JPH11197092A - Utensil and method for washing endoscope duct - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To house and store a washing utensil for endoscope duct compactly, and also, easily wash the endoscope duct. SOLUTION: This washing utensil 1 is constituted of a plurality of brush parts 2 and a connecting member 3 which connects these brush parts 2. The connecting member 3 is a fiber yard such as nylon, and respective brush parts 2 are freely movable in the vertical and lateral directions facing the advancing direction. The washing utensil 1 is inserted in an endoscope duct, and washing water is press-fed and advanced in the washing utensil 1. At this time, the brush parts 2 of the washing utensil 1 rub with the internal surface of the duct each other, and the internal surface of the duct is brushed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cleaning tool and a cleaning method for various pipes provided inside an endoscope.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Inside an endoscope for observing a digestive organ, a bronchus, a kidney, a bladder, etc. of a human body by an optical method, there are provided a conduit for inserting forceps for removing cell tissues, a body introduction tube ( An air / water supply pipe for supplying cleaning water or air is provided at the tip lens section of the scope section, and it is necessary to clean the inside of these pipes by brushing after using the endoscope. is there.

As shown in FIG. 6, for example, a conventional cleaning tool in an endoscope conduit has a grip portion 102 provided with a flexible shaft portion 100 and a brush portion 101 provided at a tip end of the shaft portion 100. In use, the brush part 101 is inserted from an opening communicating with the endoscope conduit, and the brush part 101 is reciprocated by holding the shaft part 100 to use the inner surface part of the endoscope conduit. Brushing (rubbing).

[0004]

In the above-described conventional cleaning tool, for example, in the case of an endoscope for small intestine, the length of the shaft portion 100 must be increased in accordance with the length of the body introduction tube portion which is several meters. Must. However, when the shaft portion 100 is long as described above, a proper space must be secured when storing and storing the cleaning tool, and it is difficult to store the cleaning tool in the sterilization chamber when sterilizing the cleaning tool. . In addition, if the shaft portion 100 is forcibly rolled and stored for a long period of time, the shaft portion 100 may be bent and the usability may be deteriorated during use. Further, the shaft portion 100
When the length is longer, there is a problem that the production cost becomes higher.

[0005] On the other hand, in the conventional cleaning method, after brushing the inner surface of the endoscope channel with the cleaning tool, cleaning water is poured into the channel to remove the removed matter. In addition, work efficiency is poor because the work is performed manually.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning tool for an endoscope conduit which is simple in construction, can be manufactured at low cost, and can be compactly stored and stored. It is another object of the present invention to provide a method of cleaning an endoscope conduit that can easily and efficiently clean the inside of an endoscope conduit.

[0007]

According to the present invention, there is provided a cleaning tool for brushing the inside of a conduit provided inside an endoscope, wherein the means employed to achieve the above object is the endoscope. A plurality of brush members that can be inserted into the mirror channel are connected by a connecting member so that each brush member can move freely.

The connecting member of the brush member has a degree of freedom such that each brush member can freely move up, down, left and right in the direction of travel of the cleaning tool, and can smoothly pass through the curved portion of the endoscope channel. What is necessary is just to have. According to the embodiment of the present invention, for example, each brush member is connected by a flexible nylon-based fiber yarn material.

The brush member may be any one that can rub against the inner surface of the conduit when moving inside the conduit of the endoscope to remove the deposits on the inner surface, and has a predetermined hardness. Fiber hair material. According to the embodiment of the present invention, the brush member radially sandwiches a bundle of fiber bristle material between two metal torsion core materials (including a twisted ring-shaped core material). The end portion of the torsion core material of each brush member is connected by a flexible thread material.

Further, according to the present invention, by providing a spherical abutting member at a distal end of a brush member provided at a front end portion and / or a rear end portion of the cleaning tool, for example, a curved portion of an endoscope channel is provided. In this case, the direction of the cleaning tool is smoothly changed, and the pressure of the cleaning water is also applied to the abutting member, so that the movement of the cleaning tool is urged.

Since the brush member brushes the inner surface of the conduit while moving inside the endoscope conduit, the outer diameter of the brushing member is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the endoscope conduit.

On the other hand, the present invention relates to a method for cleaning the inside of a conduit provided inside an endoscope by brushing, wherein a plurality of brush members are connected to each brush member by a connecting member inside the endoscope conduit. The cleaning tool is connected so as to be freely movable, the cleaning water is pressure-fed into the endoscope channel, the cleaning tool is moved by the water pressure of the cleaning liquid water, and the brush member is used for the endoscope. It is characterized in that the inner surface of the mirror channel is brushed.

The cleaning tool used in the cleaning method is the above-described cleaning tool of the present invention. After the cleaning tool is inserted from an opening communicating with the endoscope channel, a pressurized water supply device is attached to the opening and cleaning water is pressure-fed into the endoscope channel,
The cleaning tool is advanced along the endoscope channel by the pressure of the cleaning water. The optimum pressure for the washing water is determined in consideration of the diameter of the endoscope tube, the length of the tube, the moving speed of the washing tool, and the like.

[0014]

FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of the present invention. The endoscope channel cleaning tool 1 includes a plurality of brushes 2 and a connecting member 3 for connecting the brushes 2. The connecting member 3 is a flexible thread material, and each brush portion 2 can be freely moved in the up, down, left, and right directions in the traveling direction of the cleaning tool 1.

The brush part 2 has a fiber bristle material 5 of a predetermined hardness such as nylon bundled and sandwiched between twisted core members 4 made of metal such as stainless steel. For example, the wire (for example, the twisted core 4) such as stainless steel is bent, fiber bristle material 5 such as nylon is arranged between the wires, and both ends of the wire are held by special jigs. By twisting the wire a plurality of times in opposite directions to each other, the wire becomes the twisted core material 4,
The fiber bristle material 5 is firmly sandwiched between the twisted core materials 4. In addition, the fiber bristle material 5 spreads radially (or spirally) around the twisted core material 4 to become the brush portion 2 having a shape in which the radial fiber bristle material 5 is superposed in the axial length direction of the twisted core material 4 by several stages. In addition, ring portions 4a for connecting the connecting member 3 without forming the fiber bristle material 5 are formed at both ends of the twisted core material 4.

The outer diameter of the fiber bristle material 5 of the brush portion 2 is selected in consideration of the brushing effect of the endoscope tube to be inserted, the movement efficiency of the washing water due to the water pressure, and the like. Slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the channel (for example, 7
The outer diameter occupies about 0%), so that each brush part 2 moves up and down in the traveling direction, and can move while rubbing against the inner surface of the endoscope channel. The length of the fiber bristle material 5 in the axial direction of each brush portion 2 is selected within a range that does not hinder the passage of the curved portion of the endoscope conduit in consideration of the brushing effect of the endoscope conduit. For example, 5 mm to 10
mm.

A connecting member 3 for connecting the brush portion 2 includes:
Like the fiber bristle material 5, it is a fiber thread such as nylon, and has appropriate strength and flexibility. The connecting members 3 are connected to ring portions 4a formed at both ends of the twisted core member 4 of each of the brush portions 2 to connect the brush portions 2 to each other. The interval between the brush parts 2 (that is, the length of the connecting member 5) is, for example, about 5 mm to 10 mm. The number of the brush parts 2 to be connected is selected in consideration of the length of the endoscope conduit, the conduit shape, the brushing effect, and the like.

FIG. 2 shows an example in which an abutment member (wrap) 6 is connected to a protruding end of a twisted core material 4 of a brush portion 2 provided at both ends of a cleaning tool 1. The head of the striking member 6 is hemispherical,
A ring portion 6a provided on the flat portion 6b on the bottom side;
The protruding end ring portion 4a of the twisted core member 4 is bound by, for example, the above-mentioned nylon fiber yarn. The means for connecting the abutting member 6 and the twisted core member 4 is optional, and a hook-shaped stopper or the like may be used.

By connecting the striking members 6 as described below, when the cleaning tool 1 passes through a particularly curved portion inside the endoscope channel, the spherical head of the striking member 6 is moved. It changes direction smoothly in contact with the curved surface. Further, the water pressure of the cleaning water flowing through the endoscope channel is applied to the bottom flat portion 6b of the abutment member 6 at the forward end of the cleaning device 1, so that the cleaning device 1 is urged to move in the channel. In order to promote such an effect, an abutment member 6 attached to the tip of the cleaning tool 1 in the traveling direction is used.
(The contact area of the bottom flat portion 6b with the cleaning water) may be increased.

The cleaning tool 1 described above is used after auto-cleaning after use.
When performing sterilization, the fiber bristle material 5 of the brush part 2 and the connecting member 3
It is desirable that the constituent members have predetermined heat resistance.

The cleaning tool 1 of the present invention is not limited to the constructions shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and each of the brush parts 2 is composed of a synthetic resin core material such as a commercially available toothbrush and a fiber bristle material. Five bundles may be implanted radially. Also, the connection members 3 may be connected by a hook-shaped stopper with a thin metal sheath, for example.

Next, a method of cleaning the endoscope channel using the cleaning tool 1 shown in FIG. 2 will be described. FIG. 3 shows an arrangement diagram of various conduits provided inside a known endoscope. The endoscope 10 includes an operation unit 11 and a body introduction tube unit 12, and the operation unit 11 includes a light source device (including an imaging device) 13.
And a conduit portion 14 that connects to the main body. Further, a forceps insertion port 15 is provided in the operation unit 11, and a forceps insertion channel 16 is provided from the forceps insertion port 15 to the distal end of the in-vivo introduction tube 12. It can be inserted through the forceps insertion opening 15 to collect cell tissues in the human body.

The operation section 11 is provided with a suction cylinder section 17 and an air / water supply cylinder section 18. As shown in FIG. 4, the suction cylinder 17 has an inlet 17a and an outlet 17b which are opened. When a suction button 19 inserted in the suction cylinder 17 is pressed, the inlet 17a and the suction The outlet 17b is opened and the suction button 19 is opened.
Is released, the suction inlet 17a and the suction outlet 17b are closed (the internal structure of the suction button 19 is omitted).

The air / water supply cylinder 18 has a water supply inlet 18a, a water supply outlet 18b, and an air supply inlet 18a.
c, the air supply outlet 18d is opened, and the air supply inlet 18c and the air supply outlet 18d are opened by pressing the air supply / water supply button 20 inserted into the air supply / water supply cylinder 18 one step, and Pressing down one step opens the water supply inlet 18a and the water supply outlet 18b (the internal structure of the air supply / water supply button 20 is omitted).

The suction inlet 17 of the suction cylinder 17
FIG. 3A shows a first example of the first passage communicating with the forceps insertion conduit 16 as shown in FIG.
The suction pipe 21 is connected, and a second suction pipe 21a that is connected to the suction port 24 of the light source device 13 through the conduit 14 is connected to the suction outlet 17b. Then, when observing the body introduction tube portion 12 by inserting it into the patient's body,
A suction pump (not shown) is connected to the suction port 24, and when necessary, the suction button 19 is pressed to suck out the excretion and the like remaining in the body from the distal end of the forceps insertion channel 16 to the outside.

The water supply outlet 18b and the gas supply outlet 18d of the gas supply / water supply cylinder 18 are provided with a first water supply conduit 23 and a first gas supply conduit 22 extending to the distal end of the body introduction tube 12. The light source device 13 is connected to the water supply inlet 18a and the air supply inlet 18c through the conduit portion 14.
A second water supply pipe line 23a and a second air supply pipe line 22a communicating with the air supply / water supply port 25 are connected to each other. When the body introduction tube 12 is inserted into the patient's body for observation, an air supply / water supply pump is connected to the air supply / water supply port 25 and the body provided at the distal end of the body introduction tube 12 is connected. When contaminants or the like adhere to an observation objective lens (not shown), the air / water button 20 is pressed to send out washing water or air to the front surface of the objective lens to remove the adhered substance.

In some endoscopes, a water jet conduit 26 is provided from the rear end of the operation unit 11 to the distal end of the body introduction tube 12 so that the washing water can be supplied to the distal end of the body introduction tube 12. It squirts into the body from the part to clean the observation site.

In the endoscope as described above, the inside of each conduit must be cleaned after use. One example of the cleaning method of the present invention is as follows. First, when cleaning the above-described forceps insertion conduit 16, first suction conduit 21, and second suction conduit 21 a, after the cleaning tool 1 as shown in FIG. 1 is inserted from the suction port 24 of the light source device 13. A pressurized water supply device 30 (a pressurized syringe is shown in FIG. 3 for convenience, but a pressurized water supply pump may be used, for example) is connected to the suction port 24, and washing water (water Or wash water with enzyme).
At this time, the suction button 19 of the suction cylinder 17 is pressed to open the circuit.

Due to the pressure of the cleaning water, the cleaning tool 1 advances through the second suction pipe 21a as shown in FIG.
Each brush part 2 rubs against the inner surface of the second suction conduit 21a, and the inner surface is brushed. This cleaning tool 1
After the suction pipe 21a has been advanced, if the suction pipe 17 can smoothly pass through the suction cylinder section 17 and move to the first suction pipe 21,
Subsequently, the brushing of the first suction line 21 is performed.
However, when it is difficult for the cleaning tool 1 to pass through the suction cylinder 17, the water supply of the pressurized water supply device 30 is stopped once when the cleaning tool 1 has advanced to the suction outlet 17 b of the suction cylinder 17. Then, the suction button 19 is pulled out of the suction cylinder 17 and the cleaning tool 1 is removed from the suction cylinder 17.
Of the suction inlet 17a
Side.

Thereafter, the suction button 19 is inserted into the suction cylinder 17 to open the circuit, and the water supply by the pressurized water supply device 30 is restarted. Thereby, the cleaning tool 1 is connected to the first suction line 2
1 while brushing, the forceps insertion pipe 1
6 and is discharged from the distal end of the forceps insertion channel 16 while brushing the forceps insertion channel 16.

When the forceps insertion conduit 16 is to be washed alone, the suction cylinder 17 is closed, the cleaning tool 1 is inserted through the forceps insertion port 15, and the forceps insertion port is opened by the pressurized water supply device. The inside of the forceps insertion channel 16 may be brushed with the cleaning tool 1 by pumping the cleaning water from the unit 15.

On the other hand, the first air supply line 22 and the second air supply line 2
When cleaning 2a, the air supply / water supply port 2 of the light source device 13 is used.
5, the cleaning tool 1 is inserted into the second air supply pipe line 22a, and the air supply / water supply button 20 of the air supply / water supply cylinder section 18 is pressed one step to open the air supply inlet section 18c and the air supply outlet section 18d. Then, the cleaning water is pressure-fed from the air / water supply port 25 by the pressurized water supply device 31. As a result, the cleaning tool 1 advances while brushing the inner surface of the second air supply line 22 a by the water pressure of the cleaning water, and is discharged from the distal end of the first air supply line 22 through the air / water supply cylinder 18. The countermeasure for the case where the cleaning tool 1 cannot pass through the air / water supply cylinder 18 is the same as that of the suction cylinder 17 described above.

The first water supply line 23 and the second water supply line 23
When the cleaning tool 1 is washed with the cleaning tool 1, after the cleaning tool 1 is inserted through the second water supply pipe 23a of the air supply / water supply port 25,
In a state where the air / water supply button 20 of the air / water supply cylinder unit 18 is depressed by two steps to open the water supply inlet 18a and the water supply outlet 18b, the cleaning water is pressure-fed from the air supply / water supply unit 25 by the pressurized water supply device 31. . The other points are the same as those in the case where the first air supply line 22 and the second air supply line 22a are washed.

Further, when the water jet pipe 26 is to be cleaned, the water jet port 2 of the operation unit 11 is cleaned.
After the cleaning tool 1 is inserted from 7, cleaning water is pressure-fed from the mouth 27 by the pressurized water supply device 32, and the inner surface of the water-jet line 26 is brushed while the cleaning tool 1 is advanced. The cleaning tool 1 is taken out from the distal end of the pipe 26.

The cleaning tool 1 is passed through each pipe once or repeated several times as necessary to perform cleaning. The forceps insertion port 15, suction port 24, air / water supply port 25, water jet port 27, and the like are sealed with caps when not in use.

After all the pipes have been washed with the cleaning tool 1 as described above, each pipe is filled with a disinfecting solution or a sterilizing solution, and the entire endoscope is immersed in the disinfecting solution or the sterilizing solution for a predetermined time.

In the above-described cleaning method, the cleaning tool 1 is moved by pumping the cleaning water to each pipe. However, if necessary, the cleaning tool for the pipes is supplementarily or in place of the pumping of the cleaning water. The cleaning tool 1 in the pipeline may be moved by applying suction force from the outlet side using a suction machine. The cleaning method is not limited to the endoscope shown in FIG. 3, but can be applied to cleaning of all endoscopes having a conduit inside.

The above-mentioned cleaning tool 1 is sterilized in an autoclave after use, and then rolled into a spiral shape or a suitable connecting member 3.
, And stored in a predetermined length.
The autoclave can be sterilized in the same manner.

[0039]

The cleaning tool 1 of the present invention described above has a simple structure and can be manufactured at low cost, and the cleaning tool 1 can be compactly stored and stored during sterilization and storage. Further, since a plurality of brush portions are continuously provided, the inner surface of the pipe is repeatedly brushed by each brush portion, so that the cleaning effect is good.

Further, according to the cleaning method using the cleaning tool of the present invention, since the cleaning tool is moved in the endoscope channel by pumping the cleaning water, the brushing effect of the brush portion and the cleaning by the water pressure of the cleaning water are performed. The cleaning effect is improved due to the combined effects, and the cleaning operation is simpler than before.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall view of a cleaning tool of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall view showing another example of the cleaning tool of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an endoscope conduit for explaining a method of cleaning the endoscope conduit of the present invention.

4 is a schematic sectional view showing details of a suction cylinder and an air / water supply cylinder of the endoscope shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a schematic explanatory view showing a state in which the cleaning tool of the present invention moves inside the endoscope channel.

FIG. 6 is a partially-omitted overall view of a conventional endoscope channel cleaning tool.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cleaning tool 2 Brush part 3 Connecting member 4 Torsion core material 4a Ring part 5 Fiber bristle material 6 Impact member 6a Ring part 6b Bottom flat part 10 Endoscope 11 Operation part 12 Body introduction pipe part 13 Light source device 14 Conduit part 15 Forceps inlet 16 Forceps insertion conduit 17 Suction cylinder 17a Suction inlet 17b Suction outlet 18 Air / water supply cylinder 18a Water / water inlet 18b Water / water outlet 18c Air / water inlet 18d Air / water outlet 19 Suction button 20 Pneumatic water supply button 21 First suction line 21a Second suction line 22 First air supply line 22a Second air supply line 23 First water supply line 23a Second water supply line 24 Suction port 25 Air supply / water supply port 26 Water jet line 27 Water jet port 30, 31, 32 Pressurized water supply device

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A cleaning tool for brushing the inside of a conduit disposed inside an endoscope, wherein a plurality of brush members that can be inserted into the endoscope conduit are connected to each other by a connecting member. An endoscope conduit cleaning tool that is connected so that it can move freely. 2. The endoscope channel cleaning tool according to claim 1, wherein the connecting member is a flexible thread material. 3. The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the brush member is formed by radially sandwiching a bundle of fibrous materials between metal torsion cores. Pipe cleaning equipment. 4. The cleaning tool according to claim 1, wherein a spherical contact member is provided at a distal end of a brush member provided at a front end and / or a rear end of the cleaning tool. The cleaning tool for an endoscope conduit according to the above. 5. The endoscope conduit cleaning tool according to claim 1, wherein an outer diameter of the brush member is smaller than an inner diameter of the endoscope conduit. . 6. A method for cleaning the inside of a pipe provided inside an endoscope by brushing, wherein a plurality of brush members are freely connected to each other by a connecting member inside the endoscope pipe. A cleaning tool connected so as to be movable is inserted therethrough, cleaning water is pressure-fed into the endoscope duct, and the cleaning tool is moved by the water pressure of the cleaning liquid water, and the brush member of the cleaning tool is used to move the cleaning tool. A method for cleaning an endoscope conduit, characterized by brushing an inner surface of the endoscope conduit. 7. After the cleaning tool is inserted from an opening communicating with the endoscope conduit, a pressurized water supply device is attached to the opening to pressure-flush cleaning water into the endoscope conduit. 7. The method for cleaning an endoscope conduit according to claim 6, wherein the cleaning tool is advanced along the endoscope conduit by the pressure of the cleaning water.