Sterilization enclosure for surgical instruments
AssigneeStryker Corporation
InventorsBruce Henniges, Robert Childers, Erik Chmelar, Adam Dudycha, Michael Miller, Ali Moaiery, Benjamin John Purrenhage
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A sterilization enclosure comprises one or more sensors for measuring characteristics within the container during a sterilization process, including one or more characteristics of sterilization agent(s), to determine whether instruments disposed within the container have been exposed to threshold process conditions to ensure a desired level of sterilization for those instruments.
Claims23
A sterilization enclosure configured to be placed within a sterilizer, the sterilization enclosure configured to accommodate a surgical instrument for sterilization and defining an interior capable of fluidly communicating with the sterilizer to receive steam from the sterilizer, said sterilization enclosure comprising:
- a phase change material notification device positioned within said interior of said enclosure or coupled to an exterior of said enclosure, said phase change material notification device comprising:
- a housing defining an upper chamber and a lower chamber;
- a phase change material positioned within said upper chamber, and configured to undergo a phase change and move from said upper chamber to said lower chamber;
- and
- a baffle formed from a planar wall including one or more openings and positioned between said upper chamber and said lower chamber to allow said phase change material to move from said upper chamber to said lower chamber when a threshold amount of heat energy has been transferred to the phase change material from the steam of the sterilizer adjacent to said phase change material notification device;
- and
- wherein said baffle having a top surface that is disposed in a non-horizontal position such that gravity allows a portion of said phase change material to move along said top surface before passing through said one or more openings in said baffle.
A sterilization enclosure configured to be placed within a sterilizer, the sterilization enclosure configured to accommodate a surgical instrument for sterilization and defining an interior capable of fluidly communicating with the sterilizer to receive steam from the sterilizer, the sterilization enclosure comprising:
- a phase change material notification device coupled to said enclosure, said phase change material notification device comprising:
- a housing defining an upper chamber and a lower chamber;
- a phase change material positioned within said upper chamber and configured to undergo a phase change and move from said upper chamber to said lower chamber;
- and
- a baffle positioned between said upper chamber and said lower chamber to allow said phase change material to move from said upper chamber to said lower chamber when a threshold amount of heat energy has been transferred to the phase change material from the steam of the sterilizer adjacent to said phase change material notification device;
- wherein said baffle comprises a grating having a top surface that is disposed in a non-horizontal position and a plurality of openings such that gravity allows a portion of said phase change material to move along said top surface before passing through one of said plurality of openings.
A phase change material notification device adapted for use with a sterilization enclosure configured to be placed within a sterilizer, the sterilization enclosure configured to accommodate a surgical instrument for sterilization and defining an interior capable of fluidly communicating with the sterilizer to receive steam from the sterilizer, the phase change material notification device comprising:
- a housing defining an upper chamber and a lower chamber;
- a phase change material positioned within said upper chamber and configured to undergo a phase change and move from said upper chamber to said lower chamber;
- a marking corresponding with at least one of said upper chamber and said lower chamber to indicate an amount of said phase change material located within a corresponding one of said upper chamber and said lower chamber;
- and
- a baffle formed from a planar wall including one or more openings and positioned between said upper chamber and said lower chamber to allow said phase change material to move from said upper chamber to said lower chamber,
- wherein said marking corresponds to a volume of phase change material that is indicative of a threshold amount of heat energy being transferred to the phase change material from the steam within the sterilizer, the threshold amount of heat energy correlated to a desired level of sterility;
- and
- wherein said baffle having a top surface that that extends from said housing within the interior by a non-perpendicular angle relative to a bottom of said phase change material notification device such that gravity allows a portion of said phase change material to move along said top surface before passing through said one or more openings in said baffle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.