Sterile drape for ultrasound probe

A process of forming a sterilizable drape for enclosing an ultrasound probe comprising:

• forming a circular fenestration through substantially the center of a rectangular piece of sterilizable, flexible, fluid impervious material;
• attaching the first side of a piece of double-sided tape on said rectangular piece of material, about the periphery of the fenestration;
• inserting through the fenestration a tubular member formed of a sterilizable, flexible, resilient, fluid impervious material and having an outside diameter substantially equal to the diameter of said circular fenestration, an open first end and a closed second end;
• attaching said first end of said tubular member to the second side of said double-sided tape,
• forming a pair of longitudinally extending slits at diametrically opposite sides of a first end of an elongated tubular sleeve member formed of a sterilizable, flexible, fluid impervious material to permit the two opposite sleeve walls to be folded open over the length of the slits;
• attaching a first end of said rectangular piece of material to one of said folded open sleeve walls and the opposite end of said rectangular piece of material to the other of said folded open sleeve walls, with said tubular member extending away from said sleeve member;
• and
• sealing each side of said rectangular piece of material to itself to form said drape with said rectangular piece of material as an extension of said sleeve member and with said tubular member extending away from said sleeve member.

A sterilizable drape for enclosing an ultrasound probe during an ultrasound procedure, said drape comprising:

• an elongated sleeve member formed of a sterilizable, flexible, fluid impervious material and having an open first end and a substantially closed second end with a circular fenestration therethrough;
• a tubular member having a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the fenestration and formed of a sterilizable, flexible, resilient, fluid impervious material, and having an open first end and a closed second end;
• and
• a two-sided tape having one side thereof affixed to said tubular member first end and the other side thereof affixed to said sleeve member and encircling the fenestration, to sealingly fasten said tubular member to said sleeve member with said tubular member open first end communicating with the interior of said tubular member through the fenestration.