FI68169B - FOERPACKNING FOER SURGICAL SOEMMATERIAL - Google Patents

Abstract

1. Package for surgical suture material comprising two pieces of film which are positioned against each other at their edges and are joined in a sealing manner, enclosing the suture material and which have tearopen flaps on one edge, and a folding card positioned between the pieces of film and containing the substantial quantity of the suture material from which card projects a thread end of the suture material, characterized in that the one piece of film (12) is so designed that when the tear-open flaps (35, 36) are drawn apart, tear lines (43, 44) are produced which extend substantially in parallel to the end sides of the packagage, while, along the end sides of said piece of film (12) strips remain to cover two opposite edges of the folding card (14).

Description

68169

Packaging for surgical suture material

The invention relates to a package for a surgical suture material comprising two edge-sealed and sealingly interconnected membrane portions of the suture material having a tear-open tongue at one edge and a substantial amount of suture material disposed between the membrane portions. from which the thread end of the suture material protrudes.

Known suture packages contain a surgical suture, for example a thread to which a needle may also be attached, tightly sealed between two membrane parts with respect to disease seeds. The package usually includes a wire bracket as well as labels and program material. If the pack-15 is opened in the operating room, then the wire holder and other patches and materials included in the pack are free to be removed from the pack.

The personnel involved in the operation must therefore open the package and remove the objects containing it, in which case the suture material still involved must be removed from the wire support. Empty packaging and labels, etc. are discarded.

There is a known package for surgical suture material (U.S. Patent No. 3,939,969) in which a fold map containing suture material is interposed between two membrane portions of a hit-25 fairy tale. The film portions have open-tear tongues at one end, which are jointly pulled out to the side, whereby the film portion is torn open and the other end of the folding map is released. From this released end of the folding map, the suture material 30 can be pulled out. The folding map has a slot into which a bent needle attached to the free end of the suture material can be inserted. The folding map is connected to the film part via an adhesive point. With such a package, only a small part of the folding map is released after opening. If there are still labels or instructional material in the package 35, these can only be difficult to pull out, as a large part of the package 68169 remains closed and inaccessible for removal of objects when it is torn open. Removing the end of the thread can also be difficult if this end of the thread is still in an intact part of the package after tearing open.

A sterile yarn package is also known (DE-GM 71 22 075), in which between the two film parts, the edges of which are connected to one another, there is a support for the suture material in the form of a simple map on which the yarn is wrapped. The map is glued to the inner wall of the package, so that after opening the package, the film parts remain connected to the map. But in this case, the suture material can only be removed with great difficulty, because after tearing the package open, the entire suture material support remains in the package open on one side, so that after unwinding the yarn 15 has to grip the still intact part of the package, which is usually only possible with tweezers.

In addition, a package for a surgical suture material is known, (U.S. Pat. No. 3,319,782), in which the tubular membrane portion is covered with a thin film portion 20 acting as a cover. In the closed state, the support of the suture material is located in the form of a sleeve, to which the thread is arranged in an unwound form, whereby the thread protrudes from one end of the sleeve. Near the other end of the elongate package, each film has a tear line. After the rupture, the package consists of an open tubular part at one end, from which a loop of open-wound yarn protrudes.

The sleeve containing the wire is connected at the end remote from the opening point through the tongue to the membrane parts. In connection with the rupture of the package, the torn end is separated from the rest of the package 30 so that it forms a separate part which can form an obstacle in the operating room. It is very difficult to grip the end of the wire.

In the known packages, the disadvantage is that only a small part of the support of the suture material is released during the opening of the package 35, and that it can therefore be very difficult to grip the end of the yarn. Another disadvantage is that the torn-off part is completely separated from the package and can form a barrier.

The invention is based on the object of creating a package for a surgical suture material, in which all parts still have a certain size stability even after tearing, so that there are no loose parts flowing around and when tearing open the fold map containing a large part of the thread so that the thread can be gripped without difficulty.

In order to solve this object, the invention is characterized in that the second film part has incisions on both sides of the tear-off tongue 10 forming the initial tear-off tongues when pulled apart, which run substantially parallel to the front sides of the package, and that the tear , 15 strips running along the front of the package.

Upon tearing off the second film part, which part forms the lid, the entire surface of the fold map is released, except for the edge areas of the fold map. These edge areas are held down below the stationary strips 20-in-place of the first film portion so that the fold map cannot fall off the second film portion. The two membrane parts also remain open after tearing together. The end of the wire on the top side of the fold map can be gripped without difficulty, since almost the entire surface of the fold map is free and accessible.

In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the fold card has at least two superimposed surfaces between which a substantial amount of suture material is located and an opening through which the suture material can be pulled out. The folding map 30 offers the possibility to use printing so that additional labels are not necessary. The opening is preferably located on the folding edge facing the tear-open tongues of the folding map. This has the advantage that the end of the wire protruding from the opening can also be easily gripped with gloves and the wire pulled out.

Preferably, the fold map is connected to the film portion via a flexible tongue. Thus, it is achieved that even in the case where the folding map slides out under the strip of the first 4 681 69 film part in place, there remains a connection between the package and the folding map.

In order to obtain the greatest possible freedom of movement of the fold map in relation to the patch, in a preferred further development of the invention it has been made so that the tongue has a plurality of transverse fold lines in alternating fold directions. In the closed space of the package, the individual parts of the tongue connected to each other by fold lines are arranged one on top of the other. After opening the package, the tongue 10 is automatically pulled apart and the fold is lifted, while the wire holder remains in the package. Lifting the fold creates a free space between the wire and the surface of the wire support. As a result, it is possible to easily grip the end of the suture material pressed into the fold at the gloves 15 or with the needle holder.

In order to be able to pull the needle carrier out of the package, if necessary, at least one of the fold lines is suitably formed as a perforated tear line.

If the suture material consists of a thread, which may possibly be integrally connected to a corresponding needle, it is expedient to fasten the thread end or the needle ready for adhesion. To achieve this, a preferred embodiment of the invention in the tongue has a slot intersecting the fold line for tightening the suture material or the end of the needle.

The folding map forming the yarn carrier should expediently be formed so as to form a flat container containing a substantial amount of yarn. In a preferred embodiment, the fold map has three substantially equal surfaces, joined along its longitudinal edges by fold lines, 30 of which one of the extreme surfaces has a tongue fitted to the free longitudinal edge. The folding map remains closed in normal use, in which case the suture material is pulled out of the opening. To prevent inadvertent opening of the fold map, the fold line may have insertion slots for the two corners of the folded tongue in the vicinity of the edge 35 facing the tongue. The tongue then helps to keep the layout pattern closed.

5,681 69

The tongue should be attached to one of the film parts so that it remains in the facing film part when the film parts are pulled out and is simultaneously spread open.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the second membrane part is a relatively rigid tub-shaped container closed by opposite edge areas of the first membrane part acting as a lid. The tongue of the wire holder is attached to the underside of the cover.

An embodiment 10 of the invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

The figures show: Fig. 1 a perspective view of the package, Fig. 2 a section along the line II-II in Fig. 1, Fig. 3 a side view of the package with the lid pulled up, Fig. 4 a perspective view of the package with the lid open before closing the film parts and Fig. 5

20 The described package consists of two film parts. The lower part of the packages is a tubular, relatively rigid deep-drawn container 11 with a rectangular recess 11 'for receiving the suture material support and flanges 13 at the circumferential edges. presses evenly against the flanges 13 of the container 11.

Inside the container, a wire support is arranged in the form of a paper folding map 14. The wire support 14 consists, according to Fig. 5, of a paper arc divided by folding lines 30 18, 19 into three approximately equal areas 15, 16, 17.

Approximately in the center of the fold line 18 is a circular opening 20 for insertion through the wire. The wire is placed in the central region 16 of the opened folding map and its end is inserted through the opening 20. In order to prevent the wire from sliding out of the front sides of the folding map, reversible strips 21, 22 are formed on the front sides of the central region 16. These strips are turned 180 °. In connection with this, the outer region 17 is turned around the fold line 19 so as to cover the strips 21, 22 and the central region. Finally, the area 15 is folded over the inverted area 17. Region 15 now forms the rear side and the lower side area 16 of the rear side 5 of the upper side of one of the folded wire carriers (Figure 4).

A tongue 23 protrudes from the free longitudinal edge of the area 15. The end strips 24 of the tongue 23 are welded or glued to the underside of the lid 12, the area which is lifted from the container 11 as shown in Fig. 4, the tongue 23 being formed by areas 25, 26 and 27 in each case are separated by fold lines 28, 29 or 30 from each other. The fold lines 28, 29 and 30, all of which run parallel and in the longitudinal direction of the wire carrier 14, have alternately opposite fold directions, so that the strip 15 23 is folded together in an accordion-like manner when the cover 12 is closed. Perforations are formed along fold lines 28 and 30 to allow the yarn carrier 14 to be torn from the cover 12 as desired, if desired.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, rectangular slits 31, 32 are arranged in the edge 16 of the wire support 14 opposite the opening 20, which taper V-shaped in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the area 16, but do not coincide. The slots 31, 32 act to insert the corners 33, 34 of the tongue portion 23. The portion 27 25 of the tongue 23 associated with the region 15 has a smaller width than the next portion 26, so that corners 33, 24 are formed which, when the tongue portion 27 is folded over the yarn support region 16, can be inserted into the slots 31, 32 so that the tongue simultaneously forms for a folding map.

The suture thread 45, the beginning of which protrudes through the opening 20 of the folding pattern as shown in Figure 4, has a metal needle 46 at its end. This needle is secured to the slot 47, the tongue 23 portions 26 and 27. As these portions 26 and 27 protrude in the folding map 14 the needle 36 is raised so that it becomes easily gripped by the user. As can be seen from Figure 4, the part 27 forms the area of the vertical step when the cover 12 is raised and the part 26 7 681 69 and the part 26 the horizontal step.

On the longitudinal side of the package 10 opposite the tongue 23 there are strips 35, 36 in the container 11 or on the lid 12, which, according to Figure 2, can be pulled apart from each other 5 to open the package. In the open state illustrated in Figure 3, along the longitudinal edge 37 away from the strips 35, 36, the container 11 and the lid 12 are still connected to each other. The weld seam 38 connecting the film parts 11, 12 to each other extends outside the area where the tongue 23 is attached to the cover 12. The area 39 where the weld seam 38 is located along the respective longitudinal edge adjacent the tongue 23 is folded 180 ° as shown in Fig. 3. , so that the area of the hit seam 38 is folded there under the flange 13 of the container 11. The advantage of this bending is that the dimensions of the package 15 are reduced. In addition, in connection with the opening of the lid 12, it is prevented that the entire lid 12 is separated from the container 11.

In the same way, in order to reduce the wide dimensions of the package, the strips 35 and 36, which are not immediately connected to each other by a weld seam, can also be folded around. The strips 35, 36 are preferably formed to different lengths so that they can be easily gripped and pulled apart.

A weld seam 38 runs parallel to the strips 35 and 36, as shown in Figure 1, in the form of two adjacent arcs 25 which at the height of the center of the strips 35 and 36 meet and form a peak 40. The arcs are in each case bulged 35, 36 inside the package and away from their tip 40 the respective ends in each case lead to the support point of the strips 35 and 36, i.e. to the point where the strips 30 shorter than the package are separated from the substantially rectangular edge line of the package. Adjacent these support points, next to which the strips 35, 36 become the longitudinal edge of the package 10, are located parts 41, 42 in both membrane parts 11, 12, or at least in the lid 12. These parts 41, 42 35 extend transversely through the joint seam 38.

They have the effect that when the strips 35, 36 are pulled apart 8 681 69, the lid part 12 is torn next to the slits 41, 42 and that the tear lines 43, 44 are substantially continuous to the opposite longitudinal side of the package, as shown in Fig. 1. In this way, strips of the lid part 12 remain along the front sides of the package 5, which partially cover the folding map 14 and prevent the folding map 14 from falling out of the package when the lid is torn. Likewise, the tongue 23, located approximately in the center of the pulled-up cover part 12, is pulled along and, as shown in Fig. 4, folded so that the end of the suture material is provided for gripping.

In the description according to Figure 4, the cover 12 is shown entirely upside down. This corresponds to the situation before the joint is made. After the opening 15 of the lid 12, on the other hand, the folding map 14 is held in position by the lid parts 12 remaining in the container 11 so that it does not fall out of the recess 11 '.

The film portions 11 and 12 are preferably formed of a transparent or translucent material that can be printed on. 20 An additional advantage is that the package is re-sterilizable. The insertion of the wire inside the folding map 14 can be performed fully automatically or semi-automatically by corresponding machines. The wire can then be introduced into the pattern by an insertion device, and the end or needle of the wire is inserted into the slot 37. The connection of the tongue 23 to the cover 12 is obtained simultaneously with the manufacture of the weld seam 38.

Claims (12)

A package for surgical seam material having two edges at each other and sealed together, the seam material enclosing foil portions, showing on one edge tearing tongues, and having a substantial amount of the seam material containing folding material arranged between the foil portions. the seam material end protrudes, characterized in that one of the foil portions (12) has on both sides of the associated tearing tongue (26) notches (41, 42) which form the beginning of tearing up of the tearing tongues (35,36). lines (43, 44) which run substantially parallel to the front sides of the package, and that tear lines (43, 44) restrict one firmly connected to the second foil portion (13) along the front side of the package running strip. Packaging according to claim 1, characterized in that the folding map (14) has at least two folded surfaces (15, 16, 17) between which the substantial amount of the seam material (45) is located, and an opening (20) through which the seam material (45) is extendable. 3. A package according to claim 2, characterized in that the opening (20) is on the folding edge (18) of the folding card (14) against the tearing tongues (35,36). 25 Packaging according to claim 3, characterized in that the folding card (14) is connected to the foil part (12) via a flexible tongue (23). 5. A package according to claim 4, characterized in that the tongue (23) has several transverse fold lines (28,29,30) with mutually alternating fold directions. 6. A package according to claim 5, characterized in that at least one of the fold lines (28,29,30) is formed as a perforated tear line.