WO1991004723A1

WO1991004723A1 - Method of manufacturing a surgical swab, and such swab

Info

Publication number: WO1991004723A1
Application number: PCT/DK1990/000249
Authority: WO
Inventors: Eskild Georg Thygesen
Original assignee: Tytex A/S, 7430 Ikast
Priority date: 1989-09-28
Filing date: 1990-09-28
Publication date: 1991-04-18
Also published as: DK477589D0; DK477589A

Abstract

A surgical swab (1) comprising an absorption body (2), a thread (3) for removal of the swab from the operation wound and X-ray detectable means (4) is manufactured by knitting a first web (5) for the formation of the absorption body (2) and a second web (6) for the formation of the thread (3) containing the X-ray detectable means in the form of a treated yarn (4) which is incorporated by the manufacturing of the webs (5, 6). The second web is knitted on each side of said first web. The webs (5, 6) are periodically interknitted over a short length (8) in the immediate vicinity of a severing zone (7). When severing the webs (5, 6) each absorption body (2) appears so that at its one end (10) it is connected to the one end of the thread (3) while the other end (12) of the thread is free. Being severed, the surgical swab is ready for use and the product will not fluff nor untwist when it is placed in an operation wound. By the interknitting (8) a safe connection between the thread and absorption body is established.

Description

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A SURGICAL SWAB. AND SUCH SWAB

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a surgical swab comprising an absorption body and a thread for the removal of the swab from an operation wound which method comprises that a first web is knitted, that a second web is knitted simultaneously for the forma¬ tion of a thread, that the two webs are periodically being interknitt¬ ed over a short length, that the two webs are manufactured with transverse mutually separated severing zones in the immediate vicinity of the interknitted lengths, and that the length of fabrics are severed along lines in said severing zones, so that each absorption body is at the one end connected to the one end of the thread while the other end of the thread is free.

Surgical swabs are known wherein the absorption body and thread are manufactured in separate operations. Then the thread and the absorp¬ tion body are connected. This connection is difficult to establish in a safe way and may be established either by sewing together the thread with the absorption body and fixing the thread by means of knots or by glueing the thread to the absorption body. These methods are time-con¬ suming and work demanding.

In order to remedy these drawbacks, EP patent No. 0,120,710 discloses a method of the type mentioned in the introductory part. However, a surgical swab manufactured in this method will have limited applicabi¬ lity as the length of the thread is dependent on the length of the absorption body. However, it is essential that the thread has a sub¬ stantial length so it may be located outside the operation wound. In this way, a surgeon may visually ascertain that all swabs are removed before a wound is sutured. The demand for a long thread is in conflict with the demand for a limited size for the absorption body, especially in operations on the spine.

In the known method a swab is provided with an X-ray detectable means in the form of a thread which is knitted into the absorption body. This requires a very long thread which is inconvenient as such thread is very expensive.

A substantial drawback associated with these known methods is that the products are manufactured in a number of separate operations which increases the handling and consequently the production costs. Further¬ more, in several of the known products, the absorption body is manu¬ factured from a woven textile sheet or a non-woven textile sheet which is cut into suitable pieces. This may result in the formation of fluff which is undesirable in an operation wound.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a method which makes it possible to remedy the above drawbacks by providing a method that permits the manufacture of a surgical swab comprising X-ray detectable means in a ready-to-use form.

According to the invention this method may be achieved in that a second web is knitted on each side of said first web, that the thread from each of these two second webs are interknitted with the opposite ends of the simultaneously first knitted web, that the first web is then separated along at least one severing zone arranged between the severing zones wherein said first web and said two second webs are interknitted, and that an X-ray detectable means is incorporated by the knitting into one of the two types of webs substantially without interknitting therewith.

By this method is is possible to knit surgical swabs in endless lengths of web which need only be separated along the severing zones in order to form a ready-to-use surgical swab. In a product which is ready for use after the separation, the thread will always have a length which is at least twice the length of the absorption body. By removing one part of the first web, very small surgical swabs may be manufactured having a relatively long thread. As the product is sepa- rated along ladderproof severing zones, fluff will not be produced which might otherwise contaminate the operation wound. The X-ray detectable means which are preferably constituted by a treated yarn may be incorporated in any of the webs during the knitting. However, it is preferred that this is done by incorporating a treated yarn into the thread as this may advantageously be manufactured in the form of a tube wherein the treated yarn lies loosely over the major part of its length. This is an advantage as the treated yarn is very expensive and should be as short as possible in order to minimize the production costs. It is a further object of the invention to provide a surgical swab comprising a relatively small absorption body, a thread which is long relative to the absorption body for the removal of the swab from the operation wound, and an X-ray detectable means, which swab does not produce any fluff and which surgical swab is suitable for mechanical production without work-demanding mounting. According to the invention this is obtained with a surgical swab which is characterized in that the thread has a length which, relative to the longitudinal direction of the textile webs, is twice the length of the absorption body, and that said X-ray detectable means are incorporated in one of the two webs substantially without any interknitting therewith.

The invention will now be further explained with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein

Fig. 1 shows a schematic view illustrating a known method for manufacturing a surgical swab, Fig. 2 shows a schematic view of an embodiment of the method according to the invention, Fig. 3 shows a schematic view of a further embodiment of the method according to the invention, and Fig. 4 shows a partial view of a knitting diagram illustrating the manufacturing of a surgical swab.

Fig. 1 illustrates a known method for manufacturing a surgical swab 1 comprising an absorption body 2 and a thread 3 for the removal of the swab from an operation wound.

The method comprises knitting of a first web 5 and a second web 6. The first web 5 contains mutually separated severing zones 7 and is intended for the formation of an absorption body 2. Said first web is preferably knitted of a material and with a knitting structure which permits good absorption of body fluids. Said second web 6 is knitted together with said first web 5 periodically and over a short length 8 in the immediate vicinity of the severing zones 7. The interknitting 8 is provided on the one side of a severing line 9 through the cutting zones 7 along which a subsequent severing is provided for the forma¬ tion of separated surgical operation swabs 1. Thus, at the one end 10 each absorption body 2 will be connected to one end 11 of the thread 3 while the other end 12 of the thread is free.

The product which is produced in this method is ready for use follow¬ ing a well-known fixation process. The surgical swab 1 manufactured by this method will not fluff as the severing of the two webs 5,6 is performed in the severing zones 7 thereby preventing untwisting and fluffing. In this way the risk of contaminating the operation wound with material remaining in the wound after removal of the swab is eliminated. The knitting process may be carried out by machine in one operation without subsequent mounting, as e.g. connecting the thread to the absorption body, application of the X-ray detectable material, etc.

In the following the two embodiments of the method according to the invention are explained with reference to Figs. 2 and 3. These methods are different from the known method in that a second web 6 is knitted on each side of the said first web 5. Furthermore, the methods differ in that the thread 3 contains X-ray detectable means in the form of a yarn 4 (cf. Fig. 4) which are incorporated into the thread 3.

Corresponding or identical parts are referred to with identical refe¬ rence numerals and will therefore not be explained further. By these methods, it becomes possible to obtain the same advantages which are obtained by the known method, however, it also becomes possible to perform an individual adjustment of the relation between the length of the thread 3 and the length of the absorption body 2. When knitting, the two webs 5,6 will always have the same length and if surgical swabs are to be manufactured wherein the length of the absorption body is substantially shorter than the thread it is necessary to make use of one of the methods illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3.

Surgical swabs having a length substantially shorter than the length of the thread are used e.g. in connection with operations on the spine. E.g. the thread may have a length of approximately 160mm and the absorption body may have a length x width of approximately 30 x 30mm.

By the method illustrated in Fig. 3 a further severing zone 7 has been established approximately halfway between the two severing zones, wherein said first web 5 is interknitted with said two second webs 6. Hereby a surgical swab is obtained wherein the thread 3 is twice as long as the absorption body 2. In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 3, two further severing zones 7 have been established between the severing zones wherein said first web 5 and said two second webs 6 are interknitted. After the severing the central part 13 between the two further severing zones 7 is to be discarded and a surgical swab 1 is provided wherein the length of the absorption body 2 is rather short relative to the length of the thread 3.

By the methods explained above the surgical swab may optionally be knitted on a single-needle-bed knitting machine or a double-needle-bed knitting machine. In practice a double-needle-bed knitting machine is always used as said second web 6 may then be knitted in the form of a tube wherein the X-ray detectable yarn 4 is arranged loosely substan¬ tially without any interknitting, thus minimizing the consumption of the X-ray detectable yarn. Furthermore, the amount of material in said first web 5 and hence the absorption capacity thereof is more appro¬ priate as compared to knitting with a single-needle-bed knitting machine.

Fig. 4 shows a partial view of a knitting diagram illustrating how the X-ray detectable yarn 4 is incorporated into said second web 6 which is knitted as a tube. As it appears from Fig. 4 the yarn 4 extends without any interknittings with the yarns in said second web 6 except from the short interknittings 8. The Fig. shows only one of the ways in which the X-ray detectable yarn 4 may be knitted into the material. Thus it is obvious that it is also possible to interknit the yarn 4 with the first web 5 and it is equally possible to interknit the yarn 4 over a larger part of the length of the web.

Claims

CLAIMS :

1. A method of manufacturing a surgical swab (1) comprising an absorp¬ tion body (2) and a thread for the removal of the swab from an opera- tion wound which method comprises that a first web (5) is knitted, that a second web (6) is knitted simultaneously for the formation of a thread (3), that the two webs are periodically interknitted over a short length (8), that the two webs are manufactured with transverse mutually separated severing zones (7) in the immediate vicinity of the interknitted lengths (8), and that the webs (5,6) are severed along lines (9) in said severing zones (7), so that each absorption body (2) at the one end (10) is connected to the one end (11) of the thread (3) while the other end (12) of the thread is free, c h a r a c t e r i - z e d in that a second web is knitted on each side of said first web, that the thread from each of these two second webs are interknitted with the opposite ends of the simultaneously first knitted web, that the first web is then separated along at least one severing zone arranged between the severing zones wherein said first web and said two second webs are interknitted, and that X-ray detactable means (4) are incorporated by the knitting into one of the two types of webs (5,6) substantially without interknitting therewith.

2. A method according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the webs are knitted as a double layer, that the thread is manufac- tured in the form of a hollow tube, and that said X-ray detectable means are provided in the form of a treated yarn which by knitting is arranged inside the tube substantially without interknitting therewith.

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said first web is knitted from a material having a great absorp¬ tion capacity, and that said second web is knitted of an eyecatching material having a poor absorption capacity.

4. A surgical swab (1) comprising an absorption body, a thread for the removal of the swab from an operation wound, and X-ray detectable means, wherein the absorption body (2) and the thread (3), respective¬ ly, is manufactured from a first and second textile web knitted simultaneously, and wherein the absorption body (2) and the thread (3) have an interknitting (8) extending over a short length of their marginal edge zone at one end (10,11) of the absorption body and the thread, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the thread has a length which, relative to the longitudinal direction of the textile webs, is at least twice the length of the absorption body, and that the X-ray detectable menas (4) is incorporated into one of the two webs (5,6) substantially without interknitting therewith.

5. Surgical swab according to claim 4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the textile webs are doublelayered, that the thread is provided as a hollow tube, and that said X-ray detectable means are provided in the form of a treated yarn arranged inside the tube substantially without any interknittings therewith.

6. Surgical swab according to any one of claims 4 and 5, c h a r a c - t e r i z e d in that the absorption body is made from a material having a great absorption capacity, and that the thread is made from an eyecatching material having poor absorption capacity.

7. Surgical swab according to any of the claims 4-6, c h a r a c t e - r i z e d in that the materials used are non-fluffing.