Ethicon, Gmbh

Johnson & Johnson Medical Gmbh

Other

Ethicon Endo-surgery, Inc.

Advanced Sterilization Products

Johnson & Johnson Medical Div Ethicon, Inc.

Paul Taylor Jacobs

Szu-Min Lin

Jenn-Hann Larry Wang

Jon Morrell Jacobs

Tralance O Addy

Xiaolan Chen

Harold R Williams

Jenn-Han Wang

Richard Jed Kendall

Alfredo M Choperena

James Archie Swanzy

Su-Syin S Wu

Robert M Spencer

Keith Schubert

James P Kohler

Anthony Lemus

Rodrigo Berho

Michael Hahs

Paul Leonard

Douglas W Fett

Henry K Hui

Peter C Zhu

Robert C Platt

Richard B Timmons

Nancy S Chu

Robert Lukasik

Toby A Soto

Anahid Gamsarian

Les Authur Feldman

Ronald F Berry

Szu Min Lin

Jim Kohler

Dan Smith

Kevin DeCato

Suz-Min Lin

John F Prieve

A device and method provide an aerosol germicide to a device having a lumen within a container. The container is divided into at least two compartments by an interface across which extends the lumen device, with one end of the lumen in one compartment and another end of the lumen in another compartment. A pressure differential can be used to flow the germicide through the lumen.

Method and apparatus for processing a lumen device

A method of sterilizing an article includes placing the article into a chamber containing an inner atmosphere and exhausting the inner atmosphere to lower pressure in the chamber. Hydrogen peroxide vapor is present in the chamber during at least a portion of the step of exhausting the inner atmosphere. Exhaustion of the inner atmosphere is terminated and additional hydrogen peroxide is admitted into the chamber. Hydrogen peroxide vapor contacts the article for a sufficient period to effect sterilization of the article.

Rapid sterilization system

A method for monitoring a cleaning process for a medical instrument, includes the steps of placing the instrument in a cleaning chamber; placing a soil standard in the cleaning chamber; cleaning the instrument and the soil standard with a cleaning solution; and detecting whether soil remains on said soil standard. The soil standard includes two substantially parallel substrates separated with two substantially equal thickness spacers, wherein a gap is formed between the two substrates with soil in the gap.

Monitoring of cleaning process

A method for cleaning and sterilizing a medical device comprises the steps of: placing the device into a container; cleaning the device in the container with a cleaning solution; rinsing the device in the container with a rinse solution; and vaporizing a liquid substance in the container to create a sterilant vapor and contacting the device with the vapor to effect sterilization of the device.

Integrated washing and sterilization process

A method and an apparatus for sterilizing a lumen device. A lumen and a container having an interface on a wall of the container are enclosed in a chamber. The lumen is placed across the interface so that one end of the lumen is in the container and the other end is in the chamber. Germicide is introduced into the chamber, and a pressure difference is created between the two ends of the lumen, so that the germicide flows through the lumen. The lumen may alternatively be placed across an interface which separates the chamber into two areas. Germicide is introduced into the chamber, and a pressure difference is created between the two areas of the chamber, causing the germicide to flow through the lumen.

Method for sterilizing a lumen device

Method and apparatus for sterilizing a lumen device

A chemical vapor sterilization process is enhanced by concentrating a germicide via exploitation of the difference between the vapor pressures of the germicide and its solvent. A diffusion restriction can be placed into the diffusion path to assist this process and the path then opened to provide rapid diffusion of the thus concentrated germicide.

Sterilization system and method and inlet control apparatus therefor

An apparatus for monitoring a cleaning process for a medical device includes a cleaning chamber for receiving and cleaning the instrument with a cleaning liquid, a receiving well within the cleaning chamber, a removable soil standard receivable within the receiving well whereby to be exposed to the cleaning process within the cleaning chamber; and a soil detector coupled to the cleaning chamber and adapted to provide an indication of the amount of the soil on the soil standard while the soil standard is received within the receiving well.

A method for sterilizing medical devices and similar instruments in diffusion-restricted containers is provided. The sterilization method includes placing a liquid solution containing vaporizable germicide such as hydrogen peroxide into the diffusion-restricted container and vaporizing the germicide. The containers can be attachable and detachable to a sterilization system, and used as a vacuum chamber. An attachable/detachable container containing an article to be sterilized can be nested with a second container, and the article and inside and outside of the inner container are sterilized. The sterile article inside the nested containers can be transported and the sterile inner container with the sterilized article can removed from the outer container and placed in a sterile environment without contaminating the sterile environment. The sterile article can then be removed from the sterile container and utilized. Alternatively, the sterilization method may include introducing germicide vapor into an attachable/detachable container.

Method for sterilizing devices in a container

A method for sterilizing the interior of a diffusion restricted area by introducing a sterilant in a chamber, condensing the vapor, reducing the pressure in the chamber to revaporize the condensed vapor, and maintaining the device in the chamber until the device is sterilized. The sterilant has a vapor pressure less than the vapor pressure of water and is preferably hydrogen peroxide. The pressure in the chamber while maintaining the device in the chamber may be held constant, varied, or increased. Plasma may additionally be introduced into the chamber to improve the rate of sterilization.

Sterilizing a device by revaporizing a condensed vapor

The present invention relates to a process for sterilization of medical instruments by concentrating a sterilant such as hydrogen peroxide inside of a sterilization chamber and sterilizing articles therewith. The sterilant is concentrated by removing more water from the sterilization chamber than peroxide.

Process for concentrating a sterilant and sterilizing articles therewith

An apparatus for sterilizing or disinfecting a device has a chamber, a source of sterilant or disinfectant and ports for admitting and exhausting the sterilant or disinfectant but lacks a source of sterile rinse. A related method similarly lacks the step of rinsing with a sterile solvent yet leaves the device essentially free of the sterilant or disinfectant. Preferably the sterilant or disinfectant is removed from the device by vaporizing it and drawing it out of the chamber.

Sterilization process without sterile rinse

The present invention relates to a process for sterilization of medical instruments by concentrating a sterilant such as hydrogen peroxide inside of a sterilizer and sterilizing articles therewith. This concentrating process is monitored by determining the concentrations of water and peroxide in the chamber.

Method of sterilizing an article and certifying the article as sterile

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Trabuco Canyon, CA, United States of America

Paul Taylor Jacobs