US 4,670,227 A · Apparatus and method for handling of infectious waste material

Abstract

Apparatus for safe handling of biologically infectious waste materials comprises providing paper or plastic bags to receive infectious waste material, an open collection cart for receiving said bags, an enclosed transport cart for receiving, enclosing, and transporting the collection cart, placing the collection cart inside the transport cart, depositing the plastic bags into the collection cart while disposed within the transport cart, transferring the collection cart and bags of infectious waste into a sterilizing chamber, sterilizing the infectious waste material by steam heat, exposing fluids produced during the sterilization process to steam heat for a time sufficient to sterilize the same by allowing the fluids to slowly drain from said bags to a fluid receiver at the bottom of the collection cart and then to a second fluid receiver at the bottom of the sterilizing chamber and into a conventional drainage system, transferring the collection cart to a dumping and compacting apparatus, dumping and compacting the material, and finally disposing of the compacted sterilized waste material by conventional methods such as burial or incineration.

Claims29

Dependent claims

A system of apparatus for handling biologically infectious solid and fluid waste materials to prevent contamination of handlers of such waste materials comprising;

a collection cart comprising side walls having a generally open-walled construction and means defining a first top opening for receiving bags of infectious waste material,
a transport cart of enclosed construction for removably receiving, enclosing, and safely transporting said collection cart, while protecting the handler against contamination, said transport cart further including means defining a second top opening,
said collection cart being removably receivable within said transport cart, with said first top opening and said second top opening being alligned so as to receive bags of infectious waste materials into said collection cart when said collection cart is located within said transport cart, and
a steam autoclave comprising means defining a front-opening sterilizing chamber with an entrance for receiving said collection cart and the solid and fluid contents thereof and means for subjecting said collection cart and the contents thereof to steam heat sufficient to kill pathogenic organisms.

1 more element

A system of apparatus for handling biologically infectious waste materials to prevent contamination of handlers of such waste materials comprising a front-opening steam autoclave with means defining a sterilizing chamber for subjecting the contents thereof to steam heat sufficient to kill pathogenic organisms and means defining a front opening for access into said sterilizing chamber,

a collection cart comprising side walls having a generally open-walled construction and means defining a first top opening for receiving bags of infectious waste material,
a transport cart of enclosed construction for removably receiving, enclosing, and safely transporting said collection cart while protecting the handler against contamination, said transport cart further including means defining a second top opening,
said collection cart being removably receivable within said transport cart, with said first top opening and said second top opening being alligned so as to receive bags infectious waste materials into said collection cart when said collection cart is located within said transport cart, and
said transport cart further comprising means defining a front opening and a first door sealing said front opening, wherein said front opening permits the transfer of said collection cart into the front opening of said sterilizing chamber.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Apparatus and method for handling of infectious waste material

Life of this patent

Apparatus and method for handling of infectious waste material

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims29