JP3152896B2 - Sterilization status confirmation device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a sterilization state checking apparatus for sterilizing a patient's clothing, used surgical tools, experimental instruments, and the like with various sterilizers in hospitals and various laboratories. It is used to confirm the sterilization state in the sterilization container and determine the completion of the sterilization process during the operation of these various sterilizers.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Patient clothing, surgical tools, laboratory instruments, and the like used in hospitals and various laboratories are used prior to re-use after use in order to prevent infection by bacteria and viruses attached during use. Must be sterilized. Conventionally, various sterilizers such as a steam sterilizer and a gas sterilizer have been used to perform such a sterilization process. In order to determine whether or not the object to be sterilized, such as the patient's clothes, has been sterilized by the various sterilizers (ie, whether or not the sterilization has been completed), a sterilization state confirmation device is used. I have.

[0003] Such a sterilization state confirming device is considered to be the most difficult to sterilize before the start of the sterilization process at a plurality of places in the sterilization container constituting the sterilizer (particularly, the object to be sterilized stored in the sterilization container is considered to be most difficult to sterilize). Where it is located). And
The sterilization process is started by operating the sterilizer, and after the operation of the sterilizer is completed, the sterilization state checking devices are taken out of the sterilization container. Then, it is determined whether or not the sterilization process has been completed by checking the detection unit of each of these sterilization state confirmation devices.

[0004] As a detection unit of the sterilization state confirmation device used as described above, for example, a chemical indicator and a biological indicator are conventionally known. Of these, the chemical indicator is made of a chemical substance such as a dye which changes color tone by sterilization.
When determining whether or not the sterilization processing by the sterilizer is completed by the sterilization state confirmation device having such a chemical indicator as a detection unit, remove the sterilization state confirmation device from the sterilization container after the operation is completed, The chemical indicator serving as the detection unit is visually observed. Then, it is determined whether or not the sterilization has been completed by checking whether or not the chemical indicator has changed to a predetermined color.

[0005] On the other hand, the above-mentioned biological indicator is constituted by using microorganisms which exhibit resistance to sterilization. When determining whether or not the sterilization process by the sterilizer is completed by the sterilization state confirmation device having such a biological indicator as a detection unit, remove the sterilization state confirmation device from the sterilization container after the operation is completed. From
The microorganism used as the detection unit is cultured for a certain time. Then, by confirming the viability of the microorganism by this culture, it is determined whether or not the sterilization treatment has been completed.

[0006]

However, when the conventional sterilization state checking device as described above determines whether or not the sterilization process by the sterilizer has been completed, there are the following problems. Was. That is, in any of the sterilization state checking devices described above, the operator of the sterilizer cannot observe the detection unit of each sterilization state checking device during operation of the sterilizer. For this reason, as described above, it is determined whether or not the sterilization processing by each of these sterilization state confirmation devices has been completed.
After completion of the operation of the sterilizer, it can be performed only after taking out each of the sterilization state confirmation devices from the sterilization container. Therefore,
The operator of the sterilizer can determine whether or not the sterilization has been completed, but cannot know when the sterilization has been completed.

For this reason, conventionally, in order to surely carry out the sterilization treatment by the sterilizer, the sterilization capacity (temperature, gas concentration, etc.) and more than necessary (or more than originally considered sufficient) for this sterilizer are required. It was necessary to set the sterilization time. However, setting the sterilization processing capacity and sterilization processing time more than necessary in this way increases the operation cost of the sterilizer,
Alternatively, there is an inconvenience that the sterilization processing time is unnecessarily long. Of these, especially the sterilization processing time is unnecessarily long,
This is not preferable because it becomes impossible to cope with a case where sterilization needs to be performed promptly in an emergency at a hospital or the like. On the other hand, in order to manage the process of sterilization by the sterilizer, it is also desired to check how much the sterilization in the sterilization container is progressing during the operation of the sterilizer. In view of the above-described circumstances, the sterilization state confirmation device of the present invention has been invented to enable confirmation of the sterilization state in the sterilization container during operation of the sterilizer and accurate determination when the sterilization process is completed. Things.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A sterilization state checking apparatus according to the present invention is constructed so that a sterilization state in a sterilization container constituting the sterilizer can be easily checked during operation of the sterilizer. Such a sterilization state confirmation device of the present invention is installed in the sterilization container, and performs at least one of a chemical change and a physical change in accordance with the progress of the sterilization process in the sterilization container. It is composed of a sensing part to perform and a material having air permeability,
And a packaging material for covering the detection unit. In particular, what is described in claim 1 includes a cable having one end close to or connected to the detection unit. Then, during the operation of the sterilizer, a change in the detection unit can be freely observed from the other end of the cable drawn out of the sterilization container. Further, the transmitter described in claim 2 is installed in the sterilization container, detects a change in the detection unit in a state attached to the detection unit, and transmits a radio signal indicating the change, A receiver installed outside the sterilization container and capable of receiving a radio signal transmitted from the transmitter. Then, during operation of the sterilizer, a change in the detection unit can be easily recognized based on a signal received by the receiver.

[0009]

According to the sterilization state checking apparatus of the present invention having the structure described above, in the case of the first aspect, the detection device installed in the sterilization container from the other end of the cable drawn out of the sterilization container. The change of the part can be observed freely. Further, in the case of the second aspect, a change in the detection unit can be easily recognized by a receiver installed outside the sterilization container. Therefore, a person who operates the sterilizer can check how much the sterilization process is progressing in the sterilization container during the operation of the sterilizer, and can know exactly when the sterilization process is completed. As a result, it is possible to accurately control the process of sterilization by the sterilizer, and to prevent inconveniences such as an increase in the operation cost of the sterilizer or an excessively long sterilization time.

[0010]

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention corresponding to claim 1. The detection unit 1 that constitutes the sterilization state checking device of this example is made of a chemical substance such as a dye that changes the color tone by a sterilization process, like the above-described chemical indicator. Further, one end edge of a fiber scope 2 (corresponding to a cable in the claims) is opposed to the detection section 1 in a state of being close to the detection section. The fiberscope 2 is configured by covering the periphery of an observation optical fiber formed by bundling glass fibers with an illumination optical fiber also formed by bundling glass fibers, and further covering the periphery of the illumination optical fiber with a covering material such as vinyl. are doing. Such a fiber scope 2 illuminates a part of the detection unit 1 with one end edge of the illumination optical fiber in a state where one end edge thereof is opposed to the detection unit 1 as described above. The image is taken in from one end of the optical fiber for observation, and the image can be taken out from the other end. The image taken out like this is
The other end of the fiber scope 2 is connected to the display, which will be described later.

The detecting section 1 and one end of the fiber scope 2 are covered with a packaging material 3. The wrapping material 3 makes the environment in which the detection unit 1 is placed the same environment as the interior of textiles such as clothes, which is least likely to be sterilized among the objects to be sterilized. And to protect one end of the fiberscope 2. Such a packaging material 3 is, for example, a fiber product such as gauze,
It is made of a material that has air permeability but is resistant to the flow of gas, and as the sterilization operation progresses, the internal environment where the detection unit 1 and one end of the fiberscope 2 are present in the sterilization container. In the same way as the environment. For this reason, for example, among the objects to be sterilized by the sterilizer, when the innermost object to be sterilized is the patient's clothing, the material of which the packaging material 3 is made is as follows. It is preferable to use the fabric used for the patient's clothing.

It is preferable that the cloth constituting the packaging material 3 is larger than the above-mentioned material to be sterilized or thicker than the cloth used for the material to be sterilized. The reason for this is that if the detection unit 1 is covered with a cloth having such a size or thickness, the sterilization processing of the object to be sterilized is ensured when the detection unit 1 changes color to a predetermined color. This is because the process has been completed, and the determination of completion of the sterilization process can be made more reliable. In addition, the size and thickness of the cloth constituting such a packaging material 3 can be freely selected by a person using the sterilization state checking device of this embodiment. Therefore, the reliability (safety factor) of the above determination can be varied depending on the intention of the person using the sterilization state checking device of this example.

When the sterilization state of the sterilization container is confirmed by the sterilization state confirmation apparatus of the present embodiment configured as described above, the detection unit 1 previously covered with the packaging material 3 must be covered before the sterilization process is started. And placed in the sterile container. With this,
The other end of the fiberscope 2 is connected to a display installed outside the sterilization container. Needless to say, the fiberscope 2 allows a part of the sterilization container to be airtightly penetrated. Then, during the operation of the sterilizer, a change in the color tone of the detection unit 1 is observed on the display. As described above, in the case of the present example, a change in the color tone of the detection unit 1 during the operation of the sterilizer can be observed by the display. Therefore, the operator of the sterilizer can check how far the sterilization process is progressing in the sterilization container and can know exactly when the sterilization process is completed. As a result, it is possible to accurately control the process of sterilization by the sterilizer, and to prevent inconveniences such as an increase in the operation cost of the sterilizer or an excessively long sterilization time.

When the sterilizer is operated automatically using the sterilization state checking apparatus of this embodiment, a controller is incorporated in the sterilizer and the other end of the fiber scope 2 is connected to the controller. I do. Then, the controller is caused to perform colorimetry, and when the detection unit 1 changes color to a predetermined color, it is determined that the sterilization process is completed, and the operation of the sterilizer is automatically terminated. In the case of this example, the chemical substance constituting the detection unit 1 is a substance that causes a visual change, such as a substance that changes color tone, a substance that changes color, a substance that changes transmittance, and the like, in addition to the substance that changes color tone by the above-described sterilization processing. If so, it can be appropriately selected depending on the type of sterilizer used.

FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the present invention.
An example is shown. In the case of this example, the detection unit 1a is made of a substance that changes electric characteristics such as electric resistance by sterilization. Further, one end of each of a pair of conducting wires 4 and 4 (corresponding to a cable in the claims) is electrically connected to the detecting portion 1a. Further, the detection section 1a and one end of each of the conductors 4, 4 are covered with the same packaging material 3 as in the case of the above-described first example. In the case of the sterilization state confirming apparatus of the present embodiment configured as described above, by connecting the other end of each of the conductors 4 and 4 to a controller provided outside the sterilization container, the detection section during the sterilization process is connected. The change in the electrical characteristics of 1a can be freely measured.

In this embodiment, the sterilizer can be automatically operated using the result measured by the controller. In addition, in the case of this example, the substance constituting the detection unit 1a may be a substance that changes electric characteristics such as electric resistance by the above-described sterilization treatment, or may be a chemical characteristic such as pH or a thermal characteristic such as thermal conductivity. If the change in the characteristic, such as the change, can be measured by a controller connected to the other end of each of the above-mentioned conductors 4, 4, the change can be appropriately selected depending on the type of the sterilizer used. Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the above-described first example.

Although not shown, the detector constituting the sterilization state checking device of the present invention changes the electrical resistance (physical change) while changing the color tone (chemical change) by, for example, a sterilization process. It can also be composed of substances.
In this case, one end edge of the above-described fiberscope 2 is brought close to and opposed to the detection unit, and one end edge of the pair of conducting wires 4 is electrically connected. Then, during operation of the sterilizer, a change in the detection unit is measured by the same operation as in the above-described first and second examples. If the sterilization state checking device of the present invention is configured as described above, the process control of the sterilization process by the sterilizer and the determination when the sterilization process is completed can be performed more accurately.

In any of the above-described sterilization state checking devices, as in the case of the above-described conventional sterilization state checking device, if each of these sterilization state checking devices is installed at a plurality of locations in the sterilization container, this is achieved. Unevenness of the sterilization effect at various points in the sterilization container can be confirmed over time. The detectors 1 and 1a constituting each of these sterilization state confirmation devices are connected to the inside of the sterilization container by a communication pipe in addition to the inside of the sterilization container described above, thereby maintaining the same environment as in the sterilization container. Withstand pressure
It can be installed and used in a heat-resistant container. In addition, a coupler is provided at a portion existing in the sterilization container at an intermediate portion between the fiber scope 2 and the conductors 4 and 4 constituting each of these sterilization state checking devices, and a portion at one end side of the coupler (the detection unit 1, 1a) can be disposable.

Although not shown, if the sterilizer to be used is a gas sterilizer or the like in which the temperature rise in the sterilization container is limited, the above-mentioned confirmation of the sterilization state is performed by radio. You can also do it. In this case, a transmitter that detects a change in the detection unit while being attached to the detection unit and transmits a wireless signal indicating the change is installed in the sterilization container. At the same time, a receiver capable of receiving a radio signal transmitted from the transmitter is installed outside the sterilization container. However, the receiving antenna of this receiver is provided on the inner surface of the sterilization container. In the case of the sterilization state confirming device thus configured, a change in the detection unit provided in the sterilization container can be easily recognized by a receiver provided outside the sterilization container. Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the above-described sterilization state confirmation devices.

[0020]

As described above, the sterilization state checking apparatus of the present invention is constructed and operates, so that it is possible to accurately control the sterilization process by the sterilizer and to make an accurate judgment when the sterilization process is completed. You. As a result, inconveniences such as an increase in the operation cost of the sterilizer or an excessively long sterilization processing time can be prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a first example of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the second example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 1a detection unit 2 fiber scope 3 packaging material 4 conductor

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A sterilization state checking device for checking a sterilization state in a sterilization container constituting the sterilizer during operation of the sterilizer, wherein the device is installed in the sterilization container and sterilized in the sterilization container. A detection unit that changes at least one of a chemical change and a physical change in accordance with the progress of the process, a cable having one end close to or connected to the detection unit, and a material having air permeability. And a wrapping material for covering the detection section and one end of the cable. During operation of the sterilizer, a change in the detection section can be observed from the other end of the cable drawn out of the sterilization container. A sterilization state checking device characterized by the following. 2. A sterilization state checking device for checking a sterilization state in a sterilization container constituting the sterilizer during operation of the sterilizer, wherein the device is installed in the sterilization container and sterilized in the sterilization container. A detection unit that changes at least one of a chemical change and a physical change in accordance with the progress of the process, a packaging material made of a material having air permeability, and covering the detection unit, A transmitter that detects a change in the detector in a state attached to the detector and transmits a radio signal indicating the change, and a transmitter that is installed outside the sterilization container and is transmitted from the transmitter. A receiver capable of freely receiving a wireless signal, wherein during operation of the sterilizer, a change in the detection unit is automatically recognized based on a signal received by the receiver. Sterilization status checker.