Flow indicators for surgical instrument reprocessing, and related systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9921094-B2
Application number	US-201514871395-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2015
Priority date	Nov 11, 2014
Publication date	Mar 20, 2018
Grant date	Mar 20, 2018

Abstract

A surgical instrument flow indicator comprises a body defining a flow passage comprising an inlet and an outlet, wherein the inlet is configured to be fluidically coupled to a fluid supply source and wherein the outlet is configured to be fluidically coupled to the surgical instrument. The flow indicator further comprises a flow indication mechanism in flow communication with the flow passage, the flow indication mechanism being configured to transition from a first state to a second state in response to a threshold force exerted on the flow indication mechanism, wherein in the second state, the flow indication mechanism has an arrangement indicating to an observer that the flow indication mechanism transitioned from the first state to the second state.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A surgical instrument flow indicator, comprising:
a body defining a flow passage comprising an inlet and an outlet, wherein the inlet is configured to be fluidically coupled to a fluid supply source, and wherein the outlet is configured to be fluidically coupled to a surgical instrument; and
a flow indication mechanism fluidically coupled with the flow passage, the flow indication mechanism being transitionable from a first state to a second state in response to a threshold force exerted on the flow indication mechanism by a fluid flowing through the flow passage,
wherein in the second state, the flow indication mechanism has an arrangement indicating to an observer that the flow indication mechanism transitioned from the first state to the second state.

2. The flow indicator of claim 1 , wherein the inlet is configured to be coupled to a reprocessing fluid supply source of a surgical instrument reprocessing machine washer.

3. The flow indicator of claim 1 , wherein the flow indication mechanism comprises a piston assembly, the piston assembly comprising a piston head in a piston chamber.

4. The flow indicator of claim 3 , wherein the piston chamber forms part of the flow passage.

5. The flow indicator of claim 3 , further comprising a shaft extending from the piston head, through an opening at an end of the piston chamber, to an exterior of the flow indicator.

6. The flow indicator of claim 5 , wherein the shaft is hollow and forms part of the flow passage, the shaft including the inlet.

7. The flow indicator of claim 5 , wherein the flow indication mechanism further comprises a biasing device positioned to exert a biasing force to retain the piston head in a first position in the first state of the flow indication mechanism, the biasing force being less than the threshold force.

8. The flow indicator of claim 5 , wherein the flow indication mechanism further comprises an anti-backlash mechanism configured to maintain a position of the flow indication mechanism after transition of the flow indication mechanism to the second state.

9. The flow indicator of claim 8 , wherein the anti-backlash mechanism comprises a plate pivotably coupled to an end of the piston chamber at which the opening is located, the plate comprising an aperture through which the shaft extends, an angular orientation of the aperture being altered based on pivoting movement of the plate.

10. The flow indicator of claim 9 , wherein the plate frictionally engages the shaft in the second state, the frictional engagement being sufficient to maintain a position of the shaft and piston head in the second state against the biasing force exerted on the piston head by the biasing device.

11. The flow indicator of claim 5 , further comprising indicia on the shaft, the indicia indicating to an observer a level of threshold force exerted on the flow indication mechanism during transition of the flow indication mechanism from the first state to the second state.

12. The flow indicator of claim 1 , wherein the flow indication mechanism further comprises an anti-backlash mechanism configured to maintain a position of the flow indication mechanism after transition of the flow indication mechanism to the second state.

13. The flow indicator of claim 1 , wherein the flow indication mechanism comprises a magnetically attractive element located within the flow passage, the magnetically attractive element being configured to move from a first position in the first state of the flow indication mechanism to a second position in the second state of the flow indication mechanism.

14. The flow indicator of claim 13 , further comprising a first magnet and a second magnet spaced apart from one another along the flow passage, wherein the magnetically attractive element is retained in the first position by the first magnet and in the second position by the second magnet.

15. The flow indicator of claim 1 , wherein the threshold force is associated with a backpressure of reprocessing fluid during reprocessing fluid flowing from the inlet to the outlet of the flow passage.

16. A flow indicator for use during reprocessing of a surgical instrument, the flow indicator comprising:
a body defining a flow passage comprising an inlet and an outlet, wherein the inlet is configured to be fluidically coupled to a fluid supply source, and wherein the outlet is configured to be fluidically coupled to the surgical instrument; and
a flow indication mechanism movable between a first position and a second position;
a first retention mechanism positioned and configured to exert a first retention force on the flow indication mechanism to retain the flow indication mechanism in the first position, the first retention force being less than a threshold force acting in a direction to move the flow indication mechanism to the second position; and
a second retention mechanism positioned and configured to exert a second retention force on the flow indication mechanism to retain the flow indication mechanism in the second position.

17. The flow indictor of claim 16 , wherein:
the first retention force and the second retention force are magnetic attraction forces, and
the flow indication mechanism comprises a magnetically attractive element disposed in the flow passage.

18. The flow indicator of claim 17 , wherein:
the flow indication mechanism comprises: a piston head in a piston chamber in flow communication with the flow passage;
a shaft extending from the piston head through an opening at an end of the piston chamber and to an exterior of the flow indicator;
the first retention mechanism comprises a spring extending between the piston head and the end of the piston chamber; and
the second retention mechanism comprises an anti-backlash plate coupled to the end of the piston chamber, the shaft extending through the anti-backlash plate.

19. A method of reprocessing a surgical instrument, the method comprising:
fluidically coupling a flow indicator between a reprocessing fluid supply source and a surgical instrument; and
flushing portions of the surgical instrument by flowing a reprocessing fluid from the fluid supply source through the flow indicator and to the portions of the surgical instrument;
wherein the flow indicator has a first state prior to the reprocessing fluid flowing through the flow indicator in a direction from the fluid supply source to the surgical instrument; and
wherein, on the condition that a sufficient backflow pressure of reprocessing fluid occurs during the flowing, the flow indicator transitions from the first state to a second state, the flow indicator remaining in the second state after the flow indicator transitions from the first state to a second state and after the flowing of the reprocessing fluid.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein in the second state, the flow indicator indicates to an observer that the flow indicator transitioned from the first state to the second state.

21. The method of claim 19 , wherein flowing the reprocessing fluid from the fluid supply source comprises flowing the reprocessing fluid during an automated reprocessing procedure, the automated reprocessing procedure using a reprocessing machine washer.

22. A surgical instrument reprocessing system, the system comprising:
a machine washer comprising a reprocessing fluid supply source; and
a flow indicator body comprising:
an inlet configured to be fluidically coupled to the machine washer reprocessing fluid supply source;

Assignees

• Intuitive Surgical Operations

Inventors

• Limon Timothy Allen

Classifications

• A61B19/34

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A61B90/70 Primary

  Cleaning devices specially adapted for surgical instruments · CPC title

• G01C19/00

  Gyroscopes; Turn-sensitive devices using vibrating masses; Turn-sensitive devices without moving masses; Measuring angular rate using gyroscopic effects · CPC title

• H01H35/24

  Switches operated by change of fluid pressure, by fluid pressure waves, or by change of fluid flow (wherein the change of pressure is caused by change of temperature H01H37/36) · CPC title

• A61B34/30

  Surgical robots · CPC title