JP3144711B2 - Bend protection - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a curved part protector used to protect a curved part during sterilization of an endoscope including a negative pressure step.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an elongated insertion portion is inserted into a body cavity to observe internal organs in the body cavity, and to perform various treatments using a treatment portion inserted into a treatment instrument channel as necessary. Medical endoscopes that can be used are widely used. Also, in the industrial field, industrial endoscopes capable of observing and inspecting internal scratches and corrosion of boilers, turbines, engines, chemical plants, and the like are widely used.

However, since the medical endoscope is inserted into a body cavity or a blood vessel, if bacteria of the endoscope are attached,
The bacteria may enter the body and cause infection. Therefore, the medical endoscope has always been sterilized before use.

[0004] As such a sterilization process, there is a step of applying a negative pressure to the inside of the sterilizer when performing autoclave or EOG (ethylene oxide gas) sterilization. As shown in FIG. 8, the autoclave process includes vacuum processes A, E, G, and I (quasi-vacuum process) in addition to the actual sterilization process C. The inside of the scope is sealed at 1 atm.
Since the rubber is soft and weak in strength, the rubber A may be ruptured in the negative pressure step.

[0005] In order to prevent such a rupture, for example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 64-6801 discloses a technique of attaching a cylindrical curved portion protector having a ventilation hole to the A rubber portion of the curved portion. I have.

[0006]

However, although the conventional curved portion protector prevents rupture, it is formed of a material having low thermal conductivity, and heat may not be easily transmitted by high-pressure steam sterilization. The surface of the rubber A may not be sufficiently sterilized. Further, although the protective body has a large number of air holes, if the rubber A expands, the rubber A and the protective body come into close contact with each other, and a portion of the surface of the rubber A that does not come into contact with steam also occurs. Further, since the protector is fixed to the container, it is difficult to insert the curved portion, and there is a possibility that clogging may occur during repeated use.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a curved portion protector capable of improving a sterilizing effect.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, a bending portion protector according to the present invention is used to protect a bending portion of an endoscope during sterilization of the endoscope including a negative pressure step. In the device attached to the bending portion of the endoscope, means for protecting the outer periphery of the bending portion in the negative pressure step and deforming and moving to expose a part or all of the outer circumference of the bending portion in other cases is provided. ing.

[0009]

In the negative pressure step during sterilization of the endoscope, the bending portion protector protects the outer periphery of the bending portion of the endoscope, and exposes part or all of the outer circumference of the bending portion except during the negative pressure step. Deform and move.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 1 to 4 and 8 relate to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a protector for a curved portion, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a container into which an endoscope is inserted in an autoclave, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the end face of the container shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state where the endoscope is put in the container shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 8 shows changes in temperature and pressure with time during autoclave. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, for example, an endoscope 1 according to the first embodiment is
Is provided, and the distal end portion 4 of the insertion portion 3 has an objective optical system (not shown). A bending portion 5 for changing the direction of the distal end portion is provided near the forward end portion of the distal end portion. The operation section 2 is provided with a bending operation switch 6 for operating the bending of the bending section 5, and is provided with an opening 7 of an endoscope channel for inserting a treatment instrument or the like. . On the other hand, from the operation unit 2, a universal cord 8 internally provided with a signal line or the like for transmitting an imaging signal photoelectrically converted by the imaging device is provided. The universal cord has a connector 9 at the other end. Connector 9
Are connected to a camera control unit (CCU) not shown.

As shown in FIG. 2, the container 11 for accommodating the endoscope 1 as described above for autoclaving or the like is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape having an open upper end surface by an autoclave material such as stainless steel. Ventilation hole 1 over the entire surface
2 are perforated. As a result, even when washed with water, the drainage is good. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a stacking projection 13 and a container receiver 14 are provided so that the container 11 can be vertically stacked in multiple stages.

A plurality of scope receivers 15 are provided on the inner bottom surface 11a of the container 11 for holding the operation unit 2, the insertion unit 3 and the like at a position higher than the bottom surface 11a when the endoscope 1 is placed. Is provided. On the other hand, the bending portion 5 of the endoscope 1
Is connected to the side surface of the container 11 via a chain 17 or the like. The curved portion protection body 16 is formed of, for example, a material having high thermal conductivity and has a small heat capacity. A locking pin 18 protrudes from the curved portion protection body 16 and is inserted and fixed in a pin hole 19 provided on the bottom surface of the container 11. The periphery of the pin hole 19 protrudes upward from the bottom surface 11a.
So that it does not come in direct contact with

The endoscope 1 placed in the container 11 as described above
The operation section 2, the insertion section 3, and the distal end section 4 are configured such that the entire surface is always exposed.

The details of the bending portion protection body 16 will be described with reference to FIG. The curved portion protector 16 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and is composed of two portions cut horizontally along the central axis of the cylinder, and a lower semi-cylindrical member 21 having a locking pin 18 protruding from a lower portion and an upper portion having an upper portion. And a semi-cylindrical body 22.
The upper semi-cylindrical body 22 and the lower semi-cylindrical body 21 are integrally joined by a joining portion 23 provided on a part of the peripheral surface. The snap receiver 25 is attached to the cylindrical body 22 by the lower semi-cylindrical body 2.
1 is provided.

Further, an elastic body 26 is provided on the inner surface of the curved portion protector 16 along the inner peripheral surface so as not to damage the curved portion 5. On the other hand, the outer peripheral surface side of the protective body 16 is formed of a shape memory resin that deforms in response to a temperature (for example, 120 ° C.).

The operation of the first embodiment configured as described above will be described. A used endoscope 1 used for an endoscope inspection or the like is first set in a washing device and washed with a washing liquid or the like, and after washing, drained to completely wipe off moisture and the like. Thereafter, sterilization is performed in an autoclave or the like.
First, a method of installing the endoscope 1 in the container 11 for storing the endoscope will be described.

The bending portion 5 of the endoscope 1 is connected to the bending portion protection body 1.
6 inside. At this time, care is taken so that the curved portion 5 is entirely covered with the protective body 16. Then, it is checked whether the snap fit 24 is hooked on the snap receiver 25. Then, the locking pin 18 of the curved portion protection body 16
Is inserted into the pin hole 19 of the container 11 and is fixed.
The insertion part 3 and the like are placed on the scope receiver 15.

After the installation in the container 11 is completed, the container 11 is put in the autoclave device, and the autoclave is started. FIG. 8 shows changes in temperature and pressure with time in the autoclave. The step indicated by A in the figure is a step of repeatedly raising and lowering the temperature several times and then removing air by increasing the temperature in advance. As described above, the pressure is reduced several times during this process, but since the bending portion 5 is protected by the bending portion protector 16, the bending portion 5 does not burst. Next, in step B, a high-temperature and high-pressure sterilizing gas (for example, steam) is rapidly injected into the apparatus. Then, the state of high temperature and high pressure in the step C is a sterilization step. At this time, for example, the pressure is 3.2 (kg / c
m ² ), the temperature reaches 135 ° C. At this time, since the snap fit is formed of a shape memory resin whose shape changes at 120 ° C., the snap fit 24 comes off immediately before the sterilization process C is started, and as shown in FIG. 22 is opened, and the curved portion 5 is exposed, so that the sterilizing gas spreads to every corner. Then, after completion of the sterilization process C, when the temperature falls below 120 ° C., the shape returns to the state shown in FIG. Subsequent steps D to J are steps of discharging sterilizing gas while repeating pressurization and decompression. Then, the temperature of the apparatus is lowered by the K step, and the endoscope 1 is cooled. Then, the endoscope 1 that has been sufficiently cooled is taken out, and the autoclave ends. In the above-mentioned process, the temperature was set to 120.
The temperature is higher than or equal to the temperature only in the sterilization step C and before and after.

According to the first embodiment, it is possible to prevent the rupture of the curved portion in the negative pressure step, and to provide a curved portion protective body having a high sterilizing effect and sufficient sterilizing gas distribution during sterilization.

FIG. 5 is a front view of a bending portion protection body in which an endoscope is inserted according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Since the second embodiment has substantially the same configuration as the first embodiment, only the differences will be described.

The bending portion protection body 29 is formed of a shape memory alloy into a plate shape with the locking pin 18 attached to the lower end surface near the side. At 120 ° C. or lower, it is in a roll shape, but at 120 ° C. or higher, it is configured to deform into a flat shape.

The operation of the second embodiment constructed as described above is almost the same as that of the first embodiment, except that the curved portion protective body 29, which has been in a roll shape, changes to a flat plate shape due to a temperature change. Is different.

In the second embodiment, the same effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a bending portion protector provided with an endoscope according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Since the third embodiment has substantially the same configuration as the first and second embodiments, only the differences will be described.

As shown in the figure, the endoscope 1 is fixed to the container 11 with the position of the bending portion 5 determined by a scope fixing tool 31 so as not to move in the axial direction. On the other hand, a cylindrical protective body 33 is attached from the inner surface of the side wall of the container 11 via a temperature-sensitive spring 32 which has a characteristic of contracting at 120 ° C. or higher and expanding at 120 ° C. or lower.

The operation of the third embodiment constructed as described above is almost the same as that of the first and second embodiments, except that the temperature of the curved portion 5 is covered with the protective member when the negative pressure is at room temperature. The difference is that the temperature-sensitive spring 32 expands, while the temperature-sensitive spring 32 contracts to expose the curved portion 5 during high-temperature sterilization.

The effects of the third embodiment are similar to those of the first and second embodiments.

FIG. 7 relates to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and is a perspective view of a curved portion protection body through which an endoscope is inserted and A-A in the perspective view.
It is A sectional drawing. Since the fourth embodiment has substantially the same configuration as the first to third embodiments, only the differences will be described.

The curved portion protector 35 of the fourth embodiment has a cylindrical shape in which the side surface 35a is formed in a strip shape in the axial direction by a shape memory alloy. However, the front end 35b and the rear end 35c of the protective body are not in the shape of a strip but in the shape of a ring.

The operation of the fourth embodiment constructed as described above is almost the same as that of the first to third embodiments.
At the time of the high temperature in the sterilization process, the swelling like a barrel is different as shown in FIG. 7 (B). At this time, as shown in the AA cross-sectional view, a gap is formed between the bending portion protection body 35 and the bending portion 5 so that the sterilizing gas can be distributed.

The effect of the fourth embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment.
To the third embodiment.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may be operated so as to be moved from outside the sterilizer tray by a mechanism such as a plunger. Further, the deformation temperature of the shape memory material is not limited to 120 ° C., and may be set to a temperature at which the protection effect and the sterilization effect of the curved portion can be obtained most effectively.

When an endoscope having a flexible insertion portion is to be inserted into the body, particularly into the lower digestive tract, it is often difficult to insert the endoscope due to the shape and softness of the large intestine. For this reason, the flexibility and resilience of the insertion portion greatly affect the insertion performance.

In general, the degree of flexibility is expressed by words such as hard and soft, while the elasticity indicates the property of the pipe returning after bending to a good or bad property. ing.

When the insertion portion of such an endoscope is hard,
Since the insertion portion cannot follow the traveling direction of the distal bending portion well and moves while maintaining its shape when pushed in, it may cause pain to the patient, for example, by pushing the tube wall.

On the other hand, when the insertion portion of the endoscope is soft,
Although it is possible to follow the traveling direction of the tip bending portion well, when the elasticity is low, it bends like a string is pushed, and the pushing force is not transmitted well.

As a result, an endoscope having a high elasticity and a soft insertion portion is desirable, and various proposals have been made to realize this.

However, even if it is soft due to high ammunition, it is not specified by a specific numerical value, but is merely a sensory comparison, so that an endoscope with good insertability is reproduced. It was difficult.

The means for solving this difficulty will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a side view showing a state in which the rheometer measures the amount of flexibility and the coefficient of elasticity of the insertion portion of the endoscope.

The endoscope 1 is placed on the measuring table 41 and the insertion section 3
On the span table 43 of the rheometer 42.
And so as to sandwich the insertion portion 3 by the load cell pole tip 45 and the lower end of the push rod 44 which extends downward and the span stage 43. At this time, the span of the span base 43 is determined by the outer diameter of the insertion portion 3, for example, 100 m for φ7 mm or less.
m, 150 mm for φ10 mm or less, and 200 mm for φ10 mm or more. The span table 43 is an elevator 4
6, the amount of movement at that time differs depending on the outer diameter of the insertion portion as in the case of the span.
25mm below, 35mm below φ10mm, φ10
If it is not less than mm, it is 50 mm. Then, the amount of pushing force at that time is measured by the span table 43.

FIG. 10 shows the relationship between the amount of pushing and the amount of pushing force. a is the amount of movement in the ascending section of the span table, b is the amount of movement in the descending section, and c is the stop section at the time of maximum ascent. d is the residual deflection amount of the insertion portion when the span table returns to its original position.

The amount of flexibility is represented by the maximum amount of pushing force as indicated by p in the figure, while the coefficient of restitution is the area ratio between the hatched portion S and the reference triangle S0 surrounded by the dotted line, and S / S0
It is represented by

As described above, the measuring method is defined, and the flexural strength and the resilience coefficient of the measured insertion portion are defined to be 600 g or less and 0.9 or more, respectively. An endoscope having a low vitality and a high coefficient of restitution can be provided.

The endoscope may be a videoscope or a fiberscope. In addition, CF (flexible colonoscope)
It is needless to say that the present invention can be applied not only to the upper gastrointestinal tract but also to the upper gastrointestinal tract, small-diameter BF (flexible bronchoscope), CHF (flexible cholangioscope) and the like.

The above-described measuring method can be used not only for measuring the endoscope but also for measuring a single flexible tube. In this case, since the flexible tube alone has no visceral material compared to the insertion portion, the flexibility is reduced by about 100 g, and the coefficient of restitution is increased by about 0.1. The flexibility strength and the coefficient of elasticity are specified to be 500 g or less and 1.0 or more, respectively.

When the amount of flexibility and the coefficient of resilience are determined by using the above-described measuring method, the flexibility is good and the followability is good. It is possible to stably supply an endoscope having a good insertion portion with less variation, and to eliminate defective products. According to the endoscope having such quality control, since it is not necessary to strongly press the wall of the tube such as the large intestine, the pain to the patient can be reduced.

By the way, among the small diameter fiberscopes,
Those having a diameter of 5 mm or less have a small diameter, so that the elementary wire of the IG (image guide) is as thin as 6 μm. When the IG is lengthened, the red wavelength tends to deteriorate. For this reason, such a small diameter I
The optical image transmitted by G becomes a bluish image, and the color reproducibility deteriorates.

In the case of such a small-diameter scope of φ5 mm or less, instead of using an optical system based on IG or the like,
A CCD having a pixel size of about 5 μm is installed at the tip of the insertion section or the like, and an optical image is photoelectrically converted by the CCD. By using a video scope for observation through a monitor or the like, it is possible to obtain a scope in which an image is not deteriorated even when the insertion portion becomes long.

By the way, the endoscope 1 is provided with the forceps channel 7 for treatment as described above. As shown in FIG. 11, the channel 7 has a laser probe 51 or an EHL (not shown). It may be used by inserting a lithotripter (equipment that breaks calculi in the body by shock waves and discharge). As described above, when the laser is irradiated by the laser probe 51 using the laser device 52, a large amount of light enters the CCD (see FIG. 12) 65 provided at the distal end portion 4 of the endoscope 1. Because
A luminance signal obtained from the CCD 65 is processed by a signal processing circuit 57 provided in the video controller 54, and based on an output from the signal processing circuit 57, an automatic light amount control circuit 56 is provided in the light source device 53. The aperture 61 is squeezed. In this way, the automatic light control is effective in response to the light at the time of the laser irradiation, and the image may be temporarily darkened.

In some cases, a xenon lamp or a halogen lamp is used as the light source 63 of the light source device 53. In such a case, the color reproducibility of the obtained image may vary depending on the type of the light source 63. .

Further, the vocal cords and the like observed with a flexible laryngoscope are difficult to obtain a restrained image due to repeated small vibrations. When a lesion such as a vocal fold polyp is observed, a blurred image is obtained. FIG. 12 shows a means for solving such a problem. When the switch of the laser device 52 is turned on, the laser device 5
2 is output. This signal is input to an automatic light amount control circuit 57 provided in the video controller 54. Based on the input signal, the automatic light amount control circuit 56 locks the dimming so that the diaphragm 61 maintains the previous state. I tried to.

When, for example, xenon and halogen are used as the light source 63 of the light source device 53, either one is selected as a light source by a xenon / halogen switch 66 provided on the exterior of the video controller 54, and this selection is made. A light source selection signal indicating which of the light sources has been output is output. The output light source selection signal is input to the signal processing circuit 57, and based on this, the signal processing circuit 57 outputs the image signal output from the CCD 65 to the light source 63.
Is corrected so as to obtain the optimum color reproduction according to the type of. Then, the corrected image signal is output to the monitor 55 via the memory 58 so that an image having an optimal color balance can be observed.

Further, between the diaphragm 61 and the light source 63, there is provided a strobe filter 62 which alternately repeats a light blocking state and a light passing state by rotation as shown in FIG. When turned on, the strobe filter 62 rotates. The rotation speed of the flash filter 62 can be freely adjusted by a flash switch 67. By using such a strobe light source and illuminating the strobe filter 62 so that the rotation speed of the strobe filter 62 matches minute vibration of the observation object (such as a vocal cord), an observation image that repeats periodic oscillations appears to be stationary. Configured.

[0055]

As described above, according to the curved portion protective body of the present invention, the sterilizing effect can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIGS. 1 to 4 and 8 relate to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a bending portion protection body.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a container into which an endoscope is placed during autoclaving.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a side surface of the container shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state where an endoscope is placed in the container shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a front view of a bending portion protection body in which an endoscope is inserted according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a bending portion protection body provided with an endoscope according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 relates to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and is a perspective view of a bending portion protection body through which an endoscope is inserted and a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in this perspective view.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing changes in temperature and pressure with time during autoclave.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing a state in which the rheometer measures the amount of flexibility and the coefficient of elasticity of the insertion portion of the endoscope.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a relationship between a pushing amount and a pushing force measured by the rheometer of FIG. 10;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a laser device and an endoscope device.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of the endoscope apparatus shown in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a light source and a strobe filter.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Endoscope 3 ... Insertion part 5 ... Bending part 16, 29, 33, 35 ... Bending part protection body

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-56-132929 (JP, A) JP-A-56-132930 (JP, A) JP-A-3-193022 (JP, A) 105101 (JP, U) Fully open sho 59-169801 (JP, U) Fully open sho 59-30201 (JP, U) Fully open sho 59-182301 (JP, U) (58) Field surveyed (Int. ⁷ , DB name) A61B 1/00-1/32 G02B 23/24

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A bending part protector attached to an endoscope bending part to protect the bending part of the endoscope during sterilization of the endoscope including a negative pressure step, wherein the negative pressure step includes A bending portion protector provided with means for protecting the outer circumference of the bending portion, and otherwise deforming and moving so as to expose part or all of the outer circumference of the bending portion.