Sterilization of elongate lumens
First Claim
1. A method of gas phase sterilization of devices of interest of a class having internal surfaces which include one or more elongate passages of interest, said passages having end openings and being susceptible of sustaining a flow of gas therealong the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) connecting an empty removable closed chamber to said devices of interest to one end of said passages of interest, said closed chamber being open to each said passage of interest and wherein said closed chamber has a volume greater than the total volume of all connected passages of interest to be sterilized;
(b) establishing a net flow of sterilant gas through each passage of interest in a selected direction by subjecting the one or more end openings not connected to said removable closed chambers to transient alternating cycles of decreasing pressure and pressurization thereby producing a directionally reversing net flow through said one or more passages of interest;
(c) introducing sterilant vapor with said repressurization steps of said cycles; and
(d) varying said pressure sufficiently that said net flow in each direction exceeds the volume of said one or more passages;
(e) providing vapor permeability for sterilizing the portion of said devices of interest at the connection with said closed chamber.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method of and system for sterilizing the internal surfaces of one or more elongate relatively narrow passages of interest contained in a device of interest, said passages having end openings and being susceptible of sustaining flow therealong by inducing a positive flow of sterilizing gas through each passage of interest in a selected direction. Gas flow through a device of interest is caused by a passive two-chamber device which generates a transient pressure gradient between the ends of the lumens of the device in response to externally imposed variations of pressure. Sterilant gas is provided from outside the two chamber systems.
65 Citations
35 Claims
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1. A method of gas phase sterilization of devices of interest of a class having internal surfaces which include one or more elongate passages of interest, said passages having end openings and being susceptible of sustaining a flow of gas therealong the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) connecting an empty removable closed chamber to said devices of interest to one end of said passages of interest, said closed chamber being open to each said passage of interest and wherein said closed chamber has a volume greater than the total volume of all connected passages of interest to be sterilized; (b) establishing a net flow of sterilant gas through each passage of interest in a selected direction by subjecting the one or more end openings not connected to said removable closed chambers to transient alternating cycles of decreasing pressure and pressurization thereby producing a directionally reversing net flow through said one or more passages of interest; (c) introducing sterilant vapor with said repressurization steps of said cycles; and (d) varying said pressure sufficiently that said net flow in each direction exceeds the volume of said one or more passages; (e) providing vapor permeability for sterilizing the portion of said devices of interest at the connection with said closed chamber. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A gas sterilization system to sterilize devices of a class having an elongate, narrow-internal passage of interest, said system comprising:
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(a) a first sterilization chamber having an internal volume and an opening for receiving an end portion of a storage package containing a device to be sterilized, said end portion further containing one end of said passage of interest and a vapor permeable gas transport area; (b) a storage package for containing the device of interest in a generally straight configuration and containing a plurality of vapor permeable gas transport areas; (c) a second sterilization chamber for containing said first chamber and said package, one end of said package being received in said first sterilization chamber; (d) said second sterilization chamber having a connection device to connect to an evacuation system disposed to draw a vacuum in said second chamber to thereby reduce the pressure in said package and said first sterilization chamber at an unequal rate and a pressurized sterilant gas introducing system disposed to introduce sterilant gas into both of said chambers at an unequal rate. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of gas phase sterilization for devices of interest of a class having internal surfaces which include one or more elongate passages of interest, said passages of interest having end openings and being susceptible of sustaining a flow of gas therealong, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing an ambient atmosphere containing sterilant vapor; (b) exposing both said end openings of each passage simultaneously to an increasing or decreasing pressure wherein each end of a given passage is exposed to a different transitory pressure function to thereby establish a net flow of sterilant gas through each passage of interest in a selected direction; and (c) alternately and simultaneously cyclically exposing said end openings to decreasing and increasing pressure change thereby alternately reversing the direction of net flow of sterilant gas through each passage of interest, wherein the volume of said net flow induced through each passage of interest in each direction during each cycle is greater than the volume of that passage of interest. - View Dependent Claims (11)
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12. A method of gas phase sterilization for devices of interest of a class having characteristic internal surfaces which include one or more elongate passages of interest, said passages of interest having end openings and being susceptible of sustaining a flow of gas therealong, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) enclosing said device of interest in a package having two chambers, a common partition member forming said chambers in said package, said device breaching said partition member such that each end opening of each said passage of interest lies in a different one of said two chambers and wherein at least one of said two chambers has an externally communicating gas transport capability area; (b) placing said package in a larger sterilization chamber; (c) providing an ambient atmosphere containing sterilant vapor; (d) exposing said package to an increasing or decreasing ambient pressure, the package being constructed so that each end of a given passage is thereby exposed to a different transitory pressure function to thereby establish a net flow of sterilant gas through each passage of interest in a selected direction; (e) subjecting said package to cycling pressurization and vacuum steps using pressure modulated sterilant gas thereby alternately reversing the direction of net flow of sterilant gas through each passage of interest; and (f) wherein the relative volumes of the two chambers of the package in combination with the relative externally communicating vapor transport capabilities of the two chambers are designed in combination to produce a desired net flow volume of sterilant gas greater than the volume of the passages of interest to be sterilized at a given pressurization and vacuum cycle modulation. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A sterilization container for containing a device of interest to be sterilized of a class having internal surfaces which include an elongate passage of interest comprising:
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(a) a shaped cassette module intended for a particular device of interest including a hollow body and a lid and enclosing a volume; (b) a partition in said sterilization cassette to divide said volume into two compartments, said partition further being provided with one or more partition openings therein to accommodate the nesting of a portion of a device of interest to be sterilized extending therethrough such that each internal passage of interest to be sterilized in said device can be disposed to have a passage opening exposed in each of said compartments; (c) said cassette being provided with a gas permeable vapor transport area open to the exterior in at least one of the two compartments; and (d) wherein said cassette is adapted to be contained in a larger sterilizing vessel during the sterilization operation. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. A gas sterilization system for the sterilization of devices having one or more discreet, elongate, internal passages of interest comprising:
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(a) a sterilization container comprising; (1) a first sterilization chamber enclosing a first volume; (2) a second sterilization chamber enclosing a second volume in said first sterilization chamber, said second sterilization chamber being smaller than said first chamber wherein said second sterilization chamber is a removable closed chamber connected to one end of said passages of interest wherein said removable closed chamber has a volume greater than the total volume of said passages; (3) partition barrier to separate said first and second sterilization chambers, said barrier means further being provided with one or more device passage openings therein to accommodate passage of a portion of a device to be sterilized therethrough such that each internal passage of interest to be sterilized in said device has a passage opening exposed to each of said chambers; (4) means selected from the group consisting of a layer of gas permeable material and a gas permeable opening in each of said one or more device passage openings to permit sterilant vapor to reach and sterilize that portion of a device situated in a barrier opening; (b) evacuation system disposed to draw a vacuum in both of said chambers reducing the pressure in said chambers at an unequal rate; (c) pressurized sterilant gas introducing system disposed to introduce sterilant gas into both of said chambers to repressurize said chambers at an unequal rate; and (d) control system for sequentially operating said evacuation system and said sterilant gas introducing system in a manner to induce a reversing transient net flow between the chambers in each internal passage of interest. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35)
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Specification