JPH0252653A - Method and device for treatment of medical treatment waste - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the infection of pathogenic bacterial to the outside by forming a hermetic state in a disintegrating chamber, fine cutting chamber and heating chamber and maintaining the temps. in the respective chambers so that dry heat sterilization is effected in disintegrating, fine cutting, drying, and heating. CONSTITUTION:After medical treatment waste is supplied into the disintegrating chamber 16, high-temp. air is introduced from a heating means 26 into the chamber to maintain the temp. in the chamber at a desired temp. by which the waste is so disintegrated as to attain a dispersed state. Tie waste is cut to fine pieces in the fine cutting chamber 30 and the cut pieces are repeatedly moved axially while the cut pieces are agitated by an agitator 48 in the heating chamber 46. The finely cut pieces are stagnated for the desired time in the heating chamber 46 by which the dry heat sterilization treatment of the finely cut pieces is executed. The treated and finely cut pieces from the heating chamber 46 are in succession housed into a container 58 and the container is ejected after the container is hermetically closed by a cap. Since the waste is brought into constant contact with the high-temp. air in the respective processes formed to the airtight state, the heating up of the medical treatment waste is surely executed and the sufficient dry heat sterilization by drying and heating is effected.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for treating medical waste.

[Conventional technology] Hospitals and other facilities generate various kinds of medical waste, including used injection needles, syringes, blood collection tubes, scalpels with disposable blades, urine collection bags, artificial kidney dialysis machines, and artificial heart-lung machines. etc. are disposed of in paper bags or plastic containers with double layers of plastic bags. The above-mentioned medical waste is contaminated with pathogenic bacteria, and in particular, equipment used for treating diseases such as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and hepatitis B has an extremely high possibility of infection due to the above-mentioned contamination. Conventionally, as a method of processing medical waste,
Incineration methods, which are considered part of flame sterilization methods, high-pressure steam sterilization methods, dry heat sterilization methods, and sterilization methods using disinfectants are used. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 55-78966 discloses a method of pulverizing medical waste and sterilizing it with dry heat.

[Problem N to be Solved by the Invention] However, the above-mentioned conventional medical waste treatment method and apparatus have the following problems. In other words, in the incineration method, when medical waste made of plastic is incinerated, hydrogen chloride gas is generated, corroding and damaging the metal parts of the incinerator, and causing harmful gases and dust to spread into the surrounding environment. There was a problem. Japanese Patent Publication No. 55-78966
In the treatment method described in the publication, dry heat sterilization is not performed in the medical waste input section and the crushing section, which causes contamination of the above areas and the surrounding areas, causing microorganisms to proliferate and becoming a source of infection. It will encourage this. Furthermore, when dry heat sterilizing the pulverized material using a conveyor device equipped with a band heater, when the pulverized medical waste containing a large amount of water is transferred through the conveyor device, moisture is induced from inside the conveyor device. Since there is insufficient dry heat sterilization, sufficient dry heat sterilization is not performed. The present invention solves such conventional problems, and dry heat sterilization is also performed in the medical waste crushing room and shredding room. The object of the present invention is to provide an excellent method for treating medical waste that is sterilized and an apparatus therefor.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a first step of receiving medical waste, and after opening the door of the crushing chamber and receiving the medical waste, the above-mentioned step. a second step of automatically closing the door; a third step of operating a heating means in the shredding chamber to maintain the temperature in the shredding chamber at a constant temperature, shredding the medical waste and moving it to the shredding chamber; A fourth step in which the heating means is operated in the shredding chamber to maintain the temperature in the shredding chamber at a constant temperature, and the medical waste is shredded and placed in the heating chamber; , a fifth step in which the temperature in the heat chamber is maintained at a constant temperature, the fine pieces are dried by stirring, heated, and sterilized, and then transferred to a container; and a sixth step in which the treated fine pieces are stored in a container and carried out. It was made so that it would become so.

[Function] The present invention has the following effects due to the above configuration. In other words, medical waste discharged from hospitals, etc. is supplied from the movable base plate to the open screen of the crushing room, and then
The above-mentioned door is automatically closed to form an airtight state, and high-temperature air is introduced from the heating means to maintain the room temperature at the desired temperature. If the above-mentioned medical waste is stored in bags etc. Break up the bags and crush them until they are sufficiently dispersed. Then, it is shredded into small pieces in the shredding chamber, and the fine pieces are supplied to the heating chamber. In the heating chamber, the pieces are repeatedly moved in the axial direction while being stirred by a stirring tool, so that the fine pieces are placed in the heating chamber as desired. The fragments are allowed to stay for a period of time to undergo dry heat sterilization, and then the treated fragments from the heating chamber are placed in a container, the lid of which is sealed, and then transported out. During each process in which medical waste is sequentially transferred to the airtight crushing chamber, shredding chamber, and heating chamber, it is constantly brought into contact with high-temperature air etc. from the heating means in each chamber, so that medical waste is The heating can be reliably carried out, and sufficient dry heat sterilization can be performed by drying and heating.

The medical waste discharged outside the system is thus virtually safe to handle.

[Embodiment] FIG. 1 shows an overall configuration diagram of a medical waste processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 10 indicates a receiving means, which includes a movable base plate 11 that swings around a support shaft 14, and the movable base plate 11 is swung by the reciprocating motion of the pressure cylinder 12. When the medical waste contained in bags is placed on the movable base plate ll and a predetermined amount is loaded, a detection means (not shown)
It is detected that the loading state has been reached, and the first step of accepting medical waste is completed. No. 1 indicates a crushing chamber, and a rotating body 22 with a crushing tool 24 attached is provided in the center thereof, and is rotated in the direction of the arrow. The front of the crushing chamber 16 is equipped with a folding screen 18 that can be opened and closed around a support shaft 20, and when closed, an airtight material (not shown) is installed in the gap between the door 18 and the front edge to make the inside of the crushing chamber 16 airtight. It is formed into a state. The inner wall of the crushing chamber 16 is provided with a heating means 26, for example, an injection pipe having a large number of nozzles, into which high temperature air generated from a heat generating device 60 is introduced. The high-temperature air is introduced into the rotary body 22 after the second step of opening the Ji 18, operating the receiving means IO, receiving it into the crushing chamber 16, and then closing the door 18 to form an airtight state. This is done before the start of operation. In this way, the indoor temperature in the crushing chamber 16 is maintained at a desired temperature, and the rotating body 22 starts operating, and if the medical waste is stored in bags, the bags are torn. Then, the particles are crushed to a sufficiently dispersed state, and passed through the moving passage 28 at the bottom of the crushing chamber 16 to complete the third step.

Reference numeral 30 indicates a shredding chamber, which is disposed below the crushing chamber 16. A rotary body 32 with a rotary blade 34 attached is provided in the center, and fixed blades 36 are installed on both sides of the rotary body 32 for shredding. It is fixedly attached to the casing 35 of the chamber 30. A porous screen 38 having a large number of openings is attached below the rotary body 32 along the raceway surface of the tip of the rotary blade 34. A heating means 40 is provided in the upper part of the shredding chamber 30, and high temperature air is introduced into the shredding chamber 30. When the heating means 26 starts operating, the heating means 40 starts operating, and then the rotating body 32 rotates in the direction of the arrow, and the dispersed medical waste is sheared between the rotating blade 34 and the fixed blade 36. The fine pieces that are shredded under the force and passed through the porous screen 38 to a size smaller than the aperture size of the porous screen 38 pass through the moving passage 42 at the bottom of the shredding chamber 30 while being accompanied by an increase in temperature. The fourth step is completed. 46 indicates a heating chamber, which is disposed below the shredding chamber 30, and a stirring tool 4 in the center.
A rotary body 49 with a rotor 6 attached thereto is provided, and the rotary body 49 is rotated in forward and reverse directions by a drive device 51. by this,
It is possible to make the residence time of the fine pieces in the heating chamber sufficiently long. A heating means 50 is provided in the upper part of the heating chamber 46,
High-temperature air is introduced into the heating chamber 46 to maintain the indoor temperature, and heat exchange is performed by direct contact with the small pieces to dry moisture and heat the air to raise the temperature to a desired temperature for dry heat sterilization. Ru.

From the exhaust port 52 provided at the top of the heating chamber 46, the evaporated water is discharged together with air to the outside of the system through a special filter.
This prevents contamination sources from diffusing into the air and prevents excessive steam from stagnation within the heating chamber 46. By draining condensed water in the heating chamber 46 from a discharge pipe 54 provided at the bottom of the heater 46, water is prevented from adhering to the treated fragments and being discharged. The rotary body 49 in the heating chamber 46 is moved by the movement of the stirring tool 46 to increase the space in which the small pieces come in contact with the air. After being heated, it passes through the moving passage 55 at the bottom of the heating chamber 46, and the fifth step is completed.

Reference numeral 58 indicates a container, which is installed below the heating chamber 46 via a valve 56, and the valve 56 is closed until the end of the first to fifth processes, and the fine pieces are removed before the end of the fifth process. After the temperature is raised to a desired temperature and the sterilization process is completed, the container 58 is opened and the treated fragments are stored in the container 58.

At this time, the air inside the container 58 is transferred to the discharge pipe 54 along with the steam.
Since the vapor is discharged from the container 58, condensation of the vapor within the container 58 is substantially prevented. Thus, the sixth step is completed by storing the treated fragments in the container 58 and transporting them for post-processing, thus completing the operating cycle. Subsequently, a new container 58 is installed below the heating chamber 46 via the valve 56, and the process is repeated for the next eight operation cycles.

Furthermore, the processing device is provided with a cleaning function to remove internal dirt as necessary. That is, cleaning water containing a surfactant, which is a cleaning liquid from the cleaning unit 62, high-purity water, and disinfectant are sequentially supplied to the crushing chamber 16, the shredding chamber 30, and the heating chamber 46 by switching the opening and closing of the valves to the heating means 26. The contaminants are ejected using the .40 and .50 ejection pipes, and the contaminants are discharged out of the system from the ejection pipe 54 of the heating chamber 46, completing the cleaning of the inside of the processing apparatus.

Since the operation of the processing apparatus described above can be performed automatically, infection of the human body by medical waste can be prevented. Although high-temperature air was used as a heating medium in the above embodiment, superheated steam can also be used, reducing the amount of steam consumed, downsizing the heat generating device 60, and reducing the amount of condensed water generated in the heating chamber 46. can be reduced.

Furthermore, by using microwave heating as a heating means, the heating environment can be made clean, and
Temperature control to a desired temperature can be easily performed.

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the above embodiments, the present invention allows medical waste to be crushed and shredded by forming an airtight state in the crushing chamber, shredding chamber, and heating chamber and maintaining the temperature in each room. Since dry heat sterilization is performed by cutting, drying, and heating, it is possible to prevent the infection of pathogenic bacteria to the outside, and the sterilized fragments can be handled in a landfill under the light inside the container. It has the following effects.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a medical waste processing apparatus according to the present invention.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A first step of accepting medical waste, a second step of opening the door of the shredding chamber and automatically closing the door after receiving the medical waste, and operating a heating means inside the shredding chamber. a third step in which the temperature in the shredding chamber is maintained at a constant temperature, and the medical waste is shredded and transferred to the shredding chamber; and a heating means is operated in the shredding chamber to maintain the temperature in the shredding chamber at a constant temperature. a fourth step in which the medical waste is held and shredded and moved to a heating chamber; a heating means is operated in the heating chamber to maintain the temperature in the heating chamber at a constant temperature; the fine pieces are dried by stirring, and sterilized by heating. A method for disposing of medical waste, comprising a fifth step of moving the treated fragments into a container, and a sixth step of storing the treated fragments in a container and carrying them out. (2) receiving means for receiving medical waste onto a movable base plate;
A door of the crushing chamber is provided with an opening/closing means that cooperates with the receiving means, a heating means is provided in the crushing chamber, a rotating body is provided with a crushing tool attached thereto, and the crushing chamber has a movement path to the shredding chamber. A shredding chamber, a shredding chamber having a heating means in the shredding chamber, a rotary body with a rotary blade attached thereto and a fixed blade, a shredding chamber having a passage for moving to the heating chamber, and a heating means in the heating chamber;
It is characterized by having a heating chamber equipped with a rotating body to which a stirring tool is attached and rotates in forward and reverse directions, and having a means for transferring to a container, and a container for accommodating and carrying out the treated fragments from the heating chamber. medical waste processing equipment.