Surgical Preparatory Applicator

Abstract

A surgical preparatory applicator comprising a sealed container which has a front end. A sponge overlies the front end and a generally U-shaped clip surrounds the sponge. Pins are provided on the clip in the sponge for perforating the container through the sponge for permitting the contents of the container to flow onto the sponge.

Description

This invention relates to a class of surgical and medical devices and more particularly to a preparatory sponge for medical and surgical applications.

Preparatory for surgery, the area to be incised is generally cleansed or swabbed with a suitable antiseptic or medication. This is generally done by way of a sponge or cloth and in doing so, the sponge or cloth is usually wetted from a container and then used to wipe the area of the patient being treated. As a result of these procedures, loose sponges or cloths are often adjacent the operative areas where they can become included in a count of sponges or may contaminate the operative area.

Further, the medications which are applied may often stain or contact the hands of the doctor or nurse and cause a likelihood of contamination of the surgeon or nurse by bacteria of the skin of the patient.

In order to overcome the difficulties of prior surgical procedures swabbing the areas to be incised, the invention provides for a highly convenient surgical preparatory applicator which contains an optimum amount of medication and a suitable sponge for use as an applicator which, once used, can be easily discarded and cannot possibly be confused with a surgical sponge used in the operation.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a surgical preparatory applicator which has means for protecting the surgical sponge from contamination and which has automatic means for causing wetting of the sponge from a sealed container prior to use.

The present invention features the use of a sponge which is bonded on a plate-like end of a sealed container which functions to contain the fluid, while serving as a handle when it is desired to apply the medicament on and swab the area to be incised. The means used for protecting the sponge also carries the means for piercing the sealed container and include means for permitting the ready removal thereof.

Still further objects and features of the invention reside in the provision of a surgical preparatory applicator, which is simple in construction, which is capable of being mass-produced at low cost, thereby to permit wide use and distribution at hospitals, doctors' offices, and other places of healing and which may be discarded after a single use and which may be used to apply medication or swab an area in a safe, sanitary, and convenient manner.

These, together with the various ancillary objects and features of the present invention, which will become apparent as the following description proceeds, are attained by this surgical preparatory sponge, a preferred embodiment of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, by way of example only, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a surgical preparatory applicator constructed in accordance with the concepts of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the surgical preparatory applicator;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional detail view, taken along the plane of line 3--3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3, showing the manner in which the clip is removed from its protective position about the sponge; and,

FIG. 5 is a schematic view illustrating the manner in which the sponge becomes wetted through operation of the device.

With continuing reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein like reference numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views, reference numeral 10 is used to generally designate the surgical preparatory applicator constructed in accordance with the concepts of the present invention. The surgical preparatory applicator 10 includes three main portions, a container 12, a sponge 14, and a clip 16. The container 12 is made of suitable synthetic plastic material, such as polyethylene, polystyrene, or the like and is sealed at its rear end 18 as by heat sealing after it has been filled. The front end of the container has a generally ogive shape as at 20 and terminates in a flat extension 22, generally of a rectangular plate-like configuration, which is embedded in and bonded to the sponge 14.

The sponge 14 is preferably a rectangular parallopiped and is of surgical sponge quality and may be made out of any suitable synthetic plastic material, such as open cell polyurethane foam or the like.

The clip 16 is preferably of a U-shaped configuration having legs 26 and 28 which carry one or more integrally formed pointed pins 30 and 32 on each inner face thereof and which are designed to penetrate the ogive-shaped head portion 20 of the container 12. A pair of plates 34 and 36 are bonded to or integrally formed with the side walls 26 and 28 and extend therebeyond forming ear portions 38 and 40 which, when pressed together as shown in FIG. 4, will serve to remove the pins from the sponge 14 even after the openings 50 are formed in the head 20 of the container 12.

In normal operation, the pins 30 and 32 are embedded in the sponge 14 until use. The entire device 10 may be sterilized and then packaged in any suitable synthetic plastic air-tight container as may be desired, noting that even after removal from the package, the clip 16 will serve to protect the sponge 14.

A latitude of modification, change and substitution is intended in the foregoing disclosure, and in some instances some features ofthe invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features.

Claims

I claim:

1. A surgical preparatory applicator comprising a sealed container having a front end, a sponge overlying said front end, a substantially U-shaped resilient clip surrounding said sponge and covering the outer edge thereof, said clip including a pair of legs and a connecting portion, a pair of opposed pointed pins on said clip seated in said sponge for perforating said container through said sponge for permitting flow of contents of said container onto said sponge, and a pair of plates on said legs extending in opposite direction to said legs and beyond said connecting portion of said clip, said plates when pressed together lifting said legs and lifting said pins out of said sponge for removal of said clip.

2. A surgical preparatory applicator according to claim 1, including an extension on said front end of said container embedded in and bonded to said sponge, said sponge having an arcuate outer edge.

3. A surgical preparatory device according to claim 1, wherein said container is cylindrical and is a squeeze container forming a handle for said sponge.

4. A surgical preparatory applicator according to claim 1, including an extension on said front end of said container embedded in and bonded to said sponge, said sponge having an arcuate outer edge, said container being cylindrical forming a handle for said sponge.