Improvements relating to surgical dressings

Abstract

Abstract A thread formed from fibres of a linear high polymeric substance, which contains in its molecule an atom or atoms of atomic number not less than 40, is incorporated as a tell-tale material in a surgical dressing, such as a gauze swab or pad. A surgeon may thus readily determine by X-ray examination whether or not a dressing has been removed after an operation. The fibre-forming substance is preferably a highly-insoluble alginate of barium or other heavy element and its stability to aqueous liquids may be increased by incorporating a synthetic resin in the fibres. The insolubility of the fibre-forming substance in water and other liquids may be increased by subjecting it to the action of cross-linking agents. Barium alginate yarn may be obtained by immersing calcium alginate yarn in barium chloride solution until the resultant double decomposition reaches equilibrium, and then transferring the yarn to successive baths of the same solution until substantially all the calcium has been replaced by barium. Barium alginate yarn may also be obtained by extruding a solution of sodium alginate into barium chloride solution. The yarn may be rendered visually detectable by dyeing it or by colouring it with a chromium or other metallic salt. The stability of the alginate yarn to aqueous treatments may be increased by treating it with a partly condensed formaldehyde resin, e.g. a urea - formaldehyde resin, which is then hardened. The yarn may be soaked in a detergent solution to remove brittleness, and may then be rinsed and dried. Yarns of heavy metal cellulose glycolates may be used instead of alginate yarns.ALSO:A surgical dressing such as a gauze swab or pad has incorporated therein, as tell-tale material opaque to X-rays, a thread formed from fibres of a linear high-polymeric substance containing in its molecule an atom or atoms of atomic number not less than 40. A surgeon may thus readily determine whether or not a dressing has been removed after an operation. The fibre-forming substance may be a highly-insoluble alginate of barium or other heavy element and its stability to aqueous liquids may be increased by incorporating a synthetic resin, e.g. a urea-formaldehyde resin, in the fibres. The yarn may be impregnated with a partially condensed synthetic resin which is then hardened, e.g. by baking. Brittleness produced by the resin treatment may be removed by soaking in a detergent solution. Yarns of heavy metal cellulose glycolates may be used instead of alginate yarns.

Inventors

• 👤 John Massey Preston

Bibliographic Details