AU2015101184A4 - Sterile Wrap - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract A sterile wrap for packaging medical equipment, the sterile wrap including: an impermeable layer and an absorbent layer wherein the impermeable and absorbent layers are bonded to one another.

Description

23405.doc A Sterile Wrap Technical Field The present invention broadly relates to a sterile wrap. Background of the Invention 5 Conventionally, sterile wraps for packaging medical devices are made of a thin plastic film. Determination of an appropriate thickness of the plastic film however proves a tricky business for manufacturers. This is because too thin of a film would be susceptible to tear caused by for example forceps wrapped inside the film, whereas too thick of a film would result in the film having a crease memory. The crease memory prevents the wrap from spreading out io naturally after unwrapping and hence pressing by a user's hands is required in order to flatten the wrap to a usable state thereby compromising sterility of the wrap. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sterile wrap which may overcome or at least ameliorate the above problem or which will at least provide a useful alternative. Summary of the Invention 15 According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a sterile wrap for packaging medical equipment, the sterile wrap including: an impermeable layer; and an absorbent layer; wherein the impermeable and absorbent layers are bonded to one another. 20 In a preferred embodiment, the impermeable layer is a plastic film. Preferably, the plastic film includes either polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP). It is preferred that the absorbent layer is a non-woven fabric. Preferably, the non-woven fabric is transparent or at least translucent. The non-woven fabric may consist of one of the 25 following combinations of materials: wood pulp and polyester; viscose and polyester; wood pulp, viscose and polyester. It is preferable that the plastic film is adapted to enable printing thereon. The surface may be pre-treated to facilitate printing thereon. More preferably, selected markings are printed onto 30 the surface of the impermeable film. The selected markings may include one or more of the following: calibrated lines with corresponding numerals, a trademark and a logo. The 2 calibrated lines are preferred to be printed in close proximity to and along one or more edges of the plastic film so as to enable the or each edge to be used as a ruler. Preferably, the impermeable and absorbent layers are bonded together by way of lamination. 5 It is preferred that the absorbent layer is located on top of the impermeable layer. As such, the markings shown on the impermeable layer are visible through the transparent or translucent absorbent layer. Brief Description of the Drawings 10 The invention may be better understood from the following non-limiting description of a preferred embodiment, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a sterile wrap in accordance with the present invention, the wrap being used to encapsulate some medical devices, in a folded state and carried within a packaging bag; 15 Figure 2 is a perspective view of the sterile wrap of Figure 1 having been taken out of the packaging bag and being partially unfolded; Figure 3 is a perspective view of the sterile wrap of Figure 1 being totally unfolded and spread out with some medical devices sitting thereon; Figure 4 is a perspective view of the sterile wrap of Figure 1 with a lifted corner 20 showing the underside of the wrap; Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the sterile wrap of Figure 1 taken along the line A A of Figure 4; Table I is a Certificate of Analysis showing the data and results obtained from various mechanical testings of a plastic (polyethylene (PE)) film which forms part of the sterile 25 strap of Figure 1; Table 2 is a Certificate of Analysis showing the data and results obtained from various mechanical testings of a non-woven fabric which forms part of the sterile strap of Figure 1; and Table 3 is a Certificate of Analysis showing the data and results obtained from various 30 mechanical testings of the sterile strap of Figure 1. 2 3 Detailed Description of the Drawings Referring to Figure 1, a sterile wrap 10 for packaging medical equipment is shown being contained in a packaging bag 12. Once the sterile wrap 10 is taken out of the bag 12, it is unwrapped step by step as shown in Figure 2. The sterile wrap 10 is used to encapsulate 5 medical devices such as a tray 14, two pairs of forceps 16 and a dressing 18, which are readily available for use once the wrap 10 is fully unfolded. The wrap 10 serves the purpose of conveniently providing a sterile field for, for example, a surgeon to place various devices on in the course of an operation. Turning to Figures 4 and 5, the sterile wrap 10 has an impermeable layer which is a plastic 10 film 20 and an absorbent layer which is a non-woven fabric 22. The plastic film in the shown embodiment is a polyethylene (PE), although other impermeable polymers such as polypropylene (PP) may also be used. The non-woven fabric shown in the present embodiment is made of a combination of wood pulp and polyester. However, the non-woven fabric may also consist of other absorbent materials or combinations of absorbent materials 16 such as viscose and polyester, or a combination of wood pulp, viscose and polyester. The impermeable and absorbent layers (ie. plastic film 20 and non-woven fabric 22) are bonded to one another by way of lamination. As best shown in Figure 5, the non-woven fabric 22 is located on top of the plastic film 20. The non-woven fabric 22 is transparent in the 20 present embodiment. Some other non-woven fabrics may be used but they are preferred to be transparent or at least translucent. Referring to Figures 3 and 4, it can be observed that the sterile wrap 10 has some markings including calibrations 24 along opposite edges 26 & 28 and the letters 30 located somewhat in 25 the middle of the wrap 10. In order to generate this effect, the plastic film 20 is adapted to enable printing thereon. For instance, surface 32 (see Figure 5) of the plastic film 20 may be pre-treated to facilitate printing thereon. The calibrations 24 and letters 30 are printed onto the surface 32 (see Figure 5) of the plastic film 20. For example, the letters 30 may include a trademark and a logo. As shown in Figure 4, the calibrations 24 include calibrated lines 34 30 with corresponding numerals 36. Since the non-woven fabric 22 is transparent, the markings on the plastic film 20 are still visible through the non-woven fabric 22 following bonding of the plastic film 20 to non-woven fabric 22 by way of lamination. It should be noted that the calibrations 24 are printed in close proximity to and along the edges of the plastic film 20 so as to enable the edges 26 and 28 of the wrap 10 to be used as rulers. This offers the benefit 3 4 of saving a user such as a surgeon from being distracted to look for a ruler in the middle of performing an operation. Now that a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in some detail, 5 it will be apparent to a skilled person in the art that the sterile wrap of the present invention may offer at least the following advantages: 1. it has a high tensile strength and durability resulting in an enhanced tear and pierce resistance; 10 2. it remains thin and light; 3. it has absorbing ability in the event of a spillage due to the absorbent layer as well as the capability of preventing any spilled fluid from permeating onto the surface on which the wrap 15 is placed due to the impermeable layer; 4. it can be used as a ruler thereby keeping the number of devices required in an operating theatre to a minimum; and 20 5. it serves the purposes of marketing and providing guidance in allowing display of trademarks, logos and/or any other relevant information such as a user guide on the wrap. Referring to Tables 1 to 3, it can be observed that the mechanical properties and characteristics of the sterile wrap 10 are substantially enhanced compared with those of the 25 impermeable or absorbent layer, respectively. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention described herein is susceptible to variations and modifications other than those specifically described. For instance, it is contemplated that other methods of bonding may be applied to combine the two layers 30 together. The wrap may be provided in different shapes and sizes to suit different medical products. Also, the arrangement of the two layers may be reversed. All such variations and modifications are to be considered within the scope and spirit of the present invention the nature of which is to be determined from the foregoing description. 4

Claims (15)

1. A sterile wrap for packaging medical equipment, the sterile wrap including: an impermeable layer; and an absorbent layer; 5 wherein the impermeable and absorbent layers are bonded to one another.

2. The sterile strap of claim 1, wherein the impermeable layer is a plastic film.

3. The sterile strap of claim 2, wherein the plastic film includes either polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP). 10

4. The sterile strap of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the absorbent layer is a non-woven fabric.

5. The sterile strap of claim 4, wherein the non-woven fabric is transparent or at least 15 translucent.

6. The sterile strap of either claim 4 or 5, wherein the non-woven fabric consists of one of the following combinations of materials: wood pulp and polyester; viscose and polyester; wood pulp, viscose and polyester. 20

7. The sterile strap of claim 3, wherein the impermeable film is adapted to enable printing thereon.

8. The sterile strap of claim 7, wherein the plastic film includes a pre-treated surface to 25 facilitate printing thereon.

9. The sterile strap of claim 7, wherein selected markings are printed onto a surface of the impermeable film. 30

10. The sterile strap of claim 9, wherein the selected markings includes one or more of the following: calibrated lines with corresponding numerals, a trademark and a logo. 5 6

11. The sterile strap of claim 10, wherein the calibrated lines are printed in close proximity to and along one or more edges of the plastic film.

12. The sterile strap of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the impermeable and 5 absorbent layers are bonded together by way of lamination.

13. The sterile strap of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the absorbent layer is located on top of the impermeable layer. 10

14. A sterile strap substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the accompanying drawings.

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