Chemical apparatus and process disinfecting – deodorizing – preser – Physical type apparatus – Apparatus for treating solid article or material with fluid...
Patent
1997-12-08
1999-08-10
McKane, Elizabeth
Chemical apparatus and process disinfecting, deodorizing, preser
Physical type apparatus
Apparatus for treating solid article or material with fluid...
134144, A61L 218, A61L 206, B08B 302
Patent
active
059355379
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus for cleansing and/or disinfecting surgical instruments, and to a method of doing this.
Surgical instruments are known in many shapes and embodiments and are available on the market. Problems arise today, in particular due to the increased demand for hygiene. It is known that diseases are transmitted by unclean instruments, which is absolutely undesired, particularly in view of the danger of transmitting hepatitis and AIDS. Therefore, it is required today that surgical instruments be cleaned extremely thoroughly. This applies, in particular, to those instruments which consist of many individual parts which become dirty upon the use of the instrument. Generally such parts are also located at difficultly accessible places, so that a simple rinsing with disinfecting liquid or the like is not sufficient. There must be absolute assurance that corresponding bacteria, viruses and other organisms or pathogens are killed.
This, however, applies, in particular, also to instruments which are inserted into the body of the patient. They include, for instance, biopsy forceps, instruments for minimal invasive surgery, arthroscopy, endoscopy, etc. The enumeration can be continued at length.
The object of the present invention is to develop an apparatus and a method of the above-mentioned type which satisfy these increased hygienic requirements.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to achieve this object, the surgical instrument is introduced into a cleansing chamber and is associated therein with at least one nozzle for spraying it with hot steam and/or hot air. The presence of two nozzles is preferred.
Bacteria, viruses and other pathogens can exist only at a given temperature. If this temperature is changed, the bacteria, viruses and other pathogens are also killed. In other words, the transmission of disease is basically avoided. The action of hot steam and/or hot air has the advantage that both of these fluids can penetrate deep into a surgical instrument and, in particular, also reach places which are generally not accessible to a cleansing liquid. Furthermore, by the action of hot steam or air the metal of the surgical instrument is also heated insofar as it consists of metal, as is the case at least for the jaws of the instrument, so that this heat is also transmitted to inaccessible places and the germs there are destroyed.
In order to produce steam or dry hot air, a heating device is arranged in front of the nozzles. As a rule, both water and air can be introduced into a reservoir in order to heat it. When necessary, steam or hot air is then removed from the corresponding reservoir. Connection to an external water network is also possible.
The control of the removal of hot steam or hot air is effected via a valve device which is preferably arranged together with the other operative elements within an operating chamber, said chamber being separated by a partition from the cleansing chamber. In this way a single unit which can be easily transported and handled is obtained. An improvement in the cleansing or disinfecting of the surgical instrument is furthermore obtained in the manner that the instrument is turned with respect to the nozzles or that the nozzles are turned with respect to the instrument. In this way, the steam or dry air can reach the most different points of the surgical instrument. One embodiment of a simple turning device consists of a rotary disk in which the surgical instrument is seated. The surgical instrument can possibly also be surrounded here by a holder which permits the adaptation of the rotary disk to surgical instruments of different shape.
The rotary disk is then connected to a drive. A rotary movement is transmitted to outer toothing on the rotary disk, for instance, by the drive via a gear. Many embodiments can be thought of here, all of which fall within the scope of the invention.
In an improved embodiment of the invention, the apparatus and the method of the invention are directed at instruments which have
REFERENCES:
patent: 5090433 (1992-02-01), Kamaga
patent: 5279799 (1994-01-01), Moser
patent: 5533539 (1996-07-01), Sutter et al.
patent: 5554228 (1996-09-01), Giordano et al.
patent: 5758675 (1998-06-01), Scheyer
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