Elastic fenestrated drape

Abstract

A non-woven surgical drape is provided with an opening to expose an area of a patient substantially larger than an operating site on the patient. A thermo-plastic, elastomeric, anti-skid sheet extends across the entire opening and, preferably, under the drape beyond the perimeter of the opening to form a pocket. The sheet has an under surface that lies in contact with a substantial area of the patient's body in non-skid relationship thereto to hold the sheet and drape in position. At the time of use, a slit or other desired surgical opening is formed in the sheet for exposing the operating site and the shape and size of the surgical opening may be established, as by retraction, to conform with the area of the operating site that is needed.

Description

This invention relates to a disposable surgical drape of non-woven plastic material provided with a large fenestration which is, initially, covered entirely by a thermo-plastic, elastomeric sheet, the edges of which are secured (e.g., adhesively) to the under side of the non-woven material. The line or lines of securement may be spaced from one or more edges of the fenestration to form pockets in which absorbent material may be held.

The elastomeric sheet is characterized by a high coefficient of friction and high elastic modulus. At the time of use, the surgeon cuts a slit or opening in the sheet and retracts the cut edges to provide an effective fenestration in precise conformity to the required or desired operative site. The flexible and elastic material rests against substantial areas of the body of the patient and tends to stay in place, without slipping or sliding, due to its frictional characteristics. Its upper surface, where exposed, constitutes a non-skid (sterile) resting place for instruments adjacent to the operative site. The cut edges of the material are lint-free, and cut edges of the non-woven material, bordering the major fenestration, are so spaced from the operative site that the danger of lint from that possible source is minimal.

When the edges of the non-woven material over-lie the elastomeric sheet, the space between them can be used as a pocket to hold strips or pads of absorbent material, thus helping to reduce or eliminate the flow of fluids from the operative site onto the surface of the drape.

Elastomeric materials presently preferred for use as the fenestration-covering sheet are the KRATON 2000 series of block copolymers of styrene and butadiene, marketed in film, sheet, and other forms by the Shell Chemical Company. These materials have elongation properties of 800 to 1400 percent or more, good chemical resistance to materials likely to be encountered and are capable of sterilization.

A surgical drape comprising rectangular panels of non-woven material connected by a centrally disposed impervious strip of static-free and lint-free plastic is disclosed in Bayer et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,565,067. A surgical drape (which may be of water-repellent, non-woven material) having an effluent trap of gauze and plastic "downstream" from the normal fenestration, is shown in Green U.S. Pat. No. 3,677,266. A drape which may be similar to Bayer or may have a plastic panel applied to the upper surface of a non-woven sheet is shown in Endres U.S. Pat. No. 3,695,260, the plastic being PVC, PE or the like and having an embossed surface to minimize glare and slipperiness.

A practical embodiment of the present invention is shown in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 represents a plan view of a surgical drape prior to use;

FIG. 2 represents a detail plan view of the fenestration portion of the drape with a slit cut in the elastomeric sheet;

FIG. 3 represents a detail plan view of the portion shown in FIG. 2, on a larger scale, with retractors in position to establish an effective fenestration in the sheet, conforming to the operative site, and

FIG. 4 represents a detail vertical section on the line IV--IV of FIG. 2, with the addition of absorbent material.

Referring to the drawings, the surgical drape is shown as comprising a rectangular panel of thin, non-woven material 10 having a large fenestration 11. The dimensions of the panel 10, which is resistant to the passage of liquids and bacteria, and the dimensions, shape and location of the fenestration 11 may be varied according to the intended specific use of the drape, in accordance with well-understood practices in this art.

A thermo-plastic elastomeric sheet 12, initially imperforate, covers the entire fenestration 11 and is peripherally secured, adhesively or by heat sealing, to the under surface of the non-woven material, along a seal line 13 which is preferably spaced one or more inches from the edge of the fenestration 11 along at least two sides of said edge. This spacing of the seal line 13 from the edge of the fenestration permits the non-woven material to lie loosely above the peripheral areas of the sheet 12, forming pockets 14 in which may be inserted one or more rolls or other forms of absorbent material 15 such as cotton, as shown in FIG. 4, with or without added chemical absorbents or the like. (See Arnold et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,344,789) Even without the absorbent material 15, the pockets 14 will act to some extent to collect fluids escaping from the operative site across the sheet 12.

The elastomeric sheet is "initially imperforate" in order that the user (surgeon) may determine in each case exactly the size and shape of effective fenestration which is needed and desired. For this purpose, it is only necessary to cut a slit 16 (FIG. 2) of a suitable length above the operative site and to then apply retractors 17 to the sides 16', 16" of the slit, exposing the operative site 18 (FIG. 3) and adjacent areas, if any. A portion of the sheet may be removed to form a fenestration instead of a mere slit, but this is optional with the user. In either case, the rubber-like elasticity of the material is relied on to permit shaping of the opening, by means of two or more retractors, to the desired form and size. The "Kraton" material described above will not tear or puncture under the conditions described. It can be securely cemented or heat-sealed to the non-woven material, as indicated at 13, and its exposed area (within the large fenestration 11) provides a safe, convenient, non-skid, sterile field for instruments immediately adjacent to the operative site. Since the sheet 12 is beneath the non-woven material, it has maximum area contact with the patient's body, stabilizing adjacent portions of the drape so that additional securing means are not needed.

The over-all dimensions of the drape are normally on the order of several feet in each direction, depending on the intended use, and the large fenestration 11 may be, for example, 18 inches by 36 inches.

While the invention has been described in terms of an elastomeric sheet covering a large four-sided fenestration, it will be understood that some of the named advantages would inhere in a drape of the type shown in Bayer et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,565,067 cited above, wherein an initially imperforate sheet of elastomeric material may extend to one or both opposite edges of an otherwise non-woven drape. A slit cut into such a sheet could extend to an adjacent edge, forming a bifurcated drape.

It will be understood that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the several parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and hence I do not intend to be limited to the details shown or described herein except as the same are included in the claims or may be required by disclosures of the prior art.

Claims

What I claim is:

1. A surgical drape for use over a patient, which comprises a main cover formed from thin material resistant to the passage of bacterial organisms there-through, said cover having a large fenestration therein; and a thin sheet of elastomeric material secured to the under surface of said cover along a seal line adjacent to the edge of said fenestration, said latter material being limp for conforming to the adjacent body surface of said patient and having lower and upper anti-skid surfaces for non-skid engagement with said body surface to retain said drape on said patient, and to provide a non-skid instrument receiving field and being formed from stretchable material to permit the area of an opening cut therein to be increased for exposing an operative site on the patient's body wherein the elastomeric material is a copolymer of styrene and butadiene.

2. A surgical drape according to claim 1 wherein the elastomeric material is characterized by stretchability of at least 800 percent.