Abstract
The present invention is an improvement to surgical gown with two distinctive features. 1) the back of the gown and the back of the gown sleeves are a contrasting or bright color and 2) these same two-toned gown areas, back of sleeves and gown back top to bottom could also have a resin painted on that would transfer to any object it comes into contact with. Resin transfer will result in a visible change in the gown, a color change and/or bare spot in the resin loss region of the gown.
Claims
1. A sterility indicating operating room surgical gown comprises: a two-toned surgical gown having outer surfaces of a first color indicating a sterile area, and outer surfaces of a contrasting second color added to back areas of the two-toned surgical gown including back areas of a pair of sleeves of the two-toned surgical gown to demark non-sterile areas of the two-toned surgical gown, the first color being of a blue or green color indicating the sterile area, the contrasting second color being yellow, orange, red or pink indicating the non-sterile area of a cautionary color indicating do not touch region of the two-toned surgical gown.
2. A sterility indicating operating room surgical gown comprises: a two-toned surgical gown having outer surfaces of a first color indicating a sterile area and outer surfaces of a contrasting second color added to back areas of the two-toned surgical gown including back areas of a pair of sleeves of the two-toned surgical gown to demark non-sterile areas of the two-toned surgical gown, the first color being of a blue or green color indicating the sterile area, the contrasting second color being yellow, orange, red or pink indicating the non-sterile area of a cautionary color indicating do not touch region of the two-toned surgical gown wherein the non-sterile areas of the two-toned surgical gown of the contrasting second color are marked, painted or coated with a colored resin, the colored resin configured to transfer from the gown and stain whatever the non-sterile areas of the two-toned surgical gown came into contact with in either a permanent or temporary fashion.
3. The sterility indicating operating room surgical gown of claim 1 wherein the two-toned surgical gown is made of cloth.
4. The sterility indicating operating room surgical gown of claim 1 wherein the first color of the two-toned surgical gown is blue.
5. The sterility indicating operating room surgical gown of claim 2 wherein the two-toned surgical gown is made of cloth.
6. The sterility indicating operating room surgical gown of claim 2 wherein the first color of the two-toned surgical gown is blue.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) The patent or application file contains at least one drawing/photograph executed in color. Copies of this patent or patent application publication with color drawing(s) will be provided by the Office upon request and payment of the necessary fee. The invention will be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
(2) FIG. 1A is a photograph of a side view of a two-toned gown of the present invention.
(3) FIG. 1B is a back view of the two-toned gown of FIG. 1A.
(4) FIG. 2A illustrates how a co-surgeon or resident assistant may attempt to get the surgeon's attention. In this picture, the assistant is touching an off limit area for touching on the side and back of the surgeon's sleeve.
(5) FIG. 2B is similar to picture 2A, again illustrating how a co-surgeon or resident assistant may attempt to get the surgeon's attention in this picture the assistant is touching an off limit area by touching on the upper part of the surgeon's back.
(6) FIG. 3 illustrates again how a co-surgeon or resident assistant may attempt to get the surgeon's attention, but in this picture now it is likely more obvious to the assistant that he/she is touching an off limit area for touching on the back of the surgeon's gown and the assistant is more likely to not touch this bright orange off limit area of the surgeon's gown, and he/she is much less likely to break field sterility if the surgeon had worn this two-toned gown. The risky areas are much more visible and less likely to be touched inadvertently.
(7) FIG. 4A is a photograph showing the surgical assistant too close to the surgeon's non sterile back of gown and without the color demarcation the assistant is less likely to maintain a greater distance and space.
(8) FIG. 4B similar to FIG. 4A, but now the surgical assistant has a better visual awareness of where behind the surgeon to maintain a safe distance to avoid compromising sterility of himself or herself.
(9) FIG. 5A is a photograph of an elevated 1 foot×2 foot (mayo) stand that is too close to the surgeon's back, it is difficult to position this stand most appropriately because of lack of a good visual landmark. This stand temporarily holds surgical instruments. Instruments that easily become contaminated if a member of the surgical team stands with their back too close to the stand, or more commonly someone inadvertently backs up too close and touches the stand with their dirty gown back or dirty gown sleeve backs.
(10) FIG. 5B similar to FIG. 5A, but now the mayo stand is not too close to the surgeon's back since it is easier to position appropriately because of the orange color on the back of the gown. Someone correctly placed the stand in front of the surgical team member away from the gown and sleeve backs. Contamination is more easily averted because of improved visual boundaries.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
(11) With reference to FIG. 1A, a side profile is shown of a surgeon 2 in a blue or colored gown 10 in which the outer surfaces of the sleeve backs 20 and the back 30 of the gown 10 have been distinctly colored with a second color, as shown in the exemplary view, spray painted orange to denote/demark non-sterile areas of the gown to avoid coming into any contact by other members of the surgical team, especially their hands. This picture is an embodiment of the present invention.
(12) With reference to FIG. 1B, the back profile of picture 1A is shown of the surgeon 2 in the blue gown 10 in which the sleeve backs 20 and the back 30 of the gown 10 have been colored with the second color, as shown, spray painted orange color to denote/demark non-sterile areas of the gown 10 to avoid coming into any contact by other members of the surgical team, especially their hands. This picture is a further perspective of the embodiment of the present invention. In FIGS. 1A and 1B, the areas of orange paint can be made from an easily transferable resin 40 to mark Operating Room (OR) personnel and/or objects in the OR that had inadvertently been touched by the gowned surgical team.
(13) FIG. 2A illustrates how a co-surgeon 4 or resident assistant 4 may attempt to get the surgeon's 2 attention. In this picture, the assistant 4 is touching an off limit area for touching on the side and back 20 of the surgeon's sleeve.
(14) FIG. 2B similar to FIG. 2A again illustrating how a co-surgeon 4 or resident assistant 4 may attempt to get the surgeon's 2 attention in this picture the assistant 4 is touching an off limit area by touching on the upper part of the surgeon's back 30.
(15) FIG. 3 again illustrates how a co-surgeon or resident assistant 4 may attempt to get the surgeon's 2 attention, but in this picture with the two-toned gown 10 of the present invention, now it is likely more obvious to the assistant 4 that he/she is touching an off limit area for touching on the back of the surgeon's gown 10 and the assistant 4 is more likely to not touch this bright orange off limit area of the surgeon's gown, and he/she is much less likely to break field sterility if the surgeon had worn this two-toned gown. The risky areas are much more visible and less likely to be touched inadvertently.
(16) FIG. 4A is a photograph showing the surgical assistant 4 too close to the surgeon's non sterile back 30 of prior art gown 100, and without the color demarcation the assistant is less likely to maintain a greater distance and space.
(17) FIG. 4B is similar to FIG. 4A, but now the surgical assistant 4 has a better visual awareness of where behind the surgeon to maintain a safe distance to avoid compromising sterility of him or herself . . . . FIG. 5A is a photograph of a mayo stand 60 that is too close to the surgeon's back 30, it is difficult to position appropriately because of lack of a good visual landmark using a prior art single color gown 100. This stand temporarily holds surgical instruments. Instruments that easily become contaminated if a member of the surgical team stands with their back too close to the stand, or more commonly someone inadvertently backs up too close and touches the stand with their dirty gown back or dirty gown sleeve backs.
(18) FIG. 5B is similar to FIG. 5A, but now the mayo stand 60 is not too close to the surgeon's back 30 since it is easier to position appropriately because of the orange color on the back 30 of the gown 10. Someone correctly placed the stand in front of the surgical team member away from the gown and sleeve backs. Contamination is more easily averted because of improved visual boundaries.
(19) The two-toned surgical gown 10 would be similar to a standard commercially available surgical gown 100 except with contrasting or bright colors to back 30 of the gown 10 and back of the sleeves 20. The gown 10 can be made of cloth or any other material approved for operating room attire and which can be appropriately sterilized for said surgical usage. The two-toned gown areas intended to be painted or visually marked distinctive material would be in contrasting or bright colors including but not limited to orange, yellow and pink or any variation there of including patterned designs The two-toned gown areas intended to be visually marked or painted could have the paint modified or substituted for a colored resin 40 that would transfer from the gown 10 and stain whatever it came into contact with in either a permanent visually observable transfer or temporary fashion.
(20) Variations in the present invention are possible in light of the description of it provided herein. While certain representative embodiments and details have been shown for the purpose of illustrating the subject invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in this art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the scope of the subject invention. It is, therefore, to be understood that changes can be made in the particular embodiments described which will be within the full intended scope of the invention as defined by the following appended claims.
