JP2006095308A - Low temperature disinfection and sterilization method and its apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a low temperature disinfection and sterilization method and its apparatus in this invention disinfect, sterilize, and remove stain for contaminated medical equipment having the need to be used repeatedly. <P>SOLUTION: Contaminated extraneous matter is removed and destroyed speedily, and decomposition reaction is performed by ultrasound, ultraviolet rays, and ozone and a disinfectant in an aqueous solution. By spreading into every corner of various contaminated medical apparatuses, stain is removed completely, disinfected, and sterilized. A contaminated materials and bacteria and viruses are removed consistently. The losing of a precious life of a following patient by the alternating infection of bacteria and viruses caused by the disinfection insufficiency of equipment in the process of medical practice is prevented. This invention can also be applicable to the washing, removal of stain, disinfection, and sterilization of various contaminated matters, equipment, substances, vegetables, fruits, foods and so on. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a low-temperature disinfection sterilization method and apparatus, and more particularly to a low-temperature treatment method and apparatus capable of completely removing dirt and achieving the purpose of disinfection and sterilization without requiring a high-temperature and high-pressure reaction. .

  Currently, the most widely used and most effective method for disinfecting medical equipment in medical institutions is the high temperature disinfection method. However, many medical devices cannot be sterilized at high temperature due to restrictions on location and operating conditions. For this reason, the contaminants and bacteria and pathogens in the medical process cannot be completely eliminated, and there is a risk that the patient is exposed to the alternate infection in the medical process and is life-threatening.

  Decontamination in the medical world includes disinfection and sterilization. In general, most statutory provisions for various invasive medical devices are at the level of sterilization. However, for non-heat-resistant equipment with a complicated structure such as many expensive endoscopes, high-temperature disinfection (99.9999%) is accepted as an alternative method even if high-temperature sterilization is not possible. .

  Disinfection methods often used other than the high temperature sterilization method are based on ethylene oxide gas (EO) and are relatively effective. This is mainly used for non-heat-resistant medical equipment having a simple structure in a medical institution. Currently, however, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) makes EO a first-class carcinogen, and exposure to this chemical may cause symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, skin burns, and pulmonary edema. is there. Studies also indicate that EO causes miscarriages and fetal abnormalities and increases mortality in patients with gastric cancer, leukemia, and cardiovascular system. Those who are primarily at risk in medical institutions are those who are responsible for the operation of the EO disinfector. In addition, in each department, those that use sterilized equipment may be exposed to EO by gradually releasing the EO remaining on the equipment. Also, if the EO disinfector is installed in a place without a separate exhaust system, the EO sinking characteristics will leave the gas at the work place and many people will be deprived of it. Internationally, considering the potential danger of ethylene oxide gas to users, we are actively looking for a disinfection and sterilization method to replace it.

In addition to ethylene oxide gas, currently used low temperature sterilization technology includes ion disinfection sterilization method (Ionizing Radiation), gas plasma method (Gas Plasma), vapor phase hydrogen peroxide (Vapor Phase Hydrogen Peroxide), ozone There are methods using chemical substances such as (Ozone), acetic acid (Peracetic acid) and glutaraldehyde. However, it can be said that ethylene oxide gas is most often used in consideration of costs, disinfection effects, types of applied articles, and the like.
Many non-heat-resistant equipment such as endoscopes with complicated structures and expensive endoscopes, the pasteurization technique currently most frequently used is mainly a liquid reaction. For example, the purpose of extinguishing bacteria and pathogens by immersing the endoscope in a chemical substance such as acetic acid (Peracetic acid) or glutaraldehyde for a certain period of time, circulating the above drugs and washing the tube of the endoscope To achieve.

  However, the problem universally faced by the international medical community is that expensive endoscopes have a complex design, so viruses attached to gaps, tubes, and seams cannot be completely removed by chemical cleaning alone, In some cases, many anti-bacterial bacteria temporarily enter hibernation in a malicious environment, and when the malicious environment disappears, the bacteria that have not been removed recover their activity, causing infection and death of the patient. It can also be caused. There are many cases where such incomplete cleaning results in alternating infection and death. Moreover, it is impossible to grasp the aging of drugs such as glutaraldehyde and the harmful effects on the respiratory system of the operator during operation.

  As described above, the above-described conventional methods still have many drawbacks, which are not good designs and need to be improved.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a treatment method and apparatus for the purpose of disinfecting and sterilizing medical devices such as endoscopes, cardiac catheters, and artificial dialysis machines that cannot be disinfected at high temperature, removing dirt, and disinfecting / sterilizing. It is to provide.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a low-temperature disinfection sterilization method and apparatus applicable to medical devices contaminated with various bacteria and viruses.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a speedy and effective sterilization technique that replaces the high-temperature disinfection method. This low-temperature disinfection sterilization method and its apparatus have various designs that are complicated or non-high temperature resistant. Applicable for medical equipment.

  In light of the drawbacks of each item derived from the above-mentioned conventional disinfection and sterilization method, the present inventor has tried to make new improvements as much as possible and succeeded in research and development of the present low-temperature disinfection and sterilization method and apparatus after many years of hard work. The low-temperature disinfection sterilization method and apparatus of the present invention uses EO, acetic acid (Peracetic acid) or glutaraldehyde which are harmful to the operator, and are impossible in the conventional method, and are currently impossible in the medical world. Can quickly and effectively solve the technical bottleneck of low temperature disinfection and sterilization for medical devices such as endoscopes and heart catheters which are expensive and non-high temperature resistant and have a complicated structure.

  The present invention is applied to various medical devices such as surgical scissors, scalpels, scissors and expensive and complicated endoscopes, heart catheters, artificial dialysis machines, etc. Incorporated into the reaction system, ultrasonic vibrations effectively remove the surface of each medical device, hollow tubes, seams, bacterial spores, viruses or contaminants in the gaps, and also by the powerful oxidative destruction ability by ozone It oxidizes and destroys the removed bacterial spores / viruses or organic pollutants, and at the same time increases the photocatalytic reaction efficiency by combining the sterilizing power of ultraviolet rays to accelerate the oxidative destruction by ozone. At the same time, the disinfectant solution comes into contact with the bacterial spores, viruses and contaminants removed at this time to destroy them and finally achieve the purpose of disinfection and sterilization.

  Many invasive medical devices come into contact with the human body and then adhere to contaminants such as bodily fluids, blood, pathogens, and viruses. In past examples, the adhesion of these contaminants is very strong, and it is difficult to remove the contaminants thoroughly and thoroughly without an appropriate removal method. For this reason, the main purpose of using ultrasonic waves is to effectively remove bacterial spores, viruses, and contaminants in the surfaces, hollow tubes, seams, and gaps of various medical devices using its powerful shaking force (Cavitations). There is. The ultrasonic frequency used is 1 to 1,000,000 KHz, its intensity is sufficient to penetrate through small gaps of 0.12 microns to remove contaminants from medical devices and react with other units in the system .

  In the present invention, ozone or air is passed through an ozone generator to produce high-concentration ozone, which is further introduced into the bottom of the reaction tank by a transport system and a vacuum device, and thoroughly mixed with an aqueous solution. Forms saturated ozone water. Contaminants removed by ultrasonic waves immediately undergo an oxidative destruction decomposition reaction when they come into contact with saturated ozone in an aqueous solution. Since all the pollutants in the human body are charcoal water compounds, they are decomposed by ozone and become harmless carbon dioxide and water to achieve decontamination and disinfection.

  Ultraviolet rays are a strong and cheap disinfection tool that can effectively kill bacteria and viruses. The UV frequency of this system is 1 to 39 nanometers (100 to 3900 Angstroms), the reaction tank is aseptic under UV irradiation, and bacteria and viruses in the outside air come into contact with medical equipment and reinfection ( Recontamination) is prevented. Then, ozone causes a photochemical catalytic reaction under ultraviolet irradiation, and accelerates the destruction and decomposition speed of contaminants to help the disinfection and sterilization reaction proceed.

  The chemical agent added to the aqueous solution of this system is transported from the chemical agent tank to the reaction tank by a pump, and the chemical agent quickly kills them by contact reaction with the removed bacteria and viruses. Do. The aforementioned chemical agents are commonly used liquid disinfectants or sterilizers. For example, hydrogen peroxide (Hydrogen Peroxide), hydrochloric acid (Hydrochloric acid), sulfuric acid (Sulfuric acid), hypochlorite (Hypochlorite), etc. are all applicable, and the concentration range during operation is 1 to 200,000 ppm.

The low-temperature disinfection sterilization method and apparatus of the present invention have the following advantages compared to the conventional techniques.
<1> In the present invention, it is possible to remove, disinfect, and sterilize the surface of a contaminated medical device, not to mention a minute gap inside the tube.
<2> The present invention can replace the high-temperature disinfection sterilization method and provide a technique for removing, disinfecting, and sterilizing medical equipment under normal temperature and normal pressure.
<3> The present invention has a function of removing quickly, and can deal with organic contaminants, bacteria, viruses, etc. adhering in the gaps of medical equipment, and thus has an effect of preventing such adhesion and removing contamination reliably. .
<4> In the present invention, various safety protection designs are made, and even when high-concentration contaminants or viruses are stuck, different oxidative decomposition reaction apparatuses are provided in multiple, and viruses and contaminants are provided. Can be effectively destroyed and extinguished, and the purpose of decontamination, disinfection and sterilization can be achieved.
<5> The present invention provides a sterile reaction space. Both the gas phase and liquid phase of the reaction tank can be aseptic, and secondary contamination of medical equipment during disinfection can be avoided.
<6> Since the present invention is compatible with the medical device material, it does not impair precision instruments.
<7> The disinfectant sterilizing agent used in the present invention is a harmless chemical with a low concentration after dilution, and does not harm the environment or the operator in the course of the reaction. It can be discharged directly after use, and there is no problem of secondary contamination.

  The present invention can also be applied to cleaning, removing, disinfecting, and sterilizing various pollutants, instruments, materials, vegetables and fruits, foods, and the like.

  Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a construction diagram of a low-temperature disinfection sterilization method and apparatus according to the present invention, which performs disinfection sterilization treatment on complicated or non-high temperature resistant contaminants of various designs. It includes equipment, and mainly includes a reaction tank device 1, an ultrasonic generator 2, an ozone generator 3, an ultraviolet sterilizer 4, and a disinfecting / sterilizing chemical supply device 5. The reaction tank apparatus 1 includes a water injection port 11, a drain port 12 and an exhaust port 13. The water injection port 11 and the drain port 12 are mainly for injecting and discharging the aqueous solution 14, and the exhaust port 13 is a reaction tank. The gas in 1 is discharged. The medical equipment 6 is put in the reaction tank apparatus 1 and sterilized and sterilized.

  The ultrasonic generator 2 can provide a frequency of 1 to 1,000,000 KHz, and can be placed outside the reaction tank 1 or inside the reaction tank apparatus 1 in the form of a reaction bar. The aqueous solution injected into the tank The liquid level of 14 exceeds the medical equipment, and the shaking force of the ultrasonic generator 2 is sufficient to remove contaminants in the minute gaps of the medical equipment.

  The ozone generator 3 includes an ozone transport pump 31. The ozone transport pump 31 guides air or pure oxygen into the ozone generator 3, and the ozone generator 3 has a strong oxidizing ability. In addition, the ozone is transported into the aqueous solution of the reaction tank apparatus 1 by the flash tube 32, and the sterilization treatment is performed on the contaminants of the medical device 6 in the liquid.

The ultraviolet sterilizer 4 is mainly composed of an ultraviolet lamp facility, and its wavelength is from 100 to 3,900 nm, and a photocatalytic TiO ₂ device may be added. When UV and ozone come into contact with each other, a photocatalytic reaction is formed. The gas and liquid oxidation rates in the reaction tank apparatus 1 can be greatly improved and reacted quickly to decompose and destroy residual contaminants or viruses.

  The disinfecting / sterilizing drug supply device 5 includes a disinfecting / sterilizing drug tank and a transport pump, and transports the drug into the reaction tank apparatus 1 and mixes and dilutes to a concentration of 1 to 200,000 ppm according to the specified drug concentration. And can effectively contact and react with the removed contaminants or viruses to achieve the purpose of disinfection and sterilization.

  The reactive chemical circulation pump 7 includes a suction pipe 71 and a drain pipe 72, the suction pipe 71 is connected to the bottom surface of the reaction tank device 1, the drain pipe 72 is connected to the medical device 6, and the reactive chemical liquid is used. The drug solution in the reaction tank apparatus 1 is sucked up by the circulation pump 7 through the sucking pipe 71 and injected into the medical equipment 6 by the drain pipe 72 to sterilize the inside of the medical equipment 6. I can do it.

The present invention can quickly and effectively remove bacterial spores, viruses or contaminants adhering to the surfaces, hollow tubes, gaps and crevices of various medical devices 6 by the ultrasonic generator 2. The removal power can penetrate to small gaps of 0.12 microns. At the same time, the disinfection / sterilization agent supply device 5 includes one or more powerful chemical agents and US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved disinfection / disinfection agents, such as Hypochlorite. ), Hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂ ), sulfuric acid (Sulfuric acid, etc.), which is diluted with the reactive chemical circulation pump 7, brought into contact with medical equipment, and shaken and removed with ultrasound In addition, the virus is effectively extinguished and brought into contact with a strong oxidant ozone dissolved in an aqueous solution to oxidize and decompose organic contaminants to cause disinfection and sterilization. A small amount of incompletely reacted contaminants are rapidly decomposed by a photocatalytic reaction so that residual contaminants and viruses do not exist even on the surface of the medical device or even in a minute gap inside the pipeline.

  Finally, as the supersaturated ozone gas rises up to the top of the reaction tank apparatus 1, it forms an aseptic space with ultraviolet rays. In the process of disinfection and sterilization, it is affected by external gas and water quality. Ensure that there is no subsequent contamination.

  The above detailed description is a specific description of one possible embodiment of the present invention, but the above embodiment is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention and departs from the technical spirit of the present invention. All equivalent implementations or modifications made are intended to be included within the scope of the claims.

  In summary, this proposal is not only novel in technical ideas, but also demonstrated its effectiveness at disinfection and sterilization at low temperatures, and has improved the above-mentioned many effects compared to conventional products. All the methods are soaked in chemicals, which takes time, is of poor quality, and is still unable to sufficiently remove microviruses in the gaps of complex precision instruments. The problem is solved.

  As described above, the present invention has many advantages over the prior art. In particular, all of the current low temperature disinfection methods are soaked in chemicals and take a long time, and the quality of disinfection is not good. Furthermore, it solves the problem that minute viruses in the gaps of complicated precision instruments cannot be effectively removed.

It is a block diagram of the low-temperature disinfection sterilization method and its apparatus of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Reaction tank apparatus 2 Ultrasonic generator 3 Ozone generator 31 Ozone transport pump 32 Dust tube 4 Ultraviolet sterilizer 5 Disinfection / sterilization chemical supply apparatus 6 Medical equipment 7 Reactive chemical solution circulation pump

Claims (3)

Place contaminated material equipment and medical equipment into the disinfection sterilization reactor,
Ultrasonic generators quickly and effectively remove bacterial spores, viruses or contaminants in the surface of various complex medical devices, hollow tubes, gaps and cracks,
By contacting ozone with a powerful oxidant dissolved in an aqueous solution, the medical device oxidizes and decomposes organic contaminants to promote disinfection and sterilization.
A small amount of unreacted contaminants that remain due to the reaction of ultraviolet light, photocatalyst, and ozone rapidly decompose and sterilize under the photocatalytic reaction.
It is characterized by ensuring that contaminants and viruses do not remain on the surface of medical equipment and minute gaps inside the tube.
Low temperature disinfection sterilization method.
Place contaminated material equipment and medical equipment into the disinfection sterilization reactor,
Ultrasonic generators quickly and effectively remove bacterial spores, viruses or contaminants in the surface of various complex medical devices, hollow tubes, gaps and cracks,
When medical equipment comes into contact with ozone, a powerful oxidant dissolved in an aqueous solution, oxidative decomposition of organic pollutants promotes disinfection and sterilization.
A small amount of unreacted contaminants that remain due to the reaction of ultraviolet light, photocatalyst, and ozone rapidly decompose and sterilize under the photocatalytic reaction.
It is possible to ensure that contaminants and viruses do not remain on the surface of medical equipment and minute gaps inside the tube.
At the same time, the reactive chemical solution circulation pump is brought into contact with one or more powerful chemical agents and medical equipment in the reactive chemical tank,
Effectively extinguish bacteria and viruses removed by ultrasonic shaking,
Finally, as the supersaturated ozone gas rises to the top of the reaction vessel, it forms a sterile space with ultraviolet light,
In the process of disinfection and sterilization, it is characterized by not causing the secondary contamination of medical equipment due to the influence of external gas and water quality.
Low temperature disinfection sterilization method.
A low temperature disinfection sterilizer, at least
A reaction tank device that can be sterilized by putting contaminated medical equipment,
An ultrasonic device that can effectively remove the attachment of micro-bacteria and viruses in the gaps between contaminated medical devices;
An ozone generator that transports ozone to the aqueous solution in the reaction vessel and disinfects and sterilizes the contaminated medical equipment;
A photocatalytic reaction when contacted with ozone, significantly improving the reaction rate of the gas and liquid in the reaction tank apparatus, and capable of promptly decomposing and destroying the remaining contaminants or viruses; and
The inside is filled with a strong disinfectant / sterilizing agent, equipped with a transport pump, diluted into the reaction vessel, and reacted to the contaminants. The contaminants are disinfected / sterilized agents and a strong oxidizing agent. A disinfection / sterilization drug supply device that can ensure complete contact with the oxidative destruction,
A reaction chemical solution circulation pump capable of injecting a drug solution in a reaction tank device into a medical device and disinfecting and sterilizing the inside of the medical device,
Low temperature disinfection sterilizer.

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