Apparatus for processing a waste fluid bag

Abstract

The present application relates to an apparatus for processing a waste fluid bag. The apparatus comprises a container having an opening; a lid connected to the container, the lid being configured to be movable between a closed position in which the lid covers the opening and an open position in which the opening is at least partially exposed to allow the waste fluid bag to be inserted into the container through the opening; a support member disposed within the container to support a waste fluid bag inserted into the container thereon; and a destruction mechanism configured within the container, the destruction mechanism comprising at least one piercing tool for piercing the waste fluid bag. The support member and the at least one piercing tool are configured to be movable relative to each other such that the at least one piercing tool is shielded by the support member when the lid is in the open position.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to medical devices, and more particularly, to devices for disposal of spent dialysate bags. BACKGROUND

[0002] A person's renal system can fail due to disease or other causes. Many physiological derangements exist in renal failure, regardless of the cause. The daily metabolic load of water, minerals, and waste products is no longer possible when the kidneys fail. During renal failure, the toxic end products of nitrogen metabolism (urea, creatinine, uric acid, etc.) can accumulate in the blood and tissues.

[0003] Renal failure and reduced kidney function is treated by dialysis. Dialysis removes from the body the waste products, toxins and excess water that should be removed by normally functioning kidneys. Because dialysis treatment for replacement of kidney function is life-saving, the treatment is critical to many people. A person with failing kidneys cannot survive without at least the filtration function of the kidneys being replaced.

[0004] Peritoneal dialysis is a dialysis therapy commonly used to treat loss of kidney function. Peritoneal dialysis therapy takes advantage of the properties of the peritoneum as a semi-permeable membrane to remove waste products, toxins and excess fluids from the body. Prepared dialysate is introduced into the patient's peritoneal cavity through a catheter. Because of the concentration gradient of solutes across the peritoneal membrane, solutes move from the high concentration side to the low concentration side (diffusion) and water moves from the low osmotic side to the high osmotic side (osmosis). The peritoneal cavity is continually replaced with fresh dialysate to remove waste products, toxins and to correct disturbances in water and electrolyte balance. Used dialysate is removed from the patient's peritoneal cavity to remove waste products, toxins and excess water from the patient's body.

[0005] After peritoneal dialysis is completed, spent dialysate is drained from the patient and contained in a spent dialysate bag. Because of the large volume of spent dialysate produced with each peritoneal dialysis treatment, the spent dialysate bag is also large in volume. A full spent dialysate bag can weigh as much as 2 kilograms or more and is difficult to collect and dispose of. Traditionally, the patient has used scissors to cut open the spent dialysate bag and pour the contents of the bag down the drain. The empty spent dialysate bag is then disposed of as trash. However, as noted above, the full spent dialysate bag is often large and heavy, making it difficult for the patient to cut open the bag. The patient can spill spent dialysate outside of the drain, creating a risk of contamination of the operator and the environment.

[0006] Some containers for destroying waste liquid bags are provided in the prior art, which have a plurality of spike needles with their pointed ends upwardly arranged inside the containers. When a waste liquid bag is put into the container, the spike needles can pierce the waste liquid bag to drain the waste liquid in the bag, and then the emptied waste liquid bag can be disposed. The advantage of this kind of device is that it relieves the burden of the patient to handle the waste liquid bag and reduces the risk of waste liquid splashing. However, since the spike needles with their pointed ends upwardly arranged inside the container, there is a risk of the operator being pricked during the process of putting the filled waste liquid bag into the container and taking the emptied waste liquid bag out of the container, or during the process of cleaning the inside of the container.

[0007] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a device for conveniently and safely handling the waste liquid bag. SUMMARY

[0008] In view of the problems in the prior art, one of the purposes of the present application is to provide a device for handling waste liquid bags, which can conveniently destroy the waste liquid bags while ensuring the safety of the operator.

[0009] According to one aspect of the present application, a device for handling waste liquid bags is provided. The device comprises a container having an opening; a cover connected to the container, the cover being configured to be movable between a closed position in which the cover covers the opening and an open position in which the opening is at least partially exposed to allow a waste liquid bag to be put into the container through the opening; a support member arranged inside the container to support a waste liquid bag put into the container; and a destruction mechanism arranged inside the container, the destruction mechanism comprising at least one piercing tool for piercing the waste liquid bag. The support member and the at least one piercing tool are configured to be movable relative to each other such that the at least one piercing tool can be shielded by the support member when the cover is in the open position.

[0010] It can be seen that, according to the device provided by the present application, when the cover is in the open position to allow the operator to put a waste liquid bag into the container or take a waste liquid bag out of the container, the piercing tool can be shielded by the support member, thereby effectively preventing the operator from being pricked by the pointed end of the piercing tool and playing a role in protecting the operator.

[0011] Other aspects of the present application will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of a device 100 for handling waste liquid bags 10 in an open state according to an embodiment of the present application is shown, in which a filled waste liquid bag 10 is put into the device 100;

[0013] Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of the device 100 for processing a waste bag 10 in a closed state, wherein the waste bag 10 is pierced by the piercing tool, is shown according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0014] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of the device 100 for destroying a waste bag 10 in an open state, wherein the waste bag 10 has been emptied and can be removed from the device 100, is shown according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0015] Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of the device 200 for destroying a waste bag 10 in an open state, wherein a filled waste bag 10 is introduced into the device 200, is shown according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0016] Figure 5 A cross-sectional view of the device 200 for destroying a waste bag 10 in a closed state, wherein the piercing tool pierces the waste bag 10, is shown according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0017] Figure 6a and 6b A perspective view and a cross-sectional view of a front end of the piercing tool are shown according to an embodiment of the present application; and

[0018] Figure 7 A perspective view of a front end of the piercing tool is shown according to yet another embodiment of the present application.

[0019] Before any embodiments of the application are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the application is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The application is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

[0020] Reference Designator Component Name Reference Designator Component Name

[0021] 100, 200 device 102, 202 container

[0022] 104, 204 cover 106, 206 pin shaft

[0023] 108, 208 support member 109, 209 guide member

[0024] 109a, 209a guide surface 110, 210 destruction mechanism

[0025] 112, 212 piercing tool 114, 214 support shaft

[0026] 116, 216 lever 116a, 216a first part of the lever

[0027] 116b, 216b Second part of the lever 118, 218 Through hole

[0028] 120, 220 drainage mechanism 121, 221 inclined surface

[0029] 122, 222 catheters 124, 224 switches

[0030] 226 connecting rod mechanism 226a first end of the connecting rod mechanism

[0031] 226b Second end of the linkage 228 Wedge-shaped protrusion

[0032] 230 notch 232 sealing mechanism

[0033] 302 body 304 sharp tip DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] Figure 1 FIG1 shows a cross-sectional view of a device 100 for treating a waste liquid bag 10 in an open state according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 As shown, the device 100 includes a container 102 having an opening and a cover 104 connected to the container 102. The cover 104 can be in an open position (refer to Figure 1 ) and closed position (reference Figure 2 ). Figure 1 In the embodiment, the lid 104 is configured to rotate relative to the container 102 about the pin 106 to pivot between an open position and a closed position. Those skilled in the art may employ other methods (e.g., sliding) to move the lid between the open and closed positions. When the lid 104 is in the open position, the opening of the container 102 is at least partially exposed, allowing the waste liquid bag 10 to be inserted into the container 102 through the opening. Figure 1 1 shows a view after the waste liquid bag 10 is put into the container 102 through the opening when the cover 104 is in the open position.

[0035] Further Figure 1 As shown, the device 100 further includes a support member 108 disposed within the container 102. When the waste liquid bag 10 is placed into the container 102, the support member 108 can support the waste liquid bag 10. The device 100 further includes a rupture mechanism 110 disposed within the container 102. The rupture mechanism 110 includes at least one puncture tool 112 for puncturing the waste liquid bag 10.

[0036] Figure 1Four piercing tools 112 are exemplarily shown in the drawings, but one skilled in the art can set different number of piercing tools 112 according to actual needs, and the number of piercing tools is not limited in the present application. In one embodiment, the support member 108 comprises at least one through hole 118 matched with at least one piercing tool 112. Accordingly, Figure 1 Four through holes 118 matched with four piercing tools 112 are exemplarily shown in the drawings. But it is obvious that the number of through holes 118 on the support member 108 can be greater than the number of piercing tools 112.

[0037] In one embodiment, in order to ensure that the waste liquid bag 10 put into the container 102 can be above the through hole 118 to facilitate being punctured by the piercing tool 112 in the subsequent operation, the device 100 further comprises a guide member 109. The guide member 109 is arranged in the container 102 and has an inclined guide surface 109a. The guide surface 109a can guide the waste liquid bag 10 put into the container 102 to the area above the at least one through hole 118 on the support member 108.

[0038] In one embodiment, the device 100 further comprises a support shaft 114 installed at the bottom of the container 102 and a lever 116 pivotally supported on the support shaft 114. The lever 116 has a first portion 116a located at one side of the support shaft 114 and a second portion 116b located at the other side of the support shaft 114. In one embodiment, the breaking mechanism 110 constitutes the first portion 116a of the lever 116. In other words, the at least one piercing tool 112 is installed on the first portion 116a of the lever 116. In one embodiment, the second portion 116b of the lever 116 extends out of the container 112 and can be operated by the operator to actuate the first portion 116a of the lever 116 to move towards or away from the support member 108. It can be understood that, in the Figure 1 In the shown state, the piercing tool 112 is shielded by the support member 108, and the tip of the piercing tool 112 is below the support member 108, so as to be separated from the operator, thus the operator has no risk of being scratched by the piercing tool 112 when putting the waste liquid bag 10 into the container 102.

[0039] Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of the device 100 for processing the waste liquid bag 10 in the closed state according to one embodiment of the present application is shown. As Figure 2As shown, after the waste bag 10 is inserted into the container 102, the cover 104 can be actuated to move to the closed position. At this point, the operator can actuate the end of the second portion 116b of the lever 116 in the direction shown by arrow A (i.e. downward) to enable the first portion 116a of the lever 116 to pivot in the direction shown by arrow B (i.e. counterclockwise). That is, the first portion 116a of the lever 116 moves towards the support member 108. It can be seen that the first portion 116a of the lever 116 can move towards the support member 108 such that the at least one puncturing tool 112 extends beyond the at least one through hole 118 to puncture the waste bag 10 on the support member 108.

[0040] After the waste bag 10 is punctured, the operator can release the force applied to the end of the second portion 116b of the lever 116 in the direction shown by arrow A. At this point, the first portion 116a of the lever 116 rotates due to gravity in the direction away from the support member 108 (i.e. clockwise in Figure 2 ) and the puncturing tool 112 is re-shielded by the support member 108 as the first portion 116a rotates (see Figure 3 ).

[0041] In one embodiment, a spring 119 is provided proximate to the pivot shaft 114 and applies a force to the second portion 116b of the lever 116 in the direction opposite to that shown by arrow A to bias the first portion 116a of the lever 116 away from the support member 108. In another embodiment, a torsion spring can be provided on the pivot shaft 114 to bias the first portion 116a of the lever 116 away from the support member 108.

[0042] With reference to Figure 2 , after the waste bag 10 is punctured, the waste liquid in the waste bag 10 flows under gravity through the through hole 118 to the bottom of the container 102 and is drained out of the container 102 by the drainage mechanism 120. In one embodiment, the bottom of the container 102 has a sloped surface 121 to direct the waste liquid to the drainage mechanism 120 to facilitate the emptying of the waste liquid. In one embodiment, the drainage mechanism 120 includes a conduit 122 to direct the waste liquid to a sewer. A switch 124 can be further provided on the conduit 122 to close the conduit 122 to block the container 102 from the sewer at appropriate times (e.g. when not draining).

[0043] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of the apparatus 100 for processing a waste bag 10 in the closed state according to one embodiment of the present application is shown. As shown, the first portion 116a of the lever 116 is pivoted in the direction away from the support member 108 (i.e. clockwise in Figure 3As shown, at this time, the waste liquid bag 10 has been punctured by the puncture tool 112, and the puncture tool 112 has returned to the position shielded by the supporting member 108, and the waste liquid is drained through the perforation on the waste liquid bag 10. At this time, the operator can open the cover 104 to take out the drained waste liquid bag 10 from the container 102. It can be understood that since the puncture tool 112 is shielded by the supporting member 108 at this time, the operator is not at risk of being cut by the puncture tool 112 when taking out the waste liquid bag 10 from the container 102.

[0044] Figure 6a and 6b The structure of the puncture tool 112 is schematically shown. As shown in Figure 6a and 6b The puncture tool 112 is configured as a needle, which includes a hollow main body 302 and a sharp tip 304 extending from the main body 302 for puncturing the bag body of the waste liquid bag 10. It can be understood that when a solid needle is used to puncture the waste liquid bag 10, the cross section of the hole punctured on the waste liquid bag 10 is occupied by the solid needle before the needle is pulled out, and the waste liquid in the waste liquid bag 10 is not easy to flow out of the hole. For this reason, Figure 6a and 6b The main body 302 of the puncture tool 112 shown is designed to have a C-shaped cross section. When the main body of the puncture tool 112 having a C-shaped cross section is inserted into the hole on the waste liquid bag 10, the cavity formed inside the main body 302 is in communication with the outside environment, which enables the waste liquid in the waste liquid bag 10 to quickly flow out through the cavity of the main body 302, accelerating the draining process.

[0045] Obviously, those skilled in the art can use other shapes or structures of puncture tools to achieve the above technical effects. For example, the puncture tool can be configured to have a sharp tip and a main body, as shown in Figure 7 from the cross section of the main body, the main body has three blades 402 extending transversely to the longitudinal direction of the main body. So that after the waste liquid bag 10 is punctured by the puncture tool, the waste liquid can quickly flow out along the space 404 defined between adjacent blades 402. But those skilled in the art can easily think of that at least only two blades are needed to achieve this effect. Of course, the number of blades can be increased, for example, 4, 5, 6, etc.

[0046] Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of a device 200 for processing a waste liquid bag 10 according to another embodiment of the present application in an open state is shown. Relative to the device 100 in Figures 1-3 , the same or similar components in the device 200 are denoted by the same or similar component numbers in the device 100 plus 100. And, for the sake of brevity, the same technical content of the device 200 and the device 100 will not be described again, and only the differences between the device 200 and the device 100 will be described in detail below.

[0047] like Figure 4 As shown, unlike device 100, in device 200, puncture tool 212 is fixedly mounted on the bottom of container 202, and support member 208 constitutes first portion 216a of lever 216. When an operator applies a force in the direction indicated by arrow A (i.e., downward) to second portion 216b of lever 216, support member 208 can move in the direction indicated by arrow B (i.e., counterclockwise) to a position away from and shielding puncture tool 212.

[0048] In one embodiment, the support member 208 includes a plurality of wedge-shaped protrusions 228 adjacent to the through-hole 218 to prevent the waste liquid bag 10 from moving along the inclined surface of the support member 208 and leaving the area where the through-hole 218 is located when the support member 208 is tilted. In other embodiments, those skilled in the art may also use other friction mechanisms (e.g., anti-slip sheets) to prevent the waste liquid bag 10 from moving away from the area where the through-hole 218 is located.

[0049] In order to ensure that the waste liquid bag 10 placed in the container 202 is positioned above the through hole 218 so as to be punctured by the puncture tool 212 in subsequent operations, the puncture device 200 also includes a guide member 209. The guide member 209 is provided on the side wall of the container 202 and has a guide surface 209a inclined toward the area where the through hole 218 is located. Figures 1-3 The guide surface 109a is formed in the container 202, and the lower end of the guide surface 209a is spaced apart from the support member 208. The waste liquid bag 10 placed in the container 202 can be guided to the through hole 218 area of ​​the support member 208 by the guide surface 209a, and the friction mechanism prevents the waste liquid bag 10 from moving out of the through hole 218 area.

[0050] In one embodiment, the device 200 further includes a linkage mechanism 226 having a first end 226a connected to the first portion 216a of the lever 216 and a second end 226b connected to the cover 204. When the first portion 216a of the lever 216 moves away from the puncture tool 212, the first portion 216a of the lever 216 can move the cover 204 around the pin 206 from the closed position (see FIG. Figure 5 ) pivots to the open position (see Figure 4 At this point, the waste liquid bag 10 can be placed into the container 202 through the opening of the container 202, or the emptied waste liquid bag 10 can be taken out of the container 202. It will be appreciated that, since the puncture tool 212 is shielded by the support member 208 above it when the lid 204 is in the open position, the operator does not risk being scratched by the puncture tool 112 when placing the waste liquid bag 10 into the container 202 or taking the emptied waste liquid bag 10 out of the container 202.

[0051] Further reference is made to Figure 4 The linkage 226 is disposed outside the container 202, and the first portion 216a of the lever 216 extends through a notch 230 of the container 202 to connect to the linkage 226. In some embodiments, the notch 230 includes an upper edge and a lower edge to limit the movement of the first portion 206a of the lever 206 between the upper edge and the lower edge of the notch 230. The device 200 further includes a sealing mechanism 232 configured to seal the notch 230 while allowing the first portion 216a of the lever 216 to move up and down within the notch 230.

[0052] In some embodiments, the sealing mechanism 232 can be a bellows disposed between the first portion 206a of the lever 206 and the upper and lower edges of the notch 230, which is capable of sealing the notch 230 to prevent liquid from flowing out of the container 202 through the notch 230 while also allowing the first portion 206a to move up and down within the notch 230. Those skilled in the art can use other common sealing mechanisms to seal the notch 230, which are not limited by the present application. Furthermore, those skilled in the art can understand that the linkage 226 can be disposed within the container 202, and the lever 206 can also be configured to move the lid 204 from the closed position to the open position via the linkage 226, as desired.

[0053] Further reference is made to Figure 4 The device 200 further includes a spring 219 disposed adjacent to the pivot 214. Unlike the spring 119, the spring 219 applies a force to the first portion 216a of the lever 216 to assist the movement of the lid 204 from the closed position to the open position, so that the operator can use less force to operate the lever 216. Similarly, a torsion spring disposed on the pivot 214 can be used to apply a biasing force to the first portion 216a of the lever 216 to assist the movement of the lid 204 from the closed position to the open position.

[0054] Figure 5 A cross-sectional view of the device 200 for processing the waste liquid bag 10 in the closed state according to another embodiment of the present application is shown. As Figure 5When the operator no longer applies the force in the direction indicated by arrow A to the second portion 216b of the lever 216, the first portion 216a of the lever 216 will fall down due to the gravitational force of the first portion 216a of the lever 216, the linkage mechanism 226 and the cover 204, so that the puncture tool 212 extends through the through hole 218. At this time, the tip of the puncture tool 212 extends out of the through hole 218, thereby puncturing the waste liquid bag 10, so that the waste liquid is discharged from the waste liquid bag 10 into the container 202. The waste liquid in the container 202 can further flow out into, for example, a sewer, via the conduit 222 connected to the bottom of the container 202. It can be understood that when the operator re-applies the force in the direction indicated by arrow A to the second portion 216b of the lever 216, the cover 204 moves to the open position under the joint action of the lever 216 and the linkage mechanism 226, while the first portion 216a of the lever 216 moves upward to the position shielding the puncture tool 212. At this time, the operator can take out the emptied waste liquid bag 10 without the risk of being cut by the puncture tool 212.

[0055] While the application has been described in detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, it can be understood that various changes and modifications can be suggested to one skilled in the art, within the scope and spirit of one or more aspects of the application described.

Claims

1. An apparatus for processing a waste liquid bag, the apparatus comprising: a container having an opening; a lid connected to the container, the lid being configured to be movable between a closed position in which the lid covers the opening and an open position in which the opening is at least partially exposed to allow a waste liquid bag to be inserted into the container through the opening; a support member disposed within the container to support a waste liquid bag inserted into the container, the support member including at least one through hole; a destruction mechanism disposed within the container, the destruction mechanism including at least one piercing tool for piercing the waste liquid bag, the at least one piercing tool being mounted at a bottom of the container; a fulcrum mounted at the bottom of the container; and a lever pivotably supported on the fulcrum, wherein the lever has a first portion located on one side of the fulcrum and a second portion located on the other side of the fulcrum, the second portion extending out of the container and being operable by a user to actuate the first portion of the lever to move towards or away from the at least one piercing tool; wherein the first portion includes the support member, the support member including a friction mechanism proximate to the at least one through hole to prevent a waste liquid bag on the support member from moving away from an area in which the at least one through hole is located; wherein the support member and the at least one piercing tool are configured to be movable relative to each other such that the at least one piercing tool is shielded by the support member when the lid is in the open position; wherein the at least one piercing tool extends beyond the at least one through hole to destroy a waste liquid bag on the support member when the support member and the at least one piercing tool are moved towards each other; wherein the support member is configured to actuate the lid to move towards the open position when the support member is moved to shield the at least one piercing tool. The apparatus further comprises a drainage mechanism disposed at the bottom of the container, wherein liquid from a destroyed waste liquid bag drains out of the container through the drainage mechanism.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The bottom of the container has a sloped surface to direct the liquid to the drainage mechanism.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein, The friction mechanism includes a plurality of wedge-shaped protrusions and / or non-slip pads.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The apparatus further comprises a linkage mechanism having a first end connected to the first portion of the lever and a second end connected to the lid; and movement of the first portion away from the at least one piercing tool causes the lid to move from the closed position to the open position.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The lid is pivotably mounted on the container, and the second end of the linkage mechanism is connected to the lid to actuate pivotal movement of the lid.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein, The linkage mechanism is disposed outside the container, the first portion of the lever extending through a recess of the container to be connected to the linkage mechanism; and 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein, The apparatus further comprises a sealing mechanism configured to allow movement of the first portion of the lever while sealing the recess. ​ ​ 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein, The notch has an upper edge and a lower edge for limiting movement of the first portion of the lever between the upper edge and the lower edge.

9. The apparatus of any one of claims 1-8, wherein, The device further includes a spring that applies a force to the first portion of the lever to assist movement of the cover from the closed position to the open position.

10. The apparatus of any one of claims 1-8, wherein, The at least one piercing implement is configured as a needle having a sharp tip and a hollow body having a cross-section that is annular or C-shaped; or the at least one piercing implement is configured as a needle having a sharp tip and a body having at least two blades extending transverse to a longitudinal axis of the body.

Images