# US 2014/0190520 A1 · Method and device for rinsing endoscope channels

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- Number: US 2014/0190520 A1
- Document ID: US20140190520A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/210,637
- Filed: 2014-03-14
- Published: 2014-07-10
- Earliest claimed: 2011-09-15
- Assignees: Olympus Winter & Ibe GmbH
- Applicants: Olympus Winter & Ibe GmbH
- Inventors: Andreas NOACK
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140190520A1

## CPC

- A61B 1/125: {using fluid circuits}
- A61B 90/70: Cleaning devices specially adapted for surgical instruments
- A61B 2090/701: {for flexible tubular instruments, e.g. endoscopes}
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)

## Abstract

A method for rinsing endoscope channels of an endoscope with a rinsing agent from a rinsing agent supply. The method including: connecting a first endoscope channel to the rinsing agent supply via a first rinsing agent distributor, which has a testing device for checking an endoscope channel for a blockage; connecting at least one other endoscope channel to the rinsing agent supply via a second rinsing agent distributor; and checking the first endoscope channel for a blockage using a testing device and simultaneously rinsing the at least one other endoscope channel with rinsing agent from the rinsing agent supply. A device is also provided for rinsing endoscope channels of an endoscope with rinsing agent from a rinsing supply.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for rinsing endoscope channels of an endoscope with a rinsing agent from a rinsing agent supply, the method comprising:
(a) connecting a first endoscope channel to the rinsing agent supply via a first rinsing agent distributor, which has a testing device for checking an endoscope channel for a blockage;
(b) connecting at least one other endoscope channel to the rinsing agent supply via a second rinsing agent distributor; and
(c) checking the first endoscope channel for a blockage using a testing device and simultaneously rinsing the at least one other endoscope channel with rinsing agent from the rinsing agent supply.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, further comprising repeating steps (a)-(c) for another endoscope channel.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the checking comprises measuring one of a flow rate or a pressure of the rinsing agent for checking the first endoscope channel for a blockage using the testing device.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method according to one of claim 1, further comprising terminating the method if the checking determined a blockage in the first endoscope channel.

### Claim 5

A device for rinsing endoscope channels of an endoscope with rinsing agent from a rinsing agent supply, wherein the device comprises:
a first rinsing agent distributor and a second rinsing agent distributor, each of first and second rinsing agent distributors being connected to the rinsing agent supply;
rinsing channels connected to the first and second rinsing agent distributors for feeding rinsing agent from the rinsing agent supply into a respective endoscope channel,
a switching valve provided for each rinsing channel for connecting each the rinsing channel in a first position of the switching valve with the first rinsing agent distributor and in a second position with the second rinsing agent distributor, and
a first testing device connected with the first rinsing agent distributor for checking whether an endoscope channel connected to the first rinsing agent distributor via one of the rinsing channels is blocked.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The device according to claim 5, further comprising a second testing device connected with the second rinsing agent distributor.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The device according to claim 5, wherein the first testing device comprises one of a flow meter or a pressure meter.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The device according to claim 6, wherein the second testing device comprises one of a flow meter or a pressure meter.

### Claim 9 (depends on 5)

The device according to claim 5, wherein one or more of the first and second rinsing agent distributor is configured as a rinsing agent chamber or as a rinsing agent reservoir.

### Claim 10 (depends on 5)

The device according to claim 5, wherein the switching valve includes an automatically controllable actuating drive.

### Claim 11 (depends on 5)

The device according to claim 5, wherein one or more of the switching valves includes a third position where the rinsing channel is not connected to the first or second rinsing agent distributors.

### Claim 12 (depends on 5)

The device according to claim 5, further comprising a rinsing agent pump to supply at least one of the first and second rinsing agent distributor with rinsing agent from the rinsing agent supply under a specifiable pressure.

### Claim 13 (depends on 5)

The device according to claim 5, further comprising at least one pressure booster pump provided in a supply line from the rinsing agent supply to the first rinsing agent distributor.