The invention is a low cost and portable solution for providing a safe and sterile way to perform surgeries in areas inaccessible to a traditional OR. The sterile enclosure, which can be assembled on spot, encompasses the patient and has protrusions in the outer surface like a glove box, fitted with surgical gowns, using which the surgeons can access the patient. The opening allows the surgeon’s entire upper body to be inside the enclosure, giving a better view and more mobility to perform the operation. The enclosure is also equipped with a box of sterile instruments and an opening specifically for surgical waste disposal. The enclosure deals with a singular patient and thus, requires less space and cost to run as compared to a traditional sterilized operating tent, making more such operations possible.
Figure (1) Sketch showing the starting configuration of the sterile enclosure; (2) A sketch of the sterile enclosure being deployed around the patient; (3) A sketch of the deployed sterile enclosure being used in a surgery.
There are an estimated 5 billion unprivileged people across the world that don’t have access to safe surgery, leading to 18 million deaths each year due to inadequate surgical care. If a medical emergency occurs at a remote and inaccessible location and a surgical procedure needs to be done, either it will be done at an unsterile environment with minimum facilities or the patient has to be transported over long distances to the nearest hospital. Both are equally risky and could worsen the situation. Even if portable surgical equipment and auxiliary facilities are available in the market, creating and maintaining a sterile atmosphere for conducting the surgery is still a major challenge. Thus, there is a need for a portable, reliable and sterile operating enclosure solution to conduct safe operations at areas inaccessible to an OR.
- Optimum usage of the space: The surgical enclosure is very small in size compared to the standard large surgical tents that are deployed currently
- Cost effective: A smaller space requirement makes it cheaper to maintain the sterile environment and air quality in the surgical space
- Indirect contact with patient: The surgeons operate on the patient via a surgical suit attached to an opening in the surgical enclosure, decreasing the risk of infection
- Portable and lightweight: The enclosure is different from a mobile OR and the entire system can be transported by just 2-3 people and assembled on spot
The patient is scrubbed and placed below the sterile enclosure (SE) and sterilized air is pumped in to inflate the SE. A positive air pressure is maintained inside the SE to prevent air contamination and maintain an amiable atmosphere. An antimicrobial layering at the bottom of the SE is peeled and stuck around the surgical site. The surgeons enter the SE using an opening via a removable surgical suit. The opening acts as a glove box which enable the entire upper body of the surgeon to access the operating area. The surgeons then remove a protective layer on the inside and access the surgical site. A box of sterilized instruments is accessible to the surgical team inside the SE, along with a specific opening for disposing surgical waste.
The technology has been fully conceptualized and developed into a portable sterile surgical enclosure. It offers a compact, reusable, and field-deployable solution to perform surgeries in remote or low-resource settings. The design overcomes the limitations of existing mobile and tent-based solutions.
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Better medical care in war, impoverished areas and disaster management scenarios
Rural Healthcare, Defense, Disaster Management, Organ Transfer Surgeries
Geography of IP
Type of IP
201821030523
472415