Manually operated radiation-protective enclosure for the preparation of radiopharmaceutical products

Abstract

The present invention relates to a manually operated, radiation-protective enclosure for the preparation of radiopharmaceutical products, which enclosure comprises: - a work compartment (2) equipped with glove loops for the passage of an operator's hands and arms, and - an airlock compartment (6) allowing the introduction of products or materials into the work compartment (2), which airlock compartment (6) comprises: - a second airlock door (64) interposed between the interior volume of the airlock (61) and the work compartment (2), and - a sliding drawer (66). In the enclosure according to the invention, the second airlock door (64) and optionally the sliding drawer (66) are each equipped with a motor (7, 8) allowing automatic opening and closing, which motors (7, 8) can be deactivated to allow manual opening and closing. Figure 3 (for the abstract)

Description

Title of the invention: Manual radio-protective enclosure for the preparation of radiopharmaceutical products. Technical field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of equipment for the protection of operators against radiation emitted by radioelements.

[0002] This relates in particular to manual radiation-protective enclosures, commonly referred to as "glove boxes" and "shielded enclosures," which are adapted for handling by an operator of radioelements, for example, for the preparation of low, medium, and high-energy radiopharmaceutical products or compositions. Prior art

[0003] Due to their radiation, the handling of radioelements requires the use of appropriate protective equipment.

[0004] This is the case, for example, in the field of nuclear medicine, in particular for the preparation of low, medium and high energy radiopharmaceutical products or compositions.

[0005] To ensure this protection, the manipulations can be carried out within a radio-protective enclosure commonly referred to as a "glove box", or even a "shielded enclosure".

[0006] To this end, such a radiation-protective enclosure classically comprises:

[0007] - a sealed working compartment, delimiting an internal working volume and equipped with glove loops for an operator's arms, and also

[0008] - an airlock compartment delimiting an internal airlock volume, allowing the introduction of products or materials into the internal volume of the work compartment.

[0009] The airlock compartment includes a first airlock door interposed between said inner airlock volume and the outside of the enclosure, which is equipped with an operating handle; and this airlock compartment includes a second airlock door interposed between the inner airlock volume and the inner working volume, which second airlock door is also equipped with an operating handle, for its manual opening and closing maneuvers by the operator from the inner volume of the working compartment (sealed handling volume).

[0010] The airlock compartment generally includes a sliding drawer for collecting the products or materials to be transferred; this drawer is equipped with an operating handle, arranged for its manual opening and closing maneuvers by the operator from the interior volume of the working compartment.

[0011] In practice, such an enclosure allows, for example, the elution of radioactive solutions (for example, Technetium (Tc99m) generators), the reconstitution of radiopharmaceutical kits or the preparation of patient syringes for the performance of conventional scintigraphic examinations.

[0012] To ensure its operation, the radio-protective enclosure includes various electronic equipment, controllable by an operator, via a control panel located outside the internal volume of the work compartment.

[0013] However, manual operations by the operator of the second airlock door, and also of the sliding drawer, from the interior volume of the work compartment, are sometimes uncomfortable or difficult to perform in certain situations, in particular because of his hands and arms being inserted into the glove rings.

[0014] Moreover, such manual maneuvers can take some time and, even if the operator's arms are properly protected, still expose them to an increased risk of exposure to radioactive radiation. Presentation of the invention

[0015] In order to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art, the present invention proposes a manually operated radiation-protective enclosure for the preparation of radiopharmaceutical products, which enclosure comprises:

[0016] - a work compartment defining an internal work volume and equipped with glove loops for the passage of an operator's arms into the interior volume of said work compartment, and

[0017] - an airlock compartment delimiting an internal airlock volume, allowing the introduction of products or materials into said internal volume of the work compartment,

[0018] which airlock compartment includes a first airlock door interposed between said internal airlock volume and the exterior of the enclosure, which first airlock door is equipped with an operating handle,

[0019] which airlock compartment includes a second airlock door interposed between said internal airlock volume and said internal working volume, which second airlock door is equipped with an operating handle, for its manual opening and closing by said operator from the internal volume of said working compartment,

[0020] which airlock compartment includes a sliding drawer equipped with an operating handle, also for its manual opening and closing by said operator from the interior volume of said work compartment,

[0021] This manual radiation-protective enclosure is characterized by the fact that:

[0022] - that said second airlock door is equipped with a door motor allowing automatic opening and closing maneuvers,

[0023] - that it includes suitable control means for controlling said door motorization to allow automatic opening and closing of said second airlock door,

[0024] -and that it includes suitable deactivation means to deactivate said door motorization to allow said manual opening and closing maneuvers of said second airlock door.

[0025] These features provide the operator with a choice of operating mode for the airlock door, depending on the situation in question, in particular to gain comfort and / or operating time, thus limiting the risks of exposure to ionizing radiation.

[0026] Preferably the sliding drawer is equipped in the same way.

[0027] Thus, this sliding drawer is advantageously equipped with a drawer motor allowing for automatic opening and closing maneuvers,

[0028] The enclosure includes control means adapted to control said drawer motorization to allow automatic opening and closing maneuvers of said sliding drawer,

[0029] and the enclosure includes suitable deactivation means to deactivate said drawer motorization to allow said manual opening and closing maneuvers of said sliding drawer.

[0030] Other non-limiting and advantageous features of the manual radiation-protective enclosure according to the invention, taken individually or in all technically possible combinations, are as follows:

[0031] - The manual enclosure includes: - initial control means adapted to control the opening of the second airlock door, then the opening of the sliding drawer, and - second means of control adapted to control the closing of the sliding drawer, then the closing of the second airlock door;

[0032] - the second airlock door includes an inflatable door seal, equipped with means for its inflation and means for its deflation,

[0033] said first control means are adapted to control the deflation of said inflatable seal before the opening of the second airlock door,

[0034] and said second control means are adapted to control the inflation of said inflatable seal after the closure of the second airlock door;

[0035] - the enclosure includes deactivation means which are suitable for deactivating the door motorization to allow the aforementioned manual opening and closing maneuvers of the second airlock door, and to deactivate the motorization of drawer to allow for the aforementioned manual opening and closing maneuvers of the sliding drawer,

[0036] and it further includes activation means which are adapted to activate the door motorization to allow said automatic opening and closing maneuvers of the second airlock door, and to activate the drawer motorization to allow said automatic opening and closing maneuvers of the sliding drawer;

[0037] - the door motorization and the drawer motorization consist of cylinders pneumatics. Preferably, these pneumatic cylinders comprise a cylinder body delimiting an internal volume, and a cylinder piston separating said internal volume into two cylinder chambers, and said two cylinder chambers comprise valve structures: - of which a closed position allows the use of said pneumatic cylinders for the automatic opening and closing maneuvers of the second airlock door and the sliding drawer, and - of which an open position allows their communication with the ambient air, for the deactivation operations of said pneumatic cylinders and the manual opening and closing maneuvers of the second airlock door and the sliding drawer;

[0038] Of course, the various features, variants, and embodiments of the invention can be combined in various ways, provided they are not incompatible or mutually exclusive. Detailed description of the invention

[0039] In addition, various other features of the invention become apparent from the attached description made with reference to the drawings which illustrate one, non-limiting, embodiment of the invention and where:

[0040] [Fig.1] is a schematic, perspective view showing a manual radio-protective enclosure according to the invention;

[0041] [Fig.2] is an enlarged schematic view of part of the radio-protective enclosure of [Fig.1], showing the interior of the work compartment, airlock compartment side, here with the second airlock door in the closed position;

[0042] [Fig.3] is a view similar to [Fig.2], here with the second airlock door in the open position and the sliding drawer of the airlock compartment in the closed (retracted) position;

[0043] [Fig.4] is a view similar to figures 2 and 3, here with the second airlock door in the open position and the sliding drawer of the airlock compartment in the partially open (deployed) position.

[0044] The manual radio-protective enclosure 1 (or enclosure 1 or radio-protective enclosure 1, or manual enclosure 1) according to the invention, shown in figures 1 to 4, is adapted for the handling of radioelements by an operator.

[0045] Such a radio-protective enclosure 1 is suitable for the field of nuclear medicine, in particular for the preparation of low, medium and high energy radiopharmaceutical products or compositions.

[0046] Such an enclosure 1 allows for example the elution of Technetium (Tc99m) generators, the reconstitution of radiopharmaceutical kits or the preparation of patient syringes for the performance of conventional scintigraphic examinations.

[0047] This radiation-protective enclosure 1 is of the type commonly referred to as a "glove box", "shielded enclosure", "shielded cell", "glove box" or "hot cell".

[0048] In this sense, the radio-protective enclosure 1 includes a working compartment 2 delimited by radio-protective walls (advantageously comprising a radio-attenuating material, for example lead, a plastic material loaded with radio-protective metallic particles, or glass loaded with radio-protective metallic particles) delimiting a sealed internal working volume 3 intended to contain in particular the radioelements to be handled.

[0049] Preferably, the internal working volume 3 is under internal negative pressure by means of an air suction system.

[0050] The radiation-protective walls that delimit the work compartment 2 include, in particular:

[0051] - a frontal radiation-protective wall 21, opposite which an operator is intended to be installed during handling, and

[0052] - two lateral radio-protective walls 22, bordering laterally the radio- wall front protector 21.

[0053] The front radio-protective wall 21 has a transparent part, to allow visual access to the internal working volume 3.

[0054] It also includes two lights 4 (not shown in figures 2 to 4), each of which is equipped with a glove 5 (protruding into the inner volume 3) for the passage of hands and arms for the various manipulations within the inner working volume 3 by the operator.

[0055] The light assembly 4 / glove 5 is generally referred to as the "glove ring".

[0056] Each glove 5 is sealed, hermetically with its associated light 4.

[0057] At least one of the radiation-protective walls of the work compartment 2, here each of the two lateral radiation-protective walls 22, is also equipped with an airlock compartment 6 (also called a "transfer box") delimiting an internal airlock volume 61.

[0058] Such an airlock compartment 6 is useful for the transfer of accessories / materials and / or consumables from the outside to the internal working volume 3, and vice versa.

[0059] For operator protection, each airlock compartment 6 includes a first airlock door 62 interposed between said inner volume of airlock 61 and the outside of the enclosure 1.

[0060] This first airlock door 62 is equipped with an operating handle 63.

[0061] The airlock compartment 6 further includes a second interposed airlock door 64 between the internal volume of airlock 61 and the internal working volume 3, which second airlock door 64 is equipped with an operating handle 65, for its manual opening and closing maneuvers by the operator from the internal working volume 3 of the working compartment 2.

[0062] The first airlock door 62 can be automatically locked and can be unlocked by means of a control available to the operator. This unlocking will be possible provided that the second airlock door 64 is in the closed position.

[0063] The second airlock door 64 may include a peripheral safety seal.

[0064] This safety seal is advantageously an inflatable / deflatable type seal, associated with suitable conventional means allowing its inflation to optimize its sealing, and its deflation to allow the door to be opened.

[0065] The airlock compartment 6 also includes a sliding drawer 66 equipped with an operating handle 67, for its manual opening and closing maneuvers by the operator from the internal working volume 3 of the working compartment 2.

[0066] In the manual radio-protective enclosure 1 according to the invention:

[0067] - the second airlock door 64 is equipped with a door motor 7 allowing automatic opening and closing maneuvers; and this door motor 7 is designed to be deactivated (or disconnectable or disengageable) to allow manual opening and closing maneuvers, and

[0068] - the sliding drawer 66 is equipped with a drawer motor 8 allowing automatic opening and closing maneuvers, which drawer motorization 8 is also provided to be deactivated (or disconnectable or disengageable) to allow manual opening and closing maneuvers.

[0069] By “opening” of the sliding drawer 66 is meant its extraction from the inner volume of the airlock 61 to the inner volume 3 of the work compartment 2, as illustrated in [Fig.4],

[0070] And by "closing" of the sliding drawer 66 we mean its complete penetration into the interior volume of the airlock 61 as illustrated in [Fig.3].

[0071] The door motorization 7 and the drawer motorization 8 advantageously consist of pneumatic cylinders.

[0072] These pneumatic cylinders 7, 8 each comprise a cylinder body 9 delimiting an internal volume 10, and a cylinder piston 11 separating said internal volume 10 into two cylinder chambers 12 and 13. These two cylinder chambers 12 and 13 comprise reversible opening means (not shown) allowing them to be put into communication with the ambient air, for the deactivation operations of the cylinders 7, 8.

[0073] The manual enclosure 1 includes control means for activating and deactivating the door motorization 7 and the drawer motorization 8;

[0074] and it also includes means for controlling the door motorization 7 and means for controlling the drawer motorization 8.

[0075] More specifically, enclosure 1 comprises:

[0076] - of the first control means 14, adapted to control the opening of the second door of airlock 64, then the opening of the sliding drawer 66, and

[0077] - second control means 15 adapted to control the closure of the sliding drawer 66, then the closing of the second door of the airlock 64.

[0078] And, as is the case here, if the second airlock door 64 includes an inflatable door seal, equipped with means for its inflation and deflation, then these first control means 14 are adapted to control the deflation of the inflatable seal before the opening of the second airlock door 64, while the second control means 15 are adapted to control the inflation of said inflatable seal after the closing of the second airlock door 64.

[0079] The first control means 14 here consist of a control pedal 14 located in the lower part of the manual enclosure 1 and which the operator can operate with the foot.

[0080] The second control means 15 consist of another control pedal 15 also located in the lower part of the manual enclosure 1 and which the operator can operate with the foot.

[0081] The manual enclosure 1 includes suitable deactivation means to deactivate the door motorization 7 to allow said manual opening and closing maneuvers of the second airlock door 64, and to deactivate the drawer motorization 8 to allow said manual opening and closing maneuvers of the sliding drawer 66;

[0082] and it also includes suitable activation means for activating the door motorization 7 to enable said automatic opening and closing maneuvers of the second airlock door 64, and for activating the drawer motorization 8 to enable said automatic opening and closing maneuvers of the sliding drawer 66.

[0083] In the illustrated embodiment, these activation / deactivation control means consist of a two-position valve 16:

[0084] - one allowing communication between the two cylinder chambers 12 and 13 pneumatic cylinders 7, 8 with ambient air, by the aforementioned reversible opening means,

[0085] - and the other allowing the closure of these reversible opening means.

[0086] As can be seen in [Fig. 1], this control valve 16 can be located in the lower part of the manual enclosure 1.

[0087] In one embodiment, the sliding drawer 66 may not be provided to be motorized.

[0088] In yet another embodiment, the pneumatic cylinders 7 and 8 can be replaced by electric actuators, their control means and their activation / deactivation means being adapted accordingly.

Claims

1. Demands Manually operated radiation-protective enclosure (1) for the preparation of radiopharmaceutical products, which enclosure (1) comprises: - a work compartment (2) delimiting an internal work volume (3) and equipped with glove loops (4, 5) for the passage of an operator's arms into the internal work volume (3) of said work compartment (2), and - an airlock compartment (6) delimiting an internal airlock volume (61), allowing the introduction of products or materials into said internal working volume (3) of the working compartment (2), which airlock compartment (6) includes a first airlock door (62) interposed between said internal airlock volume (61) and the outside of the enclosure (1), which first airlock door (62) is equipped with an operating handle (63), which airlock compartment (6) includes a second airlock door (64) interposed between said internal airlock volume (61) and said internal working volume (3), which second airlock door (64) is equipped with an operating handle (65), for its manual opening and closing by said operator from the internal working volume (3) of said working compartment (2), which airlock compartment (6) includes a sliding drawer (66) equipped with an operating handle (67),also for its manual opening and closing maneuvers by said operator from the internal working volume (3) of said working compartment (2), the enclosure (1) being characterized in that said second airlock door (64) is equipped with a door motor (7) allowing automatic opening and closing maneuvers, in that it includes control means (14, 15) adapted to control said door motor (7) to allow automatic opening and closing maneuvers of said second airlock door (64), and in that it includes deactivation means (16) adapted to deactivate said door motorization (7) to allow said manual opening and closing maneuvers of said second airlock door (64).

2. Manual radio-protective enclosure (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said sliding drawer (66) is equipped with a drawer motor (8) allowing automatic opening and closing maneuvers, in that said enclosure (1) includes control means (14, 15) adapted to control said drawer motor (8) to allow automatic opening and closing maneuvers of said sliding drawer (66), and in that it includes deactivation means (16) adapted to deactivate said drawer motor (8) to allow said manual opening and closing maneuvers of said sliding drawer (66).

3. Manual radio-protective enclosure (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that it comprises: - first control means (14) adapted to control the opening of the second airlock door (64), then the opening of the sliding drawer (66), and - second control means (15) adapted to control the closing of the sliding drawer (66), then the closing of the second airlock door (64).

4. Manual radio-protective enclosure (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the second airlock door (64) comprises an inflatable door seal, provided with means for its inflation and means for its deflation, said first control means (14) being adapted to control the deflation of said inflatable seal before the opening of the second airlock door (64), and said second control means (15) being adapted to control the inflation of said inflatable seal after the closing of the second airlock door (64).

5. Manual radio-protective enclosure (1) according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that it comprises deactivation means (16) adapted to deactivate said door motorization (7) to allow said manual opening and closing maneuvers of the second airlock door (64), and to deactivate said drawer motorization (8) to allow said manual opening and closing maneuvers of said sliding drawer (66), and in that it includes activation means (16) adapted to activate said door motorization (7) to enable said automatic opening and closing maneuvers of the second airlock door (64), and to activate said drawer motorization (8) to enable said automatic opening and closing maneuvers of said sliding drawer (66).

6. Manual radio-protective enclosure (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said door motorization (7) and said drawer motorization (8) consist of pneumatic cylinders (7, 8).

7. Manually operated radiation-shielding enclosure (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that said pneumatic cylinders (7, 8) comprise a cylinder body (9) delimiting an internal volume (10), and a cylinder piston (11) separating said internal volume (10) into two cylinder chambers (12, 13), and in that said two cylinder chambers (12, 13) comprise valve structures, a closed position of which allows the use of said pneumatic cylinders (7, 8) for the automatic opening and closing of the second airlock door (64) and the sliding drawer (66), and an open position of which allows their communication with ambient air for the deactivation of said pneumatic cylinders (7, 8) and the manual opening and closing of the second airlock door (64) and of the sliding drawer (66).

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