Methods and agents for cleaning and disinfecting fragile medical appliances

• US 7,435,303 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2004
• Issued: 10/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ecolab USA Incorporated (Ecolab, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ecolab, Inc.
• Inventors: Sorns, Jorg, Biering, Holger, Glasmacher, Rudolf, Schwidden, Hubert
• Primary Examiner(s): DELCOTTO, GREGORY R
• Application Number:
  US10/945,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20050054545A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,485 Days
• Field of Search: 510/161, 510/172
• US Class Current: 134/36
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 2300/00 Combinations or mixtures of active ingredients covered by classes A01N27/00 - A01N65/48 with other active or formulation relevant ingredients, e.g. specific carrier materials or surfactants, covered by classes A01N25/00 - A01N65/48
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 25/30 characterised by the surfactants
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 37/02 Saturated carboxylic acids or thio analogues thereof; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 37/16 containing the group; Thio analogues thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 37/46 N-acyl derivatives
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 59/00 Biocides, pest repellants or attractants, or plant growth regulators containing elements or inorganic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/186 Peroxide solutions
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/22 Phase substances, e.g. smokes, aerosols or sprayed or atomised substances
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/17 Combination with washing or cleaning means
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/24 Medical instruments, e.g. endoscopes, catheters, sharps

Abstract

The invention relates to the use of agents, which contain at least one disinfection system based on selected organic peracids and combinations of peracids, in automatically functioning systems, in which fragile medical appliances, in particular, endoscopes, are cleaned and disinfected. According to the invention, the appliances are brought into contact with an aqueous disinfection agent solution after they have been treated and/or at the same time they are being treated with an aqueous cleaning solution. The invention also relates to cleaning and disinfection agents and methods which are all suited for carrying out this purpose.

Claims

1. Process for cleaning and disinfecting an endoscope, the process comprising:

treating the endoscope with a neutral or alkaline cleaning composition;

contacting the endoscope with an aqueous antimicrobial composition comprising peroctanoic acid, a fatty acid containing 8 to 12 carbon atoms, a hydrotrope, a surfactant component, and a complexing component; and

rinsing the endoscope with water;

wherein the cleaning composition does not comprise an oxidizing agent.

2. Process according to claim 1, wherein the contact time of the aqueous antimicrobial composition is between 1 and 15 minutes.

3. Process according to claim 1, wherein the temperature of the aqueous antimicrobial composition is between 5 and 55°

C.

4. Process according to claim 1, wherein the pH of the aqueous antimicrobial composition is between 5 and 9.

5. Process according to claim 1, wherein the steps of contacting the endoscope with the aqueous antimicrobial composition comprises spraying, rinsing or immersion.

6. Process according to claim 1, wherein the antimicrobial composition comprises 0.001 to 0.5% by weight of peroctanoic acid, based on the total antimicrobial composition.

7. Process according to claim 1, wherein the antimicrobial composition further comprises 0.0001 to 2.5% by weight of hydrogen peroxide, based on the total antimicrobial composition.

8. Process according to claim 1, wherein the complexing component comprises at least one component with complexing properties for polyvalent metal ions.

9. Process according to claim 1, wherein the surfactant component is selected from the group consisting of anionic, cationic, nonionic, amphoteric surfactants, alkyl amine oxides, siloxane-based surfactants, surfactant phosphoric acid esters, and salts thereof.

10. Process according to claim 1, wherein the process takes place in an automatic treatment process.

11. Process according to claim 1, wherein the neutral or alkaline cleaning composition comprises an enzyme.

12. Process according to claim 1 further comprising a step of intermediate rinsing of water in between the step of treating the endoscope with the cleaning composition and contacting the endoscope with the antimicrobial composition.

13. Process according to claim 1, wherein the step of rinsing the endoscope with water comprises drying.

14. Process according to claim 1, wherein the temperature of the aqueous cleaning composition is between 15 and 45°

C.

15. Process according to claim 1, wherein the fatty acid comprises octanoic acid.

16. Process according to claim 1, wherein the hydrotrope comprises anionic surfactant.

17. Process according to claim 1, wherein the surfactant component comprises anionic surfactant.