Abstract
A wall-mounted hemodialysis supply box and drain cabinet for use in continuous renal replacement therapy is provided that comprises a corrosion-resistant enclosure defining an interior space having a forwardly facing opening with a hinged door, at least one water-supply valve, at least one variable height bag holder, a bottom wall with a drain, and a plurality of inclined inside walls configured to channel waste water and treatment fluids into the drain. A sprayer hose attachment for use in washing down and cleaning the interior space is also disclosed.
Claims
1. A hemodialysis supply box and CRRT drain cabinet, comprising: a wall-mounted enclosure comprising corrosion-resistant top, bottom, front, back and side walls; the front wall further comprising a forwardly facing opening with a hinged door and a liquid shield disposed below the opening; at least one water inlet valve; a drain disposed in the bottom wall; a plurality of inclined interior wall sections disposed above and around the drain; and at least one height-adjustable bag holder.
2. The hemodialysis supply box and CRRT drain cabinet of claim 1 wherein the top, bottom, front, back and side walls and the inclined interior wall sections are made of a medically acceptable material.
3. The hemodialysis supply box and CRRT drain cabinet of claim 2 wherein the medically acceptable material is a metal alloy.
4. The hemodialysis supply box and CRRT drain cabinet of claim 3 for use in continuous renal replacement therapy, wherein the medically acceptable material is stainless steel.
5. The hemodialysis supply box and CRRT drain cabinet of claim 1 comprising two water inlet valves.
6. The hemodialysis supply box and CRRT drain cabinet of claim 1 wherein the height-adjustable bag holder comprises a metal plate spaced apart from the back wall, the metal plate further comprising an array of spaced-apart orifices.
7. The hemodialysis supply box and CRRT drain cabinet of claim 1 wherein the height adjustable bag holder comprises at least one bag hanger that is releasably engageable with a metal plate spaced apart from the back wall.
8. The hemodialysis supply box and CRRT drain cabinet of claim 1 further comprising a flexible hose.
9. The hemodialysis supply box and CRRT drain cabinet of claim 8 further comprising a sprayer disposed in fluid communication with the flexible hose.
10. The hemodialysis supply box and CRRT drain cabinet of claim 1 further comprising a trap primer disposed beneath the drain.
11. The hemodialysis supply box and CRRT drain cabinet of claim 1 comprising a door hinge disposed beneath the forwardly facing opening.
12. The hemodialysis supply box and CRRT drain cabinet of claim 1 comprising a door hinge disposed at one side of the forwardly facing opening.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] The apparatus of the invention is further described and explained in relation to the following drawings wherein:
[0013] FIG. 1 is a simplified front elevation view of one embodiment of an uninstalled supply box and drain cabinet of the invention with a door shown in an open position;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a simplified, cross-sectional side elevation view of an embodiment of the invention as in FIG. 1 that is recessed into a wall;
[0015] FIG. 3 is a simplified front elevation view of a different embodiment of the invention wherein the door is hinged at the bottom of the front opening, wherein the valves are not shown to simplify the drawing, and wherein a poly bag containing treatment fluid is hanging from a height-adjustable hook disposed inside the interior space of the invention; and
[0016] FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of another embodiment of the invention in which the door and its hinge are not shown and wherein a wash-down hose with a hand-held sprayer device is installed on one water inlet valve of the invention.
[0017] The subject drawings are not to scale and some elements of the invention are omitted in some views to simplify the drawings for purposes of clarity and to facilitate reproduction of the drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0018] Referring to an embodiment of the invention as depicted in FIGS. 1-2, hemodialysis supply box and CRRT drain cabinet 10 (hereafter cabinet 10) comprises body 12 having a partially open front surrounded by flange 14. As shown in FIG. 2, the back side of flange 14 abuts against a forwardly facing surface of wall 40 whenever cabinet 10 is installed inside a recess in wall 40. As depicted in this embodiment, body 12 is a substantially rectangular box that further comprises top wall 16, bottom wall 18, back wall 20, side walls 28, 30, and front wall 22 that shields drain 36 beneath door 80. Inclined interior walls 24, 32, 34 satisfactorily extend as high as the top of front wall 22 and are intended to channel water, treatment fluids, waste fluids or other liquids flowing downwardly through interior space 33 (FIG. 2) toward drain 36 disposed in bottom wall 18. If needed, trap primer 37 or another similarly effective device can also be provided beneath drain 36 to prevent waste gas or fluids from flowing back into cabinet 12. Front wall 22 cooperates with inclined interior wall 24 to shield users by blocking liquid that might otherwise spill or splash out of cabinet 10 prior to reaching drain 36 whenever door 80 is open.
[0019] Body 12 and door 80 cooperate to define interior space 33 (FIG. 2) inside cabinet 10. Door 80 is attached to side wall 30 by continuous hinge 82 (FIG. 2) and closure 84, 86 (FIG. 1) is provided for use in latching door 80 in a closed position when desired. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading this disclosure that other similarly effective hinges and latching devices can also be used within the scope of the invention to assist in maintaining door 80 in either an open or closed position. Optionally, door 80 can be opaque, transparent or translucent and made of metal, glass or a durable polymeric material suitable for use in a medical environment. Similarly, door 80 can be made of an opaque material with a transparent viewing window comprising either a major or minor portion of the available surface area of the door.
[0020] Still referring to FIGS. 1-2, the height-adjustable bag holder of the invention is depicted in this embodiment as comprising an elongated metal plate 26 having rearwardly facing flanges along the top and bottom edges that are used to mount plate 26 in spaced-apart relation to back wall 28 of body 12. An array of vertically and horizontally spaced-apart orifices 38 desirably extends through plate 26 to facilitate insertion of one or more hangers 42 that, for example, can be configured substantially as shown in FIG. 2. Hangers 42 as shown in this embodiment are configured similarly to hooks used to support objects on conventional pegboard in non-medical environments, although other differently configured repositionable hangers that are capable of supporting one or more poly bags containing CRRT treatment liquids or fluids can likewise be used within the scope of the invention if made of suitable materials and with possible associated modifications to metal plate 26 as needed to achieve comparable functionality for use in this device and application. In this embodiment, however, metal plate 26 and hangers 42 are desirably made of stainless steel or another similarly durable and corrosion-resistant material. Depending upon the size of the bag(s) being used and upon the total weight to be supported by the adjustable bag holder, a plurality of hangers 42 can be used to support each bag. Referring to FIG. 3, poly bag 56 containing liquid 58 is supported inside cabinet 10 by inserting the forwardly facing and upturned tip of hanger 42 through one of grommets 60 disposed along the upper edge of bag 56.
[0021] Still referring to FIGS. 1-2, water inlet lines 44, 46 and quarter-turn valves 48, 50 installed inside top wall 16 of body 12 can be connected to in-wall water supply lines such as line 55 shown in FIG. 2 for the purpose of providing water to cabinet 10 for various possible uses in relation to hemodialysis and CRRT procedures and in associated wash-down or clean-up of cabinet 10 or for other ancillary medical purposes. As shown in FIGS. 1-2, the fluid outlets of valves 48, 50 are each provided with male fittings configured as hose barbs for insertion into a cooperatively configured end of a segment of flexible hose or tubing. Referring to FIG. 4, a threaded coupling is provided for use in attaching flexible hose 64 to valve 50. Although quarter-turn valves are shown because they can be quickly opened and closed, it will be appreciated that other similarly effective water valves can also be used with cabinet 10 of the invention. Also in FIG. 4, support brackets 68 are attached to back wall 20 of cabinet 10 to support a wand or sprayer 66 with nozzle 70 that can be used to wash down interior space 33 of cabinet 10 following draining and removal of hanger 42 and a bag or bags such as poly bag 56 shown in FIG. 3 at the completion of a procedure or other use of cabinet 10 (such as, for example, cleaning out a bedpan used by a patient undergoing hemodialysis or CRRT. It should be noted that valves 44, 46 as shown in FIGS. 1-2, 4 are not shown in FIG. 3 in order to more clearly illustrate hanging of a bag such as bag 56 on the height-adjustable bag holder of the invention. Similarly, door 92 and hinge 94 as shown in FIG. 3 are not shown in FIG. 4 in order to better illustrate attachment of flexible hose 64 to valve 50.
[0022] Other alterations and modifications of the invention will likewise become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading this specification in view of the accompanying drawings, and it is intended that the scope of the invention disclosed herein be limited only by the broadest interpretation of the appended claims to which the inventors and/or Applicant are legally entitled.
