WO2014174251A2

WO2014174251A2 - Cover for medical probe

Info

Publication number: WO2014174251A2
Application number: PCT/GB2014/051189
Authority: WO
Inventors: Matthias Reichard; Hassan Amrani
Original assignee: P3 Medical Limited; Promecon Gmbh
Priority date: 2013-04-23
Filing date: 2014-04-16
Publication date: 2014-10-30
Also published as: GB201307289D0; WO2014174251A3

Abstract

A drape for a medical probe (1) having an active region (2) and an inactive region (12) has a first region (11) comprising a first material and configured to cover the non-active region (12) of the probe and a second region (4) comprising a second material and configured to cover the active region (2) of the probe. The first region (11) has an aperture (8) sealingly covered by the second region (4).

Description

TITLE:

COVER FOR MEDICAL PROBE

DESCRIPTION

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a cover for a medical probe or similar equipment, particularly a sterile barrier between such equipment and a human or animal body.

BACKGROUND ART

Medical equipment such as ultrasound and gamma probes are usually connected to a power supply, control and display equipment through a cable or some type of antenna. Both the probe and cable/antenna are typically covered with some form of a sterile barrier, typically a tubular film cover known as a drape having a closed distal end covering the device and a proximal end that is open to accommodate the cable/antenna. Usually, the drape is folded, collapsed or wound in a telescopic fashion at its open end so as to keep the length of the drape as short as possible.

Such a cover is known from EP2229120, which discloses a tubular film cover for a medical ultrasonic device that has on the inward (in use), non-sterile side of its closed end portion an adhesive film for fixing the ultrasonic device in such a way that the ultrasonic device is fixed with its sound surface to the adhesive film. The adhesive force of the adhesive film on the tubular film side is greater than the adhesive force of the adhesive film on the ultrasonic device side in a relation of 60 to 40.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

According to the present invention, there is provided a drape for a medical probe having an active region and an inactive region, the drape having:

a first region comprising a first material and configured to cover a non-active region of a probe;

a second region comprising a second material and configured to cover an active region of a probe,

wherein the first region has an aperture sealingly covered by the second region.

By virtue of an aperture in the first material sealingly covered by the second material, the probing signal emitted from the active region of the medical probe need only pass through a single layer of the second material, reducing signal attenuation compared to arrangements in which two layers are sandwiched together and where further attenuation of the probing signal may result from gas bubbles trapped between the layers.

The second material may be a static cling material configured to cling to an active region of the probe. The use of a material - typically a film - that is able to stick to the active region of the medical probe by electrostatic attraction dispenses with the need for a layer of chemical adhesive material. Such a chemical adhesive layer can lead to attenuation of the probe signal through 'medium mismatch', with further attenuation resulting from the reflection of the probe signal from macroscopic gas bubbles formed in the layer during any sterilisation process. (Electro)static cling material is insulating. Moreover, the electrostatic cling force generated by the material is typically sufficient to resist its weight. The material is typically a film having a thickness in the range from about 30μηι to about 200μιη, in particular about 70μιη.

The material is advantageously at the most negatively charged end of the triboelectric series and may be selected from the group of polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinylchloride (PVC), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or silicone rubber. Advantageously, the material is polyvinylchloride (PVC).

The drape may have a second region comprising a second, static cling material configured to cling to an active region of a probe and a first region comprising a first material that exhibits a lower static cling than the second material and that is configured to cover a non-active region of a probe. A less clinging first region makes the drape easier to deploy.

The second region of the drape may be substantially planar in form.

The first region of the drape may be substantially tubular in form. The aperture may be located at one end of its tubular form. The aperture may be substantially rectangular in form.

The second region may comprise a chemical adhesive configured to adhere to an active region of the probe. The second region may comprise a chemical adhesive coating on the second material.

The invention also provides a system comprising a medical probe having an active region and an inactive region and covered by a drape as set out above.

According to the present invention there is also provided a method of manufacturing a drape as set out above, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a first region comprising a first material;

forming an aperture in the first region; and sealingly covering the aperture by a second region comprising a second material. The aperture may be formed by cutting the first region.

Adhesive may be applied to the border of the aperture and the second region may be applied thereto to sealingly cover the aperture.

5 The method may be particularised using features of the drape described above.

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 an exploded sectional view of a drape according to the present invention;

10 Figure 2 is a detail exploded perspective view in direction A of figure 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS

Referring to figure 1, an ultrasound probe 1 has an active surface 2 that emits an ultrasonic vibration probe signal as known per se. The remaining surface 12 of the probe is inactive, being formed in part with a hand grip 22, and is connected to a cable or antenna

15 14.

The probe 1 is enclosed in a drape 10 comprising a tubular sleeve (indicated by dashed lines 11) having at one, distal, end 3 a substantially planar and rectangular window 4 made of static cling film. This film sticks by electrostatic attraction to the active surface 2 of the probe 1 and to this end is insulating and of low weight per unit area. An example is sold by 0 Avery as 'MPI Clear Electrostatic 150 mic Gloss Clear Static Cling Vinyl', made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and having a thickness of 150μηι. As an alternative to static cling film, a film having a semi-permanent chemical cohesive coating for sticking to the active surface of the probe may be used. The window 4 presents a sterile barrier between the probe and the surface 15 of the human or animal body to be probed while presenting little or no impediment to the transfer of the ultrasound signal between the probe active surface 2 and the human or animal body. As shown in figure 2, the window 4 is sealed at its peripheral region 6 to the peripheral region 7 of a corresponding aperture 8 formed in the end 3 of sleeve 1 1 , of the kind known per se and made e.g. of low density polyethylene (LDPE) lay flat tubing of sheet thickness 3 X 10 ^"5 metres. Such material exhibits lower clinging than the material of the window, making it easier to slide the open, proximal end 13 of the drape 10 over the probe handle 22 and along the cable/antenna 14 than would be the case were the entire drape to be made of static cling material. In a preferred method, a rectangular patch of film is cut from the sleeve, leaving an aperture around the border of which is then applied adhesive. This aperture and the adhesive border is then covered by the material of the window to which the active region of the probe will subsequently be attached. 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

1. A drape for a medical probe having an active region and an inactive region, the drape having:

2. Drape according to claim 1, wherein the second material is a static cling material configured to cling to an active region of the probe.

3. Drape according to claim 2, wherein the second material is a film having a thickness in the range from about 30μηι to about 200μιη, in particular about 70μηι.

4. Drape according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the second material is selected from the group of polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinylchloride (PVC), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and silicone rubber.

5. Drape according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the first region comprises a first material that exhibits a lower static cling than the second material.

6. Drape according to claim 1, wherein the second region comprises a chemical cohesive configured to adhere to an active region of the probe.

7. Drape according to claim 6, wherein the second region comprises a chemical adhesive coating on the second material.

5

8. Drape according to any preceding claim, wherein the second region is substantially planar in form.

9. Drape according to any preceding claim, wherein the aperture is substantially 10 rectangular in form.

10. Drape according to any preceding claim, wherein the first region is substantially tubular in form.

15 11. Drape according to claim 10, wherein the aperture is located at one end of the tubular first region.

12. A system comprising a medical probe having an active region and an inactive region and covered by a drape according to any preceding claim.

0

13. Method of manufacturing a drape according to any preceding claim and comprising the steps of:

providing a first region comprising a first material;

forming an aperture in the first region; and sealingly covering the aperture by a second region comprising a second material.

14. Method according to claim 13 and comprising the step of forming the aperture by cutting the first region.

15. Method according to claim 13 or claim 14 and comprising the steps of applying adhesive to the border of the aperture and applying the second region thereto to sealingly cover the aperture.