Inner tube cleaning equipment for soft endoscope

Abstract

The utility model discloses an inner tube cleaning device for a soft endoscope. The cleaning device comprises a fixing mechanism, a cleaning bin and a cleaning mechanism. According to the equipment, the position of the operation part of the soft endoscope is fixed through the fixing mechanism, and the operation part extends into the cleaning bin for cleaning operation; the cleaning mechanism comprises a plurality of cleaning medium pipelines, and the number of the cleaning medium pipelines is matched with the number of inner pipe bodies to be cleaned; the cleaning medium pipeline is a pressure-adjustable pipeline with a pumping device, the connecting-in end of the cleaning medium pipeline is provided with a connecting part matched with the connector / connector, and the connecting-out end of the cleaning medium pipeline is connected with a cleaning medium container. According to the flexible endoscope cleaning device, the cleaning effect and the cleaning efficiency of a pipeline in a flexible endoscope can be effectively improved, and the cleanliness of the flexible endoscope during use is guaranteed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of cleaning and disinfection of medical instruments, in particular to an inner tube cleaning device for a flexible endoscope. Background Art

[0002] In modern medical practice, flexible endoscopes such as gastroscopes, colonoscopes, colposcopes and other instruments are widely used for local examinations in patients. This type of endoscope follows the principle of physical imaging, and is introduced into the body cavity through a tube equipped with a light source through the natural orifice or invasive cavity of the human body, and uses the imaging structure to perform disease examination or treatment.

[0003] Although different types, brands and models of flexible endoscopes may differ in style design, structure and material selection, they all have the structural parts of an insertion tube and an operating part. The insertion tube is used to be introduced into the human body. In addition to the light guide beam and / or the image guide beam, the insertion tube is also formed with an internal pipeline. The internal pipeline includes a water-gas pipeline, an instrument pipeline and a suction pipeline. The water-gas pipeline is used to inject water, gas, a water-gas mixture or other necessary working media into the patient's body during an examination or operation to expand the examination site, clear the field of vision or assist in the operation. The water-gas pipeline may be a double tube or a single tube in different types, brands and models of flexible endoscopes. Shared; the instrument pipeline allows the doctor to introduce various surgical instruments, such as biopsy forceps, scissors, injection needles, etc. through the endoscope, so as to perform sampling or treatment operations when necessary; the suction pipeline is separately connected to the suction device, which is used to absorb the liquid, blood or secretions in the body cavity (some flexible endoscopes also combine the instrument pipeline and the suction pipeline into one, and use the suction device to directly connect the instrument pipeline to use the instrument pipeline to achieve the suction pipeline effect); the operating part is connected to the end of the insertion tube, and can control the function of the insertion tube introduced into the human body, and the operating part is formed with an interface / connector for connecting different media and surgical instruments to the corresponding internal pipeline.

[0004] To ensure safe use and prevent cross-infection, the insertion tube part of the flexible endoscope must at least be cleaned and disinfected before use. Correct operation can not only reduce the risk of cross-infection, but also extend the service life of the device.

[0005] There are some devices on the market for cleaning flexible endoscopes, but most of these devices are immersion cleaning devices with simple structures and low automation levels. The cleaning effect is not satisfactory and can only clean the outer surface. Considering that during the operation of the endoscope, the patient's blood, mucus, and tissue debris may remain in the endoscope pipeline, which will hinder the normal use of the endoscope and may also cause cross-infection. During the operation of the endoscope, its internal pipeline also needs to be strictly cleaned and disinfected to ensure the safety and hygiene of the patient. This means that the flexible endoscope that has been surface cleaned also needs to have its internal pipelines cleaned specifically. However, there is currently no internal pipeline cleaning equipment specifically for flexible endoscopes. Medical personnel need to use a tube brush for manual cleaning. During the cleaning process, the tube brush needs to be moved back and forth while rotating to complete the cleaning action. Considering the long size of the insertion tube, this manual cleaning method using a tube brush is not only labor-intensive, time-consuming and labor-intensive, but also has problems such as difficulty in controlling the cleaning force, difficulty in thorough cleaning, and the bristles of the tube brush easily scratching the wall of the internal pipeline. In addition, the double-tube water and gas pipelines of some flexible endoscopes are merged at the outer end of the insertion tube, which can easily cause the bristles of the tube brush to become entangled, stuck, or broken in the pipeline during the cleaning process performed by the tube brush at the merged position, which affects the cleaning efficiency and produces bristle waste, requiring additional cleaning steps and even downtime for maintenance in severe cases. Utility Model Content

[0006] The technical problem solved by the utility model is to provide an inner tube cleaning device for a flexible endoscope, which can be used to solve the defects in the above technical background.

[0007] The technical problem solved by the utility model is achieved by the following technical solutions:

[0008] An inner tube cleaning device for a flexible endoscope comprises a fixing mechanism, a cleaning chamber and the cleaning mechanism; the device fixes the position of an operating part of the flexible endoscope by means of the fixing mechanism, and extends the cleaning part into the cleaning chamber for cleaning; the cleaning mechanism comprises a plurality of cleaning medium pipelines, the number of which matches the number of inner tube bodies to be cleaned; the cleaning medium pipeline is a pressure-adjustable pipeline with a pumping device, the access end of which has a connecting portion matching an interface / connector, and the outlet end is connected to a cleaning medium container.

[0009] As a further limitation, the fixing mechanism includes a base and a fixing head, and the fixing head is a clamping structure or a holding structure for fixing the position of the flexible endoscope.

[0010] As a further limitation, the cleaning medium pipeline is respectively connected to the enzyme cleaning agent container, the sterile water container and the disinfectant container through a three-way connection with a reversing valve.

[0011] As a further limitation, the cleaning medium pipeline is connected to the enzyme cleaning agent container, the sterile water container and the disinfectant container respectively through bifurcated pipelines, and the pumping device is a combination of independent pumping units arranged on each bifurcated pipeline.

[0012] As a further limitation, the cleaning medium pipeline includes an outer tube, three inner tubes are formed in the outer tube, and the three inner tubes are respectively connected to the enzyme cleaning agent container, the sterile water container and the disinfectant container. The pumping device is a combination of independent pumping units arranged on each forked pipeline.

[0013] As a further limitation, the equipment also includes a clean warehouse, which is a low-temperature air drying warehouse using sterile air as a medium. After drying is completed, the clean warehouse can use positive pressure sterile air in the warehouse to form a sterile warehouse storage environment.

[0014] As a further limitation, the device also includes a controller, which is electrically connected to the pumping device and the pressure regulating device on the cleaning medium pipeline and can control the connected pumping device and the pressure regulating device.

[0015] The inner tube cleaning device for a flexible endoscope can be used to clean the inner tube of the flexible endoscope, the flexible endoscope comprises an operating part and an insertion tube, and a joint part connected by a connecting tube is arranged on the operating part; the inner tube is formed in the operating part, the insertion tube and the connecting tube in a through-fitting manner to form a continuous tube section, and the inner tube is one or a combination of a water-gas tube, an instrument tube and a suction tube; an interface / connector for connecting a water-gas medium, a surgical instrument, a suction device and a corresponding inner tube is formed on the joint part or the operating part; the operating part has a rotary valve button for controlling the corresponding inner tube.

[0016] The specific operation steps for cleaning the inner pipeline of the flexible endoscope include the following:

[0017] S1: Remove the flexible endoscope from the main unit, remove the rotary valve knob on the operating part, and seal the rotary valve knob at the assembly position and with a sealing plug, so that the operating part and the inner pipeline in the insertion tube are connected to form a continuous pipeline;

[0018] S2 uses an interface / connector to connect a cleaning medium pipeline, and uses the cleaning medium pipeline to connect different cleaning medium containers;

[0019] S3 fixes the position of the flexible endoscope and cleans the inner pipeline of the flexible endoscope using the cleaning medium pipeline and different cleaning media. The cleaning is performed in the following order:

[0020] First, use enzyme cleaning agent to perform at least two rounds of cleaning; after the enzyme cleaning is completed, use sterile water to perform the first round of cleaning on the internal pipeline; after the first round of cleaning with sterile water is completed, use disinfectant to clean; after the disinfectant cleaning is completed, use sterile water to perform the second round of cleaning;

[0021] S4 removes the cleaned flexible endoscope from the cleaning medium pipeline, removes the sealing plug, and completes the inner tube cleaning operation after drying.

[0022] Beneficial effects: The inner tube cleaning device for flexible endoscopes of the utility model realizes the cleaning operation of the inner tube of the flexible endoscope, effectively removes the residues and microorganisms in the inner tube, and ensures the hygiene and safety of the endoscope. The cleaning process can effectively reduce the labor intensity of medical personnel, improve the cleaning efficiency, and avoid various problems in the manual cleaning process. At the same time, the non-brush contact cleaning of the cleaning medium avoids the problems of brush entanglement, bristle jamming, and bristle breakage during the cleaning process, and effectively improves the cleaning effect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of the utility model.

[0024] Among them: 1. Enzyme cleaning agent container; 2. Sterile water container; 3. Disinfectant container; 4. Controller; 5. Cleaning chamber; 6. Insertion tube; 7. Instrument hole; 8. Fixing mechanism; 9. Water-gas pipeline control valve button; 10. Aspirator control valve button; 11. Operating part; 12. Pure water pipeline; 13. Water-gas mixture pipeline; 14. Gas pipeline; 15. Instrument pipeline; 16. Connecting pipe; 17. Pump; 18. Joint; 19. Aspirator connection hole; 20. Pressure regulating device; 21. Gas source connection hole; 22. Pure water connection hole; 23. Water-gas mixture connection hole. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] In order to make the technical means, creative features, objectives and effects achieved by the present invention easy to understand, the present invention is further described below with reference to specific illustrations.

[0026] See also Figure 1 A preferred embodiment of an inner tube cleaning device for a flexible endoscope is provided. In this embodiment, the inner tube cleaning device includes a frame and a casing, wherein the frame is arranged in the casing as a structural fixing member, and a fixing mechanism 8, a cleaning chamber 5 and a cleaning mechanism are arranged on the frame. The fixing mechanism 8, the cleaning chamber 5 and the cleaning mechanism are encapsulated in the same casing to be used as a complete machine.

[0027] The fixing mechanism 8 of the inner tube cleaning equipment is used to fix the position of the flexible endoscope to be cleaned, and includes a base and a fixing head. The fixing mechanism 8 is fixedly connected to the equipment frame through the base, and the fixing head is a holding structure, which is used to fix the position of the operating part 11 of the flexible endoscope to be cleaned in the style shown in the figure and keep it in a suspended state. The insertion tube 6 of the flexible endoscope in the suspended state is kept upright and extended into the cleaning chamber 5 to utilize the cleaning mechanism to perform the cleaning operation of the inner pipeline.

[0028] The cleaning mechanism of the inner tube cleaning device includes a plurality of cleaning medium pipelines, and the number of the cleaning medium pipelines is consistent with the number of inner tube bodies in the flexible endoscope to be cleaned. The structure of a single cleaning medium pipeline is similar, and all include a tube body with a pumping device, a joint connected to both ends of the tube body, and a cleaning medium container. The difference between different cleaning medium pipelines is only that the corresponding joint part is a customized joint, so that it can be connected and assembled on the interface / joint corresponding to the inner tube on the flexible endoscope to connect the cleaning medium pipeline with the corresponding inner tube; in this embodiment, the cleaning medium pipeline also includes a pressure regulating device 20 at each customized joint position, and the pressure regulating device 20 is used to adjust the pumping pressure of the cleaning medium in the cleaning medium pipeline to ensure the circulation and flushing effect of the cleaning medium in the inner tube. There are three groups of cleaning medium containers corresponding to the cleaning medium pipeline, namely, enzyme cleaning agent container 1, sterile water container 2 and disinfectant container 3.

[0029] In this embodiment, the cleaning medium pipeline is connected to the enzyme cleaning agent container 1, the sterile water container 2 and the disinfectant container 3 respectively through bifurcated pipelines, and then the pump 17 as a pumping device is arranged in the corresponding bifurcated pipelines.

[0030] In other embodiments, there may be various connection schemes between the cleaning medium pipeline and the cleaning medium container, for example:

[0031] Solution 1: Install a tee with a reversing valve on the cleaning medium pipeline, and then connect the enzyme cleaning agent container 1, the sterile water container 2 and the disinfectant container 3 respectively.

[0032] Solution 2: The cleaning medium pipeline includes an outer tube, and three inner tubes are formed inside the outer tube, which are respectively connected to the enzyme cleaning agent container 1, the sterile water container 2 and the disinfectant container 3. The pumping device is arranged on an independent pumping unit combination on each branch pipeline.

[0033] The above-mentioned different technical solutions enable any cleaning medium pipe to utilize the corresponding structure to selectively obtain the cleaning medium in the corresponding enzyme cleaning agent container 1, the sterile water container 2 and the disinfectant container 3 through the pumping device.

[0034] In this embodiment, the inner tube cleaning device for a flexible endoscope can be used to fully clean the inner tube of the flexible endoscope, thereby ensuring the hygiene and safety of the endoscope. Figure 1 The embodiment shows a status diagram of a cleaning operation on the inner pipeline of a common flexible endoscope. The flexible endoscope is a typical flexible endoscope structure, including a complete joint part 18, a connecting tube 16, an operating part 11 and an insertion tube 6; in addition to the common light guide plug-in part, the joint part 18 is also provided with an aspirator connecting hole 19, a gas source connecting hole 21, a pure water connecting hole 22 and a water-gas mixture connecting hole 23, and the operating part 11 is provided with an instrument hole 7, a water-gas pipeline control valve button 9 and an aspirator control valve button 10. The water-gas pipeline control valve button 9 and the aspirator control valve button 10 are assembled structures on the operating part 11 and can be removed; there are four inner pipelines in the flexible endoscope, which correspond to the pure water pipeline 12, the water-gas mixture pipeline 13, the gas pipeline 14 and the instrument pipeline 15 in the figure respectively.

[0035] When the flexible endoscope is in functional use, the pure water pipeline 12 is used to connect to the pure water connection hole 22, and a water spray connector can be connected to the pure water connection hole 22 to continuously spray water at the end of the insertion tube 6;

[0036] The water-gas mixture pipeline 13 is used to be connected to the water-gas mixture connecting hole 23, and is connected to the sterile water bottle and the gas cylinder through a forked pipeline at the rear end of the water-gas mixture connecting hole 23, and can spray the water-gas mixture at the end of the insertion tube 6 during the operation by proportionally mixing air and sterile water; during the operation, the water-gas pipeline control valve button 9 on the operating part 11 can be used to control the spraying of the water-gas mixture.

[0037] The gas pipeline 14 is used to be directly connected to the gas cylinder to perform gas injection at the end of the insertion tube 6;

[0038] The instrument pipeline 15 of the present embodiment is a multi-purpose structure, which can be used to realize the functions of the instrument pipeline and the suction pipeline at the same time during the operation. It can realize the function of the suction pipeline by connecting a suction device at the suction device connecting hole 19, and can also realize the function of the instrument pipeline by connecting a corresponding instrument at the instrument hole 7. During the operation, the suction device control valve button 10 on the operating part 11 is used to assist in the switching of the aforementioned functions.

[0039] After use, the flexible endoscope needs to be cleaned and disinfected before it can be put into use again. The overall cleaning and disinfection are carried out according to the following steps:

[0040] First, remove the flexible endoscope from the main unit, then remove the water-gas pipeline control valve button 9 and the suction device control valve button 10 on the operating part 11, and then use matching sealing plugs to seal the hole positions of the removed water-gas pipeline control valve button 9 and the suction device control valve button 10 and the instrument hole 7. After sealing, the corresponding water-gas mixture pipeline 13, gas pipeline 14, and instrument pipeline 15 will form a continuous passage; and the pure water pipeline 12 itself is a continuous passage.

[0041] The outer surface is cleaned and disinfected first. After the outer surface is cleaned and disinfected, the inner pipeline can be cleaned and disinfected. When cleaning and disinfecting the inner pipeline, the cleaning medium pipeline with a customized joint is first assembled and connected with the corresponding aspirator connection hole 19, the air source connection hole 21, the pure water connection hole 22 and the water-gas mixture connection hole 23 at the joint part 18 end, and the connection of the cleaning medium pipeline with the enzyme cleaning agent container 1, the sterile water container 2 and the disinfectant container 3 is completed in the aforementioned manner. After the connection is completed, the flexible endoscope to be cleaned is hung on the fixing mechanism 8 in the manner shown in the figure, and the insertion tube 6 is allowed to hang down into the cleaning chamber 5.

[0042] Use the cleaning medium pipeline and different cleaning media to clean the internal pipeline of the flexible endoscope. The cleaning is carried out in the following order:

[0043] First, use an enzyme cleaner to perform two rounds of cleaning. During cleaning, the enzyme cleaner completely wets the inner pipes and leaves them to stand for an enzyme reaction time after wetting is completed (for the specific enzyme reaction time, refer to the operating specifications and / or the instructions for use of the corresponding enzyme cleaner) so that the enzyme cleaner can effectively decompose organic residues such as protein and fat in the inner pipes. After the enzyme reaction time, the next round of cleaning can be carried out.

[0044] After two rounds of enzyme cleaning, sterile water is used to perform the first round of cleaning on the inner pipeline. During cleaning, the pressure regulating device 20 can be used to increase the pressure of the outlet water to different degrees according to needs to ensure the cleaning effect of debris and sundries in the pipe.

[0045] After the first round of cleaning with sterile water is completed, disinfectant is used for cleaning. The disinfectant can be cleaned at normal pressure or pressurized. At the same time, the disinfectant also needs to completely wet the internal pipes and retain a disinfection reaction time (for the specific reaction time, refer to the operating specifications and / or the instructions for use of the corresponding disinfectant).

[0046] After the disinfectant cleaning is completed, sterile water is used for the second round of cleaning. The cleaning method is similar to the first round of sterile water cleaning, and a single round of sterile water cleaning can be performed multiple times.

[0047] After cleaning, the flexible endoscope is removed from the cleaning medium pipeline, the sealing plug is removed, and the flexible endoscope is dried by low-temperature air drying. After low-temperature air drying, it is placed in a sterile warehouse for storage to avoid secondary contamination.

[0048] In this embodiment, in order to improve the degree of automation of the equipment, a controller 4 is also provided in the casing. The controller 4 is electrically connected to the pumping device and the pressure regulating device on the cleaning medium pipeline, and can control the connected pumping device and the pressure regulating device. The working states of the pumping device and the pressure regulating device are controlled by the controller 4, thereby controlling the circulation state of the cleaning medium in the internal pipeline, realizing the automation of the cleaning process, effectively reducing human intervention, and improving the cleaning efficiency.

[0049] In another embodiment, in order to further ensure the use effect of the cleaning device, a clean bin can be set on the device to achieve the drying and storage functions at the same time; the clean bin is a low-temperature air-drying bin that uses sterile air as the medium. After the drying is completed, the clean bin can use positive pressure sterile air in the bin to form a sterile bin storage environment to avoid secondary contamination. After the cleaning operation is completed, the flexible endoscope is transferred to the clean bin for low-temperature air drying, and after the air drying is completed, it is stored in the clean bin for the next use.

[0050] It should be noted that, in other embodiments, for flexible endoscopes that do not adopt the pipeline form of this embodiment, the specific structural form of the cleaning medium pipeline and the pressure regulating device can be adaptively adjusted according to actual needs to achieve the corresponding cleaning effect.

[0051] The above shows and describes the basic principle, main features and advantages of the utility model. Those skilled in the art should understand that the purpose of these embodiments is only to illustrate the utility model and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the utility model. In addition, it should also be understood that after reading the technical content of the utility model, those skilled in the art can make various changes, modifications and / or variations to the utility model, and all of these equivalent forms also fall within the scope of protection defined by the claims attached to this application.

Claims

1. An inner tube cleaning device for a flexible endoscope, characterized in that: It includes a fixing mechanism, a cleaning chamber and a cleaning mechanism; the equipment fixes the position of the operating part of the flexible endoscope through the fixing mechanism, and extends it into the cleaning chamber for cleaning operations; the cleaning mechanism includes multiple cleaning medium pipelines, and the number of the cleaning medium pipelines matches the number of inner tubes to be cleaned; the cleaning medium pipeline is an adjustable pressure pipeline with a pumping device, and its access end has a connecting part matching the interface / connector, and is connected to a cleaning medium container at the access end.

2. The inner tube cleaning device for a flexible endoscope according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fixing mechanism includes a base and a fixing head, and the fixing head is a clamping structure or a holding structure for fixing the position of the flexible endoscope.

3. The inner tube cleaning device for a flexible endoscope according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cleaning medium pipeline is respectively connected to the enzyme cleaning agent container, the sterile water container and the disinfectant container through a three-way connection with a reversing valve.

4. The inner tube cleaning device for a flexible endoscope according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cleaning medium pipeline is connected to the enzyme cleaning agent container, the sterile water container and the disinfectant container respectively through the bifurcated pipelines, and the pumping device is a combination of independent pumping units arranged on each bifurcated pipeline.

5. The inner tube cleaning device for a flexible endoscope according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cleaning medium pipeline includes an outer tube, in which three inner tubes are formed, and the three inner tubes are respectively connected to an enzyme cleaning agent container, a sterile water container and a disinfectant container. The pumping device is a combination of independent pumping units arranged on each bifurcated pipeline.

6. The inner tube cleaning device for a flexible endoscope according to claim 1, characterized in that: The equipment also includes a clean warehouse, which is a low-temperature air drying warehouse using sterile air as a medium. After drying is completed, the clean warehouse can use positive pressure sterile air in the warehouse to form a sterile warehouse storage environment.

7. The inner tube cleaning device for a flexible endoscope according to claim 1, characterized in that: The device also includes a controller, which is electrically connected to a pumping device and a pressure regulating device on the cleaning medium pipeline and can control the connected pumping device and pressure regulating device.

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