JP2005052410A - Sterilization system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sterilization system capable of effectively sterilizing a sterilized object without increasing the pressure or calorie applied to the sterilized object. <P>SOLUTION: A detachable steam supply case 28 is mounted at a tip 18a where one ends of slender channels 24 and 26, extending inside an endoscope 14, are opened. In the sterilization system, the internal capacity of the steam supply case 28 can be increased by a peripheral wall part 30 made of a shape-memory material when the interior of a sealed chamber 12, in which the endoscope 14 is stored together with the steam supply case 28, is heated to a prescribed temperature with the steam fed into the sealed chamber 12. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a sterilization system, and more particularly, to a sterilization system that sterilizes an object to be sterilized such as an endoscope having an elongated duct extending therein at a high temperature.

  In general, when sterilizing a medical device having an elongated pipe line with a high-pressure steam sterilizer, it is difficult to distribute the sterilization vapor to every corner of the internal pipe line. For this reason, sterilization of a portion where steam is difficult to travel is performed by increasing the steam pressure, increasing the steam temperature, or extending the sterilization time.

Further, the inside of the endoscope main body is communicated with the outside through a through hole drilled in the endoscope main body, and a valve body that is inserted into the through hole so as to freely advance and retract is connected to one end of the bellows. An endoscope has also been developed that opens and closes through holes according to pressure fluctuations and prevents damage to the endoscope body due to a pressure difference between the inside and outside (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 56-121531

However, if the pressure or temperature of the sterilization steam is increased in order to increase the temperature of the portion where steam is difficult to travel, and if the sterilization time is extended, the pressure or amount of heat received by the article to be sterilized such as an endoscope. Increases and becomes a factor of deteriorating the resistance of the article to be sterilized.
In addition, when opening and closing the through hole that communicates the inside and the outside according to the external pressure, even if the factor of deterioration of resistance due to the pressure difference is reduced, the steam is quickly and evenly sent to the inside. Therefore, it is not possible to eliminate a factor that adversely affects the resistance such as a temperature rise of an object to be sterilized.

  The present invention has been made based on such circumstances, and provides a sterilization system that can effectively sterilize an object to be sterilized without increasing the pressure or the amount of heat acting on the object to be sterilized. Objective.

  The sterilization system of the present invention that achieves the above object comprises a sealed chamber that includes a detachable container at an opening portion where one end of an elongate pipe line extending in a sterilized object opens, and accommodates the sterilized object together with the container When the inside of the sealed chamber is heated to a predetermined temperature by the steam supplied therein, the internal volume of the container can be increased by the volume expansion means made of shape memory material.

  According to this sterilization system, when the temperature in the sealed chamber rises and the volume expanding means is heated to a predetermined temperature, the container expands the internal volume by the volume expanding means, and the steam in the sealed chamber is expanded into an elongated pipe line. Drawn into. Thus, the object to be sterilized can be effectively sterilized from the inside and the outside without increasing the pressure or the amount of heat acting on the object to be sterilized.

  When a part of the container contains a shape memory material, the sterilization system itself is compact, and when the container is extended by a coil spring that is separate from the container, its manufacture is facilitated.

1 and 2 show a sterilization system 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
The sterilization system 10 of the present embodiment is formed as a high-pressure steam sterilization system for sterilizing an object to be sterilized with an elongated pipe line extending therein, and a medical endoscope 14 is used as an object to be sterilized in a sealed chamber 12. Shown in an arranged state. The endoscope 14 can extend a long insertion portion 18 from the operation portion 16 and observe a required part in the body through a distal end portion 18 a provided at the distal end of the insertion portion 18. A light guide cable 20 is extended from the operation section 16 and supplied with illumination light or the like from a light source device (not shown) via a connector section 22 provided at the tip of the light guide cable 20. Further, inside the endoscope 14, for example, air or water is supplied into the body cavity, and an air / water supply channel 24 used for sucking gas or body fluid from the body cavity, forceps, and the like are provided in the body cavity. An elongated duct such as the forceps channel 26 used for insertion is extended. A distal end portion 18 a that opens at one end of these pipe lines forms an opening for mounting a container to be described later, and an opening end on the other end side is disposed in the operation portion 16.

  In this sterilization system 10, a steam supply case 28, which is a detachable container, is attached to the distal end portion 18 a of the endoscope 14. The steam supply case 28 of the present embodiment is formed as a bellows-shaped hollow structure body in which the peripheral wall portion 30 expands and contracts in the axial direction, and the endoscope through a short cylindrical mouth portion 32 formed at one end. 14 tip portions 18a. The other end side of the steaming case 28 is sealed, and therefore, the internal space of the steaming case 28 communicates with the outside only through the mouth portion 32. The peripheral wall portion 30, the mouth portion 32, and the end wall portion opposed to the peripheral wall portion 30 form a case main body 35 of the steam supply case 28.

  In particular, the steam supply case 28 has a shape memory alloy represented by, for example, a nickel-titanium alloy or a shape memory polymer resin such as a urethane-based material as a volume expansion means. Are formed of a suitable shape memory material. The shape memory material forming the peripheral wall portion 30 contracts to the state shown in FIG. 1 in a normal state where it is not heated. For example, when the shape memory material rises to a temperature near 100 ° C., the shape memory material axially changes to the state shown in FIG. The shape is memorized so as to extend along. The case main body 35 may be entirely formed of a shape memory material, or only a part thereof, for example, a bent portion forming a bellows peak or valley may be formed of a shape memory material. Furthermore, when it is formed in a laminated structure, it may be used for only the inner layer, the outer layer, or the intermediate layer. In any case, the difference between the internal volume when the case main body 35 is expanded and the internal volume when the case main body 35 is contracted is that all internal pipe lines including the air / water supply channel 24 and the forceps channel 26 of the endoscope 14. It is preferable to form larger than the sum of the volumes.

  For example, when an object to be sterilized such as the endoscope 14 is sterilized by the sterilization system 10, the mouth portion 32 of the steam supply case 28 is attached to the distal end portion 18 a of the endoscope 14. At this time, a packing 34 (see FIG. 2) made of an elastic material such as rubber is inserted between the distal end portion 18a and the mouth portion 32, and the steam supply case 28 is inadvertently removed from the endoscope 14 during sterilization. It is preferable to prevent falling off. Since no sterilization vapor is supplied, the case body 35 contracts and maintains a minimum internal volume.

  As described above, after the endoscope 14 equipped with the steam supply case 28 is installed in the sealed chamber 12, sterilization is started. When high-pressure steam sterilization is performed using such a sterilization system 10, in order to improve the vapor permeability into the endoscope 14, first, the inside of the sealed chamber 12 is set to a negative pressure of, for example, about -0.08 MPa. After that, steaming of high-pressure steam is started.

  When high-pressure steam is supplied into the hermetic chamber 12, for example, through an open end that opens to the operation unit 16, even inside narrow pipes such as the air / water supply channel 24 and the forceps channel 26 of the endoscope 14. Steam penetrates. Since the pressure acting in the sealed chamber 12 is substantially equal, and no differential pressure is formed between the open ends of the pipe in the endoscope 14, the inside of the pipe is immediately in equilibrium with the outside, and new steam is introduced into the pipe. It will not penetrate inside. Then, as the steaming proceeds, the temperature in the sealed chamber 12 rises, and when the shape memory temperature of the shape memory material forming the peripheral wall portion 30 of the case body 35 is reached, for example, about 100 ° C. The steaming case 28 starts to return to the stored shape.

  As shown in FIG. 2, when the steam supply case 28 extends the peripheral wall portion 30 of the case main body 35, the internal volume of the case main body 35 is larger than the entire volume of the conduit in the endoscope 14, Air or steam is drawn into the steam supply case 28 from the outside of the endoscope 14 through these conduits. This draws new steam from the other open ends of the conduits, and the temperature in these conduits quickly reaches the sterilization temperature. The code | symbol 36 shows the expansion | extension direction of the steam supply case 28, and the code | symbol 38 shows the flow of the steam drawn in from the outside through a pipe line.

  Therefore, according to the sterilization system 10 of this embodiment, when the external temperature of the endoscope 14 rises and the peripheral wall portion 30 is heated to a predetermined temperature of, for example, 100 ° C., the volume expansion means of the steam supply case 28 The internal volume of the case body 35 is increased by the peripheral wall portion 30, and external steam is drawn into the elongated pipe line. Thereby, the endoscope 14 can be effectively sterilized from the inside and the outside without increasing the pressure or the amount of heat acting on the endoscope 14. Since the peripheral wall 30 of the case main body 35 is formed of a shape memory material, a separate member for extending the case main body 35 is not required, and the sterilization system 10 can be formed in a compact structure.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment. The various embodiments or modifications shown below are basically the same as those in the above-described embodiment, and thus the same reference numerals are given to the same parts and the detailed description thereof is omitted.
A steam supply case 28A shown in FIG. 3 has a case body 45 made of a stretchable material such as silicon rubber, for example, and a coiled spring made of a shape memory material similar to that of the above-described embodiment in the peripheral wall portion 40 thereof. 42 is arranged. With this spring 42, the peripheral wall portion 40 forms a spiral peak or valley corresponding to the shape of the spring 42. Reference numeral 33 denotes a circumferential groove for holding the packing 34 (see FIG. 2).

  FIG. 3A shows the steam supply case 28A in a state at normal temperature, that is, in a state where the peripheral wall portion 40 and the spring 42 are contracted. FIG. 3B shows a steaming case in which the inner wall of the case main body 45 is increased by being heated to a temperature above the shape-memory temperature of, for example, 100 ° C. and the peripheral wall 40 is extended by the spring 42. 28A is shown.

  When the object to be sterilized such as the endoscope 14 is sterilized, it is attached to the distal end portion 18a in the contracted state shown in FIG. Other functions are the same as those in the above-described embodiment.

FIG. 4 shows yet another embodiment.
In the steam supply case 28B of this embodiment, the case body 55 is formed of a stretchable material such as soft resin or rubber, and the peripheral wall portion 50 is formed in a bellows shape. The volume expanding means is formed of a spring 52 made of a shape memory material that is separate from the case main body 55, and the spring 52 is arranged side by side with the case main body 55, and ends of the respective ends are arm portions 56, 58. It is connected with. The arm portion 56 connected to the mouth portion 32 is fixed to the tip end of the rod 60, and the arm portion 58 connected to the opposite end portion freely slides along the rod 60 via the guide bush 62. can do. Reference numeral 64 denotes a stopper that prevents the guide bush 62 from falling off the rod 60.

  When the spring 52 contracts at normal temperature, the supply case 28B contracts the peripheral wall 50 of the case main body 55 to the state shown in FIG. Then, when the temperature rises to the shape memorized temperature, the spring 52 extends, and the guide bush 62 slides on the rod 60 in the direction of the stopper 64 while extending the case main body 55 via the arm portions 56 and 58. Thereby, the internal volume of the case main body 55 is increased, and steam can be drawn into the pipe line of the connected endoscope 14.

  In this embodiment, the spring 52 as the volume expanding means is formed as a separate member from the case main body 55, so that the manufacturing is easy.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it is obvious that various modifications or changes can be made, and at least the following features can be obtained.
<Additional notes>
1) At one end of the sterilized product line having an elongated line,
Attach a container made of a material that restores the original shape when heat is applied, such as a shape memory alloy,
When the object to be sterilized is exposed to the steam and the steam enters the pipe and the temperature in the chamber of the high-pressure steam sterilizer rises, the container is deformed in the direction in which the internal volume increases, and the other end of the pipe enters the chamber. High-pressure steam sterilization system that sucks in the steam and achieves the sterilization temperature in the pipe line.
2) A high-pressure steam in which an object to be sterilized is placed in a sealed chamber together with a container attached to an opening in which one end of an elongated pipe line extending in the object to be sterilized opens, and the inside of the sealed chamber is steamed In the sterilization method, when the container is heated to a predetermined temperature, the internal volume of the container is increased by a volume expansion means made of a shape memory material, and steam is supplied from the sealed chamber into the pipe.

The operation of such a high-pressure steam sterilization system and sterilization method is as follows.
Attach a container made of a material that restores the original shape when heat is applied, such as a shape memory alloy, to one end of the line of the object to be sterilized with high-pressure steam sterilization. If the sterilized material is exposed to steam and steam enters the pipe line and the temperature in the chamber of the high-pressure steam sterilizer rises, the container deforms in the direction of increasing the internal volume and becomes relatively negative pressure. By sucking the gas in the pipeline that is in a state where vapor is difficult to enter, new vapor in the chamber is sucked from the other end of the pipeline, and the inside of the pipeline is made to reach the sterilization temperature.
The effect of this feature is to eliminate the need to connect the sterilizer and the endoscope with a special line, and to increase the sterilization pressure, temperature and time in order to efficiently sterilize the thin line of the endoscope with steam. It can be realized by a simple method.

1 shows a sterilization system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The expanded sectional view of the steaming case used for the sterilization system of FIG. The figure which shows the contraction state and expansion | extension state of the steaming case by other embodiment. The figure which shows the contraction state and expansion | extension state of the steaming case by other embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Sterilization system, 12 ... Sterilization chamber, 14 ... Endoscope, 24, 26 ... Channel, 28 ... Steaming case, 30 ... Perimeter wall part.

Claims (3)

  A detachable container is provided at an opening where one end of an elongated pipe line extending in the object to be sterilized opens, and the inside of the sealed chamber is caused by steam supplied into the sealed chamber containing the object to be sterilized together with the container. A sterilization system characterized in that, when heated to a predetermined temperature, the internal volume of the container can be increased by volume expansion means made of a shape memory material.   The sterilization system according to claim 1, wherein the volume expanding means is formed of a peripheral wall portion of a container containing a shape memory material at least in part.   2. The sterilization system according to claim 1, wherein the volume expanding means is formed by a coil spring that is coupled to both end portions of a telescopic bellows-like container and extends when heated to a predetermined temperature.

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