Special receptacle or package – For body treatment article or material – Bandage – drape or dressing
Patent
1999-01-13
2000-06-20
Sewell, Paul T.
Special receptacle or package
For body treatment article or material
Bandage, drape or dressing
206210, A61F 1300, B65D 7720
Patent
active
060766735
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a burst-proof pack.
The safe and cost effective management of wounds in hospitals and clinics is currently a priority. To this end, sterile blister packs containing dry dressings, swabs, bandages, needles, sutures and the like in a blister tray are typically used in operative and post-operative procedures. More often than not, there is considerable wastage due to the fact that not all of the contents of the sterile blister trays are utilized. Further, the blister trays themselves are relatively bulky, and contain a relatively high proportion of unused space.
Dry swabs are typically housed in a separate sterile pack. In a hospital environment several steps are required before such swabs can be used. A concentrated self-sterilizing or disinfecting solution is decanted and diluted, after which it is dispensed into a sterile pour bottle. The diluted solution is then dispensed into a separate steritized intermediate container. The sterile pack containing the dry swabs is opened and the dry swabs are similarly dispensed into the intermediate container, after which they can be used in a particular procedure.
The steps described above are relatively time consuming, carry associated risks of infection, and utilize at least three, if not four separate containers which need to be sterilized. Further, both swabs and disinfectant are usually wasted.
The transportation and handling of sterile packs may be problematic, in that there is usually some incidence of rupturing or bursting. This is due to the fact that an increase in pressure within the pack due to an increase in temperature or altitude will cause the pack to swell, thereby stressing the seal between the blister tray and the web covering the tray, which may in turn lead to the rupturing of the seal and leakage or contamination of the contents of the sterile pack.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention there is provided a burst-proof pack comprising a tray having at least one recess defined therein which houses a fluid, the recess being surrounded by a land, a web extending over and being sealed to the land by a sealing arrangement so as to provide a sealed compartment, the sealing arrangement including at least an inner and an outer peripheral sealing band defining therebetween an intermediate pressure dissipation channel for preserving the integrity of the sealed compartment in the event of one of the sealing bands being broached.
Preferably, the sealing bands are continuous and ring-shaped.
Conveniently, the web is a peelable web which is heat sealed over the tray, with a non-sealed portion of the web defining a manually grippable peeling tag.
In one form of the invention, the sealing arrangement comprises at least three sealing bands defining therebetween at least two intermediate pressure dissipation channels.
Typically, the sealing bands and intermediate channels are formed in a concentric array.
In an alternative form of the invention, the seating bands may be formed in a spiral array which is closed at both ends so as to define therebetween the intermediate pressure dissipation channel.
The at least one recess may comprise at least one swab recess and at least one swab nested within the recess, the swab being impregnated with a sanitizing fluid.
Typically, the park includes an array of five part spherical swab recesses, with each swab recess housing a single swab.
Advantageously, both the web and the land may be formed with contiguous peelable layers of low density polyethylene.
In one version of the invention, the at least one recess comprises first wet and second dry recesses defined within the tray, at least a liquid being accommodated in the first wet recess, and dry goods being accommodated in the second dry recess, with the web extending over both of the recesses so as to provide first and second respective separate wet and dry sealed compartments for the liquid and the dry goods.
Typically, the pack is a surgical pack, the liquid is a sanitizing liquid, and the wet compartment
REFERENCES:
patent: 3008837 (1961-11-01), Kaplan
patent: 3083821 (1963-04-01), Woodson
patent: 3685720 (1972-08-01), Brady
patent: 4220244 (1980-09-01), Elmore
patent: 4844251 (1989-07-01), Gueret
patent: 4989733 (1991-02-01), Patry
patent: 5117981 (1992-06-01), Crawford et al.
Bui Luan K.
Sewell Paul T.
Surgi International (Proprietary) Limited
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