Sterilization/disinfection cycle control

• US 7,575,716 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2008
• Issued: 08/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ethicon Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Ethicon Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Williams, Harold R., Kohler, James P., Wu, Su-Syin S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Griffin; Walter D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Edwards; Lydia
• Application Number:
  US12/249,217
• Publication Number:
  US 20090035189A1
• Time in Patent Office: 312 Days
• Field of Search: 422/33
• US Class Current: 422/33
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/20 Gaseous substances, e.g. vapours
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/208 Hydrogen peroxide
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/24 Apparatus using programmed or automatic operation
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/122 Chambers for sterilisation
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/14 Means for controlling sterilisation processes, data processing, presentation and storage means, e.g. sensors, controllers, programs

Abstract

A sterilizer includes a vacuum chamber, a source of vaporizable sterilant, a vacuum pump, and a control system. The control system is programmed to take one or more data inputs regarding the nature of the load, such as lumen length and diameter, and determine one or more parameters of the sterilization cycle based upon the inputs.

Claims

1. A sterilizer for sterilizing a load of instruments in a sterilization cycle, the sterilizer comprising:

a vacuum chamber;

a source of vaporizable sterilant;

a vacuum pump;

a control system; and

wherein the control system is programmed to take one or more data inputs regarding the nature of the load and determine one or more parameters of the cycle based upon the one or more data inputs.

2. A sterilizer according to claim 1 wherein one of the one or more data inputs comprises a material of one or more instruments in the load.

3. A sterilizer according to claim 1 wherein the one or more parameters comprises an amount of sterilant input to the vacuum chamber and wherein the control system is programmed to increase the amount of sterilant input to the vacuum chamber from the sterilant source in response to the input of a material of one or more instruments in the load where that material is absorbent of the sterilant.

4. A sterilizer according to claim 3 wherein the sterilant is hydrogen peroxide and wherein the control system is programmed to increase the amount of sterilant input to the vacuum chamber from the sterilant source in response to the input of one or more of the following materials:

a polyamide, a polyurethane, a silicone rubber, a polyvinyl chloride, a polymethyl methacrylate or a polysulfone.

5. A sterilizer according to claim 2 wherein the control system is programmed to enhance a portion of the sterilization cycle designed to eliminate sterilant residuals when the material is absorbent of the sterilant.

6. A sterilizer according to claim 1 wherein the one or more data inputs comprise a length and internal diameter of a lumen.

7. A sterilizer according to claim 1 wherein the one or more data inputs comprise a weight of the load.

8. A sterilizer according to claim 1 wherein the one or more data inputs comprise a material of a device comprising the load.

9. A sterilizer according to claim 1 wherein the one or more data inputs comprise an indication of whether the load contains items enclosed by a semi-permeable barrier.

10. A sterilizer according to claim 1 wherein the one or more parameters of the sterilization cycle comprises the concentration of sterilant.

11. A sterilizer according to claim 10 wherein the control system is programmed to provide a higher concentration of sterilant to the cycle for lumens of a particular internal diameter which exceed a predetermined length.

12. A sterilizer according to claim 1 wherein the one or more parameters of the cycle comprises time of exposure to the sterilant.

13. A sterilizer according to claim 1 configured to allow the one or more data inputs to be input by a user.

14. A sterilizer according to claim 1 configured to read at least a portion of the one or more data inputs automatically from the instruments.

15. A sterilizer according to claim 14 configured to read a bar code on an instrument.

16. A sterilizer according to claim 14 configured to read an RFID tag on an instrument.

17. A sterilizer according to claim 1 further comprising a sensor reading one of the parameters of the sterilization cycle and a feedback control loop to adjust one or more of the sterilization cycle parameters.

18. A sterilizer according to claim 17 wherein the sensor monitors a concentration of sterilant in the vacuum chamber.