Endoscope cleaning/disinfecting apparatus and endoscope cleaning method
View Patent ↗An endoscope cleaning/disinfecting apparatus includes an endoscope connection section, a liquid supply conduit, a gas feeding conduit, a first gas feeding section, a first exhaust section, and a control section that performs a step of filling the gas feeding conduit with a cleaning liquid, a step of opening the first exhaust section, a step of allowing a gas to flow from the first gas feeding section to the endoscope connection section and feeding a two-phase gas-liquid fluid with which the gas feeding conduit is filled into the conduit of the endoscope and a step of closing the first exhaust section a predetermined time after allowing the gas to flow.
1. An endoscope cleaning/disinfecting apparatus that cleans/disinfects an endoscope comprising:
an endoscope connection section connected to a conduit of the endoscope;
a liquid supply conduit that supplies a cleaning liquid to the conduit of the endoscope via the endoscope connection section;
a gas feeding conduit, one end of which is connected to the endoscope connection section and also connected to the liquid supply conduit;
a first gas feeding section disposed at the other end of the gas feeding conduit to feed a gas into the conduit of the endoscope via the gas feeding conduit;
a first exhaust section provided in the gas feeding conduit, to open, to an atmosphere, the gas feeding conduit; and
a control section that performs a step of filling the gas feeding conduit with the cleaning liquid from the liquid supply conduit, a step of opening the first exhaust section, a step of allowing a gas to flow from the first gas feeding section to the endoscope connection section and feeding a two-phase gas-liquid fluid which is a mixture of the cleaning liquid with which the gas feeding conduit is filled and the gas into the conduit of the endoscope and a step of closing the first exhaust section a predetermined time after allowing the gas to flow.
2. The endoscope cleaning/disinfecting apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a relief valve provided in the gas feeding conduit that is opened when a pressure in the gas feeding conduit is equal to or higher than a predetermined pressure.
3. An endoscope cleaning method using an endoscope cleaning/disinfecting apparatus the endoscope cleaning/disinfecting apparatus including,
an endoscope connection section connected to a conduit of an endoscope;
a liquid supply conduit that supplies a cleaning liquid to the conduit of the endoscope via the endoscope connection section;
a gas feeding conduit, one end of which is connected to the endoscope connection section and also connected to the liquid supply conduit; and a first exhaust section provided in the gas feeding conduit, to open, to an atmosphere, the gas feeding conduit
a first gas feeding section disposed at the other end of the gas feeding conduit to feed a gas into the conduit of the endoscope via the gas feeding conduit, the method comprising:
a step of filling the gas feeding conduit with the cleaning liquid from the liquid supply conduit;
a step of opening the first exhaust section;
a step of allowing a gas to flow from the first gas feeding section to the endoscope connection section and feeding a two-phase gas-liquid fluid which is a mixture of the cleaning liquid with which the gas feeding conduit is filled and the gas into the conduit of the endoscope; and
a step of closing the first exhaust section a predetermined time after allowing the gas to flow.
4. The endoscope cleaning method according to claim 3 , further comprising a step of opening a relief valve provided in the gas feeding conduit when a pressure in the gas feeding conduit is equal to or higher than a predetermined pressure.