Mobile Cart Circulating Fluid to Prevent Biological Matter Drying
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Solution Overview
Problem
Delays in transporting soiled medical instruments from procedure rooms to cleaning rooms lead to drying of biological matter, making it difficult to remove, as hospital staff may not be readily available to initiate the pre-cleaning process in a timely manner.
Innovation Solution
A mobile transport device equipped with a cart that circulates fluids through containers to maintain a moist environment, preventing drying of biological matter, and includes a system for tracking and communicating the status of medical instruments, allowing for timely pre-cleaning and reprocessing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If soiled medical instruments are placed in a container and transported manually by hospital staff, then the instruments can be moved from procedure room to cleaning room, but delays occur in transportation allowing biological matter to dry and become difficult to remove
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by implementing a pre-cleaning step that begins immediately after the procedure, before the instruments are fully transported to the cleaning room. The pre-cleaning system activates automatically or upon request to start moistening and cleaning processes while instruments are still in transit, preventing biological matter from drying regardless of transport delays.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary pre-cleaning system that acts as a bridge between the procedure room and cleaning room. This intermediary system provides continuous moisture and cleaning action during transportation, mediating between the initial soiled state and the final cleaned state, ensuring biological matter does not dry regardless of transport timing.
2Ease of operation
If hospital staff manually transport containers of soiled instruments, then flexibility in staff scheduling is maintained, but staff availability delays prevent timely pre-cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by enabling the pre-cleaning system to operate autonomously without requiring constant staff intervention. The system can be activated automatically when a container is placed in the transport device or upon simple user input, and then performs the pre-cleaning process independently during transportation, eliminating dependence on staff availability while maintaining cleaning effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary cleaning actions automatically during the transport phase, converting what was previously a non-productive delay period into an active cleaning period. This preliminary action ensures cleaning productivity is maintained regardless of when staff are available to initiate or complete the full cleaning process.
3Device complexity
If biological matter is allowed to dry on instruments during transport delays, then no additional pre-cleaning resources are needed, but the cleaning difficulty and time required increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The pre-cleaning system performs preliminary cleaning actions during transport, preventing biological matter from drying in the first place. By acting before the main cleaning process, it eliminates the need for complex manual scraping or extended cleaning procedures that would be required if drying occurred, thereby simplifying the overall cleaning task.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies preliminary anti-action by counteracting the drying process before it can occur. The continuous moisture application and gentle cleaning actions prevent the adhesion and hardening of biological matter, thereby preventing the worsening of cleaning difficulty that would result from drying.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device ensures that medical instruments are kept moist, facilitating easier cleaning and reducing the difficulty in removing dried biological matter, thereby improving the efficiency of the cleaning process and maintaining a hygienic environment.
Implementation Method 1
a circulation system, capable of circulating a fluid through the container
Implementation Method 2
plumbing for circulating fluids through the container, thereby treating instruments located inside the container
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile device for transporting, tracking and processing medical instruments. The device comprises a cart including at least one receptacle for receiving an instrument container having instruments stored therein. The cart also includes plumbing for circulating processing fluids through the instrument container and a communications system for communicating tracking data associated with the instrument container and the cart.