Many medical procedures require the use of sterile instruments and/or devices to perform the medical procedure. Providing sterile instruments and/or devices for these medical procedures is currently a time-consuming and expensive undertaking that requires, among other things, many man-hours, specialized equipment, etc.
In the past, hospitals (and/or other surgical facilities, e.g., surgicenters, etc.) have used an instrument tray sterilization system, in which trays containing the required instruments and/or devices for a given procedure are wrapped with a specially manufactured disposable wrap. The wrapped trays are then autoclaved and processed to the manufacturers' recommendations. The trays are then removed from the autoclave, allowed to cool, and then stored until the contents are needed for a procedure. Prior to the use of the instruments and/or devices, additional man-hours are expended to inspect the wraps so as to ensure that there is no damage that might lead to the contents being deemed non-sterile.
In part to address some of the shortcomings discussed above, mobile sterilization cabinets have been introduced. FIGS. 1-3 show an exemplary prior art mobile sterilization cabinet 5. Sterilization cabinet 5 typically comprises a rectangular-shaped interior chamber 10 (FIG. 2) surrounded by a cabinet bottom 25, cabinet side walls 26, a cabinet back wall 27 and a cabinet top 40. Cabinet 5 may further comprise one or more doors 30 to selectively open up or close off interior chamber 10 of cabinet 5. See, for example, FIG. 2 which shows a cabinet 5 with one door 30 in the open position, and FIG. 3 which shows cabinet 5 with two doors 30 in the closed position. Cabinet 5 may further comprise a gasket (not shown) at the interface of the door(s) and frame of cabinet 5 for sealing cabinet 5 when the door(s) is (are) closed.
Interior chamber 10 of cabinet 5 is preferably also equipped with shelves 45 for supporting surgical trays within chamber 10.
Furthermore, cabinet 5 comprises one or more vents 35 formed in the cabinet top 40 and/or cabinet bottom 25. Vent 35 is covered by a filter 50, and a filter cover 55 holds filter 50 in place against vent 35.
In order to move cabinet 5 into an autoclave or into an operating room or storage room, cabinet 5 comprises wheels 20 mounted directly to cabinet bottom 25. In use, medical instruments and/or instrument trays are positioned on shelves 45, and the shelves are loaded into interior chamber 10 of cabinet 5. Alternatively, shelves 45 may be loaded into cabinet 5 and then the medical instruments and/or instrument trays positioned on shelves 45. Then the entire cabinet 5 is wheeled into an autoclave which is subsequently activated. The hot air and steam generated by the autoclave is able to penetrate into interior chamber 10 of cabinet 5 by way of vents 35, thereby sterilizing cabinet 5 and its contents. At the end of the autoclaving cycle, cabinet 5 is removed from the autoclave, allowed to cool, and then moved to a storage space or directly to an operating room or other space for use in connection with a medical procedure. Sterilized cabinet 5 is kept closed until such time that its contents are required for a medical procedure. So long as cabinet 5 is kept closed, the contents will remain sterile, inasmuch as filters 50 prevent the passage of contaminants through vents 35 into the interior of the cabinet.
While the introduction of mobile sterilization cabinets has allowed for significant savings and efficiencies in hospital sterilization procedures, several shortcomings remain. For example, existing prior art cabinets can be difficult to maneuver into and out of an autoclave and can be difficult to maneuver around a hospital (e.g., to a storage area or an operating room).
Further, existing cabinets 5 can be difficult to store in increasingly crowded hospitals where space is frequently at a premium. In addition, opening existing cabinets at the desired time can significantly expand the footprint of the existing cabinets, inasmuch as space must be allocated to accommodate the swing radius of the door(s).
In addition, existing cabinets can sometimes retain water in the bottom of the cabinet at the end of the autoclave cycle. This is undesirable for several reasons, one of which is that the water can serve as a conduit through which contaminants can be “pulled” (e.g., by a wicking action, through a filter 50 in cabinet bottom 25 and into interior chamber 10).
It can also be difficult for medical personnel to visually assess the current status of existing cabinets or their contents. For example, it is difficult for personnel to know whether an existing cabinet that has been autoclaved is still too hot to handle or whether it has cooled to the point where it may be safely handled. Similarly, it can be difficult for personnel to visually ascertain or verify the status and/or inventory of the contents inside of an existing cabinet without having to open the cabinet and thereby violate the sterile field.
Additional shortcomings of existing cabinets include cumbersome interior shelving, an inability to sufficiently isolate smaller areas within the cabinet, difficulty in accessing and changing filters, etc.
Still other deficiencies of existing cabinets are known to those skilled in the art.
Thus there is a need for a new and improved mobile sterilization apparatus and method for sterilizing medical instruments and devices, storing the sterilized medical instruments and devices in a sterile condition until use, and then delivering the sterilized medical instruments and devices to a location where a medical procedure will be performed, that does not suffer from one or more of the disadvantages associated with the prior art.