Flexible Swab Cleaning Device for Medical Instrument Channels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cleaning devices for medical instruments, such as endoscopes and cannulas, are inadequate due to their inability to effectively reach and clean minute channels and crevices, often resulting in incomplete cleaning and potential damage to the instruments, which can lead to patient infections and cross-contamination risks.
Innovation Solution
A cleaning device featuring a flexible, polymer-based rod with a looped end and a swab member, comprising foam or microfiber materials, designed to access and clean complex geometries without causing damage, with the swab member capable of rotation and sliding along the looped end for thorough cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If twisted metal wire brushes and pipe cleaning devices are used, then cleaning action is provided, but the instruments may be damaged by scratching and metal fibers remain inside
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs disposable cleaning devices made from soft, non-metallic materials that can be discarded after single use, eliminating the risk of fiber contamination and instrument damage associated with reusable metal brushes. The cleaning element is designed to be used once and then disposed of, ensuring no foreign material remains in the instrument
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the material parameters from hard metal to soft, flexible materials such as foam, rubber, or plastic that conform to the instrument geometry without causing scratches. The cleaning device uses material property changes to achieve effective cleaning without the harmful effects of metal abrasion
2Object-generated harmful factors
If conventional cleaning devices are used, then general cleaning is achieved, but minute channels and crevices cannot be effectively cleaned
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning device features a tapered configuration with a smaller diameter at the cleaning end, allowing it to access minute channels and crevices that conventional uniform-diameter devices cannot reach. The local geometry is optimized for penetrating deep into narrow passages while maintaining effective cleaning contact
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces dimensional variation along the length of the cleaning device, using a tapered form that transitions from a larger handle diameter to a smaller cleaning tip diameter. This dimensional change enables the device to navigate complex geometries and reach areas inaccessible to straight-cylindrical cleaners
3Object-generated harmful factors
If expensive cleaning devices are used, then cleaning performance may be improved, but production cost increases and reuse creates cross-contamination risk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs disposable cleaning devices made from soft, non-metallic materials that can be discarded after single use, eliminating the risk of fiber contamination and instrument damage associated with reusable metal brushes. The cleaning element is designed to be used once and then disposed of, ensuring no foreign material remains in the instrument
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses simple, inexpensive material replicas (foam, rubber, plastic) that copy the cleaning function without requiring complex metal construction. These material copies achieve sufficient cleaning performance at lower cost and without the contamination risks of reusable devices
Data Source
AI summary
A cleaning device, especially an instrument cleaning device, having a thin, flexible threadlike object with a first straight end and a second looped end and a swab member attached to the looped end.