EP0056827A1 - Method and device for cleaning, desinfecting, rinsing and drying objects or instruments - Google Patents

Abstract

1. Process for the cleaning, disinfection, rinsing and drying of objects or instruments, in which these objects or instruments are immersed in various solutions and at least temporarily submitted to a mechanical ultrasonic treatment, characterized by the fact that in a first stage these objects or instruments are immersed in an alcoholic alkaline solution for at least 4 hours and at room temperature, and that in a second stage they are submitted to the action of a deoxidizing alkaline liquid and then of a mixture of a fluorinated hydrocarbon and an alcohol, the different operations of this second stage being each effected for 10 seconds to 5 minutes together with a mechanical ultrasonic treatment and a thermal treatment at a temperature between 30 degrees and 50 degrees C.

Description

The present invention relates to a method and a device for cleaning, disinfecting, rinsing and drying objects or instruments, in particular of metal or synthetic material.

Devices for cleaning objects or instruments are known by ultrasound using known detergent solutions which are not entirely satisfactory, in particular for cleaning dental instruments which may have traces of dental cements.

By objects or instruments is meant here more particularly the small dental instruments, such as strawberries, grindstones, wicks, nerve pulls, etc., and in general all small elongated objects whose diameters are between about 0.5 and 5 mm and whose length varies from about 5 to 60 mm. However, the invention is not limited to dental instruments, and it can very well be applied to surgical instruments, as well as timepieces, goldsmithery, small mechanical precision, etc., the dimensions of which may be included in the above-mentioned field or greater, and the shape of which may or may not be lengthened. All these instruments can be made of different materials, such as ordinary or stainless steels, natural or synthetic diamond and carbides, metals except reactive metals such as Al, Be, Mg, Zn and other metals reactive with alcohols, plastics except polystyrene, ethyl -cellulose and polyvinyl alcohol, elastomers, etc.

The object of this invention is to provide a method, and a device for the implementation thereof, allowing to make ready for a new use objects or instruments such as those mentioned above by way of example. employed and newly employed. This implies, in the case of dental instruments, in particular removal by washing of blood, saliva, food and dental debris, treatment products, medicines, cements and other soiling, etc., as well as the disinfection of these instruments, rinsing and drying.

A first object of this invention, aiming to achieve the above object, therefore consists of a method for cleaning, disinfecting, rinsing and drying objects or instruments, characterized in that in a first step, these instruments are immersed in an alcoholic alkaline solution for at least 4 hours and at room temperature, and that in a second step they are subjected to the action of an deoxidizing alkaline liquid and then at least of a mixture of a fluorinated hydrocarbon and an alcohol, the various operations of this second step being each carried out for 10 seconds to 5 minutes together with a mechanical treatment by ultrasound and a heat treatment at a temperature between 30 and 50 ^o _C.

A second object of this invention consists of a device for cleaning, disinfecting, rinsing and drying instruments, particularly of metal or synthetic material, characterized in that it comprises a container provided with heating means and d 'an ultrasonic generator and intended to contain a liquid allowing the transmission of ultrasound; by the fact that this container is closed by a removable cover; and by the fact that this cover has a level control opening and at least two openings each intended to receive a test tube immersed in said liquid and intended to contain a cleaning, rinsing and / or drying liquid, each test piece being itself intended to receive in the service position a cleaning basket intended to contain said instruments and of which the lower part at least is perforated.

According to a particular embodiment of the process according to the invention, the alcoholic alkaline solution used in the first stage can consist of a mixture of potassium hydroxide and propylene glycol, the potassium hydroxide content generally being around 5%. This first step, which is used to carry out a first cleaning of the instruments, for example small dental instruments, as well as the disinfection of these, is carried out at room temperature for at least 4 hours but preferably for at least 8 to 10 hours , the instruments being simply immersed in the mixture, generally without agitation.

According to also a particular embodiment of the method according to the invention, the second step comprises four operations, which generally last each approximately 1 minute and which are carried out in conjunction with heating to a temperature of approximately 36 to 43 ° C and to a mechanical cavitation action produced by ultrasound. The four operations are as follows: a) cleaning and disinfection treatment in an alcoholic alkaline solution such as that used for the first step above; b) cleaning treatment in a deoxidizing alkaline biodegradable solution, for example a liquid marketed under the name "DG 2" (Jean Gallay SA, Geneva) diluted; c) cleaning and rinsing treatment in a mixture of a fluorinated hydrocarbon having a boiling point of 47.6 C at atmospheric pressure and a refractive index at 20 ° C of 1.355, with about 35% of ethyl alcohol denatured, this mixture being marketed for example under the name "DG 3" (PE = 48.3 ° C) (Jean Gallay SA, Geneva); and d) rinsing and drying treatment in a mixture of a fluorinated hydrocarbon analogous to that mentioned above with approximately 3-4% of denatured ethyl alcohol, this mixture being marketed for example under the name " _D G 4" (PE = 44.6 ^o C) (Jean Gallay SA, Geneva).

• La figure 1 est une vue en perspective du récipient principal.
• La figure 2 est une vue en coupe du récipient selon la figure 1 et des éprouvettes.
• La figure 3 est une vue en perspective d'une éprouvette.
• Les figures 4A et 4B sont des vues en perspective respectivement d'un panier de nettoyage et d'un détail de celui-ci.
• La figure 5 est une vue éclatée en perspective d'un récipient complémentaire.

The appended drawing illustrates schematically and by way of example an embodiment of the device according to the invention.

• Figure 1 is a perspective view of the main container.
• Figure 2 is a sectional view of the container according to Figure 1 and the test pieces.
• Figure 3 is a perspective view of a test piece.
• Figures 4A and 4B are perspective views respectively of a cleaning basket and a detail thereof.
• Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of a complementary container.

As illustrated by way of example in FIGS. 1 and 2, the main container intended for cleaning, rinsing and drying operations comprises a tank 1, for example made of stainless steel, equipped with an ultrasonic generator 2 of a given frequency and a heating device 3 with thermostat control. This tank 1 contains an alkaline deoxidizing liquid 4 transmitting the vibrations due to ultrasound well and protecting the metal of the tank; one can use for example a liquid such as "DG 2" at 1% in water (product of Jean Gallay S.A. Geneva).

The tank 1 is closed by a cover 5 detachably fixed by metal spring tabs 6 cooperating with projections 7 on the outside wall of the tank 1. The cover 5 is pierced with a level control opening 8 and four openings 9 intended to each receive a test tube 10 immersed in the thermostatted bath 4; it therefore serves as a support for these test pieces 10.

Each test piece 10, for example made of glass, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, comprises a ring 11, for example made of metal, set on the neck of the test piece 10 and serving as a flange to maintain ⁱ specimen 10 in position immersed in the bath 4. A solid plug 12 (see Figure 3) may be further provided for closing the test tube 10 when the latter is not used and thus prevent the evaporation of the liquid 13 which it contains.

The liquid 13 is one of the cleaning, disinfection, rinsing and drying solutions mentioned respectively with respect to the process.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the test pieces 10 are intended to receive, in the service position, cleaning baskets 14 containing small instruments such as dental instruments. These baskets 14 (see FIGS. 4A and 4B), for example made of stainless steel, have a perforated lower part 15, more particularly made of a fine lattice, as well as the bottom 15 'of these baskets 14; these can also be made completely in a fine mesh.

A washer 16 is further set on the upper opening of the baskets 14, and rests, in the service position (see FIG. 2), on the ring 11 of the test pieces 10. Finally, a removable handle 17 is provided for handling these baskets 14. Manipulation is particularly necessary during the passage from one test piece to another in the cleaning cycle, and the handle 17 is then used to hold the basket 14 in order to drain the treatment liquid from the first test piece before d 'immerse the basket 14 in the treatment liquid of a second test tube.

Each basket 14 can contain approximately 30 to 50 small instruments such as the dental instruments already mentioned by way of example.

To carry out the first step of the process according to the invention, it is possible, for example, to use a container such as that illustrated in FIG. 5. This container comprises a tank 18, an upper plate 19 pierced here by four or vertures 20, and a cover 21. The tank 18 is filled with an alcoholic alkaline cleaning and disinfection liquid, for example a mixture of potassium hydroxide and propylene glycol, in which the instruments to be treated are simply immersed in room temperature for at least 4 hours, preferably for at least 8 to 10 hours. For this, the instruments are placed in the baskets 14, and these are immersed in the bath, the washer 16 of the baskets 14 resting on the upper plate 19.

Thus, the instruments to be cleaned remain during all the operations of the method according to the invention in the same basket.

As for cleaning, disinfecting, rinsing and drying solutions, they gradually become polluted and must be regularly regenerated or replaced. The alcoholic alkaline liquid used for the first stage is simply filtered in order to remove the solid particles present, while the solutions used for the operations of the second stage must be replaced every 4 to 8 operations according to the care with which the draining will have been done.

To simplify the work of the person in charge of cleaning small instruments, and to limit the risk of errors, provision may be made for numbering and / or color identification of the different treatment solutions used as well as corresponding test pieces.

The effective action of mixtures of fluorinated hydrocarbons which have the advantage on the one hand of having a very high wetting power and on the other hand of being non-flammable and non-toxic, and of alcohol brought to a temperature close to their boiling point makes it possible to obtain completely dry instruments at the outlet of the last treatment test tube. Hydrophobic action of hydrocarbons Fluorides also removes the presence of stains which are generally due to the presence of water in conventional cleaning solutions.

Thanks to its rational and simple design, the device according to the invention therefore allows the user, for example the dentist, to have relatively ready-to-use instruments easily and quickly.

Finally, the device can also be used for cleaning instruments, articles or parts of larger dimensions than those of dental instruments for example. This then requires in particular the increase in the capacity of the containers and the cleaning baskets, and possibly the addition of a mechanized or even automated system for transporting the objects to be cleaned on the one hand and for transferring the cleaning baskets from one solution in the following.

Claims (10)

1. Method for cleaning, disinfecting, rinsing and drying objects or instruments, characterized in that in a first step, these objects or instruments are immersed in an alcoholic alkaline solution for at least 4 hours and at ambient temperature, and that in a second step they are subjected to the action of an alkaline deoxidizing liquid then of at least a mixture of a fluorinated hydrocarbon and an alcohol, the various operations of this second step being each performed for 10 seconds to 5 minutes in conjunction with mechanical ultrasonic treatment and thermal treatment at a temperature between 30 and 50 ° C. 2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the alcoholic alkaline solution is a mixture of potassium hydroxide and propylene glycol. 3. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the second step comprises to complete two treatments with mixtures of a fluorinated hydrocarbon and alcohol, the last of these treatments being carried out with a mixture containing less than 5% d 'alcohol. 4. Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that in a first step the instruments are immersed at room temperature in a mixture of potassium hydroxide and propylene glycol at about 5% hydroxide for at least 8 hours, and in a second step, these instruments are subjected to the successive action of a mixture of potassium hydroxide and propylene glycol with approximately 5% potassium hydroxide, of an alkaline deoxidizing liquid , of a mixture of a fluorinated hydrocarbon and approximately 35% of ethyl alcohol and of a mixture of a fluorinated hydrocarbon and of 3 to 4% of ethyl alcohol, this together with a mechanical action by ultrasound and at a temperature of 36 to 43 ° C, each operation lasting about 1 minute. 5. Device for implementing the method according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a container provided with heating means and an ultrasound generator and intended to contain a liquid allowing the transmission of ultrasound, by the fact that this container is closed by a removable lid, and by the fact that this lid has a level control opening and at least two openings each intended to receive a test tube immersed in said liquid and intended to contain a cleaning liquid , rinsing and / or drying, each test piece being itself intended to receive in the service position a cleaning basket intended to contain said instruments and the lower part of which is at least openwork. 6. Device according to claim 5, characterized in that the neck of each test piece is provided with a ring intended to hold the test piece in position in the container. 7. Device according to claim 5, characterized in that the cleaning baskets have a lower part and a bottom formed by a lattice. 8. Device according to claim 5, characterized in that the cleaning baskets are constituted by a lattice. 9. Device according to claim 7 or claim 8, characterized in that the cleaning baskets are provided at their upper part with a washer intended to keep them in position in the test pieces, this washer comprising a removable handle. 10. Application of the method according to claim 1 for cleaning, disinfection, rinsing and drying of dental instruments.

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