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US-12624891-B2 - Systems and methods for drying and/or cleaning endoscopic devices

US12624891B2US 12624891 B2US12624891 B2US 12624891B2US-12624891-B2

Abstract

Devices and methods for cleaning and/or drying endoscopic instruments, such as endoscopes, are provided. A drying device for use with an endoscopic instrument comprises an elongate member configured for advancement through an internal lumen within the endoscopic instrument and a drying member removably coupled to a portion of the elongate member. The drying element comprises a variable pressure region shaped and configured to increase the hydrodynamic fluid friction force and fluid pressure force applied to the wall of the internal lumen of the endoscope to more effectively remove all of the moisture and fluid from the internal surfaces of an endoscopic instrument.

Inventors

  • Scott Miller
  • Frank Carter
  • Carl Gauger

Assignees

  • GI Scientific, LLC

Dates

Publication Date
20260512
Application Date
20220508

Claims (20)

  1. 1 . A drying device for use with an endoscopic instrument, the device comprising: an elongate member configured for advancement through a lumen within the endoscopic instrument; at least one drying member coupled to a portion of the elongate member, wherein the drying member comprises distal and proximal end portions and a central portion between the distal and proximal end portions, wherein the drying member has one or more centering elements positioned on either end of the drying member for centering the drying member as the drying member is advanced through a lumen; and wherein the central portion is shaped to create a pressure gradient along the central portion from the distal end portion to the proximal end portion.
  2. 2 . The drying device of claim 1 , wherein the pressure gradient causes an increase in a relative velocity between the drying member and fluid and air within the lumen as the drying member is advanced through the lumen.
  3. 3 . The drying device of claim 1 , wherein the pressure gradient causes an increase in shear stress between fluid and air in the lumen and an internal wall of the lumen.
  4. 4 . The drying device of claim 1 , wherein the central portion of the drying member comprises a contraction section coupled to the proximal end portion, a diffusion section coupled to the distal end portion and a throat section coupling the diffusion and contraction sections, wherein the throat section has a diameter less than the diameter of the proximal and distal end portions and greater than a diameter of the diffusion and contraction sections.
  5. 5 . The drying device of claim 4 , wherein the contraction section increases in diameter from the proximal end portion to the throat section and the diffusion section decreases in diameter from the throat section to the distal end portion and wherein the throat section is substantially cylindrical.
  6. 6 . The drying device of claim 4 , wherein the contraction section defines an angle with the throat portion that is about 4 degrees to about 85 degrees.
  7. 7 . The drying device of claim 4 , wherein the diffusion section defines an angle with the throat portion that is about 4 degrees to about 85 degrees.
  8. 8 . The drying device of claim 1 , wherein the drying member is removably coupled to the elongate member.
  9. 9 . The drying device of claim 1 , further comprising a second drying member coupled to a second portion of the elongate member and a third drying member coupled to the second drying member, wherein the first and second drying members each comprise distal and proximal end portions and a central portion between the distal and proximal end portions and wherein the central portion is shaped to create a pressure gradient along the central portion from the distal end portion to the proximal end portion.
  10. 10 . The drying device of claim 9 , further comprising one or more cylindrical elements sized to contact a wall of the lumen, the one or more cylindrical elements being positioned on a trailing end of the first and second drying members.
  11. 11 . The drying device of claim 1 , wherein the central portion is shaped to increase a force applied by a fluid within the lumen against an internal wall of the lumen as the drying member is advanced through the lumen.
  12. 12 . The drying device of claim 11 , wherein the force creates a pressure of at least about 100 Pa in at least one area between the distal and proximal end portions of the drying member.
  13. 13 . The drying device of claim 11 , wherein the force creates a shear stress of at least about 5 Pa in at least one area between the distal and proximal end portions of the drying member.
  14. 14 . The drying device of claim 11 , wherein the force creates an average pressure between the proximal and distal end portions of the drying member of at least about 10 Pa.
  15. 15 . The drying device of claim 11 , wherein the central portion has a distance and the force creates a pressure of at least 50 Pa in at least 25% of the distance between the proximal and distal end portions of the drying member.
  16. 16 . The drying device of claim 11 , wherein the central portion has a distance and the force creates a pressure of greater than 0 Pa in at least 50% of the distance between the proximal and distal end portions of the drying member.
  17. 17 . A drying device for use with an endoscopic instrument, the device comprising: an elongate member configured for advancement through a lumen within the endoscopic instrument; at least one drying member coupled to a portion of the elongate member, wherein the drying member comprises distal and proximal end portions and a central portion between the distal and proximal end portions; and wherein the central portion is shaped to increase a force applied by a fluid within the lumen against an internal wall of the lumen as the drying member is advanced through the lumen, wherein the force creates a pressure of at least about 100 Pa in at least one area between the distal and proximal end portions of the drying member.
  18. 18 . The drying device of claim 17 , wherein the central portion of the drying member comprises a contraction section coupled to the proximal end portion, a diffusion section coupled to the distal end portion and a throat section coupling the diffusion and contraction sections, wherein the throat section has a diameter less than the diameter of the proximal and distal end portions and greater than a diameter of the diffusion and contraction sections.
  19. 19 . The drying device of claim 18 , wherein the contraction section increases in diameter from the proximal end portion to the throat section and the diffusion section decreases in diameter from the throat section to the distal end portion and wherein the throat section is substantially cylindrical.
  20. 20 . The drying device of claim 19 , wherein the contraction section defines an angle with the throat portion that is about 4 degrees to about 85 degrees and the diffusion section defines an angle with the throat portion that is about 4 degrees to about 85 degrees.

Description

BACKGROUND Endoscopes are used and reprocessed numerous times each day to deliver highly advanced optical performance, consistent real-time imaging transmission, predictable scope handling and other functionality important to successful diagnosis and treatment of clinical conditions. This also occurs in non-medical applications involving the inspection, cleaning and repair of remote locations with non-medical endoscopes. This includes, by way of example, but not limitation, the inspection and repair of hydraulic lines, oil field pipelines, oil refinery lines and lumens, sewer and plumbing lines, the internal areas of a combustion engine and other non-medical applications involving remote visualization of an area that benefits from remote access and assessment. Endoscopes are high technology instruments, typically having advanced, expensive optical chips at the distal end of the scope to facilitate exceptional visualization. These imaging signals are captured on the chip and communicated in turn through high definition image transfer technology involving sophisticated software and imaging processing hardware that processes the optical signals. These signals in turn are translated and projected through the software and processor at numerous frames per second to an imaging screen, console or other means of transmitting the image to a user distant from the optical chip. The exceptional imaging capability of endoscopes has enabled numerous advances in medical and non-medical fields. This is due in significant part to the combination of excellent optical performance and scope handling joined to the reusable nature of nearly all endoscopes. This powerful combination allows for advanced, premium optical elements to be made available at a reasonable per use cost due to the ability to clean, disinfect (as applicable) and reuse the endoscope with its advanced optical capability. The ability to reuse these scopes effectively spreads the high cost of the endoscope's capability across multiple procedures/uses, thereby enabling reasonable, low cost access to advanced technologies for multiple beneficial uses on a global basis. Endoscopes with these advanced optical capabilities are too expensive to be used once and discarded. In addition, the environmental impact of discarding the advanced electronics that facilitate the endoscope's capability is considerable, unwarranted and unsafe for the environment. Reusable scopes provide a way to make peak optical capability available for a variety of procedures where otherwise one would not be able to afford the cost to use such technology. Even with the considerable advances and capabilities offered by reusable endoscopes, recent concerns have arisen regarding one's ability to consistently and predictably clean and thereby remove all soil and biomatter that contaminates endoscopes during use. Successful cleaning is the critical step to support disinfection and/or sterilization (as applicable) to reprocess these scopes for their next use. Cleaning non-medical scopes is also important to avoid inhibiting scope performance with the next use because of retained matter that can accumulate and adversely impact scope performance. This applies to both non-robotic scopes and scopes connected to or otherwise used with robotic technology to use remote visualization to see, navigate and treat, as applicable. Multiple contamination-related reprocessing issues leading to potential patient infections and/or scope performance issues have been noted with these scopes. These include issues with the cleanliness of reusable valves used to facilitate suction and air/water expression, the presence of residual matter that cannot be consistently removed from the complex distal end of certain scopes (especially duodenoscopes and endoscopic ultrasound scopes), and concerns regarding successful cleaning of the long biopsy/working channel(s) in certain scopes that are important for passing instruments to the distal end of the scope. Nearly all of these issues are addressable through the use of new, relatively low cost technologies and practices that have been created in response to these concerns and which can be applied in the context of current workflows and procedure economics, and which are environmentally friendly, especially when compared to single-use scope alternatives. These relatively low cost technologies and practices include the use of single-use disposable tubing and disposable valves instead of reusable tubing and valves, the use of sterile, single-use endoscopic shields to seal the complex distal end of the scope during use and initial pre-cleaning instead of leaving this area open and exposed to contamination, the use of forced-air drying, improved adherence to reprocessing approaches, and the implementation of post-procedure culturing and monitoring to address other areas of concern. With all of these advances, an area that remains to be addressed is the cleaning of the internal lumens of t