DE102015102168A1 - stethoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

Stethoscope with a membrane piece having a chest piece, characterized by a opening on the surface of the chestpiece reservoir for receiving a disinfectant, an actuator for delivering the disinfectant from the reservoir, and a switch acting on the actuator.

Description

The invention relates to a stethoscope with a membrane having a chestpiece.

For the auscultation of sounds produced by the human body stethoscopes are used in medical diagnostics. These usually consist of an earloop and a diaphragm having a chest piece, wherein the earloop and chestpiece are connected to each other via a tube conducting the sound from the chestpiece to the earloop.

From a hygienic point of view, the use of stethoscopes in everyday clinical practice is questionable. A recent study has found that, in particular, the membrane of stethoscopes acts as a vector in the context of the mechanical transmission of pathogens, possibly also methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains, as a vector ( Longtin Y, Schneider A, Tschopp C, Renzi G, Gayet-Ageron A, Schrenzel J, Pittet D. Contamination of Stethoscopes and Physicians' Hands After a Physical Examination. Mayo Clin Proc. March 2014; 89 (3): 291-299 ).

To avoid transmission of pathogens, stethoscopes should therefore be disinfected between examinations of patients with a suitable (liquid) disinfectant.

Alternatively, the beats DE 20 2013 104 390 U1 a stethoscope in which the membrane is provided as a disposable membrane and can be replaced without tools. After each auscultation, a fresh (sterile) membrane is used for each new patient so that a disinfection of the stethoscope is essentially unnecessary.

A disadvantage of this embodiment, however, is that this hygiene measure must be performed reliably by the doctor or the staff and may not be forgotten. In addition, there is still a certain manual effort to ensure the hygiene, for which in the hectic daily routine of the clinic often only little time is available.

The object of the invention is therefore to provide a further stethoscope in which the risk of transmission of pathogens through the stethoscope is minimized.

This object is achieved by the stethoscope with the features of claim 1. The subclaims reflect advantageous embodiments of the invention.

The basic idea of the invention is to provide a stethoscope which carries out the disinfection of the chest piece, in particular of the membrane, automatically after it has been used.

According to the invention, the stethoscope, which has a breastpiece with a membrane, is equipped with a reservoir opening on the surface of the breastpiece for receiving a disinfectant, an actuator for dispensing the disinfectant from the reservoir, and a switch acting on the actuator.

If the switch is actuated, the disinfectant is delivered by the actuator to the surface of the chest piece, in particular on the surface of the membrane, so that the surface of the chest piece or the membrane is disinfected by switch.

It is preferably provided for this purpose that the reservoir opens on the surface of the chestpiece in a plurality of channels directed towards the membrane. Specifically, the mouth of the reservoir or the majority of the channels is formed so that the disinfectant is sprayed wetting the surface of the chest piece.

The switch can be operated either manually or by a sensor that determines the switching state of the switch. The sensor may be a mechanical, thermoelectric, resistive, capacitive or optical sensor.

It is particularly advantageous if the switch and / or sensor is arranged on the chest piece, particularly preferably on the side of the membrane chest piece. In this case, the actuation of the switch is simultaneously connected with the contact of the chestpiece by the patient, whereby the dispensing of the disinfectant, preferably mediated by a logic, takes place only when the chestpiece is removed again by the patient. The delivery of the disinfectant can also be done by a time provided in the logic clock time delay.

The actuator causing the release of the disinfectant from the reservoir is preferably designed as a pump.

QUOTES INCLUDE IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of the documents listed by the applicant has been generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• DE 202013104390 U1 [0005]

Cited non-patent literature

• Longtin Y, Schneider A, Tschopp C, Renzi G, Gayet-Ageron A, Schrenzel J, Pittet D. Contamination of Stethoscopes and Physicians' Hands After a Physical Examination. Mayo Clin Proc. March 2014; 89 (3): 291-299 [0003]

Claims (6)

 Stethoscope with a chestpiece having a diaphragm, marked by A reservoir opening on the surface of the chestpiece for receiving a disinfectant, An actuator for dispensing the disinfectant from the reservoir, and - A switch acting on the actuator. Stethoscope according to claim 1, characterized in that the reservoir opens on the surface of the chestpiece in a plurality of channels directed towards the membrane.  Stethoscope according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a sensor, wherein the switching state of the switch is determined by the sensor. Stethoscope according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sensor is a mechanical, thermoelectric, resistive, capacitive or optical sensor. Stethoscope according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the switch and / or sensor is arranged on the chest piece. Stethoscope according to claim 5, characterized in that the switch and / or sensor is arranged on the side of the membrane.