GB2483154A

GB2483154A - A connector and drape

Info

Publication number: GB2483154A
Application number: GB1114455.7A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Narendra Mohan
Original assignee: P3 MEDICAL Ltd
Current assignee: P3 MEDICAL Ltd
Priority date: 2010-08-25
Filing date: 2011-08-23
Publication date: 2012-02-29
Anticipated expiration: 2031-08-23
Also published as: GB2483154B; GB201014127D0; GB201114455D0

Abstract

A drape 10 and connector 70 for covering a first piece of surgical equipment, such as a camera 20, and optically connecting it to a second piece of surgical equipment, such as an endoscope 30, is disclosed. The drape 70 comprises a tubular sleeve 40 and is preferably attached to the coupler 70 using adhesive tape. The coupler 70 has a tubular body 75 with an inner bore 71, thereby defining an optical pathway through the tubular body 75. The tubular body 75 further comprises an outer engagement surface 100 configured to engage the first piece of surgical equipment 20 and an inner engagement surface 110 configured to engage the second piece of surgical equipment 30.The outer engagement surface 100 and the inner engagement surface 110 at least partially overlap. Preferably, the coupler 70 also has a first flange 80, which extends radially outwards from the tubular body 75. It optionally also comprises a second flange 85 at the opposite end of the tubular body 75, which extends radially inwards.

Description

I

TITLE: DRAPE

DESCRIPTION

TECHNICAL HELD

The present invention relates to a drape for covering surgical equipment, particularly but not exclusively for covering elongate surgical equipment which flexes during us; such as an endoscopic camera cable.

BACKGROUND ART

U56123080 discloses a drape for covering surgical equipment, comprising a sleeve having a proximal region and a distal region, and a tubular former on which the sleeve is mounted with the tubular former being a snug fit inside the sleeve whilst providing passage therethrough, wherein the sleeve is movable between a first position where the distal region is folded over the proximal region on the tubular former, and the second position where the distal region extends axially beyond the proximal region on the tubular former. Such a drape enables only the required length of sleeve to be dispensed or unfurled from the tubular former, whilst the excess remains neatly stored on the tubular former out of harm's way. In use, surgical equipment such as a camera with trailing control cables is introduced in to the sleeve and positioned in the neck of the distal region of the sleeve. A probe for insertion into a patient is attached to the camera through an aperture in the distal region of the sleeve, the sleeve thereafter being sealed around the probe using surgical tape. The sleeve is then unfurled as the former is moved back along the control cables.

W09611 7558 discloses a drape having an open distal end which can be sealed to the neck portion of coupler by a variety methods including of surgical tape, adhesives, shrink-wrap or double-faced adhesive strips. The coupler has a first end having a flared annular mounting for connection to an (non-sterile) optical connector for a camera, a second end having a mounting means for connection to a (sterile) endoscope, and an optical path through which an image may be transmitted from the endoscope to the camera. To maintain sterility, an optically clear window is provided which allows the passage of light and provides a sterile barrier between the camera and the endoscope.

AU2001/050l 35 discloses a drape with a housing and a sheath. The housing has a first housing piece that provides a coupling for an endoscopic telescope to be coupled thereto and a second housing piece that provides a coupling for a camera. End portions of the two housing pieces are joined together by ultrasonic welding with the sheath trapped therebetween to establish a leak-proof seal between the sheath and the housing.

DISCLOSURE OF JNVENTION

According to the present invention, there is provided: a drape for covering a first piece of surgical equipment and optically connecting the first piece of surgical equipment to a second piece of surgical equipment; the drape comprising: a sleeve; and a coupler having a tubular body having an inner bore defining an optical pathway therethrough; the tubular body having an outer engagement surface configured to engage the first piece of surgical equipment and an inner engagement surface (e.g. radially spaced from the outer engagement surface relative to a longitudinal axis of the tubular body) configured to engage the second piece of surgical equipment, wherein the outer engagement surface and the inner engagement surface at least partially overlap (e.g. have points that lie in substantially the same plane). In this way, a drape is provided in which the outer engagement surface surrounds the inner engagement surface. In one embodiment the inner and outer engagement surfaces substantially overlap.

The present invention also provides: a drape for covering a first piece of surgical equipment and optically connecting the first piece of surgical equipment to a second piece of surgical equipment; the drape comprising: a sleeve; and a coupler having a tubular body having an inner bore defining an optical pathway therethrough; the tubular body having an outer engagement surface configured to engage the first piece of surgical equipment and an inner engagement surface configured to engage the second piece of surgical equipment, wherein the outer engagement surface and the inner engagement surface are not axially spaced.

Furthermore, the present invention provides: a drape for covering a first piece of surgical equipment and optically connecting the first piece of surgical equipment to a second piece of surgical equipment; the drape comprising: a sleeve; and a coupler having a tubular body having an inner bore defining an optical pathway therethrough; the tubular body having an outer engagement surface configured to engage the first piece of surgical equipment and an inner engagement surface configured to engage the second piece of surgical equipment, wherein the outer engagement surface and the inner engagement surface are only radially spaced.

By virtue of engagement surfaces for the first and second pieces of surgical equipment that lie in substantially the same plane and that are only radially -rather than axially -spaced, the optical path between the camera and endoscope is short. This in turn reduces exaggerated movement of the displayed image that might otherwise result when the cameralendoscope assembly is manipulated.

The coupler may have a first flange extending radially outwards from the tubular body, the sleeve being attached to the first flange. The first flange may be located at one end of the tubular body, which may lie adjacent the inner engagement surface.

The sleeve miy be attached to a radially-extending surface of the first flange.

Attachment to such a radially-extending surface may be easier to implement, thereby facilitating manufacture. The sleeve may be attached to the first flange by double-sided adhesive tape.

The inner bore of the tubular body may be sealed by a window. This prevents the -typically non-sterile -first piece of surgical equipment from contaminating the -typically sterile -. second piece of surgical equipment to which it is optically connected.

The coupler may have a second flange extending radially inwardly from the tubular body. The second flange may be located at the opposite end of the tubular body to the first flange, which end which may lie adjacent the outer engagement surface. The window may be attached to the second flange.

The coupler may comprise plastics material, which may further be vacuum-formed.

According to the present invention, there is also provided: a coupler for a sleeve for covering a first piece of surgical equipment and for optically connecting the first piece of surgical equipment to a second piece of surgical equipment; the coupler comprising: a tubular body having an inner bore defining an optical pathway therethrough; the tubular body having an outer engagement surface configured to engage the first piece of surgical equipment and an inner engagement surface configured to engage the second piece of surgical equipment, wherein the outer engagement surface and the inner engagement surface at least partially overlap (e.g. lie in substantially the same plane).

Other features of the coupler may be as set out above with regard to the drape.

According to the present invention, there is also provided a surgical system comprising: a first piece of surgical equipment; a second piece of surgical equipment; and a drape for covering the first piece of surgical equipment and optically connecting the first piece of surgical equipment to the second piece of surgical equipment; the drape comprising: a sleeve; and a coupler having a tubular body having an inner bore defining an optical pathway therethrough; the tubular body having an outer engagement surface engaged with the first piece of surgical equipment and an inner engagement surface engaged with the second piece of surgical equipment, wherein the outer engagement surface and the inner engagement surface at least partially overlap (e.g. lie in substantially the same plane).

Other features of the system may be as set out above with regard to the drape.

The first piece of surgical equipment may be a camera. The second piece of surgical equipment may be an endoscope.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a detailed cross-sectional view showing the invention when engaged with a camera and endoscope;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along axis AA. Drape 10 covers a first piece of surgical equipment such as a camera 20 having control cables 25, the camera being optically connectable fo one end 30 of an endoscope as is known per se. The drape 10 comprises a tubular sleeve 40 of polythene lay flat film having at one end a neck portion 45 and an aperture 50. The other end of the sleeve is folded (as indicated at 60) inside a rigid polythene ring housing 65. Subb an arrangement is known from the aforementioned US6i 23080, incorporated herein by reference.

A coupler 70 has a tubular body 75 having a longitudinal axis AA and an inner bore 71. As illustrated in figure 2, the inner bore 71 defines an optical pathway between the end of the endoscope 30 and the camera 20. At one end 76 of the body, a first flange 80 extends radially outwards from the body (in the direction indicated by arrow F in figure 2) while at the other end 77 a second flange 85 extends radially inwards from the body. In the embodiment shown, the coupler is a thin-walled semi-rigid vacuum formed moulding which can be described as having a "top hat" profile in section.

The outer surface 100 of the tubular body 75 is dimensioned such that it will engage the (standardized) coupling bore 90 of the camera 20. The latter is non-sterile and accordingly located inside the tubular sleeve 40. The inner bore 110 of the tubular body 75 is dimensioned so as to engage the (similarly standardized) outer surface 120 of the endoscope which, being sterile, can be located outside of the sleeve.

Figure 2 shows the camera 20 and endoscope 30 engaged with the coupler 70 such that there is an optical pathway Through the inner bore 71 between the camera 20 and the endoscope 30, i.e. the camera 20 can see the image provided at the end 30 of the endoscope As illustrated in figure 2, the inner and outer engagement surfaces 100, 110 lie in substantially the same plane, P, normal to the axis AA. There is no significant spacing of the surfaces 100,110 in the axial direction AA; rather, the surfaces 100,110 are only spaced in the radial direction E. As a result, the optical separation L between camera and endoscope is short, which in turn reduces any exaggerated movement of the displayed image that might otherwise result when the cam era/endoscope assembly is manipulated.

Around the periphery of the aperture 50, the neck 45 of the sleeve is attached to the radially-extending surface i30 of the first flange 80. In the particular embodiment shown, the sleeve is attached to that surface 130 that faces away from the outer surface 100 of the tubular body 75. As shown in figure 2, the plastic film sleeve 40 is sealed to the plastic moulding coupler 70 by means of double-sided adhesive tape 150 so as to ensure that the non-sterile environment within the sleeve does not contaminate the sterile environment outside of the sleeve.

Similarly, an optically clear window 140 is attached to the second flange 85, sealing the inner bore 71 of the coupler and preventing the non-sterile camera 20 from contaminating the endoscope 30 without obstructing the optical connection between the two.

It should be understood that this invention has been described by way of examples only and that a wide variety of modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A drape for covering a first piece of surgical equipment and optically connecting the first piece of surgical equipment to a second piece of surgical equipment; the drape comprising: a sleeve; and a coupler having a tubular body having an inner bore defining an optical pathway thercthrough; the tubular body having an outer engagement surface configured to engage the first piece of surgical equipment and an inner engagement surface configured to engage the second piece of surgical equipment, wherein the outer engagement surface and the inner engagement surface at least partially overlap.
2. Drape according to claim 1, wherein the coupler has a first flange extending radially outwards from the tubular body, the sleeve being attached to the first flange.
3. Drape according to claim 2, wherein the first flange is located at one end of the tubular body, said one end lying adjacent the inner engagement surface.
4. Drape according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the sleeve is attached to a radially-extending surfhce of the first flange.
5. Drape according to claim 4, wherein the sleeve is attached to that radially-extending surface of the first flange that faces away from the outer engagement surface of the tubular body.
6. Drape according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the sleeve is attached to the first flange by double-sided adhesive tape.
7. Drape according to any preceding claim, wherein the inner bore of the tubular body is sealed by a window.
8. Drape according to any preceding claim, wherein the coupler has a second flange extending radially inwardly from the tubular body.
9. Drape according to claim 8 when dependent on any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the second flange is located at the opposite end of the tubular body to the first flange.
10. Drape according to claim 9, wherein said opposite end lies adjacent the outer engagement surface.
11. Drape according to any one of claims 8 to 10 when dependent on claim 7, wherein the window is attached to the second flange.
12. Drape according to any preceding claim, wherein the coupler comprises plastics material.
13. Drape according to claim 12, wherein the coupler comprises vacuum-formed plastics material.
14, A coupler for a sleeve for covering a first piece of surgical equipment and for optically connecting the first piece of surgical equipment to a second piece of surgical equipment; the coupler comprising: a tubular body having an inner bore defining an optical pathway therethrough; the tubular body having an outer engagement surface configured to engage the first piece of surgical equipment and an inner engagement surface configured to engage the second piece of surgical equipment, wherein the outer engagement surface and the inner engagement surface at least partially overlap.
15. A surgical system comprising: a first piece of surgical equipment; a second piece of surgical equipment; and a drape for covering the first piece of surgical equipment and optically connecting the first piece of surgical equipment to the second piece of surgical equipment; the drape comprising: a sleeve; and a coupler having a tubular body having an inner bore defining an optical pathway therethrough; the tubular body having an outer engagement surface engaged with the first piece of surgical equipment and an inner engagement surface engaged with the second piece of surgical equipment, wherein the outer engagement surface and the inner engagement surface at least partially overlap.
16. Surgical system according to claim 15, wherein the first piece of surgical equipment is a camera.
17. Surgical system according to claim 15 or claim 16, wherein the second piece of surgical equipment is an endoscope.