Method and apparatus for sterilizing intraluminal and percutaneous access sites

• US 20070176117A1
• Filed: 01/31/2006
• Published: 08/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samuel Braden
• Original Assignee: Firstlight Biomedical, LLC
• Inventors: Vidal, Claude, Redmond, Russell
• Granted Patent: US 7,834,328 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/455.110
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/10 Ultraviolet radiation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2039/167 with energizing means, e.g. light, vibration, electricity
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 39/02 Access sites
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 39/16 having provision for disinfection or sterilisation A61M39/143 takes precedence; methods or apparatus for disinfection or sterilisation A61L2/00

Abstract

A method and apparatus for sterilizing access sites such as attachment points for various therapeutic and diagnostic medical devices. More particularly, the invention concerns a sterilization apparatus which includes a substantially UV-C transparent closure cap for closing the access site and a compact, easy to use irradiating apparatus for controllably irradiating the closure cap with UV-C radiation.

Claims

1. An apparatus for sterilizing an access site comprising a closure cap for closing the access site and irradiating means for controllably irradiating closure cap with UV-C radiation.

2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which said closure cap includes a substantially UV-C transparent portion.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which said closure cap is constructed from Teflon.

4. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which said closure cap comprises:

(a) a hollow, substantially UV-C opaque body; and

(b) a substantially UV-C transparent insert disposed within said body.

5. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which said irradiation means comprises:

(a) a housing including an internal chamber and a substantially UV-C transparent portion; and

(b) a source of UV radiation disposed within said housing for emitting UV-C radiation in a direction towards said substantially UV-C transparent portion.

6. The apparatus as defined in claim 5 in which said housing has an opening for receiving said closure cap and in which said internal chamber includes gripping means for releasably gripping said closure cap.

7. The apparatus as defined in claim 5 in which said source of UV radiation comprises a UV generating lamp.

8. The apparatus as defined in claim 7, further including switching means for energizing said UV generating lamp.

9. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, further including timer means for controlling the length of time that said UV generating lamp is energized.

10. An apparatus for sterilizing an access site comprising a closure cap for closing the access site, said closure cap having a UV-C transparent portion and irradiating means for controllably irradiating said closure cap with UV-C radiation, said irradiation means comprising:

(a) a housing including an internal chamber and a substantially UV-C transparent portion;

(b) a source of UV radiation disposed within said housing for emitting UV-C radiation in a direction towards substantially uv-C transparent portion; and

(c) switching means carried by said housing for controllably energizing said source of UV radiation.

11. The apparatus as defined in claim 10 in which said housing has an opening for receiving said closure cap and in which said irradiation means further comprises a connector member disposed within the said housing proximate said opening, said connector member having a cap receiving chamber for receiving therein said closure cap, said cap receiving chamber having gripping means for releasably gripping said closure cap.

12. The apparatus as defined in claim 10 in which said closure cap is constructed from Teflon.

13. The apparatus as defined in claim 10 in which said closure cap comprises:

(a) a hollow, substantially UV-C opaque body;

(b) a substantially UV-C transparent insert disposed within said body; and

(c) a UV-C opaque annular cap connected to said body for positioning said insert within said body.

14. The apparatus as defined in claim 10 in which said closure cap comprises a top wall, an internally threaded skirt portion connected to said top wall and an inwardly extending, substantially UV-C transparent tapered portion connected to said top wall, said internally threaded skirt portion at least partially circumscribing said inwardly extending tapered portion.

15. The apparatus as defined in claim 10, further including timer means for controlling the length of time that said source of UV radiation is energized.

16. The apparatus as defined in claim 10 in which said housing is generally cylindrical in shape and in which said switching means comprises a pair of electrical contacts mounted within said housing.

17. The apparatus as defined in claim 10 in which said housing is generally rectangular in shape.

18. The apparatus as defined in claim 17 in which said housing comprises a wall and in which said switching means comprises a switch member pivotally connected to said wall.

19. An apparatus for sterilizing a catheter puncture site comprising:

(a) a protective barrier for covering the catheter puncture site, said barrier being constructed from a material that is opaque to UV-C light and transparent to visible light; and

(b) radiation means for irradiating the protective barrier with UV-C radiation at a location proximate the catheter puncture site.

20. The apparatus as defined in claim 19 in which said radiation means comprises a germicidal lamp.

21. The apparatus as defined in claim 19 in which said protective barrier comprises a thin, flexible, adhesive-backed pad.

22. The apparatus as defined in claim 21 in which said protective barrier has a center point and a periphery and is provided with a slit extending from said center point to said periphery.

23. A method for sterilizing a catheter puncture site using a protective barrier for covering the catheter puncture site, said barrier being constructed from a material that is opaque to UV-C light and radiation means for irradiating the protective barrier with UV-C radiation, said method comprising the steps of covering the catheter puncture site with the protective barrier and, using the radiation means, irradiating the protective barrier with UV-C radiation at a location proximate the catheter puncture site.

24. A method for sterilizing an access site using a closure cap for closing the access site, said closure cap having a UV-C transparent portion and irradiating means for controllably irradiating said closure cap with UV-C radiation, said method comprising the steps of exposing the closure cap to the irradiating means and then controllably irradiating the closure cap with UV-C radiation.

25. The method as defined in claim 24 in which the ultraviolet light has a wavelength of between about 200 and about 280 nm.