Cleaning and liquid contact with solids – Processes – Hollow work – internal surface treatment
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-05
2001-09-04
Gulakowski, Randy (Department: 1746)
Cleaning and liquid contact with solids
Processes
Hollow work, internal surface treatment
C134S102300, C134S16600C, C134S16800C
Reexamination Certificate
active
06283132
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to anesthesia ventilation systems, more particularly to anesthesia spirometer and circle absorption circuits, and especially to cleaning such circuits.
2. Background
In a modern medical clinical setting, it is frequently necessary to assist and control the breathing of a patient who is unable to breathe independently. The anesthesia ventilation systems used for this purpose commonly include a device known as an anesthesia circle absorption system. The patient breathes through this device. When inhaling, the patient draws gases from the closed circle absorption system through a breathing circuit via a unidirectional inhalation valve. When the patient exhales, the inhalation valve closes and an exhalation valve, which was closed during inhalation, opens. The exhaled gases pass through the exhalation valve and into absorbent canisters where carbon dioxide is removed from the exhaled gases.
Because the patient s breath includes a mixture of water vapor and biological matter possibly including pathogens, the absorber circuit must be cleaned and dried in order to remain sanitary. Sanitation has taken on renewed importance after several recent and alarming reports of the detection of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in medical facilities.
Cleaning and drying should be completed before the circuit is used again. As a practical matter, this should be done quickly in order to minimize the time the circuit is out of service. Generally, the absorbent canisters are also replaced before the next use. Thus, efficiency and convenience favor cleaning the circuit at that time rather than waiting until later or leaving the circuit disassembled. It is also preferable for practical reasons to accomplish these tasks in or near the operating room rather than transporting the circuit to a remote cleaning facility. It is also desirable to avoid the inconvenience of immersing the whole circuit in a cleaning tank, although certain components may be removed and dealt with separately. What is needed is an efficient, rapid way of cleaning and drying the absorber circuit without transporting it to a remote location and without providing a cleaning tank in which to immerse the circuit. What is especially needed is a way of doing so which is performed locally and does not require expensive cleaning facilities.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to clean and dry a circle absorption system spirometry absorber circuit.
It is an additional object of the present invention to clean and dry the circuit quickly and efficiently and, in particular, to do so shortly after using the circuit and without transporting the circuit far from the place where it was used.
It is an additional object of the present invention to clean and dry the spirometry absorber circuit without the need of expensive permanent facilities such as an immersion tank.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a compact, inexpensive apparatus for such cleaning and, in particular, to provide such an apparatus which makes efficient use of the configuration of a widely used type of spirometry absorber circuit.
In accordance with the above objects and those that will be mentioned and will become apparent below, for cleaning and drying an absorber circuit where the absorber circuit includes an inhalation valve, an exhalation valve, a spirometry valve and a means for receiving removable absorbent canisters located beneath the spirometry valve, a circuit cleaning apparatus according to the present invention comprises:
a shunt for establishing a fluid path from the exhalation valve of the absorber circuit to the inhalation valve thereof, the shunt comprising a first end connectable to the spigot end of the exhalation valve and a second end connectable to the spigot end of the inhalation valve,
an adapter for introducing a fluid into the exhalation valve of the absorber circuit, the adapter comprising an upper orifice, a lower orifice adapted for connection to the exhalation valve of the absorber circuit, and a conical-shaped body therebetween;
a proportionating disk insertable within the exhalation valve body for splitting a fluid stream entering the exhalation valve body from the adapter, the proportionating disk splitting the fluid stream into a first path exiting the exhalation valve body and entering the absorber circuit spirometry valve and a second path exiting the spigot end of the exhalation valve;
a collector for collecting a liquid exiting from the absorber circuit spirometry valve, the collector being insertable into the absorber circuit in place of the removable absorbent canisters thereof, the collector having a separator and a side portion, the separator and side portion defining a liquid collecting chamber, the side portion defining an orifice so positioned as to receive liquid exiting from the absorber circuit spirometry valve while providing a path for air to escape between the side portion and the top cap of the absorber circuit; and
an air heating and blowing device for introducing heated air into the adapter, the air heating and blowing device comprising an air outlet adapted to engage the upper orifice and rest within the conical shaped body of the adapter,
whereby both the inhalation and exhalation circuits of the absorber circuit are rinsable and air-dryable without immersion of the absorber circuit in cleaning solution.
In an exemplary embodiment of a circuit cleaning apparatus according to the present invention, the connector is a hose, the adapter includes a ring nut and the proportionating disk is circular and defines a fluid-channeling opening. The proportionating disk is formed from a ceramic material.
In another exemplary embodiment of a circuit cleaning apparatus according to the present invention, a handle projects from the collector to facilitate installation and removal of the collector.
In a preferred embodiment of a circuit cleaning apparatus according to the present invention, the bottom of the collector includes an air relief opening.
Also in accordance with the above objects and those that will become apparent below, a method for cleaning and drying an anesthesia spirometry absorber circuit, where the absorber circuit includes an inhalation valve, an exhalation valve, a spirometry valve and a means for receiving removable absorbent canisters located beneath the spirometry valve, comprises the steps of: providing:
a shunt for establishing a fluid path from the exhalation valve of the absorber circuit to the inhalation valve thereof, the shunt comprising a first end connectable to the spigot end of the exhalation valve and a second end connectable to the spigot end of the inhalation valve;
an adapter for introducing a fluid into the exhalation valve of the absorber circuit, the adapter comprising an upper orifice, a lower orifice adapted for connection to the exhalation valve of the absorber circuit, and a conical-shaped body therebetween;
a proportionating disk insertable within the exhalation valve body for splitting a fluid stream entering the exhalation valve body from the adapter, the proportionating disk splitting the fluid stream into a first path exiting the exhalation valve body and entering the absorber circuit spirometry valve and a second path exiting the spigot end of the exhalation valve;
a collector for collecting a liquid exiting from the absorber circuit spirometry valve, the collector being insertable into the absorber circuit in place of the removable absorbent canisters thereof, the collector having a separator and a side portion, the separator and side portion defining a liquid collecting chamber, the side portion defining an orifice so positioned as to receive liquid exiting from the absorber circuit spirometry valve while providing a path for air to escape between the side portion and the top cap of the absorber circuit; and
an air heating and blowing device for introducing heated air into the adapter, the air heating and blowing device comprising an air outlet ada
Schmidmeister Erwin
Stephens Roger D.
Chaikin Douglas A.
Gulakowski Randy
Peninsula IP Group
Simmensen Finn T.
Wilkins Yolanda E.
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