Medical apparatus
AssigneeLeica Microsystems (Schweiz) AG
InventorJuergen Pensel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to a medical apparatus having a special coating on its surface, notably its surface facing the surroundings. The coating has germ and/or dirt-repellant and/or bactericidal properties. Special embodiments of the invention include dirt and/or germ-repellant and/or antiseptic materials or surface structures and anti-electro-static and/or electrically heated materials.
Claims21
Medical device with a surface exposed in particular to the surrounding environment, in particular a microscope, preferably an operating microscope and/or its support, wherein the material of the device and/or the surface is formed or coated so as to be germ/dirt-repellent and/or germicidal.
Medical device according to one of the previous claims wherein the surface is coated with a matrix of a supporting material in which germicidal substances—preferably micro-encapsulated—are integrated or attached.
Medical device according to one of the preceding claims wherein the surface is electrically conductive.
Medical device according to one of the preceding claims wherein the surface is electrically heated by resistance heating, preferably with the temperature adjusted to about 60° C.
Medical device according to one of the preceding claims that is coated with a thin layer of a special water/dirt-repellent and germ-repellent plastic or ceramic, such as silicon, Teflon® or AIN.
Medical device according to one of the preceding claims wherein said device is covered or coated, e.g. sprayed or electrostatically flocked, on its surface with a very thin layer—in particular renewable by rinsing (e.g. as a reactive coating)—consisting of a metallic salt compound.
Medical device according to one of the preceding claims wherein the surface is provided with a multiplicity of elevations or indentations, the vertexes of which are spaced at intervals of approximately 1-100 μm, preferably 3-60 μm, in particular 2-5 μm, said intervals possibly also being variable within the indicated range.
Medical device according to one of the preceding claims wherein the surface is coated by vapor deposition or sputtering.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.