As the developer of the original header bag in the late ‘60s, Rollprint felt it was time to bring a new generation to the marketplace which improves functionality while reducing cost.

Duet’s new hybrid design combines elements from both header bags and chevron pouches. It reduces the amount of Tyvek typically found on a chevron pouch by borrowing the “header” concept from the bag, thereby removing cost. A strip of Tyvek is heat sealed to a polyester/extrusion-coated sealant to create one side of the structure. (Tyvek is typically used when ethylene oxide is the sterilization method.)

The next step is to three-side, heat-seal the Tyvek/film combination to a layer of polyester/poly. (The top Tyvek area is left unsealed so that the medical product can be loaded later.) At the bottom, the polyester/extrusion-coated layer extends slightly beyond the polyester/poly film side creating access tabs at both corners where a dual chevron opening feature has been created.

The new generation pouch is sent to the sterile medical packager with the chevron or bottom access seals already in place. The device or kit is loaded from the top end where the Tyvek and film are to be heat-sealed. (This is different from header bag structures which are loaded from the film-to-film end and accessed via a fold-over, peelable heat-seal coated Tyvek flap. Traditional chevron pouch structures typically rely on a full layer of Tyvek sealed to polyester/poly.)

The dual chevron at the outer edge of the structure makes it easier for operating room personnel to open and remove challenging three-dimensional geometries—such as trays, tubing and various kits—without flaps potentially compromising the aseptic presentation.

Further, the ability of the Duet pouch to facilitate aseptic presentation could eliminate the need for a central supply room (CSR) wrap found over many procedural kits and trays. The catalyst for this major functional peelable chevron header pouch breakthrough was a nurse/doctor forum convened by Rollprint earlier in the year. The company invited operating room physicians and nurses from the Austin, TX area to participate in a packaging focus group. The intent was to glean insight into the pros and cons of existing sterile medical packaging and to better understand what innovative design improvements would help healthcare workers perform their jobs easier.

A frequent complaint from operating room personnel was that it was difficult to know exactly how to open sterile medical packages. Many felt that the structural indicators weren’t in place to make opening intuitive. Further, they found having only one opening option to be frustrating.

In addition to slowing down the process, the concern was that attempting to open a package incorrectly could compromise the sterility of the contents—particularly with header bags where the access area is not at the end of the structure, making sterile removal more challenging.

Rollprint’s new peelable chevron header pouch addresses those concerns and, for the first time in several decades, provides sterile medical companies with a new alternative which improves functionality and reduces costs over traditional header bags and chevron peel pouches.