WO2009156811A1

WO2009156811A1 - Sterile surgical glove engaged with abrasive cleaning pad for use in surgery

Info

Publication number: WO2009156811A1
Application number: PCT/IB2009/005961
Authority: WO
Inventors: Malcolm A. Lesavoy
Original assignee: Lesavoy Malcolm A
Priority date: 2008-06-25
Filing date: 2009-06-17
Publication date: 2009-12-30

Abstract

A sterile surgical glove includes an abrasive pad as is commonly used in the cleaning of cauterizing tools, where the pad is engaged with the glove on the back of the hand. Mounting the abrasive cleaning pad on the back of the hand of a surgeon wearing surgical gloves leaves at least one hand free to continue working while the surgeon is cleaning the cauterizing tool, thereby speeding up the entire surgical procedure by removing delays caused by prior art methods that required the use of both hands to clean the cauterizing tool, and distracting the surgeon's focus away from the operative field.

Description

STERILE SURGICAL GLOVE ENGAGED WITH ABRASIVE CLEANING PAD

FOR USE IN SURGERY

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates in general to surgical devices, and in particular to a sterile surgical glove and an abrasive cleaning pad adapted to be mounted to the surgical glove so that the cleaning pad is located on the back of the hand.

When a surgeon is working with a cauterizing tool (known as a Bovie tool) the tool requires intermittent cleaning on an abrasive pad. Typically, the surgeon cleans the tool (or Bovie Tip) while the cleaning pad is held steady on the nurses instrument tray, totally out of sight of the surgical field. This is usually done with the dominant operating hand of the surgeon. However, this method of cleaning requires extra movement of one of the surgeon's hands, thus requiring frequent pauses during the surgery to allow the surgeon to clean the cauterizing tool. This slows down the overall time taken to complete the surgical procedure and the need for the surgeon to refocus to surgical field.

What is needed is an abrasive cleaning pad that can be mounted to the back of the surgical glove worn on the non dominant hand of a surgeon, thereby allowing the surgeon to easily reach the cleaning pad for frequent cleaning of the tool, which also leaves one hand of the surgeon (i.e., the hand with the glove having the cleaning pad mounted thereon) free to keep working while the other hand is cleaning the cauterizing tool, and which also prevents the surgeon from having to juggle various tools during the surgical procedure in order to clean the tool.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly, according to the present invention, a sterile surgical glove includes an abrasive pad as is commonly used in the cleaning of cauterizing tools, where the pad is engaged with the glove on the back of the hand. The present invention has utility in that mounting the abrasive cleaning pad on the back of the hand of a surgeon wearing surgical gloves leaves at least one hand free to continue working while the surgeon is cleaning the cauterizing tool, thereby speeding up the entire surgical procedure by removing delays caused by prior art methods.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent in light of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. l(a) is a perspective view of a surgical glove as worn on a surgeon's hand with an abrasive cleaning pad mounted to the glove according to a first embodiment of the present invention, viewing the back (top) of the hand;

FIG. l(b) is a perspective view of the abrasive cleaning pad of FIG. l(a);

FIG. 2 (a) is a perspective view of a surgical glove with an abrasive cleaning pad mounted thereto according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2(b) is a perspective view of the abrasive cleaning pad of FIG. 2(a);

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a surgical glove with an abrasive cleaning pad mounted thereto according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

FlG. 4 is a perspective view of a surgical glove with an abrasive cleaning pad mounted thereto according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 illustrates a method for forming a means for holding the abrasive cleaning pad to the surgical glove of FiGs. l(a) and 2(a). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the figures, like reference numerals refer to like elements. In general, the present invention mitigates and/ or obviates the disadvantages of the devices and methods of the prior art for cleaning the tip of a cauterizing tool on a sterile and abrasive cleaning pad. In the first three embodiments of the present invention described and illustrated herein, the abrasive cleaning pad is incorporated into the surface of a surgical glove at the back of the hand so as to firmly mount the abrasive cleaning pad on the glove. In the fourth embodiment of the present invention described and illustrated herein, the abrasive cleaning pad is mounted to a secondary device that allows the surgeon to mount the cleaning pad to the back of the hand while using any surgical glove.

Referring to FIGs. l(a) and l(b), in a first embodiment of the present invention, an abrasive cleaning pad 11 has a backing portion 12 that is preferably firmer than the pad 11 but which is also flexible such that the entire pad 11 may be flexed as illustrated in FIG. l(b). The backing 12 may be larger in size than the abrasive pad 11 on at least two sides (e.g., the top and bottom), thus forming tabs 13, 14 comprising the exposed portions of the backing 12. The tabs 13, 14 may that fit into slots 15, 16 which are formed into a sterile surgical glove 30, preferably on the back of the hand of the glove 30. The slots 15, 16 may be molded into the glove 30 or may be attached to the glove 30 in some other known manner. The slots 15, 16 are preferably wide enough to provide a snug fit for the tabs 13, 14 that fit into the slots 15, 16. The tabs 13, 14 and the slots 15, 16 may be oriented in any direction but are illustrated in a horizontal orientation across the back of the hand. Also, the abrasive cleaning pad 11 of the present invention may be adapted to be used on either hand of the surgeon, not just the left hand as illustrated in the figures herein.

Referring to FIGs. 2(a) and 2(b), in a second embodiment of the invention the abrasive cleaning pad 11 has a backing 12 similar to that of the first embodiment of the invention of FIGs. l(a) and l(b). In this embodiment, the backing 12 is larger than the abrasive cleaning pad 11 on one side only and thus forms only one tab 17. An adhesive may be utilized on the underside of the tab 17 to keep the abrasive pad 11 securely in place under a corresponding single slot 18 formed into or on the glove 30 at the back of the hand.

Referring to FIG. 3, in a third embodiment of the present invention one or more bands 19 are formed into the glove 30 so as to hold the abrasive pad 11 in place on the back of the hand. In this embodiment the backing 12 may be of the same size as the rest of the pad 11 such that no tabs are formed and, thus, no slots are formed as well.

Referring to FIG. 4, in a fourth embodiment of the present invention a flexible sterile material such as a foam forms a band 20 engaged with the abrasive pad 11.

The band 20 is formed such that it may be wrapped around the wrist and looped over one or more fingers to hold the abrasive pad 11 in place at the back of the hand. The pad

11 may be attached to the band 20 by an adhesive or by one or more loops (not shown) formed on the back of the pad 11.

Referring to FIG. 5, a method for producing the slots 15, 16, 18 in or on the surgical glove 30 illustrated in FIGs. l(a) and 2(a) is illustrated in FIG. 5. Surgical gloves are commonly formed by dipping a positive form into a bath of rubber-like material in a liquid state. The material is then cured. To manufacture the slots 15, 16, 18, a release form 25 comprised of material that the rubber-like material does not stick to is placed in the desired area, preferably on the back of the hand. An area of the release form 25 is masked off with masking forms 21, 22 preferably after the glove 30 is formed but not yet cured. The masking forms 21, 22 have holes 23, 24, respectively, in the desired shape of the slots 15, 16, 18 (i.e., rectangular). Additional rubber-like material is placed in the holes 23, 24 in the masking forms 21, 22, leaving a second layer of rubber-like material that adheres to the glove 30 in the desired locations. After the curing process the release form 25 is removed and the slots 15, 16, 18 remain.

In operation during a surgical procedure, the surgeon is able to frequently clean a cauterizing tool simply by wiping or scraping the blade of the tool across the abrasive cleaning pad 11 in the embodiments of FiGs. l(a), 2(a), 3 and 4. If the glove 30 with the cleaning pad 11 is worn on the sturgeon's non dominant hand as illustrated in the figures, the surgeon is holding the tool in his/her dominant hand while cleaning the tool on the pad 11. This frees up the surgeon's right hand to continue working on the surgical procedure.

Although the present invention has been illustrated and described with respect to several preferred embodiments thereof, various changes, omissions and additions to the form and detail thereof, may be made therein, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A surgical device, comprising:

a surgical glove;

an abrasive cleaning pad mounted to the glove in a predetermined location; and

means for mounting the abrasive cleaning pad to the glove in the predetermined location.

2. The surgical device of claim 1, where the abrasive cleaning pad comprises a backing portion that extends beyond a boundary of the abrasive cleaning pad in at least one direction, thereby forming a tab in the backing portion.

3. The surgical device of claim 2, where the means for mounting comprises at least one slot.

4. The surgical device of claim 3, where the at least one slot is attached to the glove in the predetermined location, and where the tab fits within the at least one slot.

5. The surgical device of claim 1, where the predetermined location of the glove is a back of a hand.

6. The surgical device of claim 1, where the abrasive cleaning pad comprises a backing portion that extends beyond a boundary of the abrasive cleaning pad in at least two directions, thereby forming a corresponding pair of tabs in the backing portion.

7. The surgical device of claim 6, where the means for mounting comprises at least two slots.

8. The surgical device of claim 7, where the at least two slots are attached to the glove in the predetermined location, and where each of the pair of tabs fits within a corresponding slots, at least two slots.

9. The surgical device of claim 1, where the means for mounting comprises at least one band that contacts the pad to hold the pad to the glove in the predetermined location.

10. The surgical device of claim 9, where the at least one band is formed integral with the glove.

11. The surgical device of claim 1, where the means for mounting comprises a flexible band that is looped around at least one finger and a wrist, and where the means for mounting holds the abrasive cleaning pad to the glove in the predetermined location.

12. The surgical device of claim 1, where the means for mounting further comprises an adhesive.

13. A device that facilitates the cleaning of a surgical tool during a surgical procedure, the device comprising:

a surgical glove;

an abrasive cleaning pad mounted to the glove on the back of a hand, where the pad has at least one tab formed therein; and

at least one slot formed in or on the surgical glove on the back of a hand location on the glove, where the at least one tab is adapted to mount within the at least one slot.

14. A method for forming at least one slot in a surgical glove in a predetermined location on the glove, the method comprising the steps of:

forming the surgical glove by dipping a positive form into a bath of rubber material in a liquid state;

masking off an area of the release form with at least one masking form, then at least one masking form having a hole in a shape of the at least one slot;

curing the rubber material;

placing a release form of a material that the rubber material does not stick to in the predetermined location;

placing a second rubber material in the hole in at least one masking form, where the second rubber material adheres to the glove in the predetermined location;

curing the second rubber material; and

removing the release form, where the at least one slot remains.

15. The method of claim 14, where the predetermined location of the glove is the back of a hand.

16. A method for cleaning a surgical tool during a surgical procedure, comprising the steps of:

wearing a surgical glove on one hand, where the surgical glove has an abrasive cleaning pad mounted to the glove at a predetermined location;

holding the surgical tool in the other hand; and

cleaning the tool by wiping or scraping the tool on the abrasive cleaning pad.

17. The method of claim 16, where the predetermined location of the glove is a back of the hand.