APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING MEDICAL INSTRUMENTS

• Main Authors: Araujo Dalla Bona, Diego, Panahi, Ali, Paschoalotto, Rafael
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 05.08.2021
• Subjects: CHEMICAL ASPECTS OF BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS, ORSURGICAL ARTICLES; CONVEYING; DISINFECTION, STERILISATION, OR DEODORISATION OF AIR; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HYGIENE; MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGINGARTICLES OR MATERIALS; MATERIALS FOR BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS, OR SURGICALARTICLES; MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR STERILISING MATERIALS OR OBJECTS INGENERAL; PACKING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; STORING; TRANSPORTING; UNPACKING

An apparatus for processing medical instruments includes an enclosure having an entrance door and an exit door. The enclosure is arranged so that a cassette containing dirty instruments is deposited into the enclosure through the entrance door, the dirty instruments are cleaned, sterilized, and packaged inside the enclosure, and the clean, sterilized, packaged instruments are removed from the enclosure through the exit door. The enclosure includes a plurality of stations therein, such as a jet washing and drying station, a packaging station, and an autoclave station. Each station has sidewalls and a bottom surface, and includes at least one slot that is sized and shaped to hold only one cassette. Each slot in each station has a wire frame so that the cassette, when positioned in the slot, does not contact the sidewalls or bottom surface of the station. A robotic arm automatically moves the instrument cassettes between stations.