DEVICE FOR USE IN CLEANING ENDOSCOPES
First Claim
1. An apparatus for cleaning a lumen of an endoscope and intended for disposal after use, the lumen having a first internal diameter, said apparatus comprising an elongate member, a wiper formed from a resiliently deformable elastomeric material integrally moulded with the member, the elongate member being adapted in use for driving the wiper in a lumen axial direction while the wiper remains oriented generally in a lumen radial plane from adjacent the axial direction to adjacent the lumen wall, the wiper prior to deformation in the lumen having a diametric dimension greater than said lumen internal diameter the wiper in use in the lumen being resiliently deformable to bend in the trailing direction at or near the lumen wall so that a peripheral margin of the wiper contacts the wall in a band extending through 360 degrees of arc, and wherein the wiper, or wipers, are of a generally disk like shape and are moulded integrally with the monofilament at or near one end and having the monofilament passing through the disk centres.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Disposable endoscope cleaning device and method, where the device comprises an elongate member, preferably a monofilament and a wiper, or plurality of wipers, formed from a resiliently deformable elastomeric material integrally moulded with the member. The elongate drives the typically disc shaped wiper axially along the lumen axial direction while the wiper remains oriented in a lumen radial plane from adjacent the axial direction to adjacent the lumen wall. The wiper prior has a diameter greater than said lumen internal diameter but is resiliently deformable, preferably not of uniform stiffness in the radial direction, so that it bends in the trailing direction at or near the lumen wall so that a peripheral margin of the wiper contacts the wall in a band extending through 360 degrees of arc. The device allows for cleaning of multiple lumens of differing diameters in an endoscope.
60 Citations
26 Claims
- 1. An apparatus for cleaning a lumen of an endoscope and intended for disposal after use, the lumen having a first internal diameter, said apparatus comprising an elongate member, a wiper formed from a resiliently deformable elastomeric material integrally moulded with the member, the elongate member being adapted in use for driving the wiper in a lumen axial direction while the wiper remains oriented generally in a lumen radial plane from adjacent the axial direction to adjacent the lumen wall, the wiper prior to deformation in the lumen having a diametric dimension greater than said lumen internal diameter the wiper in use in the lumen being resiliently deformable to bend in the trailing direction at or near the lumen wall so that a peripheral margin of the wiper contacts the wall in a band extending through 360 degrees of arc, and wherein the wiper, or wipers, are of a generally disk like shape and are moulded integrally with the monofilament at or near one end and having the monofilament passing through the disk centres.
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12. An apparatus for cleaning both a first lumen of an endoscope having a first internal diameter, and a second lumen of an endoscope having a second internal diameter wherein the first internal diameter is unequal to the second internal diameter, said apparatus comprising an elongate member, a wiper formed from a resiliently deformable elastomeric material integrally moulded with the member, the elongate member being adapted in use for driving the wiper in a lumen axial direction of the first lumen while the wiper remains oriented generally in a first lumen radial plane from adjacent the axial direction to adjacent the lumen wall, the wiper prior to deformation in the lumen having a diametric dimension greater than said first internal diameter, whereby the wiper in use in the lumen is resiliently deformable to bend in the trailing direction at or near the first lumen wall so that a peripheral margin of the wiper contacts a band of the first lumen wall through 360 degrees of arc;
- and wherein the elongate member is further adapted for use in driving the wiper in a lumen axial direction of the second lumen while the wiper remains oriented generally in a second lumen radial plane from adjacent the axial direction to adjacent the lumen wall, the wiper prior to deformation in the lumen having a diametric dimension greater than said second internal diameter, whereby the wiper in use in the lumen is resiliently deformable to bend in the trailing direction at or near the second lumen wall so that a peripheral margin of the wiper contacts a band of the second lumen wall through 360 degrees of arc.
- View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
- 16. A single use apparatus for cleaning a lumen of an endoscope, said apparatus comprising a unitary moulding including an elongate member, a plurality of wipers integral with the member, the elongate member being adapted for driving the wiper in a lumen axial direction while the wipers remains oriented with a leading face extending generally in the lumen radial direction, the wipers being spaced apart in the axial direction and being made from a resiliently deformable elastomeric material, and being resiliently deformable to bend in the trailing direction at or near the lumen wall so that a peripheral margin of the leading wiper contacts the wall in a band extending through 360 degrees of arc, the wipers being stiffer closer to the elongate member than adjacent the lumen wall and the elastomeric material being sufficiently flexible adjacent the lumen wall that when a predetermined quantity of debris builds up against the leading edge of the wiper, that edge deforms sufficiently to allow debris to pass between the wall and the blade to be swept by a downstream wiper.
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20. An apparatus suitable for cleaning both the biopsy channel lumen and the suction channel lumen of a flexible endoscope, and for disposal after use, said apparatus comprising at least one wiper, a monofilament adapted to pull or push the wiper in a filament axial direction which in use corresponds with a lumen axial direction, the wiper being integrally moulded with the member and made from a resiliently deformable thermoplastic elastomer, the wiper prior to use being a disk like form centred on the monofilament, and having a diametric dimension greater than the internal diameter of either of said lumens, the wiper being thicker in the axial direction at a radially inner portion adjacent the monofilament than at a radially outer portion adjacent the wiper periphery, whereby the wiper in use when pulled into a lumen resiliently deforms to bend in the trailing direction at or near the lumen wall and contacts the wall in a band extending through 360 degrees of arc.
- 22. A method of cleaning an endoscope lumen in need thereof, the lumen having a lumen diameter, the method comprising the step of passing through said lumen an apparatus comprising an elongate shaft and at least one transverse disc member attached to said shaft, the transverse member having a transverse member diameter greater than the lumen diameter, said disc member being resiliently biased and contacting a 360 arc of the lumen, and wherein passing the apparatus through the lumen substantially removes contaminants where present from the lumen wall.
Specification