the side of the frame
moving lever has frame moving projection which sends out radial
extended isolation wall via ditches of external case, the frame
moving projection has its tip end bend when the projection is
moving downward, and when the projection is moving upward the
straight state is maintained and push up the isolation wall, the
tip end of the isolation wall are small spheres, there are catchers
on the inside of the external case to receive the spheres, and so
when the frame moving lever is pressed down, the needle storage
space is sent on one by one.
27. A surgical suture needle counter as claimed in claim 26 wherein
a display panel is connected to the external circumference of the
first isolation wall, one display panel being in the same shape and
area as one needle storage space to block the circumference, the
display on the display panel connected to the first isolation wall
is 1, the border of the next display panel which displays 2 in
serial continued from the first display panel is made thin to bend
flexibly, the same structure continues one by one, each display
panel which continues on is pulled inside the triangular column
display rotating body each time the needle storage rotating body
rotates one move, and the display blocks the circumference of one
needle storage space showing a number.
28. A surgical suture needle counter as claimed in claims 25, 26,
and 27 wherein all the needle storage rotating bodies and the side
wall in which the center axis of the external case runs through are
made of transparent resin, and the content can be confirmed after
sealed.
29. A surgical suture needle counter as claimed in claims 25, 26,
27 and 28, wherein the center axis is made of magnet, enabling the
thrown in needles to be fixed inside.
30. A surgical suture needle counter which is a container that
counts the number of used surgical suture needles and can be
disposed, wherein a hinge is applied to the upper part of the
container which stores 8 detached needle type suture thread
package, a lid is connected, a slip proof adhesive sheet is pasted
on the external bottom base of the container, soft flexible
material is pasted on the inside of the container and the inside of
the lid for pricking needles onto, numbers being marked on parts to
count needles, the whole container is sealed and disposed when the
lid is closed.
31. A surgical suture needle counter as claimed in claim 30 wherein
magnetic sheet is pasted to the inside of the container and the
inside of the lid, numbers to count needles are marked.
32. A surgical suture needle counter as claimed in claim 30 and 31
wherein hinges are applied to both sides of the container in which
stores 8 detached needle type suture thread package, to which a
needle storage space in the size of being stored inside the
container when bent inwards, sponge and such needle fixing body is
pasted on the side of each of the right and left needle storage
space, numbers are marked on the bottom base for counting the
number of needles, and when all the eight detached needle type
suture thread is used, the needle storage space on both sides can
be bent inwards to be stored inside the container, and when the lid
is closed the counter is sealed.
33. A surgical suture needle counter as claimed in claim 32 wherein
magnetic sheet is pasted on the inside bottom base of the needle
storage space connected to both sides of the container, and numbers
are marked on the parts where needles are counted.
34. A surgical suture needle counter as claimed in claims 17, 18,
19, 20, 30, 31, 32 and 33, wherein one of the hinges attached to
the two divided containers is in a spherical form, the other in two
projection forms to sandwich the sphere, and when counting needles
is conducted the container is closed, the hinges fit each other
enabling complete sealed state which cannot be opened easily, a
sphere that projects in a slanting angle connecting to either one
tip end or two tip ends of one side that continues to the hinge and
the cup that receive the sphere fit each other when the container
is fully opened, being in a temporary fixed state, and the divided
containers can be manufactured with mold processing method with the
same mold.
35. A surgical suture needle counter which counts the number of
used surgical suture needles and can be disposed, consisting of an
external box, a bellows insole and a lid, wherein the bellows
insole is placed inside the square shape external box, both ends of
the bellows insole that extend outwards are connected respectively
onto the far end inside the external box and the side wall of the
external box, numbers for counting needles are marked on the top
parts of each of the bellows insole, slip proof adhesive sheet is
pasted on the outside bottom base of the external box and the top
outside part of the lid, a material such as magnetic sheet that can
adhere and fix needles is pasted on the inside of the lid, the lid
is closed onto the external box after counting needles, and the
whole counter can be sealed and disposed.
36. A surgical suture needle counter as claimed in claim 35 wherein
knobs made of soft flexible material are attached on the center top
part of the bellows insole or the top parts of each of the three
parts of the bellows insole when the insole is divided equally in
three, a hole is made in the center of the knob, a projection to
fix the knob hole is made in the far end of the external box and in
the center of the front side wall.
37. A surgical suture needle counter as claimed in claims 35 and 36
wherein the front half of the external box is in a drawer style,
enabling double the volume size when this counter is in usage.
38. A surgical suture needle counter as claimed in claims 35, 36,
and 37 wherein each of the both tip ends of the trough parts of the
bellows insole is bent inwards as peak parts to enable each needle
storage part to be in a pocket form.
39. A surgical suture needle counter wherein each of the both tip
ends of the trough parts of the bellows insole is bent inwards as
peak parts to enable each needle storage part to be in a pocket
form, each of the top part of the peak parts of the bellows insole
having numbers to count needles being marked, the bellows insole is
folded from both the front and the back side at time of disposal,
enabling the insole to be folded small to be stored inside the
small external box, and can be sealed and disposed after the lid is
closed.
40. A surgical suture needle counter as claimed in claim 39 wherein
one end of the front or the back side of the bellows insole is
connected to the inside of the side wall of the small external box,
the side wall on the lower base side of the other side is connected
to one side of the bottom base, the top side is connected to one
side of the lid, and when the bellows insole is extended during
usage, the bottom base and the side wall and the lid all become
flat in one line, the bellows insole is folded from both the front
and the back sides at time of disposal, the side wall and the lid
are raised one by one, to be sealed.
41. A surgical suture needle counter as claimed in claim 39 wherein
a wall to fix the center part of the bellows insole is made on the
inside of the small external box, the bellows insole extends to the
front and the back from the center, one side of the front side wall
and the back side wall connects to the bottom base, and when the
bellows insole is extended during use, the front side wall the base
and the back side wall all become flat as one line, the bellows
insole is folded from the front and back at time of disposal, the
front wall and the back wall are raised and sealed, and the
appearance of the counter after sealing becomes triangular
shape.
42. A surgical suture needle counter as claimed in claims 38, 39,
40 and 41, wherein a multiple number of the pocket type needle
storage parts are lined up in one line horizontally.
43. A manufacturing method for manufacturing bellows insole part
for the surgical suture needle counter as claimed in claims 39, 40,
41 and 42, wherein slits are made on the top part for the peak
folds and bottom part for the trough folds when folding a piece of
paper or a plate of thin resin to enable easy folding, numbers for
counting needles are printed on each top part of the bellows
insole, the insole being able to make a bellows insole form by
sandwiching the insole by one movement from the front and the
back.
44. A surgical suture needle counter which counts the number of
used surgical suture needles and can be disposed, consisting of the
main body and a lid, the front side of the square box is shaped to
have the main body slanted in the front side so that the box shape
becomes shorter in the front, with three strips of lengthwise soft
flexible material on the right and the left side walls and the
center of the inside of the main body, number for counting needles
are marked on the top part of the soft material, slits are made to
enable needles to be pricked from the top or the sides, a
transparent resin plate is arranged horizontally as partition
keeping a space for one needle to be left for the space of needles
for marked numbers, one space between the left sponge and the
center sponge, and another space between the center sponge and the
right sponge, the partition plate is raised from the bottom base so
that the top part of the partition slants slightly towards the far
side of the main body, the lid made of transparent resin, slip
proof adhesive sheet being pasted on the outside base of the main
body, material such as magnetic sheet for adhering and fixing
needles is pasted on the inside bottom base of the main body, the
lid is closed on the main body after counting the needles, the
counter being able to be sealed and disposed.
45. A manufacturing method for a surgical suture needle counter as
claimed in claim 44 wherein the main body and the lid is made of
transparent plastic resin with injection mold processing, three
strips of lengthwise sponge with slits made in advance and with
numbers printed in advance being placed on the right and left side
walls and on the center.
46. A surgical suture needle counter which counts the number of
used surgical suture needles and can be disposed, consisting of a
main body and a lid, adhesive acrylic foam is pasted on the inside
of the main body to enable needles to be fixed just by placing
needles, numbers to count needles are marked on the surface of the
adhesive acrylic foam, the lid made of transparent resin, and when
the lid is closed needles are fixed between the adhesive acrylic
foam and the lid.
47. A surgical suture needle counter as claimed in claim 46 wherein
the part in the main body on which needles are placed is projected
in arch forms, holes are made on the adhesive acrylic foam for the
arch projections to match the needle locations, the center part of
the arch projections having a slit, so when a needle is pressed the
needle inserts into the arch projection part, the dented projection
part restores back into the projected form with spring effect after
a needle is inserted, the lid is in a concave shape to prevent the
arch projection parts to touch, having features to fix the needles
in the locations accurately, and to prevent easy dropping off of
the needles.
48. A surgical suture needle counter as claimed in claims 46 and 47
wherein slits are made in advance around the marked number parts on
the surface of the adhesive acrylic foam, the foam is adhered in a
slightly light way onto the top part of a projected pillar which is
made with solid body mold method with the main body, so when used
needles are returned to the surgical suture needle counter, the
marked numbers of the locations where the needles are place are
peeled off, the peeled off number stickers are pasted onto the used
needle package, to enable more accurate confirmation of used
needles and of needles opened from packages.
49. A manufacturing method for a surgical suture needle counter as
claimed in claim 48 wherein the main body and the lid are made of
resin with injection mold method, numbers are printed on the
adhesive acrylic foam, the number parts have slits in advance in
the surrounding made with Thompson blades, the acrylic foam adheres
onto the top part of the pillar in a slightly light way on the
projected pillar made with solid body mold method with the main
body, and the number parts can be peeled off.
50. A surgical suture needle counter as claimed in claims 46, 47,
and 48 wherein packages of unused suture needles are set and fixed
on the top part of a thin H shape frame, the lower part of the H
shape frame having a structure to set and fix surgical suture
needle counter, the lowest part of the surgical suture needle
counter part becomes the transparent lid via a hinge, the
transparent lid is fixed to the back side before and during usage,
and the lid extends forward after use having the hinge as the axis,
the transparent lid is adhered onto the adhesive acrylic foam, the
used needles are fixed by being sandwiched, and furthermore after
the needles are adhered and fix, the surgical suture needle counter
part can be slid out from the lower part of the H shape frame and
be disposed.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] This invention relates to improvements of surgical suture
needle counters that count used suture needles for disposal to
prevent any needle to be left in a patient's body, and to
appropriately dispose used surgical suture needles as medical
waste.
[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0004] Conventional surgical suture needle counters for counting
used needles can be categorized in two; one is adhesive type and
the other is sponge type. In the case of an adhesive type, needles
are adhered and fixed on a surface of a flat sheet or a plate, the
material of the surface being magnetic or sticker type. The surface
of the sheet or plate is divided by straight lines or have square
enclosures printed on, and each frame has a number marked for
counting the number of needles. By placing the needles from a frame
marked with small numbers to large numbers, the number of used
needles can be counted. In the case of a sponge type needle
counter, numbers are printed on the surface of the sponge and the
needles are pricked from the top.
SUMMARY OF THIS INVENTION
[0005] When the surface of the sheet or the plate on which needles
are places is flat, the needles tend to move when placed on the
surface and therefore there is more possibility of mistakes being
made when counting.
[0006] Usually when a nurse receives a used needle from a surgeon,
the nurse would receive the needle on a needle holder, but when the
nurse tries to count needles after pricking needles on a
conventional needle counter wherein numbers are printed on the top
part of the sponge, the nurse would have to prick the needles from
an awkward angle from above. Also as the end tip of the needle
would turn upwards, disposal of the counter would be difficult
afterwards. If the needle is pricked deeply, the tip point of the
needle would jut out. Many of the hospital infections occur from
needle pricking accidents, and safer means are being sought.
[0007] Conventional needle counters take much space as the needles
are placed horizontally, and so surgical suture needle counters are
large in size. As the nurses' workplace is a clean area it is
preferable not to have large size tools or devices. The total
volume of such tool or device should be kept as small as
possible.
[0008] Although there are strong requests from medical
organizations to introduce surgical suture needle counters for
safety reasons for both patients and medical practitioners, in the
current climate of restraint in medical expense, it is difficult to
spend much money on disposable items. Ultimate cost reduction
including manufacturing process is being sought.
[0009] A surgeon would hold the tip end of a needle and conduct
suture holding the needle with a needle holder, but the needle that
comes out from body tissue is pulled out from the front tip end.
The needle held at the tip of a needle holder is passed onto a
nurse who has to re-hold the needle to prick the needle onto a
sponge for counting. Needle pricking accidents often occur during
the re-holding process of needles by nurses.
[0010] Needles used in surgeries vary in size, and therefore
conventional surgical suture needle counters differed in size.
Conventional types are not complete in handling both large needles
and small needles collectively at the same time.
[0011] To solve the above problems, this invention is structured so
that the part for counting needles is elevated individually, or
made in a concave form for each needle, to prevent each needle from
moving about, and to structure the counter to have needles to be
pricked more easily than when needles are pricked from sideways,
and to have a form which is easier to dispose.
[0012] The shape of the main body of the surgical suture needle
counter is made in a round form, to fit inside a petri dish used in
an operation room, and projections are provided on one side of the
main body for pulling out the counter, the projection which can be
bent. A petri dish is a tool that is used commonly in almost every
surgery, and so there is no need to make new space for the needle
counter. Also, in facilities which counts needles not using any
needle counter, in most cases used needles are counted by placing
needles in a petri dish, and therefore in those cases there is
smooth transition into utilizing surgical suture needle
counters.
[0013] Another added value is that flexible projections at one side
of the counter are made in a calyx-like form reminding a person of
fruits or vegetables, the counter is colored in relation to such
image. The tool counter in an operation room is full of metallic
tools with blood, having a cold impression, but such form and color
reminding a person of fruits or vegetables would have the effect of
bringing peace of mind and relaxation to nurses.
[0014] The material of the surgical suture needle counter is a
material which endures the temperature and pressure of the
autoclave sterilizer (high pressure steam sterilizer), and which
does not easily deform or deteriorate. In an operation room,
autoclave sterilization is done generally to sterilize tools and
utensils, and a petri dish as previously referred is also
sterilized inside an autoclave without placing anything inside the
dish. When a surgical suture needle counter is placed inside a
petri dish and sterilized, that would lead to cost reduction of the
sterilization, and the counter and the dish can be used immediately
after opening the petri dish. Also the external packaging and its
procedure will turn unnecessary for the manufacturer's side and
therefore would realize some cost reduction.
[0015] Material for the counter is foam-like material, and the
overall shape and the parts which the needles are to be counted
will be in a concave and convex shape made of foam molding process
or heat press processing, enabling affordable mass production.
[0016] Foam materials are cut out with press cut mold and then
pasted onto a paper on which numbers for counting the needles are
printed, and by doing so the overall manufacturing cost can be made
affordable, and to minimize the initial investment for ramping of
product production.
[0017] Convex and concave shapes are made on the outer rim of the
main body of the surgical suture needle counter, the rim fit and
combined with convex and concave parts on the rim of a blister pack
which is the external packaging at the time of shipment, to enable
the tool to be disposed after use. In a case when sterilization is
done not in the hospital but at the manufacturer's side before
delivery, sterilized package is always necessary. A blister pack is
a container made of transparent resin from PS (polystyrene) or PET
(polyethylene terephthalate) made with vacuum mold method, the
counter is placed inside this package and sealed with sterilized
papers such as Tyvek. Usually when an item is delivered to an
operation area, blister packs or Tyvek or other external packaging
are disposed on the site. There is very small possibility of blood
staining on these packages, but even when the packages are stained,
these can be disposed as medical waste. Convex and concave shapes
are applied to the rim of the main body of the surgical suture
needle counter, and when these shapes are combined with the shape
on convex and concave shapes of the surrounding of the blister
pack, the shape of the blister pack itself can cover the used
needles, and so there will be more safety. This would also omit the
situation of packing and disposing one needle at a time, which
would decrease the total amount of waste.
[0018] The needle counter consists of the main body, a saucer plate
to place the main body, and a lid, the main body is in a thin
columnar or four-sides column shape made of flexible material,
wherein needles can be pricked in order onto the multiple number of
projections on the surface, made to facilitate counting. Each
projection is numbered in serial, placed and fixed in advance on a
disposable plate made of resin, and the base of the plate and the
top of the lid have slip-proof adhesive sheets applied. After
usage, the lid can be closed on top of the plate, and can be
disposed as a sealed container.
[0019] Another possible form for this invention is that the surface
of the main body does not have projections but have multiple
numbers of holes applied, and needles can be dropped inside and
counted. Each hole is numbered in serial.
[0020] Another possible form for this invention is that there are
multiple numbers of slits applied instead of holes, and needles can
be inserted into those slits. Each slit has a number in serial
beside the slit.
[0021] The form of the slit is made so that the center and the
right end is an insertion hole in a columnar or four-sided column
shape.
[0022] Magnetic sheet, adhesive sheet or sponge is applied on the
inside of the lid.
[0023] A hollow column is made in half-column shape cut vertically
at the center, to be opened and closed by a hinge, and needle
fixing part made of flexible material is fixed on the left half of
the half column. There are partitions on the right half of the
column for storing needles, and numbers to count the needles are
marked at the bottom of each partition. When the right and the left
halves of the column are closed, the overall shape become a whole
column and is sealed, enabling disposal.
[0024] One half of the half-column does not have any partition or
needle fixing part, and had magnet sheet, adhesive sheet of sponge
pasted on the inside.
[0025] This invention is in a short columnar shape like a petri
dish consisting of a holding plate and a lid, wherein the outside
bottom side of the saucer plate has slip-proof adhesive sheet. The
inside of the saucer plate is divided from the center radiation,
forming needle storage space, and each needle storage space has
numbers marked for counting, to enable counting and visual
confirmation from above. Used needles are thrown into the needle
storage space one by one, and the counter can be disposed after
sealed.
[0026] The counter is structured so that the saucer plate and the
lid can be rotated but should not separate. The lid has one or two
divided windows for needle storage. The lid is rotated and a used
needle can be thrown inside one by one from the window. The last
needle storage space has the top part sealed, and the lid would not
rotate to the fore or rear due to a stopper, and the counter can be
disposed sealed.
[0027] The bottom of the saucer plate is made of transparent resin,
so the content of the counter can be checked and confirmed when
needles are counted and then sealed.
[0028] The inside of the bottom of the saucer plate has adhesive
sheet or magnetic sheet applied, to fix the thrown-in needles.
[0029] This invention consists of an external case, a needle
storage rotating body, and a rotating handle, wherein the outside
of the bottom base of the external case has slip-proof adhesive
sheet applied, the center axis located at the center of the inside
of the external case pierces through into the columnar needle
storage rotating body and stored therein. The inside of the needle
storage rotating body is divided at the center in a radial form,
forming needle storage spaces, the right and the left circular
parts at the top of the column are blocked with a wall, the
surrounding curved side is opened, and needles can be thrown in
from the top of the external case towards the center of the needle
storage rotating body. Windows to throw in the needles into the
multiple needle storage spaces are made on top of the external
case, and numbers for counting needles are marked on the curved
surrounding of the needle storage rotating body for visual
confirmation of the needles. The needle storage rotating body is
connected with a rotating handle via the external case wall, and
used needles are thrown inside the needle storage space by rotating
the rotating handle. The top part of the last portion of the needle
storage space is closed, and is structured not to rotate to the
fore or rear with a stopper, so that the counter can be disposed in
a sealed state.
[0030] The center axis of the needle storage rotating body is
connected to a frame-moving lever via the external case wall, and
the upper and lower movement of the frame-moving lever is
restricted to one space of the needle storage space by the
restriction projection that is fixed on the side of the external
case. A push spring is set below the frame-moving lever, the side
of the frame-moving lever has frame-moving projections to send out
the division walls extended in a radial form of the needle storage
space via the external ditch, and the tip end of the frame-moving
projection is bent when proceeding downwards, the tip end maintains
a perpendicular position to push up the division wall when moving
upwards. The tip end of the isolation wall is in a small sphere
form, and a catcher is applied in the inside of the external case
to receive this sphere. When the frame-moving lever is pushed down,
the needle storage space moves one by one.
[0031] A display panel is connected to the outside rim of the first
isolation wall, and the first display panel is in the same shape
and size as the needle storage space to block the circumference.
The display on the display panel connected to the first isolation
wall is 1, the border between the display panels 2 and 1 are made
in a thin form so that it can bend flexibly, and that structure
continues thereafter. Each of the serial display panel is pulled
into the triangular column display rotating body each time the
needle rotating body rotates one frame, and blocks the
circumference of the needle storage space while displaying a
number.
[0032] The whole part of the needle storage rotating body and the
side where the center axis of the external case runs are made of
transparent resin, to enable visual confirmation of the content
after sealing the counter.
[0033] The center axis is made of magnet, so that the thrown-in
needles ca be fixed inside.
[0034] A hinge is applied at the top of the container wherein a
package of suture threads with 8 detached needles, and a lid is
connected. A slip-proof adhesive sheet is applied on the base of
the counter, and a soft material is pasted on the inside of the
container and also the inside of the lid to enable the needles to
be pricked, and number are marked on the parts for counting the
needles. When the lid is closed, the container is sealed and can be
disposed.
[0035] Magnetic sheet is applied on the inside of the container and
the lid, and numbers are marked for counting the needles.
[0036] Hinges are applied on both sides of the container wherein a
package of suture threads with 8 detached needles, and a needle
storage space in a small enough size to be contained inside the
container is connected when the hinges are bent inwards, needle
pricking fixing bodies are pasted on the side of the needle storage
space on the right and the left sides, and numbers are marked on
the bottom for counting the needles. When all the suture threads
with 8 detached needles are used, the needle storage space on both
sides are bent inwards to be contained inside the container, the
lid is closed and the counter can be sealed.
[0037] Magnetic sheet is applied on the inside bottom of the needle
storage space connected to both sides of the container, and numbers
are marked on the part for counting the needles.
[0038] One of the hinges attached to the divided container is in a
spherical form, and the other hinge is in a shape of two
projections for sandwiching the sphere, thus when the container is
closed after counting, the hinges are in gear and the container is
sealed completely preventing easy opening. One sphere that projects
in a slanting angle connected to one side or two sides that
continues from the hinge, and a cup which receives that sphere
matches each other when the divided container parts opens
completely, and the container is in a temporary fixed state. The
two parts of the divided container can be manufactured with
mold-processing method from the same mold.
[0039] This invention consists of an external box, a bellows insole
and a lid, wherein a bellows insole is placed inside a square
external box, the two ends of the extending bellows insole is
respectively connected to the inside and the front side walls of
the external box. Numbers for counting needles are marked on the
top part of the bellows insole. Slip-proof adhesive sheet is
applied on the external bottom side of the external box and the
external top part of the lid, and a material such as magnet for
adhering and fixing needles is applied to the inside of the lid.
After the needles are counted, the lid is placed on the external
box, sealed and disposed.
[0040] Knobs made of flexible material are applied to the central
top part of the bellows insole or on three points on top of the
bellows insole when dividing the bellows in three equally. A hole
is made in the center of the knob, a projection to fix the knob
hole is made at the far end of the external box and at the side
wall in the front side of the external box, to fix the knob onto
the far end of the external box and on the side wall of the front
side of the box.
[0041] The front half of the external box is in a drawer form, to
acquire double amount of volume during usage.
[0042] Each of the trough of the bellows insole is bent inwards as
peaks, each needle storage part is made in a pocket form, numbers
are marked on the top parts of each of the bellows insole for
counting needles, the bellows insole can be folded from the front
and back at time of disposal, the bellows insole which is folded
small can be put inside a small external box, the lid is closed,
the counter is sealed and disposed.
[0043] Each end at the front and the back of the bellows insole is
connected to the inside of the side wall of the small external box,
and the side wall opposing to that has its bottom side connected to
the base, while the top side is connected to one side of the lid.
During usage when the bellows insole is extended and opened, the
bottom side, the side wall and the lid all become flat in line with
the base, and at the time of disposal the bellows insole can be
folded from the front and back, then the side wall and the lid are
raised respectively, and sealed.
[0044] A wall is made in the inside of the small external box to
fix the central part of the bellows insole, so that the bellows
insole can be extended from the center to front and back. When one
side of the front side wall and the back side wall are connected to
the base and when the bellows insole is extended open during usage,
the front side wall, the base, the back side walls become flat and
even, and at the time of disposal the bellows insole is folded from
the front and back, the front side wall, the back side walls are
raised, and can be sealed, the appearance of the counter after
sealing is triangular column.
[0045] The pocket form needle storage parts are connected in
multiple forms side by side in one line.
[0046] When manufacturing the bellows insole, slits are made on the
top for peaks and on the bottom for the troughs from a sheet of
paper or a plate of thin resin. Numbers are printed on the top
parts of the bellows insole for counting the needles, the bellows
insole can be folded in just one movement of hand from the front
and back.
[0047] This invention consists of a main body and a lid, the top
side of the square box is slanted from the rear towards the front,
and flexible soft material is applied on the inside of the right
and the left side walls and the center of the inside the main body
in lengthwise in three lines. Numbers are marked on the top of the
flexible soft material for counting the needles, and there are
slits on the top or the sides for the needles to be pricked. Each
numbered part is the space for each needle, divided by transparent
resin partition plates, wherein the partition plates are raised so
that the top part slants slightly towards to the rear side. The lid
is made of transparent resin to enable visual confirmation of the
content after closing the lid. Adhesive sheet is pasted on the
outside base of the main body for slip-proof, and material such as
magnet is applied on the inside of the base of the main body to
adhere and fix the needles. After counting the needles, the lid is
closed on the main body, then sealed and disposed.
[0048] In manufacturing this surgical suture needle counter, the
main body and the lid is made of transparent resin with injection
mold processing method, strips of lengthwise sponge with
pre-printed numbers and pre-cut slits are inserted inside the main
body in the right and the left side walls and in the center to be
completed.
[0049] This invention consists of a main body and a lid, wherein
adhesive acrylic foam is pasted inside the main body to fix the
needles when needles are placed, and numbers to count the needles
are marked on the surface of the adhesive acrylic foams. The lid is
made of transparent resin, and when the lid is closed the needles
are fixed between the adhesive acrylic foam and the lid.
[0050] The part on which needles are placed onto the main body is
projected in an arch form, and holes for the arch is made on the
adhesive acrylic foam to match the positions of the needles. Slits
are made in the center of the arch, the needles are inserted inside
the arch by pressing the center of the needle, and once the needles
are inserted, the shape returns to the original arch form with its
spring function. The lid is made in a concave form so that the arch
part does not touch. This has the functions of fixing the needles
accurately in their positions, and to prevent easy dropping of the
needles.
[0051] Slits are made in advance around the marked numbers
displayed on the surface of the adhesive acrylic foam, thus the
foam connects onto the top of the pillar in a slightly light way
when bonding onto the main body from the main body and the solid
body mold projected pillar. When a used needle is returned onto the
surgical suture needle counter, the number on the needle positions
is peeled off, the sticker is then pasted onto the package of the
used needle, thus the number of the opened needle and the used
needle are matched accurately.
[0052] A package of unused suture needle is fixed on the top of a
thin H shaped frame, wherein the bottom of the H shaped frame fixes
the surgical suture needle counter. The lowest part of the surgical
suture needle counter is made into a transparent led via a hinge,
the transparent lid is fixed to the other side before and during
usage, and after usage it is extended having the hinge as the axis,
the transparent lid is adhered onto the adhesive acrylic foam, thus
the used needle is caught and fixed. Furthermore after the
adherence and fixing, the surgical suture needle counter can be
slid out from the bottom of the H shape frame, taken out and
disposed.
[0053] The main body and the lid is made of resin with injection
mold, numbers are printed on adhesive acrylic foam, the surrounding
of the number parts have slits applied in advance with Thompson
blades, the main body and a projected pillar made in a solid body
mold are adhered onto the top part of the pillar in a slightly
light way when adhered onto the main body, and the number part can
be peeled off.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0054] Hereafter, a description of the preferred embodiments of
this invention is made in reference to drawings. FIG. 1 is a
drawing of a surgical suture needle counter according to claim 1
depicting a needle counting part projecting respectively. The main
body 1a utilizes heatproof urethane foam according to claim 5, the
projection and the surrounding convex part of the needle pricking
projection 5 are made with foaming mole according to claim 6 or
with heat press processing according to claim 7. According to claim
7, the surrounding of main body 1a can be matched as convex part 4b
with the concave part 4a at the surrounding of the external package
blister 2, being able to be combined. At the outside of the concave
part 4a around the external package blister 2, a sealer part is
established to seal with sterilized paper 3. Main body 1a is placed
inside the external package blister 2 and sterilized paper 3, then
sterilized, and after usage, the main body 1a is matched together
with external package blister and then disposed.
[0055] Drawing 2 shows a surgical suture needle counter according
to claim 2 where in the part that counts needles is in a form of
having 7 respective concave shapes. Main body 1b has as its
material heatproof urethane foam according to claim 5, cut out with
press cut mold according to claim 8, and then pasted onto a paper
on which numbers for counting needles are printed. According to
claim 3, the surrounding of the main body is in a round form which
can fit a petri dish 6 which is used in an operation room, and
projections 8 for pulling out the main body and which can be bent
are applied on one side of the surrounding. According to claim 4,
these projections 8 are in a shape of a calyx reminding a person of
a pineapple, and the color is green. The color of the urethane foam
is made in a yellow, which enables this tool to entertain and relax
people in the operation room within a cold atmosphere.
[0056] Drawing 3 shows a surgical suture needle counter according
to claims 10, 11 and 14. This consists of main body 9, saucer plate
10 for holding the main body, and lid 11, wherein the main body 9
is in a short columnar shape made of polyethylene foam made by
foaming mold processing. Twenty holes 12 are applied on the
surface, and needles are either dropped inside in a serial
according to the numbers marked at the bottom of the holes 12 or by
pricking the needles on the side walls for counting. Main body 9 is
placed and fixed inside the saucer plate 10 in advance, and is
sterilized together with lid 11 before usage. The material for main
body 9 and the saucer plate 10 is resin material such as
polypropylene or ABS so that the whole of the tool is made as
disposable. Slip-proof adhesive sheet 13a, 13b are pasted on the
base of saucer plate 10 and on the top of lid 11. The material of
the adhesive sheets 13a and 13b are adhesive foaming polyethylene
which is often used in mouse pads, securing the slip-proof effect,
and also can prevent excessively strong adhesiveness and
difficulties in peeling such as with a double-face tape. After
usage, lid 11 is closed on top of the saucer plate 10 and the tool
can be disposed as a sealed disposable tool. Magnetic sheet 16 is
applied on the inside of lid 11, to hold large needles and spare
razor blades.
[0057] Drawing 4 shows a surgical suture needle counter according
to claims 12 and 13. Multiple numbers of slits 14 are cut onto the
surface of the main body to insert needles, and numbers in serial
are marked on the sides of slit 14. As this does not take much
space lengthwise, the whole tool becomes compact. The center and
the right end of the slit 14 extend into a square insertion hole 5,
and a needle can be inserted together with the tip of a needle
holder. When a small needle is returned, the central insertion hole
and the right side insertion hole are used separately, and two
counts are done with one slit. When the needle is large, the
insertion holes on both sides of the needle are used
simultaneously, conducting two counts with one slit. In cases when
a large needle is used, both insertion holes are used
simultaneously, and the count for one needle is done with one
slit.
[0058] Drawing 5 shows a surgical suture needle counter according
to claims 17, 18, 19, 20 and 34. A hollow column is divided
vertically in half in the middle, and each half column is connected
with a hinge and can be opened and closed. The left half of the
half column has polyethylene needle fixing bodies 17a and 17b
fixed, onto which returned needles are pricked. The right half of
the half column has partitions for storing needles, and at the
bottom of each partition, numbers are marked for counting the
number of needles. When the right and the left sides of the two
half columns are closed, the overall appearance becomes a columnar
pillar, enabling compact sealing and disposal. Overall material is
polypropylene, ABS and such resin material, processed with
injection mold method to be made disposable. The hinge attached on
the half columnar pillars on the left side is in a sphere 18, the
hinge on the right side is in a projected form 19 that sandwiches
the left side hinge. When the two half columns connect at the
center the parts form a hinge, and when the right and the left
sides of the two half columns are closed after counting the
needles, the hinges when the two halves are connected in the center
becomes a hinge, and when the left and the right sides are closed
and matched together the hinge locks and is sealed completely and
does not open easily. A sphere that project in a slanting angle are
attached on the bottom right sides of the half columns, and a cup
to receive the sphere is attached on the left side. When the two
half columns are open completely, the two parts fit, and is in a
temporary fixed state, and the needle counting procedure can be
conducted in a stable manner. The right and the left side columns
can be mold processed with the same mold enabling mass production
at affordable cost.
[0059] Drawing 6 shows a surgical suture needle counter in a petri
dish type short columnar form, consisting of saucer plate 20 and
lid 11 according to claims 21, 22, 23 and 24. Slip-proof adhesive
sheet is pasted onto the outside bottom of saucer plate 20. The
inside of the saucer plate 20 is made into needle storage space 21
by dividing the space in a radial form from the center. Needle
storage space 21 has numbers marked to enable visual confirmation
from the top when counting the number of needles. The saucer plate
and the lid are closely contacted and fixed so that these parts
rotate but do not separate. Lid 11 has window 22 for two spaces of
divided needle storage space, and the window is rotated one by one
to throw in used needle inside the needle storage space 21 from the
window 22. The last needle storage space 21 has the top part
blocked, so it would not rotate to the fore or the rear due to a
stopper, so that the counter can be sealed and disposed. The bottom
of the saucer plate 20 is made of transparent resin, to enable the
confirmation of the needles after the needle counting is finished
and the container is sealed and closed. A magnet sheet is pasted on
the inside of the base of the saucer plate, to fix and adhere the
thrown in needles.
[0060] Drawing 7 shows a surgical suture needle counter according
to claims 25, 26, 27, 28, and 29. This consists of external case
23, needle storage rotating body 24, and frame-moving lever 25, and
a slip-proof adhesive sheet is pasted on the outside bottom of the
external case 23. The center axis located at the side center of the
external case 23 pierces through the center of the circle of the
columnar needle storage rotating body 24, and the inside of the
needle storage rotating body 24 made into needle storage space
divided with partitions from the center in a radial form. The
circular parts on the right and the left parts at the top of the
column are blocked with a wall, the surrounding cur5ve side is
open, and needles can be thrown in towards the center of needle
storage rotating body 24 from the top of external case 23. A
multiple number of windows from which needles are thrown inside are
made at the top of the external case. The center axis of needle
storage rotating body 24 is connected with frame-moving lever 25
via the wall of the external case 23. The upward and downward
movement of the frame-moving lever 25 is restricted by the
restriction projections 26a and 26b which is fixed onto the front
part of the external case 23. A push spring is set below the
frame-moving lever 25, and when that spring is pressed, it tries to
move upward with the force of the spring. The side of the
frame-moving lever 25 has frame sending projection 27 that sends
out isolation walls which extends in a radial way of the needle
storage space via the ditch of the external case, and this
frame-moving projections 27 has its tip end bent when moving
downward, and has its end in a perpendicular angle when moving
upward and presses up the isolation wall. The tip end of the
isolation wall is made into a small sphere, there are catchers to
receive these spheres at the inside of the external case 23, and
when the frame-moving lever 25 is pushed down, the needle storage
space moves on one by one. A display panel 28 is connected to the
outside of the first isolation wall, and the first display panel 28
is made in the same shape and size to block one partition space of
the needle storage space. The display of the display panel
connected to the first isolation wall is "1", and this shows the
number of needles to be counted. The border of the display panel 2
and 1, which displays the continuing number "2" is made in a thin
structure so that the border will bend flexibly. The same structure
continues on one by one, and respective display panel 28 is pulled
into the triangular display rotating body 24 each time the needle
storage counting body 24 turns one frame, and the panel 28 blocks
the outside circumference of the needle storage space displaying
the number of needles. The side where the needle storage body 24
and the center axis of the external case 23 is made of transparent
resin, enabling the confirmation of the content after sealing the
tool. The center axis is made of magnet, to fix the thrown in
needles inside and not go outside.
[0061] Drawing 8 shows a surgical suture needle counter according
to claims 30, 31 32, 33 and 34. In a case when a large amount of
same thread is utilized in one surgical operation, in many cases a
multi-package 29 in which 8 needle and detached thread is attached
are utilized. The drawing shows the package of same thread with 8
detached needles with suture thread being stored in a container in
the size where the package 29 can be stored. This form enables the
8 detached needle and suture needles 29 to be contained inside a
containable size container, preventing counting mistakes as it
easier to count the returned needles after use and to count the
needles such that when 8 needles are used, then 8 needles are
disposed, preventing counting mistakes. A hinge is attached on the
top part of this container, and a lid is connected. Slip-proof
adhesive sheet is pasted on the outside bottom of the container.
Polyethylene material to fix needles with slits shown in Drawing 4
is pasted on the inside of the lid. As in the Drawing 5, one of the
hinges is in a spherical form, and the other part is made into two
projected forms to sandwich the other sphere. When the counting of
the needle is done and the container is closed, and when the hinges
are fit, the container is sealed completely and would not open
easily. Slanting projected spheres are attached on the container
and also on right side top of the lid, and the cup to receive the
sphere is attached on the lower part. The two parts fit each other
when the container is completely open, being in a temporary fixed
state stabilizing the needle counting procedure. The container and
the lid can be mold processed with the same mold.
[0062] Drawing 9 shows a surgical suture needle counter according
to claims 35, 36 and 37. This consists of external box 30, bellows
insole 31, lid 32 and drawer 37, and the bellows insole 31 is
placed inside the square external box 30, and then both ends of the
bellows insole 31 that extends out are connected to the side wall
at the far end of the external box 30 and to the front side wall of
drawer 37. The depth of drawer 37 equals the depth of external box
30, being in a structure to acquire double space when storing and
counting the needles. The material of the bellows insole 31 is
either paper or thin resin, and number for counting needles is
printed on the top center peak parts of the bellows. Paper-made or
resin made knobs 35 are attached to the center top parts of the
bellows insole 31. A hole is made at the center of knob 35, and
there are projections 36a and 36b to fix the hole of the knob at
the top of external box 30 and at the bottom center of drawer 37,
enabling the knob to be fixed onto the top of external box or onto
the bottom part of drawer 37. With this structure the bellows
insole 31 can be placed closer to either the top part or lower
part, enabling more space for counting needles, and the procedure
can be conducted more easily. Slip-proof adhesive sheet 33 is
pasted onto the outside bottom of external box 30. When adhesive
foam polyethylene which is frequently used in mouse pads is used as
the material of this adhesive sheet 33, secure slip-proof effect
can be obtained, and can also avoid situations where the
adhesiveness is too strong and peeling off cannot be done easily
like with a double face tape. Magnetic sheet is pasted on the
inside of the lid 34 to hold and maintain large needles and razor
blades. The counter itself is sterilize and is disposable, the
material of the external box 30 and drawer 37 is resin, such as
polyethylene or ABS. After usage, the drawer 37 is stored inside
the external box 30, then lid 32 is closed on the top, and the
container can be disposed as a sealed container.
[0063] Drawing 10 shows a surgical suture needle counter according
to claims 41, 42 and 43. The two ends of each of the trough part of
the bellows insole 31 is bent inwards as peaks, forming a pocket
like shape for storing needles, and the pockets line up in two rows
sideways. Numbers are printed for counting needles, at the top part
of each of the bellows insole 31. A wall to fix the center part of
bellows insole 31 onto the inside of the small external box side
wall 38, then the bellows insole 31 extends from the center to the
front and back, and the counting procedure can be conducted. Each
of the sides of the front side wall 39 and the back side wall 40 is
connected to the bottom, and when the bellows insole 31 is
stretched and extended during usage, the front side wall 31, the
bottom side and the back side wall 40 all becomes flat, and when at
the time of disposal, the bellows insole 31 is folded from the
front and the back, the front side wall 39 and the back side wall
40 are raised, the projections and the holes are matched together
for sealing. As shown in Drawing 11, the appearance after sealing
becomes like a triangular pillar. The tool itself is a sterilized
disposable item, and the material of the small external box 38 is
resin material such as polypropylene or ABS. The bellows insole 31
has slits on the top part of a piece of paper for the troughs and
the bottom part for the peaks, with a structure of being able to be
in bellows insole form by sandwiching by one touch from the front
and back, enabling easy and affordable method.
[0064] Drawing 12 shows a surgical suture needle counter according
to claims 44 and 45. This consists of main body 41 and lid 42,
wherein the material of the main body 41 and lid 42 is resin
material such as polypropylene or ABS, made with solid body mold
with injection molding method. The square box type main body 41 is
structured to have the side to be in a slant having the front side
higher and the back side lower, improving the user's visual
confirmation of the needles. Lengthwise sponge 43a, 43b, and 43c
are attached on the inside side walls of the main body 41 and in
the center of the main body in three rows. Polyethylene or
polyurethane foam being the material for the sponge 43a, 43b, and
43c is appropriate for pricking and inserting needles. White or
yellow color is used for distinguishing needles easily. Numbers to
count needles are marked in serial on the top side of sponge 43a,
43b, and 43c, all being 1 to 15 on both the right and the left
sides, having the same printing for cost reduction. Slits are made
on sponge 43a, 43b and 43c, to enable needles to be inserted from
the top or the side, fixing the needles. Needles can be inserted
from the right on the left side sponge 43a, needles can be inserted
from the left on the right side sponge 43c, needles can be inserted
from both right and left sides on the center sponge 43b,
considering the usage by a left-handed user, and also enabling the
counting of a maximum of 60 needles utilizing all the side walls in
the case of small needles. Each of the number part has space for
one needle, and divided with transparent resin partition 44.
Partition 44 is molded as one part together with the main body 41
connected to the base of the main body with the top part of the
partition being slightly slanted to the far end. When needles are
dropped into the main body from the gaps of the partition 44 and
not insert the needles on sponge 43a, 43b, or 43c, the dropped in
needles are stored in phases in a slightly slanted state, and the
number of the needles can be confirmed visually through the
transparent resin partition 44 at one glance. The lid is made of
transparent resin, and when the direct supporting nurse after hand
washing counts the number of needles, the counter can be safely
handed to the indirect supporting nurse who work outside the
operating room with the counter in a sealed state, and also it is
possible for the nurse who work outside of the operating room to
reconfirm the number of needles by looking down on the counter from
the top of the lid. Slip-proof adhesive sheet 45 is pasted onto the
outside bottom of the main body 41. Adhesive foam polyethylene
which is frequently used in mouse pads should be the material of
the adhesive sheet 45 for secure slip-proof effect, and can avoid
excess adhesiveness and difficulty in peeling off as in a double
face tape. Adhesive fixing material such as magnetic sheet is
pasted on the inside bottom of the main body 41 to adhere and fix
the needles, to prevent needles to scatter even when the needle
counter is toppled over by accident. The overall tool is sterilized
and disposal, and after the needles are counted, the lid is placed
on top of the main body, then sealed and disposed.
[0065] Drawing 13 shows a surgical suture needle counter according
to claims 46, 47, 48 and 49. This consists of injection molded
resin-made main body 46 and lid 47, and adhesive acrylic foam 48 is
pasted on the inside of the main body 46. As the surface of
adhesive acrylic foam 48 has sucker-like adhesive surface, needles
do not fall even when the main body 46 is turned upside down. Slits
are made in advance with Thompson blades around the numbers printed
on the surface of adhesive acrylic foam 48, and the main body and
the projected pillar which is made with solid body mold method, is
connected onto the top part of the pillar in a slightly light way.
When used needles are returned to the suture needle counter, the
number on which the needle is placed is peeled off, and the sticker
is stuck onto the used needle package, and when lid 47 is closed,
the needle is closely fixed between the adhesive acrylic foam 48
and lid 47, and it is possible for a nurse working outside the
operation room can visually reconfirm the number of needles, and
can dispose the needle counter in a safe manner. The part on which
the needle is placed on the main body 46 is projected in an arch
form 49, and a hole is made for the arch projection 49 on the
adhesive acrylic foam 48. The center part of the arch projection
has slits, and by pressing the center part of a needle and insert
the needle into the arch projection, the arch shape is returned
with its spring feature once the needle is inserted. Lid 47 is made
in a concave form to prevent the arch projection 49 to touch and
contact, and also to accurately fix the position of the needles,
and to prevent needles to easily fall off. Slip-proof sheet 50 is
pasted on the bottom of the main body 46. Adhesive acrylic foam is
effective as on the top surface.
[0066] Drawing 14 shows a surgical suture needle counter according
to claims 46, 47 and 50. Unused suture needle package 52 is slid
along the rails on both sides at the top part of the thin H shape
frame 51, and when the frame is lowered to the center part, the
width is thinned down and locked. The lowest part of the surgical
suture needle counter part becomes transparent lid 53 via the
hinge, the transparent lid 53 is turned to the back getting inside
the rail ditches on both sides before and during usage. When the
lid is pushed upward, the width is thinned down and is locked.
Adhesive acrylic foam is pasted on the top part, and adheres and
fixes used needles after passing through the arch projection 49.
When the fore mentioned unused needle is actually used and needles
are returned one by one by the surgeon, needles are returned on the
lower surgical suture needle counter. The drawing shows an 8 needle
package of suture needles, and when 8 needles are used, 8 needles
are returned, and the procedure is completed by counting the
needles per package. After usage, the counter is extended to the
front side centering the hinge, the transparent lid 53 is adhered
onto the surface of adhesive acrylic foam 48, used needles are
caught and fixed. Furthermore, after the adhesive fixing of the
needles, the surgical suture needle counter part can be taken off
by sliding the part from the bottom part of H shape frame 51, then
the counter can be disposed in a compact way by handling the top
part can be handled as resin disposal matter, and the lower part as
metal disposal matter.
[0067] As in the above description, this invention enables the
following effects.
[0068] As the part that counts the needles is protruded
respectively or is made in a concave shape, such form prevents
needles from moving around, and as the needles are pricked from the
sideways angle, it is easier to prick the needles and also such a
form is easier to dispose.
[0069] By having the main body shape to be in a circle spherical
shape, it can be placed inside a petri dish used in any operating
room, and this would not need to have a separate space for a needle
counter. Also in facilities where needles are counted without using
surgical suture needle counters, the needles are placed directly
inside a petri dish and counted, and in these cases there will be
less resistance in transition to using such surgical suture needle
counter.
[0070] The flexible projections at one side of the counter are made
in a calyx-like form reminding a person of fruits or vegetables,
and the counter is colored in relation to such image. The tool
counter in an operation room is full of metallic tools with blood,
letting out a cold impression, but such form and color reminding a
person of fruits or vegetables would have the effect of bringing
peace of mind and relaxation to nurses.
[0071] The material of the surgical suture needle counter is in a
material which endures the temperature and pressure of the
autoclave sterilizer (high pressure steam sterilizer), and which
does not easily deform or deteriorate. In an operation room,
autoclave sterilization is done generally to sterilize tools and
utensils, and a petri dish as previously referred is also
sterilized inside an autoclave without placing anything inside the
dish. When a surgical suture needle counter is placed inside a
petri dish and sterilized, that would lead to cost reduction of the
sterilization, and the counter and the dish can be used immediately
after opening the petri dish. Also the external packaging and its
procedure will turn unnecessary for the manufacturer's side and
therefore would realize some cost reduction.
[0072] Material will be of foam material and such, and the overall
shape and the part which the needles are to be count will be in a
concave and convex shape made of foam molding process or heat press
processing, enabling affordable mass production.
[0073] Foam material are cut out with mould and then pasted onto a
paper on which numbers for counting the needles are printed, and by
doing so the overall manufacturing cost can be made affordable, and
to minimize the initial investment for ramping of product
production.
[0074] By applying convex and concave shapes on the surrounding of
the main body of the surgical suture needle counter, such shape
would fit with the convex and concave shapes on the surrounding of
the blister pack which is the external packaging at the time of
shipment, and thus the counter can be disposed after use, the shape
of the blister pack itself covers the used needles and the safety
is increased. Also such a design would not require any packaging
material for disposing one needle by itself, and this would
contribute to decreasing the total volume of disposals.
[0075] By utilizing a sealed type container, safety during counting
and at the time of disposal is increased, and the function and
shape of preventing needle pricking taccidents to occur. With the
slit type, petri dish type or needle storage rotating body type,
needles are inserted vertically so the counter would not require
much space, and the surgical suture needle counter itself will be
made compact. Also with these shapes, there is no need for nurses
to re-hold needles, and nurses can count and dispose needles after
receiving used needles from surgeons in a speedy manner.
[0076] In the case of a slit type, as insertion holes are combined,
there is no need to change the size of the surgical suture needle
counter depending on the size of the needle. With magnetic sheet,
adhesive sheet with sponge pasted inside the lid of the container,
both large needles and small needles can be handled at the same
time.
[0077] By having the base and the side of the container to be made
of transparent resin, the content can be confirmed even after the
needle counting is done and the container sealed.
[0078] With the type wherein an 8 detached needle attached to
suture thread, this would enable a counter that would speed up the
needle selection and count the needle inside the same
container.
[0079] The container is structured in a way that one part of the
hinge is in a spherical form, and the other part is in a
two-projection form sandwiching the sphere, therefore when the
container is closed after the needle counting and when the hinges
are fit together, the container becomes completely closed and it
cannot be opened easily. The sphere that projects out in a slanting
angle connected to either one or two ends that continues from the
hinge, and the cup which receives the sphere fits when the two
divided container parts are fully opened, being in a temporary
fixed state, and thus the procedure is stabilized. Also it is
possible to manufacture the two divided container parts with the
same mold in mold processing method, which leads to cost
reduction.
[0080] As a bellows insole is introduced and the needles are
inserted vertically, the counter does not take much space, and the
surgical suture needle counter itself can be made compact. A nurse
would not have to re-hold the needle but can count and dispose the
needles in the same state as being passed on by a surgeon,
preventing needle pricking accidents. Also there is no need to
prepare different types of counters depending on the size of
needles. By bending both ends of the bellows insole and connecting
multiple numbers of insoles the insole itself becomes stable, there
being no need for any external frame. The bellows insole can be
opened widely without being obstructed by any external frame when
the insole is extended, enabling needles to be easily dropped into
the counter and also to confirm the needles. At time of disposal,
the insole can be folded and sealed at its minimum size and the
volume of the disposal is decreased greatly.
[0081] By placing three lengthwise sponges in the right, left and
the center, this tool is easy to use for left-handed nurses, and
when the size of needles is small a large amount of needles can be
counted and handled utilizing all the side walls. When the tool is
used so that needles are dropped inside the slit of slanted
transparent resin partition plates, the needles can be stored in a
slightly slanted angle in different levels, the number of needles
can be confirmed at one glance as the top part of the main body is
slanted forward. A nurse does not have to re-hold the needle, and
can speedily count and dispose needles in the state of needles
being passed by the surgeon. This invention realized easier visual
confirmation of each needle although the volume size of the
surgical suture needle counter is small. Also there is no need to
prepare different counters according to the size of needles. By
having the lid to be made of transparent resin, the direct
assisting nurse in charge of washing in the operation room can pass
on the needles after counting, in a sealed state safely to the
indirect assisting nurses in charge of non operating room matters,
and furthermore non operating room nurses can re-confirm the number
of needles from upon the lid. Also the manufacturing method of the
main body to be made in solid body mold method that requires just
simple insertion of sponges reduces the manufacturing cost, and
enables affordable surgical suture needle counter.
[0082] By pasting adhesive acrylic foam on the inside, the needles
would not fall out even when the main body of the counter is turned
upside down after simply placing the needles, due to the surface
sucker adhesive effect. The adhesive acrylic foam sheet is
contacted inside the main body having one part of the sheet lifted
up slightly enabling the number parts to be cut out, the number
parts can be pasted onto the used needles and the number of used
needle can be matched definitely with the number of needles opened
from the package. The transparent resin lid closely fixed needles
in between the adhesive acrylic foam when the lid is closed, the
number of the needles can be re-confirmed the non operating room
nurses, and the counter can be disposed safely. The arch-shaped
projection enables the needle position to be accurately fixed and
prevents the needles from falling out easily.
[0083] Packages of unused suture needles are set and fixed on the
top part of the H shape frame, the surgical suture needle counter
is set and fixed on the lower part, and thus the counting of the
used and returned needles and the number of needles opened from the
package matches each time. Furthermore, the surgical suture needle
counter can be slid and taken out from the lower of the H shaped
frame, disposing can be done in a compact way as the upper part to
be disposed as resin disposals, and the lower part handled as metal
disposals.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0084] FIG. 1 is an external drawing of a surgical suture needle
counter projections onto which needles are pricked, and can be
combined with blisters to be disposed.
[0085] FIG. 2 is an external drawing of a surgical suture needle
counter having a concave part to store needles, in a round shape
that can be stored inside a petri dish, having a calyx that reminds
a person of a pineapple.
[0086] FIG. 3 is an external drawing of a round petri dish type
surgical suture needle counter.
[0087] FIG. 4 is an external drawing of a square petri dish type
slit style surgical suture needle counter.
[0088] FIG. 5 is an external drawing of a half-circle type surgical
suture needle counter.
[0089] FIG. 6 is an external drawing of a round petri dish type
surgical suture needle counter with a lid.
[0090] FIG. 7 is an external drawing of a needle storage rotating
body type surgical suture needle counter.
[0091] FIG. 8 is an external drawing of an 8-detached suture needle
package type surgical suture needle counter.
[0092] FIG. 9 is an external drawing of a drawer type surgical
suture needle counter.
[0093] FIG. 10 is unfolded drawing of a triangular column type
surgical suture needle counter.
[0094] FIG. 11 is an external drawing of a triangular column type
surgical suture needle counter.
[0095] FIG. 12 is an external drawing of a slanted type surgical
suture needle counter.
[0096] FIG. 13 is an external drawing of an adhesive fixing type
surgical suture needle counter.
[0097] FIG. 14 is an external drawing of an H shape frame surgical
suture needle counter.
* * * * *