Surgical Instrument Organizer and Methods Therefor
A surgical instrument organizer ( 400 ) includes an elongated body ( 401 ) and a flexible strip ( 402 ) coupled to the elongated body. The flexible strip is bendable to retain the elongated body in a contoured configuration defined by one or more bends of the flexible strip. Surgical instruments ( 301 ) can be placed within the folds. The surgical instrument organizer can be formed to accommodate a specific number of instruments corresponding to a specific surgical procedure.
1 . A surgical instrument organizer, comprising:
an elongated body; and
a flexible strip coupled to the elongated body;
the flexible strip bendable to retain the elongated body in a contoured configuration defined by one or more bends of the flexible strip.
2 . The surgical instrument organizer of claim 1 , wherein the elongated body comprises a towel.
3 . The surgical instrument organizer of claim 2 , the one or more bends comprising one or more accordion folds.
4 . The surgical instrument organizer of claim 3 , further comprising at least one surgical instrument positioned within the one or more accordion folds.
5 . The surgical instrument organizer of claim 2 , the flexible strip offset from a center of the towel and closer to a first side of the towel than a second, distal side of the towel.
6 . The surgical instrument organizer of claim 5 , the flexible strip disposed along a major face of the towel.
7 . The surgical instrument organizer of claim 6 , the flexible strip extending beyond at least one edge of the major face of the towel.
8 . The surgical instrument organizer of claim 7 , the flexible strip extending beyond two edges of the major face of the towel.
9 . The surgical instrument organizer of claim 8 , the flexible strip comprising a two-wire flexible strip.
10 . The surgical instrument organizer of claim 8 , the flexible strip adhesively coupled to the major face of the towel.
11 . The surgical instrument organizer of claim 8 , the flexible strip coupled to the major face of the towel by stitching.
12 . The surgical instrument organizer of claim 2 , the flexible strip comprising a plurality of flexible strip segments, each segment separated from other segments along a major face of the towel.
13 . The surgical instrument organizer of claim 1 , the elongated body defining a tubular passage, the flexible strip disposed within the tubular passage.
14 . The surgical instrument organizer of claim 1 , the flexible strip disposed diagonally along a major face of the elongated body.
15 . A method of organizing surgical instruments, the method comprising:
obtaining a surgical instrument organizer comprising an elongated body and a flexible strip coupled to the elongated body, the flexible strip bendable to retain the elongated body in a contoured configuration;
rolling the elongated body about the flexible strip; and
bending the flexible strip to apply one or more folds to the flexible strip.
16 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising placing the surgical instrument organizer on a horizontal surface after the bending.
17 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising positioning a surgical instrument in the one or more folds.
18 . The method of claim 15 , the rolling resulting in the flexible strip being concentrically disposed within a roll of the elongated body.
19 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the elongated body comprises a towel.
20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the rolling comprises grasping ends of the flexible strip extending beyond edges of the towel.