Surgical Instrument Case

Abstract

A container for surgical instruments having opposed porous plastic blocks to retain the instruments therebetween. The container together with the blocks and instruments may be sterilized and carried about without disturbing the relative positions of the instruments contained therein, and prevents their hitting against each other and being damaged.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Surgical instruments are sterilized prior to use, by placing them in an autoclave. Following sterilization they are then placed upon a tray for use by the surgeon. The instruments are disposed upon the tray in a sequence which is related to the surgical steps to be performed and many surgeons have their individual preferences as to the arrangement of instruments for specific types of surgery. In present day procedures the instruments are placed in the autoclave in random sequence and thereafter arranged upon the tray for use by a nurse or trained technician. The results are not always in conformity with the surgeon's preferences.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a case for surgical instruments which will keep them in a preferred arrangement during and after sterilization.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a case for surgical instruments which will withstand the high temperatures of sterilization.

A feature of the present invention is its use of resilient porous blocks to retain the surgical instruments while permitting them to be sterilized.

A further feature of the present invention is its rigid case structure which may be placed within a sterilizing compartment with the instruments therein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A surgical instrument case according to the present invention comprises a rigid hollow housing formed of opposed tray-like members. The tray-like members are secured together along one of their margins and a latch is provided for securing the trays in a closed position when the instruments are not in use. Each tray carries a block of porous resilient material therein, which blocks secure the surgical instruments therebetween when the case is closed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

In the accompanying drawing, forming part hereof, similar parts have been given identical reference numerals in which drawing;

FIG. 1 is a somewhat isometric view of a surgical instrument case made in accordance with the present invention, in the open position.

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, in a closed position.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view, somewhat enlarged, taken on line 3--3 of FIG. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross-section of the case in a closed position.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

Referring to the drawing, 10 indicates a surgical instrument case having a hollow housing 11. The housing 11 is made up of two tray-like members 12, 13, each consisting of a rectangular planar portion 14 and opposed upstanding walls 15, 16, along the margins thereof. The planar portions 14 of each tray-like member 12, 13 are provided with a plurality of openings 17 which communicate with the interior of the trays. The trays 12, 13 are made of a rigid material capable of withstanding the temperatures of sterilization. Metals such as stainless steel, aluminum, etc. are particularly suitable for this purpose.

A block of resilient porous material 18 such as foamed polyurethane is carried within each of the tray-like members 12, 13. Foamed polyurethane or any porous plastic which will allow the sterilizing medium to pass through it and reach the surgical instruments 19 is suitable in the practice of the present invention. The resilient blocks 18 are also of a size and thickness to fill the entire space within the housing 11 when it is closed.

A hinge 19 is secured to the tray-like members along two of the opposed walls 16 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The hinge 19 permits the case to be opened as shown in FIG. 1 for loading purposes and for instrument access during use. The hinge also secures the trays in abutting relationship as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 when the case is closed.

The tray-like members 12, 13 are locked together, when the instruments 19 are not in use, by a latch 20 swingably secured to the housing 11.

The manner in which the surgical instrument case is used will be apparent from the foregoing. With the case in the open position of FIG. 1, the surgeon places the instruments he desires for a particular operation upon the resilient block 18 in the preferred arrangement and order. The case is then closed and latched shut. The resilient blocks 18 surround the instruments and keep them from shifting from their desired position. The case 10 is then placed in an autoclave. As a result of the construction of the case 10, the sterilizing medium passes through the openings 17 in the tray-like members, through the resilient blocks 18 and to the instruments 19 as indicated by the arrows 21.

The sterilized case 10 and the instruments therein are removed from the autoclave and placed within easy reach of the surgeon. The case can remain closed until the instruments are needed.

From the foregoing it will be seen that there has been provided a surgical instrument case which lends itself to a wide variety of instrument arrangement for various types of operations. Once arranged, the instruments therein will remain in place despite the necessary handling thereof during sterilization procedures.

Claims

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patents of the United States, is:

1. A surgical instrument case comprising a rigid hollow housing consisting of opposed tray-like members, a plurality of openings in the tray-like members communicating with the interior of the housing, a porous resilient block in each of the tray-like members, hinge means interconnecting the tray-like members in abutting relationships and a latch for the tray-like members.

2. A case according to claim 1 in which the resilient blocks are coextensive with the area defined by the interior of the tray-like members.

3. A case according to claim 1 in which the resilient blocks are formed of foamed polyurethane.

4. A case according to claim 1 in which the tray-like members comprise a rectangular planar portion and upstanding walls around the margins of said planar portion.

5. A case according to claim 4 in which the hinge means is secured to a pair of opposed walls on one side of the case and the latch engages the opposite sides of the case.