Monitoring of the connection of fluid lines to surgical instruments

Abstract

A monitoring system for reprocessing a surgical instrument, where the monitoring system includes: a fluid line provided for supplying a fluid to the surgical instrument, the fluid line being configured to be connected to the surgical instrument; and a fluid line connection for connecting the fluid line to the surgical instrument; wherein the fluid line connection is configured to close an electrical contact in the case of a functional connection of the fluid line to the surgical instrument.

Claims

1. A monitoring system for reprocessing a surgical instrument, the monitoring system comprising: a fluid line provided for supplying a fluid to the surgical instrument, the fluid line being configured to be connected to the surgical instrument; and a fluid line connection for connecting the fluid line to the surgical instrument; wherein the fluid line connection is configured to close an electrical contact via an electrically conductive surface of the surgical instrument in the case of a functional connection of the fluid line to the surgical instrument; and the electrical contact comprises two electrical lines arranged on an outer face of the fluid line, the two electrical lines extending to a distal face of the fluid line to form first and second end contacts on the distal face, and the electrically conductive surface of the surgical instrument is configured to extend between and contact the first and second end contacts in the case of the functional connection of the fluid line to the surgical instrument.

2. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein when closing the first and second end contacts, a signal which is detectable by an operator is generated.

3. The monitoring system according to claim 1, further comprising an electrical connection provided from the first and second end contacts to a controller.

4. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the fluid line is a hose.

5. The monitoring system according to claim 3, wherein the two electrical lines are one of a conductive strand or a conductive layer arranged on the outer face of the fluid line.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further features are disclosed from the description of embodiments, together with the claims and the accompanying drawings. Embodiments may fulfill individual features or a combination of a plurality of features.

(2) The embodiments are described hereinafter without limiting the general inventive idea using exemplary embodiments with reference to the drawings, wherein relative to all of the details, which are not shown in more detail in the text, reference is expressly made to the drawings, in which:

(3) FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic view of a monitoring system,

(4) FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic view of a connection of a fluid line to a surgical instrument in a schematic detailed view, and

(5) FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic sectional view through a schematic front view of a fluid line.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(6) In the drawings, the same or similar elements and/or parts are provided in each case with the same reference numerals, so that in each case a further description is dispensed with.

(7) FIG. 1 shows schematically a monitoring system 11 for the connection of a surgical instrument 10 to fluid lines 12-16.

(8) Surgical instruments, such as for example endoscopes, have channels or lumens which have to be cleaned and disinfected after the use of the surgical instrument. To this end, these instruments are typically placed into a reprocessing apparatus. In the reprocessing apparatus a cleaning fluid is passed from outside onto the surgical instrument and additionally the corresponding channels or respectively lumens 23, amongst other things, are rinsed with a cleaning fluid.

(9) In order to be able to undertake correct cleaning, i.e. complete cleaning and disinfecting, i.e. reprocessing the surgical instrument, it is necessary that the fluid lines 12-16 with the fluid line connections 12-16 on the front face or respectively end face are connected to the instrument connections 32-36. The connection may be leakage free. Alternatively, a connection may be provided with a defined leakage.

(10) In order to be able to undertake a reprocessing in an efficient manner, it is provided, when providing the surgical instrument or respectively instrument connections 32-36 with the fluid line connections 12-16 or respectively with the fluid line 12-16, to monitor whether the connections are functional, for example, such that they have been completely correctly implemented. To this end, in the case of a functional connection, an electrical contact is closed. The electrical contact may be closed, for example as shown in FIG. 2, by two electrical lines 20, 21 which are arranged on the outer face of the fluid line 12, as shown in FIG. 3, extending as far as the front face and in each case forming an end contact surface 22 or respectively 23 at that point, and which are brought into electrical contact with an electrically conductive surface 37 of the surgical instrument 10. As a result, an electrical current may be passed from a controller 24, such as a computer or CPU, via the closed electrical contact between the end contact surfaces 22 and 23 and the electrically conductive surface 37 of the endoscope 10, whereby it may be established that a correspondingly functional connection is present. Alternatively, a resistance between the electrical lines 20 and 21 may be measured, wherein when a predeterminable value for the resistance is fallen below, a functional connection is assumed.

(11) This type of electrical contact is just one type of many conceivable options. Alternatively, a switch which is arranged in the fluid line or on the fluid line and is closed in the case of contact with an end surface of the surgical instrument may also be provided. Alternatively, it may also be provided to furnish the fluid line with a fluid line connection, which may be connected in the manner of a bayonet connection to an instrument connection of the surgical instrument 10, and to this end closes an electrical contact only with a correspondingly complete rotation of the bayonet in the object.

(12) In FIG. 1 it is shown entirely schematically and generally how corresponding electrical lines 20 are passed from the connection between the fluid line and the surgical instrument to a control apparatus 24. Additionally, for example, the fluid line 13 is still separate from the instrument connection 33. The fluid line 13 is intended to be pushed further in the direction of the arrow onto the instrument connection 33. The corresponding fluid lines 12-16 are shown only partially in FIGS. 1 and 2.

(13) With a corresponding functional connection of the respective fluid line connection to the surgical instrument or respectively the respective instrument connection 32-36 the control apparatus is able to generate an acoustic signal 18 via a loudspeaker 26 and/or generate a visual signal 19 or 19 on the display apparatus 25, which display to an operator whether the connection is functional or not.

(14) The fluid lines 12-16 may be hoses, such as flexible fluid lines.

(15) In FIG. 3 it is shown schematically how an electrical contact 17 is produced. This electrical contact 17 is produced via the end contact surfaces 22 and 23 when said contact surfaces come into contact with an electrically conductive surface. In this case, an electrical contact 17 is closed, which is transmitted to the control apparatus 24 via the corresponding electrical lines 20 or respectively 21 connected to the end contact surfaces 22 and 23.

(16) While there has been shown and described what is considered to be preferred embodiments, it will, of course, be understood that various modifications and changes in form or detail could readily be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is therefore intended that the invention be not limited to the exact forms described and illustrated, but should be constructed to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(17) 10 Surgical instrument 11 Monitoring system 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 Fluid line 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 Fluid line connection 17 Electrical contact 18 Acoustic signal 19, 19 Visual signal 20, 21 Electrical line 22, 23 End contact surface 24 Control apparatus 25 Monitor 26 Loudspeaker 32, 33, 34, 35, 36 Instrument connection 37 Electrically conductive surface