GB2401048A

GB2401048A - Presentation tray for Surgical Instruments.

Info

Publication number: GB2401048A
Application number: GB0406922A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Benjamin Gideon Berlyne
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-03-28
Filing date: 2004-03-29
Publication date: 2004-11-03
Anticipated expiration: 2024-03-29
Also published as: GB0406922D0; GB0307154D0; GB2401048B

Abstract

A sterilisable presentation tray (1) for surgical instruments comprises a tray base (2) with retaining means (8,9) for holding a set of surgical instruments. Means (5) are provided for supporting the tray base (2) in an inclined condition.

Description

2401 048 13101638/P/GB - Complete Presentation Tray for Surgical

Instruments This invention relates to a presentation tray for surgical instruments, and in particular to a presentation tray for surgical instruments that facilitates sterilization of such instruments by autoclaving.

Presentation trays are used in many professions, such as the medical and dental professions, for holding and displaying surgical instruments required by a practitioner during a therapeutic or cosmetic procedure. In a typical surgical procedure, where it is highly desirable to minimise the time that a patient is under surgery, it is paramount that all necessary surgical instruments have been effectively sterilised and presented to the surgeon and/or his assistant personnel in a manner that enables the work to be performed efficiently.

Surgical instruments are commonly sterilised prior to use at elevated temperature and pressure in a steriliser called an autoclave. In a typical sterilization procedure, the surgical instruments requiring sterilization are loaded into a receptacle that is capable of withstanding the conditions imposed by the autoclave. Such receptacles are well known to those skilled in the art, and are generally referred to as autoclave trays. The autoclave tray, along with its contents, is then placed into an autoclave for sterilization. Following completion of sterilization, the autoclave tray is withdrawn from the autoclave and the surgical instruments are individually transferred off the autoclave tray and re-assembled onto a presentation tray for the surgeon's use. Transfer of the sterilised surgical instruments off the autoclave tray onto a presentation tray is necessarily time-consuming, and introduces a risk of contamination.

Conventional presentation trays are typically of a simple construction comprising a flat rectangular base for receipt of surgical instruments and provided with upstanding side walls to contain the instruments. The base of the tray, on which surgical instruments are laid out, is usually disposed parallel 1310/638/P/GB - Complete to the work surface upon which the tray is placed. Such an arrangement does little to facilitate the work of the surgeon.

Some conventional presentation trays may be provided with means, such as clips, for securing surgical instruments to the base. However, in practice these designs may actually make access to the surgical instruments more difficult.

Designs of presentation tray known hitherto do not provide for presentation of the surgical instruments in a compact and easy-to-view manner during surgery.

It is generally the case that a particular surgical procedure will make use of a corresponding particular set of surgical instruments. However, due to the variety of surgical instruments available and the similarity of some of those instruments, one or more surgical instruments required for a procedure may be overlooked and not sterilized. This problem can have adverse consequences if the error is not realised until such a time as the surgeon requires use of a particular surgical instrument only to find it missing.

There have now been devised improvements in presentation trays for surgical instruments that overcome or substantially mitigate the abovementioned

and/or other disadvantages of the prior art.

In a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a presentation tray for surgical instruments, said tray comprising a tray base provided with retaining means adapted to hold a set of surgical instruments in a predetermined arrangement, the tray base further being provided with means for supporting the tray base in an inclined condition.

The presentation tray incorporating the present invention is advantageous in that it enables a set of surgical instruments appropriate to a particular surgical procedure to be retained on the presentation tray in an easy-to-view manner which facilitates the selection and replacement, and the sterilization, of the surgical instruments.

1310/638/P/GB - Complete The presentation tray according to the invention may be used not only for the presentation of the surgical instruments during the surgical procedure, but also to hold those instruments during sterilization prior to and/or after the procedure. The tray may therefore be configured to be used with apparatus by which sterilization is carried out. Most preferably, the tray is suitable for! insertion into an autoclave apparatus, for steam sterilization of the instruments.

It is preferable that the presentation tray is formed with a plurality of upstanding walls disposed around the perimeter of the tray base to contain the surgical instruments. It is particularly preferred that the walls are integrally formed with the tray base. Such a tray may be formed by pressing a tray blank cut from a sheet of suitable material into the desired configuration.

The means for supporting and inclining the tray base may comprise a leg member that is attached to the base, and by which the height of the tray may be adjusted. Leg members may be attached to two or more sides of the base, so as to completely elevate the tray base above the work surface, but preferably one or more leg members are attached to only one end of the tray, with the opposite tray end resting on the work surface.

The leg member is preferably attached to the tray in such a manner that its position can be altered between a first position in which the tray rests flat upon a surface upon which it is placed, and a second position in which the tray (or at least one end of the tray) is raised relative to that surface. Conveniently, the leg member is mounted on the tray for a range of angular movement, eg by means of a pivoting or hinged connection. The leg member may be moved to the first position when it is to be inserted into, for example, an autoclave apparatus, and to the second position when the tray is used for presentation of the instruments.

1310/638/P/GB - Complete Preferably, the leg member is substantially Ushaped, the free ends of the leg member being received within bushings fixed to the tray, such that the leg member can be pivoted about the bushings from a condition in which it lies in the plane of the tray (corresponding to the first position referred to above) to a second condition (corresponding to the second position), in which it lies substantially perpendicular to that plane. The bushings may comprise hollow cylindrical tubes which are attached by conventional methods such as welding to the external surface of the tray wall. Alternatively, the bushings may be formed by cutting and pressing from the tray base or side wall. The bushings are preferably spaced apart by a distance approximately equal to the distance between the side limbs of the leg member. The leg member is most conveniently formed from a rod, eg of stainless steel, that is bent into the desired shape. Most preferably, the rod is of such resilience that it can be deformed by manual pressure so that its ends can be released from the bushings and the leg member thereby separated from the tray.

It is preferable that the presentation tray and all its components are constructed from a material that is capable of withstanding the elevated temperature and pressure inside an autoclave, is the presentation tray is autoclavable. Suitable materials that may be mentioned include plastics such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE or Teflon a) or more preferably metal alloys, such as stainless steel.

An advantage of the presentation tray according to the present invention is that handling of the surgical instruments is minimised because a set of surgical instruments required for a particular procedure may be arranged, prior to sterilization, in a configuration that is suitable for use during surgery. Hence, after sterilization no further handling of the surgical instruments is required.

The tray and its content of surgical instruments may simply be placed onto a suitable work surface for immediate use by the surgeon. After completion of the surgical procedure, the surgical instruments may again be arranged and sterilised on the same tray as previously described.

13101638/PIGB - Complete It is preferable that the base of the tray is formed with a plurality of perforations to allow the passage of the sterilising medium over all surfaces of the tray and of the instruments mounted upon the tray. It is most preferable that the perforations are disposed over the whole of the base, most preferably in a regular pattern, to ensure that all surgical instruments held on the tray are effectively and uniformly sterilized, as well as permitting waste solids and liquids to drain through the base. The perforations may have any suitable shape, eg circles or elongated slots. The perforations may be formed by any suitable means, eg by cutting or punching.

The retaining means by which the surgical instruments are held on the tray may comprise projections that are fixed to the tray base. It is preferable that the retaining means are located on the tray base in such a manner that the surgical instruments are spaced apart and are each readily accessible. Such an arrangement will also minimise contamination of one instrument by another and allows the surgical instruments to be maintained in the predetermined position without reducing the effectiveness of the sterilization process. The retaining means may be positioned to hold instruments such as clamps, forceps and the like in an open or closed position as appropriate. The height of the retaining means may be sufficient to hold one surgical instrument, or more than one instrument stacked on top of each other.

Suitable retaining means may be formed by cutting the base of the tray to form tongues that can be pressed out of the plane of the tray so as to define projections on which the surgical instruments may be located. Alternatively, and more preferably, the retaining means comprise pins or the like that are fastened, eg welded, to the base.

It is also preferable that the number and arrangement of the retaining means corresponds to a particular set of surgical instruments required for a particular 13101638/PIGB - Complete surgical procedure. This enables all necessary instruments to be sterilised and presented for use together.

Thus, in a related aspect of the invention, there is provided a presentation tray for surgical instruments, said tray comprising a tray base provided with retaining means holding a set of surgical instruments in a predetermined arrangement, the tray base further being provided with means for supporting the tray base in an inclined condition.

The invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of illustration only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of a surgical instrument presentation tray according to the invention, carrying a set of surgical instruments; Figure 2 is a side view of the tray of Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a perspective view of the tray of Figures 1 and 2.

Referring first to Figure 1, there is shown a presentation tray for surgical instruments, that is generally designated 1. The tray 1 comprises a base 2 with upstanding walls 3a-d (see Figure 3) that are integrally formed with the base 2. The wall 3a at one end of the tray 1 is provided with a pair of cylindrical bushings 4 that receive the ends of a support member 5, as described more fully below. The wall 3c at the opposite end of the tray 1 is formed with a lip portion 6 that is arranged parallel to the base 2.

The base 2 is formed with a regular array of elongate perforations 7 that are arranged transverse to the longitudinal axis of the tray 1, in six rows, each of which extends from the foot of the wall 3a to the foot of the opposite wall 3c, beneath the lip 6.

1310/638/P/GB - Complete A number of instrument locating hooks 8 are fitted to the base 2, at locations that enable a set of surgical instruments appropriate to a particular surgical procedure to be retained within the tray 1 in a spaced-apart arrangement from which they can readily be removed and replaced as required during the course of the procedure. The hooks 8 each comprise a cylindrical pin, the foot of which is attached to, and disposed perpendicular to, the base 2 and the free end of which is directed upwardly and towards the top (as viewed in Figure 1) of the tray 1. The hooks 8 extend a short distance above the walls 3a-d.

Normally, the hooks 8 are intended to each hold a single surgical instrument, but where appropriate they may retain more than one instrument. A clip 9 is also mounted on the base 2, for the retention of a further surgical instrument.

It will be appreciated that any number and arrangement of hooks 8 and clips 9 may be chosen, to suit the particular set of instruments that is to be retained on the tray 1. It will also be noted that in some cases an instrument will be effectively held by only a single hook 8 or clip 9, whereas in other cases two (or more) hooks 8 or clips 9 may be required. The hooks and/or clips may be positioned to hold instruments such as clamps, forceps and the like in a closed condition, or an open condition, as appropriate.

The bushings 4 comprise short tubes that are welded to the external surface of the wall 3a. The support member 5 consists of a single rod, formed into a generally U-shaped configuration with outwardly-directed ends. The support member 5 can be removed from the tray 1 by squeezing the side limbs of the support member 5 together (as indicated by the curved arrows in Figure 1), so as to release the ends from within the bushings 4. In an analogous manner, the support member 5 may be re- engaged with the tray 1.

The components of the tray 1 are made from stainless steel. The base 2 and sides 3a-d (and lip 6) are formed by pressing from a sheet of stainless steel.

The perforations 8 are punched out of the base 2, either before or after the base 2 and sides 3a-c are cut from the sheet and pressed into the desired 1310/638/P/GB - Complete configuration. The hooks 8 are fitted to the base 2 by welding or other suitable fastening means.

The support member 5 can be rotated about the bushings 4 from the position shown in Figures 1 and 2 to the position shown in Figure 3, in which the support member 5 serves to raise the top of the tray 1 above the surface on which the tray 1 is placed.

In use, the tray 1 is loaded with the desired set of surgical instruments, corresponding to the positions of the hooks 8. With the support member 5 in the position shown in Figures 1 and 2, the loaded tray may be inserted into an autoclave for sterilization. To facilitate this process, the dimensions of the tray are chosen to fit the autoclave. If necessary or desired, the support member 5 may be released from the tray 1 (as described above) before the tray is inserted into the autoclave.

Sterilization is carried out by conventional means, using steam at elevated temperature and pressure. The perforations 7 enable the flow of steam across all surfaces of the tray 1 and the instruments carried upon it. An indicator device, which may again be of conventional form, may also be loaded onto the tray 1, prior to sterilization, in order to indicate or confirm that sterilization has been completed.

Following completion of sterilization, the tray 1 may be removed from the autoclave and positioned adjacent the operating table so that the sterilized instruments can be used by the surgeon. It is envisaged that in a busy operating theatre, the loaded tray will be transferred to the autoclave at the end of one procedure and replaced by a freshlysterilized tray taken from the autoclave for the next procedure.

To facilitate selection of instruments from the tray 1, the support member 5 is rotated to the position shown in Figure 3 after the tray has been removed from 131 0/638/P/GB - Complete the autoclave. This enhances the visibility of the instruments to the surgeon and/or his assistant personnel, enabling rapid selection of appropriate instruments. After use, each instrument is returned to its allocated position on the tray 1, an orderly arrangement of the instruments thereby being maintained. The spaced-apart arrangement of the instruments minimises contamination of one instrument by another, fluids present on the instruments after use being permitted to drain through the perforations 6.

Claims

1310/638/P/GB - Complete Claims 1. A presentation tray for surgical

instruments, said tray comprising a tray base provided with retaining means adapted to hold a set of surgical instruments in a predetermined arrangement, the tray base further being provided with means for supporting the tray base in an inclined condition.

2. A presentation tray as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the tray is configured to be used with apparatus by which sterilization of the instruments is carried 1 0 out.

3. A presentation tray as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the tray is suitable for insertion into an autoclave apparatus, for steam sterilization of the instruments.

4. A presentation tray as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the tray is formed with a plurality of upstanding walls disposed around the perimeter of the tray base to contain the surgical instruments.

5. A presentation tray as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the means for supporting and inclining the tray base comprises a leg member that is attached to the base.

6. A presentation tray as claimed in Claim 5, wherein the means for supporting and inclining the tray base comprises one or more leg members that are attached to only one end of the tray, with the opposite tray end resting on the work surface.

7. A presentation tray as claimed in Claim 5 or Claim 6, wherein the leg member is attached to the tray in such a manner that its position can be altered between a first position in which the tray rests flat upon a surface upon 13101638/PIGB - Complete which it is placed, and a second position in which at least one end of the tray is raised relative to that surface.

8. A presentation tray as claimed in Claim 7, wherein the leg member is mounted on the tray for a range of angular movement.

9. A presentation tray as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the leg member is substantially U-shaped, the free ends of the leg member being received within bushings fixed to the tray, such that the leg member can be pivoted about the bushings from the first position, in which it lies in the plane of the tray, to the second position, in which it lies substantially perpendicular to that plane.

10. A presentation tray as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the tray and all its components are constructed from a material that is capable of withstanding the elevated temperature and pressure inside an autoclave.

11. A presentation tray as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the base of the tray is formed with a plurality of perforations to allow the passage of a sterilising medium over all surfaces of the tray and of the instruments mounted upon the tray.

12. A presentation tray as claimed in Claim 11, wherein the perforations are disposed over the whole of the base in a regular pattern.

13. A presentation tray as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the retaining means are located on the tray base in such a manner that the surgical instruments are spaced apart.

14. A presentation tray as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the retaining means comprises projections that are fixed to the tray base.

1310/6381P/GB - Complete

15. A presentation tray as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 13, wherein the retaining means are formed by cutting the base of the tray to form tongues that are pressed out of the plane of the tray so as to define projections on which the surgical instruments may be located.

16. A presentation tray as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the number and arrangement of the retaining means corresponds to a particular set of surgical instruments required for a particular surgical procedure.

17. A presentation tray for surgical instruments, said tray comprising a tray base provided with retaining means holding a set of surgical instruments in a predetermined arrangement, the tray base further being provided with means for supporting the tray base in an inclined condition.

18. A presentation tray as hereinbefore described, and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.