Apparatus and method for reducing contamination of surgical sites
AssigneeNimbic Systems, Inc.
InventorsSean D. Self, Geoff A. Marcek, James M. Fowler, Jr.
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A sterile gas flow conditioning emitter for affixation onto an anatomical surface of a patient adjacent a site of incision is anatomically shape conforming for attaching a unidirectional coherent non-turbulent flow field of sterile gas substantially anatomically levelly on that anatomical surface and flowing the flow field in the direction of that site while essentially preventing ambient airborne particles from entering the interior of the flow field under the emitter to maintain the gas essentially sterile during passage over the site.
Claims7
A method of protecting a patient from surgical site infection of an incision during surgery, comprising attaching a unidirectional coherent non-turbulent flow field of essentially sterile gas substantially anatomically levelly on an anatomical surface of a patient adjacent the site of the surgical incision and flowing the attached flow field substantially anatomically levelly along the anatomical surface of the patient in the direction of the incision for a distance at least immediately past the incision while keeping the gas essentially sterile.
A method of protecting a patient from surgical site infection of an incision during surgery, comprising conditioning a supply of sterile gas into a unidirectional coherent non-turbulent flow field, attaching that sterile flow field substantially anatomically levelly on an anatomical surface of a patient adjacent the site of a surgical incision and flowing the attached field substantially anatomically levelly along the anatomical surface of the patient in the direction of the incision for a distance at least immediately past the incision while restricting ambient airborne particles from entering the interior of the flow field that comes into contact with the incision.
A method for reducing the risk of intrusion of ambient airborne bacteria into a surgical incision during surgery, comprising:
- (a) affixing a flow conditioning emitter of a unidirectional coherent non-turbulent flow field of sterile gas onto an anatomical surface adjacent a site of said incision, said emitter having an undersurface so matching the shape of said anatomical surface that when said emitter is affixed to said anatomical surface ambient airflow is substantially completely prevented from penetrating underneath the emitter and entering the interior of said coherent non-turbulent flow field,
- (b) supplying sterile gas to said emitter
- (c) conditioning the sterile gas into a unidirectional coherent non-turbulent flow field emergent from said emitter,
- (d) attaching that sterile flow field substantially anatomically levelly on an anatomical surface of a patient adjacent the site of a surgical incision, and
- (e) flowing the attached field substantially anatomically levelly along the anatomical surface of the patient in the direction of the incision for a distance at least immediately past the incision.
A method for reducing the risk of intrusion of ambient airborne bacteria into a surgery site during surgery, comprising:
- (a) providing an emitter assembly for direct placement on a portion of a patient's surface anatomy immediately adjacent said site level with said anatomy portion, said emitter assembly having
- (1) an upper and lower exterior surface,
- (2) a chamber within said exterior surfaces, said chamber having an inlet adapted to receive sterile gas from a source of sterile gas and an outlet spaced from said inlet, said outlet having a height and width predetermined to establish a height and width of said zone, and
- (3) porous media within said chamber proximate said outlet through which sterile gas received in said inlet is passed to provide coherent flow from said outlet, and
- (4) a shape conforming barrier in continuous contact with said lower exterior surface of said emitter assembly along the width of said outlet for shape conforming placement of said assembly directly on a portion of the anatomy adjacent said site to prevent entrance of ambient gas between said lower exterior surface of said assembly and said portion of anatomy,
- (b) providing a source of sterile gas to said inlet;
- (c) securing said emitter assembly to a portion of the patient's anatomy immediately adjacent to said site with said outlet facing said site substantially anatomically level with said anatomical portion and said barrier in shape conforming contact with said anatomical portion to prevent entrance of ambient gas between said lower exterior surface and said anatomical portion, and
- (d) flowing sterile gas from said source through said inlet into said chamber, through said media to provide coherence, and out said outlet, at a velocity sufficient to form over the surgical site a flow cocoon of substantially coherent non-turbulent sterile gas having upper, lower and lateral boundaries shaped by said outlet in which the lower boundary maintains a coherent boundary layer adjacent the anatomical surface of the patient at least up to and at the surgical site, the lateral boundaries are wider than the surgical site, and the upper boundary has velocity effective to entrain ambient particles impinging on the upper boundary and disburse them past the surgical site.
A method of performing surgery on a patient comprising making a surgical incision in an anatomical surface covered by an attached unidirectional coherent non-turbulent flow field of sterile gas originating from a position adjacent and substantially anatomically level with said site and from which gas ambient airflow is interiorly essentially excluded.
A method of maintaining sterile surgical instruments sterile, comprising:
- (a) placing the instruments on a tray located on at least a portion of an upper surface of a emitter assembly comprising:
- (1) an upper and lower exterior surface,
- (2) a chamber within said exterior surfaces, said chamber having an inlet adapted to receive sterile gas from said hose and a plurality of outlets each spaced from said inlet and vertically spaced from one another, a lower outlet having a height and width predetermined to establish a height and width of said a cocooning zone, an upper outlet facing and opening across said tray,
- (3) porous media within said chamber proximate said lower outlet through which sterile gas received in said inlet is passed to provide coherent flow from said lower outlet,
- (4) a shape conforming barrier in continuous contact with said lower exterior surface along the width of said lower outlet for shape conforming placement of said assembly directly on a portion of anatomy of a patient adjacent a site for surgical incision in the patient to prevent entrance of ambient gas between said lower exterior surface of said assembly and said portion of anatomy, and
- (b) flowing sterile gas over said tray from said upper outlet while flowing from said lower outlet unidirectionally a coherent non-turbulent flow field of sterile gas substantially anatomically levelly along and attached to an anatomical surface of a surgical patient toward said site from a position adjacent said site under flow conditions sufficient to maintain a boundary layer of said flow field attached to said anatomical surface for a distance extending at least through said surgical site and to prevent entrainment of ambient particles under said flow field.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.