JPS60215345A - Washing apparatus for endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to an endoscope cleaning device for cleaning or disinfecting an endoscope.

[Technical background of the invention and its problems]

An endoscope cleaning device generally includes a cleaning tank that houses the endoscope, a cleaning liquid injection part that sprays cleaning liquid toward the endoscope, and a disinfection unit that fills the cleaning tank with disinfectant. It is configured by providing a liquid supply section, a water supply section for supplying cleaning liquid into each channel, and an air supply section for supplying air into each channel. To wash the endoscope, first place the endoscope in the washing tank, then wash the outer surface of the endoscope with a washing liquid that is sprayed, and wash each channel with water. , while supplying disinfectant solution into the cleaning tank and immersing the endoscope, disinfectant solution is sent into each channel to disinfect the inside and outside of the endoscope.After disinfection, the cleaning solution is squirted out again, and A cleaning liquid is sent to the endoscope to rinse the entire endoscope, and in the final step, air is sent into each channel to drain water and dry the inside of the channel, thereby washing or cleaning the entire endoscope.

Incidentally, when air is supplied at the end of the process, an air pump is usually used to pressurize air from the atmosphere and send it into each channel.

However, with such an endoscope cleaning device, there is a problem that during the step of feeding atmospheric air, even though the inside of the endoscope has been disinfected with a disinfectant, it may be contaminated again. In other words, many microorganisms are floating in the atmosphere. Moreover, since the inside of the air pump also sucks moisture from the atmosphere, it is easy for condensation to form and become a breeding ground for microorganisms, so there is a high possibility that the air is more contaminated than the air in the atmosphere. Therefore, if such recontamination occurs, there is a risk of infecting the human body with diseases through microorganisms, and there is a strong need for something that does not have to worry about contamination by microorganisms.

[Purpose of the invention]

This invention was made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide an endoscope cleaning device that can eliminate re-contamination of endoscopes by microorganisms during the air supply process after cleaning or disinfection. It is about providing.

[Summary of the invention]

That is, this invention disposes a means for making the microorganisms contained in the air harmless in the air pipe line that sends air toward the channel, thereby making the microorganisms that cause recontamination harmless, and preventing contamination and infection. The aim is to reliably prevent this.

[Embodiments of the invention]

The present invention will be explained below based on an embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 6. Fig. 1 shows the entire endoscope cleaning device, and Fig. 2 shows the cleaning tank area. This is a transparent cover that opens and closes the opening of the washing tank 2 which is pivotally supported on the side. Further, inside the washing tank 2, a rotor 5 having a rotating nozzle 4.4 in the center is disposed, and on the inner bottom side around the rotor 5, an endoscope 15 is held in a wound state. A holder 6 is provided. Furthermore, inside the cleaning tank 2, there are a plurality of tank tube connectors 7..., a water leakage detection water inlet 8, an in-tank disinfectant solution inlet 9,
In addition to a fixed nozzle 10, an abnormal liquid level detection switch 11 in the tank, and a vertical/short switch 12 for the immersed liquid level in the tank, a discharge port 13 and a basket 14 for small items are provided, and the entire structure is washable. As shown in FIG. While washing off the outer surface of the endoscope 15, use the connection tubes 15a to connect the tube connectors 7 in the tank to the inside [1t15] Each channel (not shown) has a sub water supply channel, if any. Connect and send cleaning liquid to wash the inside and outside of the endoscope 15. After that, fill the cleaning tank 2 with disinfectant and clean the inside.
2 The mirror 15 is sterilized by immersion, and the inside and outside of the endoscope 15 is sterilized by sending a neutralizing solution into each channel.After that, the endoscope 15 is rinsed, and finally, the tube connector 7 in the tank... Air is sent into each channel through the tube to remove water and dry it. Further, on the front surface of the main body 1, a fixture connector 16 and a plurality of external tube connectors 17 are provided adjacent to the cleaning tank 2, and the endoscope 15, which can only be inserted into the insertion section 15b,
(Current scope), the operation part 15c of the inner part 11115 is taken out of the tank and fixed to the fixed connector 16, and the insertion part 1
By placing only 5b on the holder 6, the insertion portion 15
b1 and the external tube connector 17... can be used to wash and disinfect each channel in the same way.

FIG. 4 shows the structure of various devices built into the main body 1 that perform such cleaning or disinfection. Here, to explain FIG. 4, 20 is a water tank;
21 is a detergent tank, 22 is a mixing ladder, and 23 is a disinfectant tank. The water supply tank 20 has a water supply valve 2 at its inlet.
The liquid level detection switch 26 is connected to the water faucet 25 through the water supply tank 20 and installed in the water supply tank 20.
It is designed to be able to always store a desired amount of water inside. One of the two outlet ports is a connecting pipe 28 with a leak detection water injection pump 27 interposed therein.
It is connected to the water leakage detection water inlet 8 through the water leakage detection water inlet 8, so that water necessary for water leakage detection can be supplied into the washing tank 2. The other outlet is a washing pump 29.
The rotary nozzle 4, the fixed nozzle 101, and the mixing header 22 are connected to each other through a water supply pipe 30 with a water supply pipe 30 interposed therebetween. The detergent tank 21 is connected to the suction side of the washing pump 29 via a detergent valve 31.
Water necessary for washing or water mixed with water and detergent (both are called washing liquid) can be sent to the rotating nozzle 4 and the fixed nozzle 10 as necessary. In addition,
32 is a motor for rotating the rotary nozzle 4.

In addition, the outlet side of the mixing header 22 is connected to the external tube connector 17, the internal tube connector 7, etc., and each channel of the endoscope 15 is also supplied with water necessary for cleaning. It is now possible to send water containing a mixture of water and detergent (both are cleaning solutions). In addition, 33 is a water mixing valve provided in the water supply pipe 30 leading to the mixing header 22, and 34 is a channel valve for flow path switching provided in the water supply pipe 30a leading from the mixing header 22 to each channel of each endoscope 15. . On the other hand, the disinfectant tank 23 is arranged at the lower stage of the washing tank 2. The outlet side of this disinfectant tank 23 is connected to a chemical solution M with a chemical solution pump 35 interposed therein.
36 to the in-tank disinfectant solution inlet 9 and the mixing header 22, and is capable of supplying the disinfectant solution in the disinfectant tank 23 into the cleaning tank 2 in order to immerse the endoscope 1115 in the disinfectant solution. At the same time, the disinfectant solution necessary for disinfecting the channels of each endoscope 15 can be sent from the mixing header 22 to the inner tank tube connector 7... or the outer tank tube connector 17... It has become. In addition, 35a is mixed header 2
2, a check valve 36a is a disinfectant injection valve provided in a pipe leading to the in-tank disinfectant inlet 9, and 37 is a liquid level for detecting the amount of liquid in the disinfectant tank 23. It is a detection switch. Also, between the discharge port 13 of the cleaning tank 2 and the upper side of the disinfectant tank 23, there is provided a system for discharging the cleaning solution discharged from the cleaning tank 2 to the outside and collecting the discharged disinfectant into the disinfection tank 23. A switching valve 38 is provided that switches between three flow paths when the discharge port 13 is closed.
cleaning with water or a mixture of water and detergent,
We also have them undergo a disinfection process. In addition,
39 is a drain pump for discharging the cleaning liquid discharged from the cleaning tank 2 to the outside, and 38a is a motor for driving the switching valve 38.

On the other hand, 40 is an air pump that takes in air from the atmosphere. The air pump 40 is connected via an air pipe 41 to the mixing header 22, the tank inner tube connector 7, the tank outer tube connector 17, etc., and air flowing toward the mixing header 22. A mixture of air and water or a mixture of air and disinfectant is supplied to the inner tube connector 7..., while the inner tube connector 7... and the outer tank ♂
- Air is forced into the connectors 17 to remove water remaining in each channel of the endoscope 15.

Furthermore, an exhaust system 41a for discharging air to the outside is provided on the discharge side of the air pipe 41. Note that air supply is performed at the end of each cleaning, disinfection, and rinsing process. However, 4
2 is an air mixing valve provided on the mixing header 22 side of the air pipe 41, 43 is an air check valve, and 44 is the air pipe 4.
Air valve provided on the tube connector side of No. 1, 44a
is an air bleed valve provided in the exhaust system 41a. Then, on the discharge side of the air pump 40 of the air supply pipe 41 serving as an air conduit to the channel, a means for rendering harmless microorganisms contained in the air, which is a main part of the present invention, is installed, for example, a fifth
A sterilizing air filter 45 is interposed as shown in detail in FIG. 6 and FIG. Here, to explain the sterilization air filter 45, it has connection ports 4 on both sides.
A filter 47 that allows air to pass through but does not allow microorganisms contained in the air to pass through is provided in a case 46 in which connection ports 46a and 46a are formed, so as to partition between the connection port body parts 46a and 46a. The removal action of the filter 47 removes microorganisms from the air fed into the channels of the endoscope 15, rendering it harmless.

In the drawings, reference numeral 48 indicates a leakage detection press-fitting device consisting of a leakage pump 50 and an air release valve 51, which pressurizes air for leakage detection into the endoscope 15 through a leakage detection cap 49, and 52 indicates a leakage detection press-fitting device. The main operation panel provided on the top of the main body 1,
53 is a sub-operation panel provided on the upper front side of the main body 1;
Reference numeral 4 denotes a foot pedal provided at the lower front of the main body 1 for opening and closing the cover.

But what if it was configured like this? 1! When cleaning an endoscope 15, which is entirely washable, using a mirror cleaning device, for example, the endoscope 15 is first set in the holder 6 of the cleaning tank 2 and housed in the cleaning tank 2.

Next, each channel of the endoscope 15 is connected to the tube 15.
Connect to the tank tube connector 7 using a... After that, after closing the opening of the cleaning tank 2 with the cover 3, by operating the main operation panel 52, the cleaning pump 2
9, the motor 32, water mixing valve 33, air mixing valve 42, and air pump 40 are operated.

As a result, the water in the water supply tank 20 is transferred to the rotating nozzle 4, the fixed nozzle 10. It is sent to the mixing header 22. Then, the outer surface of the endoscope 15 is washed with water jetted toward the endoscope 15. On the other hand, mixed header 2
The water that has reached 2 is mixed with the air sent from the air pump 40 and is internally viewed through the tank tube connector 7...!
[Water is sent into each of the 15 channels, and the inside of the channel is washed with a mixed flow of water and air. This allows endoscopy 1i15
It will cleanse the inside and outside of the body. Of course, at this time, use detergent instead of water. J! The inside and outside of 115 may be washed. In this case, it is sufficient to operate the detergent valve 31 from the beginning of washing. It should be noted that during this cleaning process, the switching valve 38 is switched to the external discharge side, and the drain pump 39 is operated to discharge the dirty water in the cleaning tank 2 to the outside. be.

Thereafter, when the cleaning is finished, only the air pump 40 is operated to remove the water in the channel of the endoscope 15, and the process moves on to the disinfection process. In the disinfection process, the chemical pump 35 and the disinfectant injection valve 36a are operated to pump the disinfectant from the disinfectant tank 23 into the cleaning tank 2 through the in-tank disinfectant inlet 9 and immerse the family gift 115 in the disinfectant. On the other hand, disinfectant is supplied to each channel of the endoscope 15 through the mixing header 2213 and the tubular tube connector 7. As a result, the inside and outside of the endoscope 115 are disinfected. It goes without saying that the level of the disinfectant in the cleaning tank 2 is monitored by the tank abnormal liquid level detection switch 11 and the tank immersion liquid level switch 12.

When the disinfection is finished, the switching valve 38 operates to
The disinfectant in the cleaning tank 2 is collected into the disinfectant tank 23, and the disinfectant is also collected by operating the air pump 40 (pressing air into the channel). After this,
By washing the outer surface of the endoscope 15 and the inside of the channel with water in the same manner as at the start, the inside and outside of the endoscope 15 are rinsed. Then, in the channel of the endoscope 15,
By supplying air by operating the air pump 40, the water in each channel is removed and dried, thereby completing the cleaning and disinfection of the endoscope 15.

However, when air from the atmosphere is sent into the channel of the endoscope 15 that has been disinfected, the microorganisms contained in the air and even the microorganisms that are generated in the inside of the air pump 40 become a breeding ground. However, according to the present invention, contamination by microorganisms can be prevented.

That is, a sterilizing air filter 45 is interposed on an air supply pipe (air conduit) 41 that supplies air toward the channel. However, the microorganisms contained in the atmospheric air sent into the channel are removed while passing through the sterilizing air filter 45, and the air becomes harmless and free of microorganisms and is sent into the channel.

In this way, re-contamination of the endoscope 15 by microorganisms during the air supply process after cleaning or disinfection, as well as infection of the person undergoing the endoscopy due to contamination, can be eliminated. Furthermore, by providing the sterilizing air filter 45 on the discharge side of the air pump 40, the effect is more effective.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, a sterilization air filter was used as a means for detoxification, but for example, the seventh embodiment
As shown in the figure, an ultraviolet generator 61 that sterilizes microorganisms with ultraviolet rays emitted from an ultraviolet lamp 60 or the like;
Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 8, a heater 70 or the like may be used to constitute a means for detoxifying microorganisms from a heating device 71 that sterilizes microorganisms with the heat generated by the heater 70. It is not limited.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the present invention, it is possible to eliminate recontamination of the endoscope by microorganisms during the air supply process after cleaning or disinfection. Therefore, within? jlIt is possible to prevent microbial contamination and infection of the person undergoing the mirror examination.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIGS. 1 to 6 show one embodiment of the present invention.
The figure is a perspective view showing the entire endoscope washing device, Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof, Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the state when the endoscope is set in the washing tank, and Fig. 4 is the inside. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a sterilizing air filter as a means of detoxification, FIG. 6 is a sectional view thereof, and FIGS. The figures are block diagrams showing detoxification means in different embodiments of the present invention. 41... Air pipe (air pipe line), 45.61.71...
- Air filter for sterilization, ultraviolet light generator, heating device (means to render harmless microorganisms). Applicant's agent Patent attorney Atsushi Tsuboi Figure 1 Figure 2

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) The air pipe line that sends air toward the channel is equipped with a means for rendering harmless microorganisms contained in the air. 1 Mirror cleaning device. (2) The endoscope cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the detoxifying means is a sterilizing air filter. (3) The endoscope cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the detoxifying means is an ultraviolet generator. (4) The endoscope cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the detoxifying means is a heating device.