JPH0246360Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed explanation of the invention] a. Purpose of the invention (industrial application field) The steam sterilization indicator according to this invention is used to steam sterilize items such as patient clothes and surgical gowns in hospitals and various research facilities. It is used when sterilizing using a sterilizer, and is used to determine whether or not the inside of the object to be sterilized has been reliably sterilized.

(Prior art) In hospitals, etc., clothes and surgical gowns used by patients are sterilized to prevent nosocomial infections. This is carried out using a steam sterilizer as shown in the figure below.

This steam sterilizer has a horizontal cylindrical shape with a bottom, one end of which opens at the front of the container 1 (left side in the drawing). A sterilizer is provided, which consists of an inner cylinder 2 and an outer cylinder 3 surrounding the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder 2, and the front opening of the inner cylinder 2 can be opened and closed by a lid 4 provided on the front side of the container body 1. .

When sterilizing objects to be sterilized, such as clothes, using such a steam sterilizer, steam is pulsed into the inner cylinder 2, which is evacuated, to remove air from the objects to be sterilized. a sterilization process in which high-temperature saturated steam is sent into the inner tube 2 to sterilize the objects to be sterilized; and a vacuum step in which the inner tube 2 is vacuumed to dry the objects wetted by this saturated steam. After drying, a drying process is performed in which the operation of repeatedly feeding clean air warmed in a pipe wound around the outer cylinder 3 into the inner cylinder 2 is performed in order. During this time, the outer cylinder 3 is always filled with high-temperature water vapor to heat the objects to be sterilized during the vacuum process, to keep the inner cylinder warm during the sterilization process, and to remove heat from the objects to be sterilized during the drying process. Efforts are being made to accelerate the evaporation of moisture.

The steam sterilizer shown in FIG. 2 is relatively small, but the larger one has the inner and outer cylinders 2 and 3 formed into rectangular parallelepipeds. However, the action itself is almost the same.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) By the way, when sterilizing objects to be sterilized using a steam sterilizer configured as described above, it is necessary not only to simply raise the temperature of the objects to be sterilized, but also to raise the temperature of the objects to be sterilized. It is necessary to bring the object into contact with saturated steam, but if the object to be sterilized is a textile product such as clothing, if the sterilization time is insufficient, simply filling the area around the object with saturated steam will not reach the saturated temperature. There are cases where the water vapor does not penetrate into the inside of the object to be sterilized.

In this way, if the saturated steam does not penetrate into the object to be sterilized, there is a high possibility that the bacteria living inside the object to be sterilized will not be sterilized and will continue to exist.

However, as mentioned above, after the sterilization process in which the inner cylinder 2 is filled with saturated steam, there is a drying process in which the objects to be sterilized are dried. At this stage, it is not possible to determine whether saturated steam has reached the inside of the object to be sterilized.

If you unknowingly reuse clothing that has been incompletely sterilized and has bacteria still living inside, there is a risk of infection from the bacteria, which is extremely dangerous. In order to avoid such risks, the conventional sterilization time has been made longer than necessary, but this is not preferable because it wastes energy.

The steam sterilization indicator of the present invention eliminates the above-mentioned inconvenience by being configured so that it can be easily determined whether water vapor has reached the inside of the textile object to be sterilized after the sterilization process is completed. It is something.

b. Composition of the invention (Means for solving the problem) The steam sterilization indicator of the invention has a tubular transparent case that is closed at both ends and has a thin wall in the center. It is filled with an indicator substance that changes color when it comes into contact with.

Furthermore, an air permeability restricting material having air permeability and hygroscopicity is provided between the indicator and the thin wall portion in the transparent case.

That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the central part of a tubular transparent case 5 made of transparent synthetic resin such as glass or acrylic is a thin wall part 6, and this transparent case 5
can be easily cut at the center.

Inside both ends of such a transparent case 5, there is an indicator material 7, such as copper sulfate, which changes color when it comes into contact with water.
7 and the indicator substances 7 change color only when moisture reaches inside both ends of the transparent case 5, and this change in color can be confirmed from the outside of the case 5.

Furthermore, the indicator substance and the thin wall part 6 inside the transparent case 5 are
A ventilation restricting material 8, 8 having breathability and hygroscopicity, such as absorbent cotton or gauze, is provided between the transparent case 5 and the transparent case 5.
This is the resistance until the water vapor that has entered the interior reaches the indicator substances 7, 7.

(Operation) When determining whether or not the object to be sterilized has been reliably sterilized using the steam sterilization indicator of the present invention configured as described above, the procedure is as follows.

First, hold both ends of the transparent case 5 with both hands and bend them firmly, cut the transparent case 5 at the thin part 6 formed in the middle part, and cut the inside of the transparent case 5 divided into two parts by this cutting operation. Gas can enter freely.

Next, this two-divided transparent case 5 is placed into the inner cylinder 2 (FIG. 2) of the sterilizer together with the object to be sterilized, and sterilization is performed in the same manner as in the normal case. In this case, the transparent case 5 divided into two parts may be put into the inner cylinder 2 at the same time, or one part may be used twice.

As the sterilization process progresses, saturated water vapor enters the transparent case 5 placed in the inner cylinder 2 from the crease, but due to the presence of the ventilation restricting material 8, this saturated water vapor does not immediately enter the transparent case 5. Indicator at the end 7
It never reaches that point.

In other words, the ventilation restricting material 8 provides resistance similar to the resistance that textile objects to be sterilized such as clothing have to the flow of water vapor, and when saturated water vapor reaches the inside of the object to be sterilized, this resistance Allow saturated water vapor to reach the indicator 7.

Therefore, by checking whether the indicator 7 has changed color, it is possible to judge whether saturated steam has reached the inside of the textile object to be sterilized.

In other words, if the indicator 7 has changed color, it means that saturated steam has reached the inside of the textile object to be sterilized and complete sterilization has been performed, and if the indicator 7 has not changed color, it means that sterilization has not been completed. Show completeness.

c. Effects of the invention Since the steam sterilization indicator of the invention is constructed and operates as described above, it becomes possible to know with certainty whether or not sterilization has been performed at the end of sterilization work. It is possible to avoid the risk of disease infection and the like due to reusing articles with bacteria attached to them.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a steam sterilization indicator of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway side view showing an example of a steam sterilization apparatus using this indicator. 1: Body, 2: Inner cylinder, 3: Outer cylinder, 4: Lid, 5:
Transparent case, 6: Thin wall part, 7: Indicator, 8: Airflow restricting material.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] Both ends of a tubular transparent case with both ends closed and a thin walled portion in the center are filled with an indicator that changes color when it comes into contact with water, and the area between the indicator and the thin walled portion inside the transparent case is filled with an indicator that changes color when it comes into contact with water. An indicator for steam sterilization, comprising: a ventilation restricting material having air permeability and hygroscopicity.