Chemical apparatus and process disinfecting – deodorizing – preser – Physical type apparatus – Apparatus for treating solid article or material with fluid...
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-17
2001-06-26
McKane, Elizabeth (Department: 1744)
Chemical apparatus and process disinfecting, deodorizing, preser
Physical type apparatus
Apparatus for treating solid article or material with fluid...
C422S295000, C422S297000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06251345
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a device for sterilization of instruments particularly dental instruments, in an autoclave equipped with instrument holders, which autoclave has inlet and outlet for different fluids, such as cleaning and rinsing fluids, sterilization and maintenance media and the like.
BACKGROUND
The demands for medical and particularly dental equipment to be sterile has increased. To permit these instruments to be sterilized in a limited period of time, it is required that they are first cleaned so that germs and spores can not lay protected in contaminations left on the instruments. The efficiency of the cleaning is very much dependent on how long the instrument has been resting between use and cleaning.
An instrument is often sterilized in an impermeable package which prevents the instrument from being contaminated after sterilization. If the instrument is not packaged, it is only considered sterile until the sterilization equipment has been opened. Cleaning can not be effected in the packaged but the instruments have to be packed after the cleaning.
For instruments requiring several steps in the sterilization process it is not possible to have them packed during the entire process. If the instrument shall be both washed before the sterilization and lubricated after the sterilization, this must be solved in another manner.
Another method could be to refrain from picking out the instruments from the process chamber until they are to be used. As sterilizers are large apparatuses positioned in separate rooms and which sterilize several instruments at the same time this will not work out satisfactorily.
EP-A1-0 638 298 discloses a cassette for hygienic treatment of dental instruments in a pressure-proof sealable chamber. The cassette incorporates a number of adapters as holders for the instruments, which adapters are connected to conduits for cleaning and washing the interior of the instruments with the aid of treatment media. The exterior of the instruments is treated with treatment media which is sprayed thereon by nozzle equipped tubes that project into cassette. In the conduits for the treatment media are provided magnetic valves, which open and close by means of a micro processor. The treatment time is about 30 minutes. The design of the apparatus with a cassette and a number of adapters and the length of the treatment time means, that the apparatus has to be used for several patients, which means, that as soon as the cassette has been opened for one patient, the remaining instruments do not longer fulfil the demands for sterility. The rather big sterilizing capacity of the apparatus furthermore means, that it might take some time before the next hygienic treatment can be effected, with the consequence that the instrument have been exposed during different long times and therefore should need different treatment times or that all instruments always are treated during a time of excessive length, in order to avoid that strains of germs have survived.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The purpose of the invention is to provide a device, which means:
that all uncertainty about poor sterility is set aside,
that every instrument or group of instruments are treated during the time required with reference to its exposure in non-sterile surroundings in order to achieve high demands on sterility,
that the time for autoclave treatment is short, e.g. only five minutes, without renouncing on the quality of the sterilization,
that no contamination of the instruments by instruments intended for other patients takes place when removed from the autoclave,
that the instruments for every individual patient are packed in a sterile manner up until they are needed, and
that the quality security is guaranteed.
These tasks have been solved in an autoclave that incorporates several separate gas-tight closable chambers each being equipped with at least one instrument holder, each chamber and instrument holder is provided with an individually adjustable and controllable inlet and outlet for the fluids and media, each chamber after the autoclave treatment is a sterile package in the form of a closed storage vessel container for at least one instrument, intended for treatment of only one patient and the chambers are connected to a central unit for choice on one hand of a sterilization program dependent on the exposure of the instruments outside the autoclave, and on the other hand preparation and control of the fluids and media and recording of treatment steps taken and possibly treatment and waiting times in the different chambers.
The device and its central unit controls all phases required for having the instruments cleaned, sterilized and if required lubricated, so that they are ready for use, whereby the routines of treatment shall be so simple that it is almost independent of human errors. The device is preferably positioned in the room where the instruments shall be used. The device then simultaneously will form a sterile package for the instruments, until they are to be used.
When, a sterilized instrument is needed, the chamber is opened which contains the instrument needed. The other instruments are still sterile in their different sterilization chambers. When he has used an instrument it is returned to the chamber, which is closed. The chamber then can not be opened until the cleaning and sterilization process is finished. For certain simple and cheap instruments, which are not subjected to wear by the sterilization, it is possible to have several instruments in the same chamber. Then it is necessary to sterilize also the unused instruments as soon as anyone of them has been used, This means that the instruments will not lay around dirty for a long period of time. At normal handling the instruments is placed on a tray, which is then sent to the sterilization room. The time between the use and the cleaning is difficult to control and it is dependent on how the routines are followed. If the instrument will lay around unwashed for a long period of time is it possible that a more thorough process is required for getting it clean and sterile.
If every instrument has an individual marking, which can be sensed when the instrument is in its position in the chamber, it is possible to get an excellent quality control system. It is possible to see that the correct instrument is positioned in the correct chamber, to control for how long an instrument has been outside a chamber, and it is possible to record how many times an instrument has been used. With this information is it possible to control the process to give a perfectly satisfactory result without requiring unnecessary long time.
Examples of such a marking can be a pin code. It can be read when the instrument is pushed into the chamber or when the chamber is closed. An advantage is that the patient can see himself that only acceptably sterilized instruments are used during the treatment.
REFERENCES:
patent: 649512 (1900-05-01), Goodwin
patent: 891758 (1908-06-01), Allspaw
patent: 1007274 (1911-10-01), Dean
patent: 1228464 (1917-06-01), Mazzei
patent: 1435143 (1922-11-01), Bensman
patent: 2127932 (1938-08-01), Pellkofer
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patent: 5057283 (1991-10-01), Guggenheim et al.
patent: 5197499 (1993-03-01), Bodenmiller et al.
patent: 5552113 (1996-09-01), Jennings
patent: 5723090 (1998-03-01), Beerstecher et al.
patent: 25 28 901 (1976-12-01), None
patent: 0638298 (1995-02-01), None
McKane Elizabeth
Merchant & Gould P.C.
TSP Medical AB
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