AU2014204500B2

AU2014204500B2 - A wrap and a wrapping method

Info

Publication number: AU2014204500B2
Application number: AU2014204500A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Soa Sher
Original assignee: Sentry Medical Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Sentry Medical Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2013-07-23
Filing date: 2014-07-18
Publication date: 2019-06-27
Anticipated expiration: 2034-07-18
Also published as: AU2014204500A1; NZ627639A

Abstract

A WRAP AND A WRAPPING METHOD Abstract Disclosed herein is a method for wrapping a tray, the method including the steps of: placing the tray on a wrap; folding the wrap such that the wrap forms a triangular portion, the triangular portion encasing the tray therein; folding a first corner of the triangular portion towards the tray; folding a second corner of the triangular portion towards the first corner such that folding of the first corner and the second corner form a pocket; and, folding a third corner of the triangular portion into the pocket such that the tray is wrapped therein.

Description

A WRAP AND A WRAPPING METHOD

Technical Field

The invention relates to a wrap and a wrapping method, and in particular, a wrap and a wrapping method which can be used to wrap medical procedure trays.

Background Art

Any reference herein to prior art is not intended to imply that such prior art forms or formed a part of the common general knowledge in Australia or any other country.

Presently, medical procedure trays (otherwise known as MPTs) are used in various procedures in hospitals, clinics, and even for home nurse care when sterile o equipment is required for a medical procedure.

MPT’s are typically characterised into two distinct technical clinical procedure levels: standard ANTT (aseptic non-touch technique) and surgical ANTT.

Standard ANTT procedures are technically simple procedures with a typically short term duration (approximately less than 20 minutes). Such procedures can typically 5 include: IV (intravenous) Therapy, simple wound dressings, urinary catheterisation and cannulation. MPT’s for these procedures generally rely on “manually” outer wrapping of the trays.

Surgical ANTT procedures are technically more complex procedures, and involve extended periods of time. Such procedures often include complex or large wound 20 dressings, PICC/CVC (periphery inserted central catheter/central venous catheter) insertion and surgery. MPT’s for these procedures generally have a higher level of automated wrapping and packaging.

Typically, both levels of ANTT are required to be performed utilising a “sterile field” which in most cases is the outer wrapping of the MPT’s.

For these procedures, and in order to satisfy health and safety guidelines, medical staff have to go through great lengths to ensure that the equipment included in MPT’s is delivered onto the sterile field in a manner that maintains sterility of all the components.

2014204500 24 Jan 2019

However, for all ANTT procedures (as examples detailed above) this has been an ongoing issue around the world for many years.

All MPT’s manufactured for standard ANTT procedures utilising a sterile field outer wrapping are by necessity manually packed. Furthermore, the various types and 5 styles of manually wrapping the outer sterile fields have required exposed flaps or tabs to be left protruding or accessible for the medical staff to unfold the outer wrap easily and quickly.

The flaps or tabs have been a great cause of concern as they can contaminate the sterile field by the simple action of grabbing the tabs with non-gloved hand/fingers or o by the delivering of the MPT (from the outer pouch/pack) onto a non-sterile surface where the exposed flap or tab can touch the surface.

Summary of Invention

In one form, there is provided herein a method for wrapping a tray, the method including the steps of: placing the tray on a wrap; folding the wrap such that the wrap 5 forms a triangular portion, the triangular portion encasing the tray therein; folding a first corner of the triangular portion towards the tray; folding a second comer of the triangular portion towards the first corner wherein folding the first corner and the second corner towards the tray includes: folding the first corner at a first parallel line to a height of the triangle forming a first folded edge; and, folding the second corner :o at a second parallel line to the height of the triangle, forming a second folded edge;

forming a pocket by folding, at a first side edge of the tray , the first folded edge towards the tray and folding at a second side edge of the ray the second folded edge towards the tray; and folding a third corner of the triangular portion into the pocket such that the tray is wrapped therein.

According to a further form, the wrap has a quadrilateral shape, and folding the wrap to form the triangular portion provides a base triangular portion and an overlaying triangular portion, the tray being encased between the base triangular portion and the overlaying triangular portion.

In yet another example, a height of the base triangular portion is greater than a 30 height of the overlaying triangular portion.

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According to yet another example, the height of the base triangular portion is greater than the height of the overlaying triangular portion by 1 to 6cm for a 50cm x 50cm wrap.

In yet a further form, the method includes placing the tray on the wrap, where a half5 way line of the tray is substantially aligned with a height line of the triangular portion, and the method further includes folding the first corner towards the tray such that the first corner extends past the half-way line of the tray.

According to another example, the method includes folding a second corner of the triangular portion towards the first corner such that the second corner extends past o the half-way line of the tray.

In yet a further example, there is provided herein a wrap, the wrap being configured to wrap a tray, such as an MPT tray or the like, in accordance with the methods described herein.

It will be appreciated that any of the features described herein can be used in any 5 combination.

Brief Description of Drawings

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a top view of an example of a wrap for wrapping a tray; and,

Figures 2 to 7 are top views of example steps for wrapping the tray of Figure 1.

Description of Embodiments

There is provided herein a wrap and a method for wrapping. In one particular example, the wrap and the method for wrapping can be used to wrap trays, and particularly, MPTs.

Figure 1 shows an example of a tray 10 placed on a wrap 20. In this particular example, the wrap 20 is quadrilateral in shape, and in particular, square in shape.

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The wrap typically has a sterile side 25 and an outer side 30 (shown in Figure 2). Typically, the outer side 30 is placed down on a table or the like, for wrapping the tray 10, which is placed on the sterile side 25.

As shown in Figure 2, the wrap 20 can be folded such that the wrap 20 forms a 5 triangular portion 35, where the triangular portion 35 can encase the tray 10 therein.

In the example shown in Figure 2, a base corner 40 is picked up and folded towards a top corner 42. Thus, the wrap is typically moved along a bottom edge of the tray, and folded upward towards the top corner 42.

Thus, for example, the tray 10 can have a half-way line 45, which is typically the line o from top to bottom of the tray 10, and is typically at half-way of the width of the tray

10. The tray 10 can be positioned in the wrap 20 such that the half-way line 45 of the tray 10 is substantially aligned with a height line 55 of the triangular portion 35. The height line 55 is typically a line from the base 60 of the triangular portion 35 to the top corner 42.

As shown in the example of Figure 2, folding the wrap to form the triangular portion 35 can provide a base triangular portion 32 and an overlaying triangular portion 34, the tray 10 being encased between the base triangular portion 32 and the overlaying triangular portion 34.

Typically, a height of the base triangular portion is greater than a height of the :o overlaying triangular portion. Thus for example, for a 50cm x 50cm wrap, the height of the base triangular portion can be greater than the height of the overlaying triangular portion by 1 to 6cm for a 50cm x 50cm wrap. Accordingly, the heights and widths of the triangular portions can be different to allow for only one leading edge of a corner to be prominent. In the examples herein, the corner 42, for example is a 25 leading corner. It will be appreciated that this can allow for the reduction of initial tabs or edges by 50%, for the early folding process. When secondary folding is undertaken, only one leading edge is needed to secure the fold (such as the corner 42, as discussed below), which can thus minimise exposed leading edges or tabs.

In the example shown in Figure 3, a first corner 50 of the triangular portion 35 is 30 folded towards the tray 10, such that the first corner 50 extends past the half-way line 45. Typically, the first corner 50 extends at least % of the width of the tray. Thus, for

2014204500 24 Jan 2019 example, in a 50cm x 50cm wrap, the distance between the first corner 50 and the half-way line 45 may be around 2cm to 3cm. In the example shown in Figure 3, the first corner 50 is the corner on the left hand side of the wrap. Thus, in performing this step, a user may hold down the wrap 20 with their right hand, and using their left 5 hand pick up the wrap at A, and fold to the right until the corner A exceeds the halfway line 45.

Figure 4 shows an example of where the wrapping method described herein further includes folding second corner 52 of the triangular portion 35 towards the first corner 50 such that the second corner 52 exceeds past the half-way line 45 of the tray 10.

o Thus, in the example as shown in Figure 4, a user may hold down the corner A with their left hand, and using their right hand, pick up the corner B and fold towards the left until corner B exceeds past the half-way line 45 of the tray 10. Notably, corner A is kept flat against the tray 10.

Folding of the first corner 50 at a first parallel line 60 to the height line 55 of the 5 triangular portion 35 can form a first fold edge 62. Similarly, folding and the second corner 52 can at a second parallel line 65, which is parallel to the height line 55, form a second folded edge 68.

Figure 5 shows an example of the folding method described herein further including folding of the first folded edge 62 towards the tray 10, where the fold occurs at a first :o side edge 72 of the tray. Similarly, Figure 6 shows an example of folding of the second folded edge 68 towards the tray 10, where the fold occurs at a second side edge 74 of the tray 10.

Accordingly, in performing the steps shown in Figures 5 and 6, a user may hold down corner B with their right hand, and using their left hand, pick up the wrap at S1 along 25 the left edge of the tray to fold until S1 covers the corner B. Corner B is typically kept flat. Then, the user can hold the wrap at S1 down with their left hand, and using their right hand, pick up the wrap at S2, and along the right edge of the tray, fold until the wrap covers S1.

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Thus, the folding of the first comer 50 and the second corner 55, either independently or together with the folding of the first and second edges 62, 68 can create or form a pocket 80.

In this particular example, the top of the tray 10 is typically about half way up S1 and 5 S2 such that the pocket 80 is folded in half and the corner 42 is folded into the base of S1 and S2, thus enclosing the entire wrapped tray. The corner C (also noted herein as the corner 42) is thus formed inside the base folding.

As shown in Figure 7, a third corner of the triangular portion 35 (which in this example is the corner 42) is folded into the pocket 80 such that the tray 10 is o wrapped therein. Typically in this step, the tray is flipped up and the corner C is folded down into the wrap

It will be appreciated once the tray 10 has been wrapped, the wrapped tray can undergo terminated sterilisation, or other sterilisation procedures. Thus, for example, once the tray is completely wrapped, the wrapped tray can be placed into an outer 5 pouch (either a paper/plastic “peel pouch” which is heat sealed at the bottom or alternatively, a full plastic “tera pouch which is heat sealed. The completely sealed pack is then thermally sterilised (Gamma, Eto - Ethelyne Oxide gas or other internationally recognised sterilisation method) thus the packs are then typically ready for use as a sterile MPT.

It will also be appreciated that the wrap and wrapping method described herein can be applied to various shaped and sized trays and accordingly wraps.

Thus, for example, various shapes of trays can be provided, including and not limited to square, rectangular, kidney shape and round. Typically, the shape of the wrapping field is square and the dimensions of the wrap are typically determined by the sizing 25 of the trays.

It will further be appreciated that the wrapping which can be used is typically a plastic film (such as, for example, polyethylene). However, it will also be appreciated that many other types of material may also be possible, including but not limited to paper, non-woven, woven, layered fibre, a composite material, and the like. Typically, 30 the type of wrapping may be chosen based on the purpose of the tray.

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The examples of the wrap and wrapping method described herein can provide numerous advantages, including, and not limited to:

providing a range of MPTs which are sterilised by a standard method, where the method can provide a consistent way of wrapping MPTs which can provide 5 consistent sterilisation a wrapping method which can eliminate the need to touch (by medical staff) the inner sterile side of the MPT wrapping, or the need for the MPT wrapping to touch a nonsterile surface providing a wrapping method where any portion of the sterile side of the wrap does 0 not need to be touched during actual unfolding of the wrap can reduce the incidence of HAI (Hospital Acquired Infections) associated with ineffective delivery of MPT’s, which are meant to have high levels of sterility

Whilst there has been described herein a particular embodiment of a wrap and wrapping method, the described embodiments are considered in all respects only as 5 illustrative and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

Claims

Claims:

1. A method for wrapping a tray, the method including the steps of:

a. placing the tray on a wrap,

b. folding the wrap such that the wrap forms a triangular portion, the

5 triangular portion encasing the tray therein;

c. folding a first corner of the triangular portion towards the tray and folding a second corner of the triangular portion towards the first corner, wherein folding the first corner and the second corner towards the tray includes:

o - folding the first corner at a first parallel line to a height of the triangle, forming a first folded edge; and,

- folding the second corner at a second parallel line to the height of the triangle, forming a seconded folded edge;

d. forming a pocket by folding, at a first side edge of the tray, the first folded

5 edge towards the tray and folding at a second side edge of the tray, the second folded edge towards the tray; and

e. folding a third corner of the triangular portion into the pocket such that the tray is wrapped therein.

:0
2. The method of claim 1 wherein folding the wrap to form the triangular portion provides a base triangular portion and an overlaying triangular portion, the tray being encased between the base triangular portion and the overlaying triangular portion.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein a height of the base triangular portion is greater 25 than a height of the overlaying triangular portion.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the height of the base triangular portion is greater than the height of the overlaying triangular portion by 1 to 6cm for a 50cm x 50cm wrap.
5. The method of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the method includes placing the 30 tray on the wrap, where a half-way line of the tray is substantially aligned with a height line of the triangular portion, and the method further includes folding the

2014204500 30 May 2019 first corner towards the tray such that the first comer extends past the half-way line of the tray.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the method includes folding a second corner of the triangular portion towards the first corner such that the second corner extends

5 past the half-way line of the tray.
7. The method of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the method of wrapping defines an inner surface with a surrounding edge that extends around the wrap, wherein that sterelisation the inner surface provides an inner sterile field bound by the sterile edge, and whereby when the tray is unwrapped none of the sterile field is o touched by a user.