Safe transport gel for treating medical instruments
AssigneeSTERIS Inc.
InventorsSayed S. Shah, Shahin Keller, Mildred R. Bernando
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for treating medical instruments after a surgical procedure, which leaves blood or other body fluid on the instrument, includes applying a gel composition that inhibits the fluid from drying on the instruments. The gel composition is preferably a low viscosity gel exhibiting both sufficient flow and coating characteristics. The viscosity is preferably from about 700 to about 4,000 centipoise (cps), preferably around 3,000 cps. Applying a gel to post-surgical medical instruments contains and keeps protein containing fluids moist for extended periods of time and facilitates subsequent transportation, cleaning, and sterilization of such instruments.
Claims32
A method of treating a medical instrument after a surgical procedure which leaves blood or other body fluid on the instrument, the method comprising:
- spraying a gel composition over surfaces of the instrument that inhibits the fluid from drying on the instrument, the gel forming a skin over the surfacer of the instrument which keeps the blood or other body fluid moist for at least four hours.
A method of treating a medical instrument after a surgical procedure which leaves blood or other body fluid on the instrument, the method comprising:
- applying a gel composition that inhibits the fluid from drying on the instrument for four or more hours, the viscosity of the gel composition being from about 1,000 to about 3,500 cps.
A method of treating a medical instrument after a surgical procedure which leaves blood or other body fluid on the instrument, the method comprising:
- applying a gel composition that is capable of inhibiting the fluid from drying on the instrument for a period of four hours, the gel composition including:
- a polymer selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid-based polymers, cellulose derivatives, gums, guars, guar derivatives, alginates, alginate derivatives, non-ionic surfactants, non-ionic polymers, and combinations thereof, and
- a low-foaming surfactant selected from the group consisting of non-ionic and amphoteric surfactants, the composition being free of high-foaming surfactants.
A method for treating and cleaning a medical instrument contaminated with blood or other body fluid, the method comprising:
- applying a gel to surfaces of the medical instrument to form a gel film over biological fluid, and inhibit the biological fluid from encrusting the instrument, the gel including:
- 0.1% to 3% of a water soluble polymer;
- 0.0% to 3% of a neutralizing agent;
- 0.0002 to 1.0% corrosion inhibitor;
- 0.0% to 14% antimicrobial agent;
- and
- a viscosity adjusting agent which adjusts viscosity to 1,000 to 3,500 cps, the gel being capable of keeping the biological fluid on the medical instrument moist for at least four hours;
- transporting the medical instrument in the gel to a cleaning station;
- and
- cleaning the medical instrument.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.