JPH07116117A - Apparatus for washing and disinfecting endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an apparatus for washing and disinfecting an endoscope to achieve efficient washing treatment and to secure disinfection by appropriate washing by selecting an appropriate treatment process according to the state of the endoscope to be washed. CONSTITUTION:In an apparatus for washing and disinfecting an endoscope that automatically washes and disinfects an endoscope 8 by the procedure comprising steps of placing the endoscope 8 in a washing and disinfecting tank 6, washing, rinsing, disinfecting and drying, the apparatus has (a) a control means to control and drive the washing process with at least two different washing systems, and (b) a selecting means to select at least one washing process from washing processes with different washing systems.

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 cleaning / disinfecting an endoscope.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, an endoscope needs to be cleaned and disinfected after each case in order to prevent infection between patients. Conventionally, manual cleaning is performed by wiping the outer surface of the endoscope with a sponge or the like, and cleaning the inside of the endoscope channel with a brush and running water. After that, a glutaral-based disinfectant solution is stored in a container such as a tub, and the endoscope body is immersed in this disinfectant solution for disinfection.

However, the manual cleaning and disinfection requires a great deal of time and labor. further,
There is a problem that the achievement level varies depending on the individual difference of the user who performed the cleaning and disinfecting work.

Therefore, in order to unify the achievement level of cleaning / disinfecting and reduce the burden on the user for cleaning / disinfecting work, an automated endoscope cleaning / disinfecting apparatus is widely used.

By the way, the standard process of cleaning / disinfecting performed in the current automatic endoscope cleaning / disinfecting apparatus is “cleaning” using a pump → “rinsing” → “chemical solution immersion disinfection” →
The order is "rinsing". Moreover, the method of the washing process is fixed and cannot be changed.

[0006]

In this type of automatic endoscope cleaning / disinfecting apparatus, bacteria that obstruct the ability to remove proteins such as blood stains that cause the adherence of the disinfectant and the disinfecting ability in order to supplement the disinfecting effect. It is important to increase the detergency that can be reduced in large quantities in advance, and to set the environment during disinfection such as temperature and concentration control in order to increase the efficiency of the disinfection effect, and to disinfect or sterilize the rinse water. Furthermore, after rinsing, bacteria may propagate if left wet, so post-treatment after rinsing such as eliminating the breeding site of bacteria during storage of the endoscope is also important. However, in the automatic endoscope cleaning / disinfecting apparatus of this type, their capabilities tend to be insufficient.

[0007] The main improvement items when cleaning and disinfecting an endoscope by the standard process using this type of automatic endoscope cleaning and disinfecting apparatus are (1) improvement of cleaning power, and (2) reliable disinfection. ,
(3) Rinsing with water that does not cause problems, and (4) Elimination of bacterial breeding grounds during storage by drying. In particular, since the method of the cleaning process in the conventional apparatus is fixed and cannot be changed, it is impossible to select an appropriate cleaning process according to the situation of the endoscope to be cleaned.

Therefore, in the present invention, an appropriate cleaning content is selected according to the condition of the endoscope to be cleaned, an efficient cleaning process is achieved, and a proper disinfection is ensured to ensure reliable disinfection. An object is to provide a cleaning and disinfecting apparatus for an endoscope that can be used.

[0009]

The present invention provides an endoscope for automatically cleaning / disinfecting an endoscope by installing the endoscope in a cleaning / disinfecting tank and performing the steps of cleaning, rinsing, disinfecting, and drying. In the cleaning / disinfecting apparatus, a control means for controlling and driving at least two cleaning steps having different cleaning methods, and a selecting means for selecting at least one cleaning step from the cleaning steps and causing the cleaning steps to be executed at random. Equipped. Then, depending on the condition of the endoscope to be cleaned, it is possible to select and process appropriate processing contents, and to select a plurality of combinations of cleaning steps to achieve efficient cleaning processing, and to combine the appropriate processing conditions. Ensure clean disinfection by cleaning process.

[0010]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The endoscope cleaning / disinfecting apparatus is configured as shown in FIG. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is a water supply valve, which is connected to a hot water source (not shown) and a water supply, and one of the selected ones is connected to a water supply tank 2. A sterilizing means 3 is detachably connectable in the middle of the water supply valve 1 and the water supply tank 2 so that hot water or tap water supplied to the water supply tank 2 can be connected. It can be sterilized. The sterilizing means 3 is sterilized by, for example, a sterilizing filter, ultraviolet irradiation, or ozone treatment. Also, this type of sterilizing means 3 may be provided in the water supply tank 2.

The cleaning water stored in the water supply tank 2 is operated by the cleaning pump 4 to flow through the cleaning water pipe 5 to the cleaning / disinfecting tank 6
Is supplied to the injection nozzle 7 provided on the upper part of the. An endoscope 8 for cleaning and disinfecting is installed in the cleaning and disinfecting tank 6. From the middle of the cleaning water pipe 5, a channel cleaning pipe 9
Is branched, and this pipe line 9 leads to a tube connection port 13 for connecting an injection tube 12 via a first switching valve 11 which is a three-way switching valve. The injection tube 12 connected to the tube connection port 13 is connected to the channel of the endoscope 8.

A discharge port 14 is provided at the bottom of the cleaning / disinfecting tank 6, and the discharge port 14 is a second three-way switching valve.
Switching valve 15 is connected. Second switching valve 15
A disinfectant solution return pipe 17, a waste pipe 18 and a circulation pipe 19 which are connected to the disinfectant liquid tank 16 are individually connected to the three selection ports. Drainage pump 2 in waste line 18
0 is provided, and the circulation line 19 is provided with a circulation pump 21.

At the bottom of the disinfectant solution tank 16, there is provided a heater 22 for heating which is controlled by a temperature adjusting section (not shown). It is designed to warm to temperature. Further, a disinfecting solution supply pipe line 24 having a disinfecting pump 23 provided on the way is connected to the bottom of the disinfecting solution tank 16. The disinfectant supply line 24 is connected to the disinfectant injection port 25 provided in the cleaning / disinfecting tank 6.

Further, the apparatus is provided with an air supply unit section. The air supply unit takes in an external air through a sterilizing filter 26, and feeds the external air directly through the third switching valve 27, which is a two-way switching valve, or through a heating heater 28, and an air supply conduit 29. Send to. An air pump 30 is provided in the air supply line 29. Further, the air supply line 29 branches into two via a fourth switching valve 31 which is a two-way switching valve, one of which is connected to the above-mentioned first switching valve 11 and the other of which is a cleaning / disinfecting tank. It is connected to the bubble injection port 32 provided in the No. 6.

Further, a detergent dispenser 33 is connected to the cleaning / disinfecting tank 6 to supply the detergent to the cleaning / disinfecting tank 6 as needed. An ultrasonic oscillator unit 34 is attached to the bottom of the cleaning / disinfecting tank 6. The ultrasonic oscillator unit 34 is used when performing ultrasonic cleaning.

Each part of the above-mentioned endoscope cleaning / disinfecting apparatus is
The operation is controlled by the control unit (control means) 40. The operation panel (not shown) is provided with buttons for selecting each operation. In cleaning, one or more cleaning steps are selected from a plurality of cleaning steps having different cleaning methods by operating a selection button on the operation panel, and a selection means is provided for performing these in sequence.

The standard steps for cleaning and disinfecting an endoscope by this endoscope cleaning / disinfecting apparatus will be described below. FIG. 2 shows the operation of each process in a list. <Washing Step> Here, the following three washing methods can be performed in sequence. Then, any one or more of the cleaning steps are selected by a selection unit operated by a button or the like on an operation panel (not shown), and this is performed by the control unit 40. However, when two or more types of cleaning steps are combined and continuously performed, and shower cleaning is selected as one of them, shower cleaning is performed in the previous stage, and then ultrasonic cleaning or bubble cleaning is performed. It is desirable to be carried out. The particularly recommended combination modes are "shower cleaning + ultrasonic cleaning" and "ultrasonic cleaning + foam cleaning".

(Step of shower cleaning) When the water supply valve 1 is switched to connect to the water supply side, tap water is stored in the water supply tank 2. Hot water can also be stored by switching the water supply valve 1 to the hot water source side and connecting it. At this time, if the sterilizing means 3 is attached, the supplied water can be sterilized.
The washing water stored in the water supply tank 2 by the operation of the washing pump 4 is supplied to the jet nozzle 7, and the washing water is jetted to the outer surface of the endoscope 8 set in the washing / disinfecting tank 6. I do.

On the other hand, the liquid is also sent to the channel of the endoscope 8 from the tube connection port 13 through the injection tube 12 through the first switching valve 11 to clean the inside of the channel.

At this time, the drainage pump 20 is operating,
The wastewater that has fallen into the cleaning / disinfecting tank 6 is sequentially discharged through the waste pipe 18. As a result, it is possible to remove the soft dirt attached to the endoscope 8, that is, the dirt that is not so strongly attached.

(Ultrasonic Cleaning) With the second switching valve 15 closed and the drainage pump 20 stopped, the cleaning pump 4 is continuously operated to store cleaning water in the cleaning / disinfecting tank 6. When the water is stored up to a predetermined immersion water level by a water level sensor (not shown), the drainage pump 20 is stopped, and an appropriate amount of detergent is injected into the stored solution from the detergent dispenser 33, whereby the stored solution becomes a detergent solution having an appropriate concentration. . here,
Ultrasonic waves are applied by starting ultrasonic vibration of the ultrasonic oscillator unit 34. This makes it possible to perform ultrasonic cleaning capable of removing dirt and the like that have been left standing for a long time and hardened.

At this time, the circulating water is also supplied to the channel of the endoscope 8 to supply the cleaning water in the cleaning / disinfecting tank 6, and the cleaning effect of the detergent is also exerted in the channel of the endoscope 8. Can be made.

(Foam cleaning) After the detergent solution is stored in the cleaning / disinfecting tank 6 as in the ultrasonic cleaning, the air supply unit is operated and the external air passing through the sterilizing filter 26 is supplied by the air pump 30. Bubbles are created by injecting into the detergent solution in the cleaning / disinfecting tank 6 through the bubble jet port 32. A physical cleaning effect can be obtained by this foam. This is effective in removing the dirt and the like that have come out after the ultrasonic cleaning. In addition, the circulation pump 21 is also used in the channel of the endoscope 8.
It can be washed by operating.

In the second-stage cleaning process, it is possible to feed liquid in the endoscope channel, add detergent, and use hot water. Further, in a situation where the endoscope 8 to be cleaned is less contaminated, only the shower cleaning may be selected and the cleaning processing may be performed in order to simply perform the processing and shorten the processing time. .

<Rinse Step> Here, by performing the same operation as the above-mentioned shower cleaning or immersion type foam cleaning,
Rinse. This operation removes the detergent components and the clumps of dirt remaining in the cleaning / disinfecting tank 6 together with the rinsing water after the cleaning drainage. After that, air is supplied into the channel of the endoscope 8 by the air pump 30 of the air supply unit to remove water.

At the same time, this rinsing uses water at room temperature instead of warm water as rinsing water, so that the influence of deterioration due to the temperature of the disinfectant solution injected and stored in the cleaning / disinfecting tank 6 in the subsequent disinfecting step is minimized. It has the role of adjusting so that it does not reach. That is, in the above-described cleaning step, warm water is used to improve the cleaning effect, but since the disinfectant solution is used at room temperature because of its life, the temperature of the inside of the cleaning / disinfecting tank 6 is adjusted in this rinsing step.

<Disinfection process> The disinfectant solution stored in the disinfectant solution tank 16 is heated to the operating temperature specified by the drug manufacturer, for example, room temperature 20 ° C to 25 ° C, and the heater 2 for heating.
2 and a temperature control unit (not shown).

The disinfectant solution is injected by the disinfectant pump 23 from the disinfectant solution inlet 25 into the cleaning / disinfecting tank 6 and stored therein. At this time, since the circulation pump 21 also supplies the disinfectant solution into the channel of the endoscope 8, the entire endoscope 8 can be immersed and disinfected. After a certain period of time, the second switching valve 1
5 is switched to the disinfectant tank 16 side, and the disinfectant tank 1
6. Collect the disinfectant solution. At this time, air is supplied into the channel of the endoscope 8 by the air pump 30 of the air supply unit, and the disinfectant solution in the channel is removed.

<(Final) Rinse Step> The above-mentioned <Rinse Step>
The residual disinfectant solution is rinsed off by performing the same operation as. However, at this time, if hot water is selected and supplied, it is effective in shortening the time of the next drying step. Also,
Since the rinsing water is sterilized by the sterilizing means 3 and various bacteria do not adhere to the endoscope 8, it can be prevented from breeding during storage.

After that, the air is supplied to the inside of the channel of the endoscope 8 by the air pump 30 of the air supply unit to remove the water inside the channel. <Drying Step> The heating heater 28 is operated, and the external air taken in is used as warm air and is sent by the air pump 30 into the cleaning / disinfecting tank 6 and the channel of the endoscope 8. This makes it possible to vaporize the water droplets attached to the endoscope 8 and prevent the growth of bacteria during storage.

By carrying out the series of steps described above as standard steps, the target levels of the following steps can be achieved. (1) Dirt of all adhesion levels (muddy dirt,
It is possible to surely wash and remove solidified dirt and the like. (2) It can be used in the environment specified by the disinfectant solution manufacturer and can be reliably disinfected by the circulation method. (3) The rinsing efficiency by sterilizing water and using warm water can be improved. (4) Secondary contamination can be prevented by adding a drying process.

(5) Furthermore, the user can achieve the above-mentioned reliable cleaning / disinfecting process level with only a simple operation (for example, pressing the start button). By the way, in the configuration of the above-described embodiment, the circulation conduit 19 and the circulation pump 21 are provided, and as shown in FIG. 2, in the ultrasonic cleaning, foam cleaning, rinsing step, disinfecting step, and final rinsing step, the cleaning / disinfecting tank 6 is used. Since the cleaning water or the disinfectant solution stored therein is circulated between the tank and the channel of the endoscope 8, the cleaning solution or the disinfectant solution, which is costly or has a small supply amount, can be reliably cleaned / cleaned. Can be disinfected.

Further, when the immersion disinfectant solution is stored in the tank, the disinfectant solution is circulated by circulating the disinfectant solution from the circulation conduit 19, so that the disinfectant solution in the channel is constantly replaced, and the flowing disinfectant solution causes the physical flow. The peeling effect also occurs and the disinfection effect is also improved. The temperature was the tap water temperature, etc.).

At the time of cleaning, using cleaning water having a temperature higher than that of the tap water (for example, the temperature at the end of the endoscope is 50 ° C.), the cleaning effect is improved, and the disinfectant solution in the drying step is rinsed. Sometimes it is better to use hot rinse water to reduce the drying time.

However, in the case of other steps, for example, in the cleaning solution rinsing step before the disinfection step, the temperature of the disinfectant solution stored in the tank in the next step is kept at room temperature (20 to 25 ° C.).
It may be better to keep the temperature of tap water near the room temperature (use of disinfectant solution at high temperature shortens the life of disinfection effect).

Therefore, it is necessary to supply water having different temperatures in one cycle. In addition, since the amount of water required for all the steps of one cycle is quite large, if you try to use hot water that will have a limited supply in a short time,
The process time of one cycle is extended. Therefore, it is indispensable to interpret the process using hot water and use it effectively.

Therefore, by connecting a plurality of sources such as hot water and tap water to the water supply valve 1 and selecting and supplying the effective source for each step in one cycle, each step is supplied. Reliable treatment and effective utilization of supply sources with low supply.

[0038]

As described above, according to the present invention, at least one or more cleaning steps having different cleaning methods are selected and executed. Therefore, appropriate processing contents can be selected according to the situation of the endoscope to be cleaned. Can be selected and processed. Furthermore, it is possible to select a plurality of combinations of cleaning steps to achieve an efficient cleaning process and also to ensure reliable disinfection by an appropriate cleaning process.

[Brief description of drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a list of operating conditions in a standard process by the endoscope cleaning / disinfecting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Water supply valve, 2 ... Water supply tank, 4 ... Washing pump, 5 ... Washing water pipeline, 6 ... Washing / disinfecting tank, 8 ... Endoscope, 9 ... Channel washing pipeline, 11 ... First switching valve, 12 … Injection tube, 13… Tube connection port, 14… Discharge port, 15…
Second switching valve, 16 ... Disinfectant tank, 17 ... Disinfectant return line, 18 ... Waste line, 19 ... Circulation line, 20 ... Drain pump, 21 ... Circulation pump, 23 ... Disinfection pump, 24 ...
Disinfectant supply line, 25 ... Disinfectant inlet, 27 ... Third switching valve, 29 ... Air supply line, 30 ... Air pump,
31 ... 4th switching valve, 32 ... Bubble injection port, 33 ... Detergent dispenser, 34 ... Ultrasonic oscillator unit, 40 ... Control part.

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

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An endoscope cleaning / disinfecting apparatus for automatically cleaning / disinfecting an endoscope according to a procedure of cleaning, rinsing, disinfecting, and drying by installing an endoscope in a cleaning / disinfecting tank. It is characterized by further comprising: a control means for controlling and driving at least two different cleaning steps, and a selecting means for selecting at least one cleaning step from the cleaning steps and causing the cleaning steps to be executed. Cleaning and disinfecting equipment for endoscopes.