JP7656293B2 - Chemical supply device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a drug solution supply device that can be used safely and hygienically.

Bag-in-boxes are the mainstream container for liquids of about 5 to 20 liters that can be transported by hand. Bag-in-boxes are composite containers that consist of an inner bag made of soft synthetic resin with a pouring outlet, housed in an outer cardboard box. By filling the inner bag with liquid, the container is light, durable, and easy to handle, and prevents the liquid from changing or spoiling due to contact with the outside air. It also reduces the costs of storage, transportation, and disposal. Furthermore, the outer box can be freely printed. These advantages mean that the container is now being used in a variety of applications and fields, replacing 18-liter cans, glass bottles, and plastic bottles.

When removing the liquid from the bag-in-box, cut a part of the outer box along the perforations or other lines on the outer box, pull out the spout to the outside of the outer box, remove the cap on the spout and attach the tap for the bag-in-box, tilt the bag-in-box or place it on a table on its side, open the tap and transfer the liquid into another container for use.

For example, in dialysis facilities where blood purification treatments are performed, the cleaning chemicals used to clean and disinfect the pipes and tubes of the equipment in the artificial dialysis system are often filled in bag-in-boxes.

Protein components and urea toxins dialyzed from the patient's blood adhere to the piping and tubes of the equipment in the artificial dialysis system every time a treatment is performed. If these deposits are not sufficiently removed, the next patient treated with the same dialysis equipment may develop severe symptoms such as fever, anaphylactic shock, or infection. In dialysis facilities, the same equipment is generally used multiple times a day for different patients in the morning, afternoon, and night. However, between the end of one patient's treatment and the start of the next patient's treatment, and after all treatments for the day are completed, the piping and tubes of the equipment in the system are cleaned and disinfected with RO water and chemicals such as sodium hypochlorite. In addition, although not after each treatment, precipitates such as calcium carbonate derived from the dialysis fluid are periodically removed using RO water and chemicals such as acetic acid.

Although these cleaning and disinfection operations are performed automatically according to a preset schedule and process, medical staff must check the remaining amount of chemicals and replenish them. Chemicals are replenished by transferring the chemicals from the bag-in-box to a stationary tank or container connected to the device by piping, but the bag-in-box is by no means lightweight, and it must be supported until the entire amount of chemicals has been transferred, making this a physically demanding task for medical staff.

In addition, when using multiple types of chemicals, great care must be taken because refilling the wrong container can result in the chemicals reacting with each other and producing toxic gases.

In addition, there are safety and hygiene issues involved in the process, such as the risk of liquid spilling or splashing onto the human body when transferring, contamination by airborne bacteria, and the pungent odor of the liquid. Furthermore, it is necessary to constantly manage the remaining amount of liquid so that it does not run short during cleaning or disinfection. In terms of quality, the composition becomes unstable if the liquid comes into contact with air when transferred from the bag-in-box to a stationary tank, or if the tank is exposed to light.

Patent Document 1 discloses a bag-in-box storage device that is expected to reduce these tasks and does not require the transfer of liquid from the bag-in-box to another container.

JP 2004-352301 A

However, while the storage device in Patent Document 1 has the advantage of eliminating the need to transfer liquid to another container, it requires attaching a tap for the bag-in-box with the bag-in-box outlet facing up, then placing the device on its side and then lifting it up, which does not reduce the physical burden significantly, and there is still a risk of liquid leakage when the device is placed on its side.

If the user checks the remaining amount in each bag-in-box before using it, as in the case of a water server, the remaining amount does not need to be managed so strictly. However, in the case of the cleaning solution for the artificial dialysis system mentioned above, a lack of remaining amount that would cause the cleaning and disinfection process to be interrupted is not acceptable.

Also, if you are storing multiple bag-in-boxes, it is best to use up the first one stored in order to maintain quality.

The objective is to provide a safe and hygienic chemical supply device that reduces the burden of refilling chemicals, makes it easy to manage the remaining amount, and eliminates the risk of mixing chemicals.

The drug solution supply device of the present invention comprises a pair of bag-in-boxes consisting of an outer box housing an inner bag with a drug solution outlet, a drug solution rack on which the pair of bag-in-boxes can be mounted with a height difference, a lid member that fits over the drug solution outlet and is fixed with a nut, a suction line that connects the inner bags of the pair of bag-in-boxes through the lid member, and a suction line that branches off from the suction line and connects to the suction side of a drug solution supply pump.

The chemical liquid supplying device of the present invention allows the entire bag-in-box to be replaced and the chemical liquid to be replenished, eliminating the need to refill the tank with chemical liquid and eliminating human error such as refilling the tank with the wrong chemical liquid, making it possible to provide a chemical liquid supplying device that can be used safely and hygienically. In addition, to make it easier to replace the bag-in-box, the chemical liquid supplying device may be configured to be movable, for example by providing casters on the legs of the chemical liquid rack.

In the drug solution supply device of the present invention, it is preferable that the drug solution rack is configured so that the pair of bag-in-boxes can be mounted while inclining the bottom surface of the bag-in-box. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to reduce the area of the lowest bottom when the bag-in-box is placed on the drug solution rack, and therefore it is possible to reduce the amount of drug solution remaining in the inner bag when the bag-in-box is replaced. In addition, if a weight part with a suction port is provided at the tip of the suction line, the tip of the suction line made of a tube or the like is stably positioned near the lowest bottom inside the inner bag of the bag-in-box, so that it is possible to suction out all of the drug solution in the inner bag via the suction line.

In the chemical liquid supply device of the present invention, it is preferable that a notification means is provided that prompts replacement of the bag-in-box based on operation history information of the chemical liquid supply pump. For example, the chemical liquid supply device can be configured so that the chemical liquid supply pump is a metering pump, and the notification means notifies the user of the time to replace the bag-in-box by light or sound when the remaining amount of chemical liquid calculated based on the operation history information of the chemical liquid supply pump falls below a predetermined amount.

In the drug solution supply device of the present invention, it is preferable that the inner bag is filled with drug solution and gas, and the gas is mixed into the drug solution through a hole provided in the suction line. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to gradually remove the air that is initially in the upper part of the inner bag of the bag-in-box through the suction line while the drug solution is being supplied, thereby preventing problems such as the air remaining inside being sucked out all at once just before the upper bag-in-box becomes empty, preventing the drug solution from being supplied.

The chemical supply device of the present invention can be used safely and hygienically, and is therefore suitable for use in applications that supply chemicals for cleaning dialysis equipment to dialysis systems.

The drug solution supplying device of the present invention is preferably configured to have a first bag-in-box consisting of an outer box containing an inner bag having a first drug solution outlet, a first lid member that can be fitted only to the first drug solution outlet, a second bag-in-box consisting of an outer box containing an inner bag having a second drug solution outlet, and a second lid member that can be fitted only to the second drug solution outlet. Also, the drug solution supplying device of the present invention is preferably configured to have a first bag-in-box consisting of an outer box containing an inner bag having a first drug solution outlet, a first weight portion that can be attached only to the tip of a first suction line that connects the inner bags of the first bag-in-box, a second bag-in-box consisting of an outer box containing an inner bag having a second drug solution outlet, and a second weight portion that can be attached only to the tip of a second suction line that connects the inner bags of the second bag-in-box. When a chemical supply device is made up of multiple series and can supply two or more different types of chemicals, it is necessary to correctly connect the multiple types of bag-in-boxes to the multiple types of suction lines when replacing the bag-in-box. However, by configuring each lid member so that it can only fit into a specific chemical outlet, or by configuring each weight part so that it can only be attached to the tip of a specific suction line, it is possible to prevent human connection errors.

The drug solution supply device of the present invention makes it possible to safely and easily replace the bag-in-box, which is an outer box that houses an inner bag containing drug solution.

1A and 1B show an embodiment of a drug solution supplying device of the present invention, in which FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the left side of the drug solution supplying device of FIG. 1. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which a chemical solution outlet of a bag-in-box installed in the chemical solution supply device of FIG. 1 is attached. FIG. FIG. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which a chemical solution outlet with an inner lid is attached to a bag-in-box installed in another embodiment of the chemical solution supplying device of the present invention. The figure shows inner lids (a) to (b) fitted to chemical solution outlets (A) to (B), which have openings of different shapes for each chemical solution, and lid members (C) to (D) having matching fitting portions (c) to (d), in which (A) to (C) are longitudinal cross-sectional views, (D) is a front view, and (a) to (d) are plan views. 1 shows examples of inner lids (a) to (b) fitted onto chemical solution outlets (A) to (B), (A) to (B) being longitudinal cross-sectional views and (a) to (b) being plan views. 1A and 1B show examples of weight members having different shapes for different chemical solutions, in which (A) to (B) are longitudinal cross-sectional views and (a) to (b) are front views.

Figure 1 shows one embodiment of the chemical liquid supply device of the present invention, which is equipped with bag-in-boxes for two types of chemical liquid and supplies them to downstream equipment, etc.

Bag-in-box 4A is a bag-in-box that contains the same chemical liquid, and bag-in-box 4B contains a different chemical liquid, and the bag-in-boxes containing the same chemical liquid are mounted on chemical liquid rack 2 with a height difference between them.

After removing the cap from the drug solution outlet of the bag-in-box to open it, insert the suction tube 6a with the weight member 10 attached to the tip into the bag-in-box 4A (4B) as shown in Figure 2, fit the flange-shaped lid member 13A (13B) to the drug solution outlet, and then screw on the fixing nut 12 to fix it as shown in Figure 3.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the chemical supply device 1 is provided with a suction line 7 that branches off from the suction line 6 that connects the bag-in-boxes containing the same chemical solution to each other and is connected to the suction side of the chemical supply pump 3.

When the drug supply pump 3 starts to deliver the drug to the device downstream of the discharge side, the amount of drug in the bag-in-box 4 placed at a high position gradually decreases. During this time, no outside air is taken in by the suction line 6, so the soft resin inner bag gradually collapses and deforms, and the inert gas and air filled in the inner bag are sucked out.

After the bag-in-box placed at a higher position is empty and the drug solution begins to be drawn out from the bag-in-box placed at a lower position, the bag-in-box is replaced by medical staff.

The procedure for replacing the bag-in-box 4 is to first bring the new bag-in-box 4 close to the chemical supply device 1 and then open it, loosen the fixing nut 12 of the bag-in-box placed at a high position, remove the suction tube 6a, and insert it into the chemical outlet of the new bag-in-box 4. At this time, a check valve can be provided in the suction line 6 to prevent dripping from the suction tube 6a. This check valve can also be expected to have the effect of preventing the chemical liquid from the bag-in-box placed at a high position from flowing back into the bag-in-box placed at a low position during liquid transfer.

The old, empty bag-in-box 4 is removed from the high position of the chemical liquid rack 2 and discarded, and the bag-in-box 4 in the low position from which the chemical liquid is being sucked out is then placed in a higher position, after which the new bag-in-box with the suction tube 6a connected is placed in the low position of the chemical liquid rack 2, completing the replacement work.

This type of replacement work can be completed without stopping the supply of medicinal liquid, minimizing the spread of the pungent odor of the medicinal liquid into the room during the replacement work, and reducing the physical burden on medical staff. Therefore, the replacement work can be performed with plenty of time between when the bag-in-box 4 placed in a high position is empty and when the bag-in-box 4 placed in a low position is empty.

As shown in Figures 4 to 6, an inner lid 14 with an opening of a different shape for each type of chemical liquid is fitted to the chemical liquid outlet of the bag-in-box 4 in advance, and the shape of the weight member 10 and part of the lid member 13 is adjusted to match the shape of the opening of the inner lid 14 as shown in Figures 5 and 7. This prevents the incorrect connection of different chemical liquids to the bag-in-box 4 and significantly reduces the risk of toxic gas generation due to mixing of chemical liquids.

In addition, it is possible to calculate the remaining amount of chemical liquid and predict the time to perform replacement work from the operation history information of the chemical liquid supply pump 3. Therefore, for example, by providing a notification means to prompt replacement of the bag-in-box 4, it is possible to prevent interruption of the cleaning process due to the chemical liquid in the inner bag 5 running out.

In addition, to prevent damage to the inner bag 5 of the bag-in-box 4 during transportation, the inner bag 5 may be filled with a small amount of inert gas or air in advance, but if the liquid in the bag-in-box 4 placed at a high position runs out and this inert gas or air escapes all at once just before the inner bag 5 is completely crushed, the liquid supply will stop during this time. Therefore, by providing an air hole 17 in part of the lid member 13, the gas in the upper part of the inner bag 5 can be reduced little by little while the liquid is being supplied, while mixing it with the liquid, thereby eliminating the problem of the inert gas or air escaping all at once and stopping the supply of the liquid.

The drug supply device of the present invention can be widely used to supply cleaning liquids for artificial dialysis systems, etc.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Chemical solution supply device 2 Chemical solution rack 3 Chemical solution supply pump 4, 4A, 4B Bag-in-box 5 Inner bag 6 Suction line 6a Suction tube 7 Suction line 10, 10A, 10B Weight member 12 Fixing nut 13, 13A, 13B, 13C, 13D Lid member 14, 14A, 14B, 14C, 14D Inner lid 15A, 15B, 15C, 15D Opening
16 Check valve
17 Air hole

Claims (7)

A pair of bag-in-boxes each including an outer box housing an inner bag having a drug solution outlet;
A chemical solution rack on which the pair of bag-in-boxes can be mounted with a height difference;
A cover member that is fitted to the drug solution outlet and fixed with a nut;
A suction line that communicates between the inner bags of the pair of bag-in-boxes through the lid member;
a suction line branching off from the suction line and connected to a suction side of a chemical supply pump;
having
A drug solution supplying device in which the inner bag is filled with a drug solution and a gas, and the gas mixes with the drug solution through an air hole provided in a part of the lid member and a hole provided in the suction line during drug solution supply. The chemical solution supply device according to claim 1, wherein the chemical solution rack mounts the pair of bag-in-boxes while tilting the bottom surface of the bag-in-box with the chemical solution outlet on the upper side , and the tip of the suction line is positioned near the lowermost bottom of the inner bag of the bag-in-box . The drug solution supply device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a weight portion having a suction port is provided at the tip of the suction line. 4. The chemical liquid supply device according to claim 1, further comprising a notification means for calculating a remaining amount of the chemical liquid based on operation history information of the chemical liquid supply pump and prompting replacement of the bag-in-box. The chemical liquid supplying device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , which supplies a chemical liquid for cleaning a dialysis device to a dialysis system. A first bag-in-box including an outer box that houses an inner bag having a first drug solution outlet, and a first lid member having a shape that can be fitted only to the first inner lid that is fitted to the first drug solution outlet;
A second bag-in-box including an outer box that houses an inner bag having a second drug solution outlet, and a second lid member having a shape that can be fitted only to the second inner lid that is fitted to the second drug solution outlet;
The drug solution supplying device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , further comprising: A first bag-in-box including an outer box housing an inner bag having a first drug solution outlet, and a first weight portion having a shape that can be attached only to a tip of a first suction line that connects the inner bags of the first bag-in-box,
A second bag-in-box including an outer box housing an inner bag having a second drug solution outlet, and a second weight portion having a shape that can be attached only to the tip of a second suction line that connects the inner bags of the second bag-in-box,
The drug solution supplying device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , further comprising:

Images