JPH0751227A - Endoscope washing and disinfecting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To realize the sure checking of a leak place without misjudging an air attachment type bubble as a bubble leaking out of the leak place by providing a means that conducts water supply to the inside of the channel of an endoscope at the initial period when a leak detection processing process starts. CONSTITUTION:A water supply tank 5 and a first disinfectant solution tank 6 are assembled into a device main body 1, and a second disinfectant solution tank 11 is connected to the upper part of the water supply tank 5. A device- inside injection opening 14 and an air removal opening 15 are formed on the upper surface of a stand portion 13 in the inside of a processing tank 2, and also two wash supply pipes, 21, 22 are connected to the bottom portion of the water supply tank 5, and communicate with a washing nozzle 23 and a channel water supply metallic cap 24 respectively, and to the channel water supply metallic cap 24, a channel water supply tube 26 is attachably/detachably connected, and its other end is connected to the channel metallic cap 27 of an endoscope 3.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an endoscope cleaning / disinfecting apparatus for detecting leakage of an endoscope before cleaning / disinfecting.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, an endoscope cleaning / disinfecting apparatus puts an endoscope in its processing tank to perform cleaning with cleaning water, disinfection with a disinfecting solution, and appropriate rinsing. Therefore, if the watertight state of the endoscope is not ensured, liquid may enter the inside of the endoscope during the processing and damage the endoscope.

In order to prevent the endoscope from being washed and disinfected before the watertightness of the endoscope is ensured, conventionally, a so-called leak detection step of detecting a leaked state is provided. An endoscope cleaning and disinfecting device has been commercialized. In this leak detection method, while the inside of the endoscope is pressurized with air, the endoscope is immersed in the water in the treatment tank, and if there is a hole such as a break in the outer skin of the endoscope, A general method is to visually confirm and check that air leaking from the leaking point becomes air bubbles and is released.

[0004]

However, in this leak detection step, the surface of the endoscope (including the inside of the channel for inserting the treatment instrument) adheres in the process of immersing the endoscope in the water in the treatment tank. In many cases, air is attached as air bubbles. However, there are cases where it is difficult to distinguish between the bubbles adhering to the surface and the bubbles caused by the air leaking from the leaking point. In particular, since it is not possible to determine the type of bubbles on the surface inside the treatment instrument insertion channel, it is determined whether the bubbles leak from the leaking point by the user or the adhered bubbles remaining on the surface in the process of dipping the endoscope. The distinction cannot be directly visually confirmed. In other words, there is a risk that the air-adhesive bubbles generated in the process of immersing the endoscope in the water in the treatment tank may be mistaken for the bubbles leaking from the leaking point, or vice versa, and the determination may be mistaken. .

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to prevent air-adhered bubbles from being leaked, particularly when air bubbles are generated in the process of immersing the endoscope in the liquid in the treatment tank. An object of the present invention is to provide an endoscope cleaning / disinfecting apparatus capable of surely checking a leaked portion without making a mistaken determination as a leaking bubble.

[0006]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention detects the leakage of an endoscope having a channel before a cleaning / disinfecting treatment step, and therefore, the inside of the endoscope is detected. In the endoscope cleaning and disinfecting apparatus, the leakage detection processing step is started by pressurizing the endoscope and immersing the endoscope in a liquid, and performing a leakage detection processing step for checking air bubbles leaking from the endoscope. Initially, means for supplying water was provided in the channel of the endoscope. For this reason, it is possible to reliably check the leaked point without making a mistaken determination that the air-attached type bubble generated in the process of immersing the endoscope in the liquid in the treatment tank is the bubble leaking from the leaked point. it can.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An endoscope cleaning / disinfecting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 schematically shows the endoscope cleaning / disinfecting apparatus,
In the figure, 1 is an apparatus main body, and 2 is a processing tank (so-called cleaning tank) provided in the apparatus main body. A rack 4 on which an endoscope 3 to be cleaned and disinfected is placed is detachably provided inside the processing tank 2.

Further, a water supply tank 5 and a first disinfectant solution tank 6 are incorporated in the apparatus main body 1, and a replenishment line having a water supply valve 7 inserted in the middle thereof is provided above the water supply tank 5. 8 is connected. The supply line 8 is connected to a water tap not shown. At the upper part of the water supply tank 5, the second disinfectant solution tank 1 also incorporated in the apparatus main body 1 is provided.
1 is connected via a solenoid valve 12. The second disinfectant solution tank 11 stores a concentrated type disinfectant solution for water supply system disinfection.

Inside the processing tank 2, a table portion 13 which is sufficiently higher than the above portion is formed in a side portion of the processing tank 2 while avoiding a portion where the endoscope 3 is installed. Is provided with an in-apparatus inlet 14 and an air vent 15.
The in-apparatus injection port 14 is used to inject the disinfectant solution into the water supply tank 5 from this. The in-apparatus inlet 14 is normally closed by a first cap 16.

The air vent port 15 is for venting air from the water supply tank 5.
As shown in FIG. 2, a second cap 17 is removably screwed to the member 5. The second cap 17 has a leak hole 18 through which air is removed from the water supply tank 5. The leak hole 18 has a diameter as small as possible in order to prevent the inflow of dirt. It should be noted that such an air bleeding structure is preferably provided in each of the pipe lines in order to smoothly flow the liquid in each part.

Two cleaning liquid supply pipes 21 and 22 are connected to the bottom of the water supply tank 5, and one cleaning liquid supply pipe 21 communicates with a cleaning nozzle 23 provided in the processing tank 2.
The other cleaning liquid supply pipe 22 communicates with a channel water supply mouthpiece 24 provided on a side wall of the processing tank 2. The washing water is supplied from the water supply tank 5 to the washing liquid supply pipes 21 and 22 simultaneously by operating the washing pump 25.
A water supply tube 26 is detachably connected to the channel water supply mouthpiece 24. The other end of the water supply tube 26 is detachably connected to the channel base 27 of the endoscope 3.

On the other hand, at the bottom of the first disinfectant solution tank 6,
Two disinfectant solution supply pipes 31 and 32 are connected, one disinfectant solution supply pipe 31 communicates with the inside of the processing tank 2, and the other disinfectant solution supply pipe 32 is used for channel water supply in parallel with the cleaning solution supply pipe 22. It is connected to the base 24. Then, the supply of the disinfectant solution from the first disinfectant solution tank 6 to the respective disinfectant solution supply pipes 31 and 32 is simultaneously performed by operating the disinfectant solution pump 33.

On the side wall of the processing tank 2, the apparatus main body 1 is provided.
A pressurized air supply port 35 communicating with an air pump 34 incorporated therein is provided. An endoscope pressing tube 36 is detachably connected to the pressurized air supply port 35. The other end of the pressurizing tube 36 is detachably connected to a ventilation mouthpiece 38 provided in the light guide cable connector 37 of the endoscope 3.

A disinfectant recovery port and a discharge port are provided at the bottom of the processing tank 2, and a disinfectant recovery conduit 42 is connected to the disinfectant recovery port via a disinfectant recovery electromagnetic valve 41. . The other end of the disinfectant solution collecting line 42 is connected to the upper part of the first disinfectant solution tank 6. Further, a discharge pipe line 44 is connected to the discharge port via a discharge solenoid valve 43. A discharge pump 45 is inserted in the middle of the discharge pipeline 44.

On the other hand, FIG. 3 shows a concrete example of the rack 4 in which the endoscope 3 is installed in the processing tank 2. That is, rack 4
Is composed of a lower stage 46 made of this grid-like wire and an upper stage 47 made of parallel wires having a wide pitch. The wire may be made of metal or synthetic resin.
The endoscope 3 is usually supported by the wire of the upper stage 47.

Generally, the smaller the contact area between the endoscope 3 and the rack 4, that is, the coarser the wire pitch, the higher the cleaning / disinfecting level. However, if the pitch is rough, the endoscope 3
There is a case where the tip end of the rack falls off the rack 4 and is damaged. In the structure of the rack 4, since the wire of the upper stage 47 is mainly in contact with the endoscope 3, the contact area is the minimum, and the wire of the lower stage 46 catches against an accidental drop. It is prevented from falling.

The number of racks 4 is not two but three.
It may be more than a step. As for the shape, various shapes are conceivable, and for example, the shape shown in FIG. 4 may be used. This is because the amount of water for water leak detection and the disinfectant solution accumulated in the treatment tank 2 is small, and in order to utilize them effectively, a raised base portion 48 is formed in the center of the treatment tank 2. As shown in FIG. 4, the endoscope 3 is rolled and placed on a ring-shaped rack 4 arranged around the raised table portion 48. The rack 4 includes a lower stage 46 made of the lattice-shaped wires,
On the other hand, the upper stage 47 is made of radial wires having a wide pitch.

Next, the operation of each step of this endoscope cleaning / disinfecting apparatus will be described. <In-apparatus disinfection process> When the endoscope cleaning / disinfecting device is used at the beginning of the day, this in-device disinfection process is performed in order to remove bacteria that have propagated in the water supply pipe system including the water supply tank 5 at night. To do. The procedure is shown in the chart shown in FIG. When an operation start operation button (not shown) is pressed, an operation of discharging the water remaining (adhered) to the inside of the pipe or the water tank 5 from the previous day, that is, the accumulated water removing operation is performed. That is, the water supply valve 7 and the discharge electromagnetic valve 43 are opened, and the cleaning pump 25 and the discharge pump 45 are kept for a predetermined time.
Activate. As a result, fresh tap water is supplied to the water supply tank 5 through the supply pipe 8, passes through the cleaning liquid supply pipes 21 and 22 from the water supply tank 5, flows into the processing tank 2, and further through the discharge pipe 44 to the outside. Is discharged to. That is, the accumulated water in the water supply system is wiped out (the operation is similar to the cleaning step described later).

Next, with the water supply valve 7 closed,
By operating the pumps, the inside of the water supply tank 5 is emptied to perform the drainage operation in the water supply tank. Here, a time period is set to allow the disinfectant solution to be received for a fixed time D. That is, within the predetermined time D, the user inserts the injection port 1
Determine from step 4 whether or not the disinfectant has been added. And
The user himself removes the cap 16, and the injection port 1 inside the device
When 4 is opened and a specific disinfectant solution is injected, the subsequent steps are performed with the disinfectant solution. On the other hand, if the liquid is not supplied within the fixed time D, by opening the solenoid valve 12,
The concentrated type disinfectant solution is automatically supplied from the second disinfectant solution tank 11 into the water supply tank 5. At this time, the water supply valve 7 is opened and the tap water flows into the water supply tank 5, and the disinfecting liquid is diluted into a practical liquid, and the liquid is used for the subsequent steps.

In the subsequent steps, the cleaning pump 25 is used again.
Operates to send the disinfecting liquid in the water supply tank 5 to each pipe in the apparatus. At this time, the water supply valve 7 is closed. In addition, intermittent operation is performed to ensure the effective disinfection time (the contact time between the disinfectant solution and the wall surface of the pipeline). For example, run for 10 seconds, 6
Stop for 0 seconds. This intermittent operation cycle is continued until the disinfectant solution in the water supply tank 5 becomes empty. After that, the water supply valve 7
Open and supply tap water to rinse those water lines (this is a similar operation to the cleaning process).

Here, as the liquid in the second disinfecting tank 11, amphoteric soap, reverse soap, chlorine-based disinfecting liquid and other inexpensive ones are used. Unless infectious bacteria with strong resistance to disinfectant are present in tap water, disinfection with these solutions will keep the inside of the equipment clean every morning. On the other hand, if the inside of the device is already contaminated, it is necessary to use a strong disinfectant such as glutaral based on a special case. In that case, use an appropriate disinfectant supplied from the above-mentioned in-device inlet 14. I hope to do it.

Further, an air vent pipe is provided in each part of the pipe to smooth the flow of the liquid. The user disinfects by pouring the disinfectant solution through the openings of these conduits. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the air vent port 15 of the water supply tank 5 is opened as a leak hole 18 which is as small as possible in order to prevent the backflow of dirt, but by removing the removable cap 17, the opening is opened. Enlarged to facilitate injection.

<Leakage Detecting Step> A pressurizing tube 36 is connected to the pressurizing air supply port 35 of the processing tank 2, and the other end of the pressurizing tube 36 is connected to the vent mouth ring 38 of the endoscope 3.
Then, when a leak detection operation button (not shown) is pressed, first, the air pump 34 operates to pressurize the inside of the endoscope 3 through the pressurized air supply port 35. At the same time, the cleaning pump 25 is operated with the solenoid valves 41 and 43 closed. As a result, water is stored in the processing tank 2 and the endoscope 3 is immersed in the water. On the other hand, since the liquid is also sent into the channel of the endoscope 3, the bubbles adhering to the inner wall of the channel are washed away and removed. After reaching the immersion water level, the cleaning pump 25 is stopped, and at this point, the user visually confirms that the air leaking from the leaking point is released as air bubbles and floats up to check. That is,
Since the air pump 34 is still in operation, when there is a leaked portion, it is possible to visually confirm that bubbles are generated at the relevant portion.

<Cleaning Step> The water supply valve 7 is opened, and tap water is sequentially supplied to the water supply tank 5. The cleaning pump 25 feeds the liquid to the cleaning nozzle 23 and the endoscope channel to clean the outer surface of the endoscope and the inside of the channel. At this time, the solenoid valve 43
Is open and is sequentially drained by the discharge pump 45.

<Disinfection process> By the disinfection pump 33, the first
The disinfectant solution in the disinfectant solution tank 6 is sent to the processing tank 2 and the channel. Since the solenoid valves 41 and 43 are closed, the disinfectant solution is stored in the processing tank 2 and the endoscope 3 is immersed therein. Then, after the completion of the liquid transfer, the immersion disinfection is performed by leaving it for a predetermined time. After the completion, the solenoid valve 41 is opened, and the disinfectant solution is collected in the first disinfectant solution tank 6 by spontaneous fall.

<Rinse Step> In this step, the disinfecting liquid adhering to the endoscope 3 is washed away by the same operation as the above-mentioned cleaning step. After this step is completed, the endoscope 3 is taken out from the processing tank 2, and water is removed and dried if necessary, and then stored in a storage cabinet or the like.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, but various modifications can be made without changing the gist. For example, in the above-described leak detection step, before the water is fed into the channel of the endoscope 3, the air may be once fed to remove the adhering air, and then the water may be fed. By doing so, the adhered air in the channel can be efficiently dropped. As the water supply means, a pipe from the air pump 34 may be provided and connected to the channel water supply mouthpiece 24 side.

[0028]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to remove air adhering to the inside of the channel of the endoscope.
It is possible to reliably check the leaked air visually without error.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an endoscope cleaning / disinfecting apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of an air vent for venting air from the water supply tank in the embodiment.

FIG. 3A is a plan view of a rack on which an endoscope is mounted inside the processing tank in the same embodiment, and FIG. 3B is a view AA in FIG. 3B.
Sectional drawing which follows the line.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a modified example of the rack installed in the processing tank.

FIG. 5 is a chart showing a procedure for carrying out an in-apparatus disinfection step in the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Device main body, 2 ... Processing tank, 3 ... Endoscope, 5 ... Water supply tank, 6 ... 1st disinfecting liquid tank, 7 ... Water supply valve, 8 ... Replenishing pipeline, 21, 22 ... Cleaning liquid supply pipe, 23 … Washing nozzle, 2
4 ... Channel water supply base, 26 ... Water supply tube, 37
… Light guide cable connector, 38… Vent.

Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Mikihiko Nakagawa 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Olympus Optical Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Before the cleaning / disinfecting treatment step, in order to detect the leakage of an endoscope having a channel, the inside of the endoscope is pressurized and the endoscope is immersed in a liquid. In an endoscope cleaning / disinfecting apparatus that performs a leak detection processing step for checking air bubbles leaking from an endoscope, a means for supplying water into the channel of the endoscope is provided at the beginning of the leak detection processing step. An endoscope cleaning and disinfecting device characterized by being provided.