Sharps Container Recovery Device for Medical Waste Sorting
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Solution Overview
Problem
A significant number of potentially reprocessable single-use medical devices (SUDs) are being disposed of in sharps containers and not reclaimed for reuse, leading to unnecessary waste and increased healthcare costs, as they are incinerated along with other medical waste without being properly sorted and sterilized.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for recovering SUDs from sharps containers by safely opening and sorting the contents, using a recovery device that facilitates the separation of reusable medical devices from non-reusable waste, allowing for cleaning, sterilization, and reuse, while ensuring operator safety through biohazard protection and proper disposal of non-reusable materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If SUDs are disposed of in sharps containers along with other medical waste, then operator safety is ensured and waste containment is simplified, but reprocessable devices are lost and cannot be recovered for reuse
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the waste stream into separable components by introducing a sorting mechanism that distinguishes between reprocessable SUDs and non-reusable waste. The sorting surface and manual sorting process segment the mixed contents of sharps containers, allowing reprocessable devices to be separated for recovery while maintaining safe handling procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary sorting process between disposal and reuse. The sorting surface, shield, and controlled environment act as intermediaries that enable safe separation of materials without direct operator exposure to biohazards, facilitating recovery while maintaining safety protocols.
2Reliability
If sharps containers are sealed and destroyed without opening, then operator safety is maintained, but all contents including reprocessable devices are permanently lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces multiple intermediary protective measures including a shield between the operator and sharps container contents, a controlled sorting environment, and safety protocols. These intermediaries enable the container to be opened and sorted without compromising operator safety, allowing recovery of reprocessable devices while maintaining protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the protective function from the sealed container concept and implements it through separate protective measures (shield, controlled environment) during the sorting process. This allows the container to be opened for sorting while safety is maintained through the extracted protective functions, enabling recovery of valuable devices.
3Loss of substance
If manual sorting of sharps container contents is performed, then reprocessable devices can be recovered, but operator exposure to biohazards increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a shield as an intermediary barrier between the operator and the biohazardous contents of the sharps container. This physical intermediary allows manual sorting to proceed while protecting the operator from exposure to bloodborne pathogens and other biohazards, enabling device recovery without compromising safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements self-service through the sorting mechanism where the sorting surface and container positioning enable gravity-assisted emptying and organized arrangement of contents. This reduces the need for operators to directly handle and manipulate potentially hazardous items, minimizing exposure while facilitating recovery.
4Ease of manufacture
If all medical waste is incinerated together, then waste management is simplified and safe, but reprocessable devices are destroyed and healthcare costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the waste management process into distinct stages: sorting, separation, and disposal. By dividing the homogeneous incineration process into segmented steps with sorting preceding disposal, reprocessable devices can be identified and separated before incineration, reducing waste while maintaining the simplicity and safety of the overall management system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary sorting and separation actions before the final disposal step. By conducting the sorting process before incineration, reprocessable devices are identified and removed from the waste stream in advance, preventing their destruction while maintaining efficient waste management for the remaining non-reusable materials.
Data Source
AI summary
A recovery device and method of use ensure that any reprocessable medical device that has been disposed of in a sharps container is recovered, cleaned, sterilized, and repackaged for reuse. In one embodiment, a sharps container and sorting surface are manipulated to rotate together and independently, so that the content of the sharps container are emptied onto the sorting surface, enabling an operator to manually, safely, efficiently, and timely retrieve reprocessable medical devices from the sorting surface and place these medical devices into a receptacle bin. The non-reprocessable contents are subsequently dumped into a waste bin, whose contents will subsequently be incinerated or otherwise destroyed. The operator of the recovery device is protected by a shield and an exhaust system that minimize the operator's exposure to airborne biohazardous toxins and enable the sorting to be done without injury to the operator from sharp medical devices.