Bedpan washer

A bedpan , also called Bedpan rinsing apparatus, Bedpan an automatic washing machine or feces sink, cleans and disinfects next bedpans (bedpans), urine bottles and kidney bowls and basins and stool buckets and Sauggläser . Bedpan washers are used in hospitals and old people's and nursing homes.

Disinfection can take place thermally with heat , chemically with a cold disinfectant solution from the house-side pipe or chemo-thermal with automatic processing of the warm disinfectant solution in the device.

Bedpan washers are regulated by the standards DIN EN ISO 15883 Part 1 and DIN EN ISO 15883 Part 3.

history

The first bedpan washers were built by Walter Fischer from Stuttgart in the 1930s. The company he founded Kodra ( portmanteau of: KO mbinierte D esinfektions- and R einigungs A pparate) still exists today. The cleaning water jet was previously directed manually from the outside with a lever system.

Today bedpan washers have microprocessor controls . Depending on the items to be washed, these enable a specific wash program with different cycles. Rotating and rigid cleaning nozzles, which must be arranged depending on the nature of the items to be washed, are activated.

function

The cleaning programs provide that cold water is used first so that the contaminants are dissolved and can flow into the drain - in addition, coagulation of the proteins contained in the faeces and urine is avoided. This is followed by one or more rinsing cycles with warm water, possibly with the addition of cleaning chemicals. The cleaning does not take place in the circulation principle as with dishwashers. The cleaning water flows directly into the drain after being placed on the care utensils in the washing chamber. This is done on the one hand for hygienic reasons, because the care utensils are highly contaminated with bacteria due to the faecal content. In addition, the stool is made up of solid particles that are not suitable for circulation, but would clog the pump and filters with every wash cycle.

Thermal disinfection

In the case of thermal disinfection in washer-disinfectors, the items to be washed are disinfected with heat over a certain holding time, the time window in which the temperature is kept constant. The extent of the effect on the pathogenic germs is represented by the so-called A ₀ value as a function of temperature and time. More than 60 seconds are considered sufficient. 80 ° C. According to the DIN EN ISO 15883-1 + 3 standard, an A ₀ value that is greater than 60 has now been specified, which corresponds to the area below the temperature curve above a temperature of 65 ° C.

Some devices can hold 93 ° C for 10 minutes. However, the energy consumption increases considerably with long disinfection. In any case, the hygiene requirements are to be seen as priority over energy consumption.

With house steam, in fact 120 ° C are possible over a very long period of time. Disadvantages here are the high energy consumption due to the constant availability of steam and the installation costs and maintenance costs for the steam lines laid in the house. In addition, there is the unwanted heating of the building, which increases the energy costs (cooling system) considerably in summer. This type of steam disinfection is called "central thermal" compared to the decentralized thermal process, in which the pressureless steam is produced in the device itself. The thermal effectiveness must be verified at annual maintenance intervals using thermologgers.

Chemical-thermal disinfection

In connection with the chemo-thermal processing, the word component -thermal only refers to the warm solution for use; it is not a matter of reducing germs through heat or a combined disinfection process (first chemical, then thermal disinfection). The items to be washed are sprayed with disinfectant concentrate dissolved in water. This enables a cleaning and disinfection time of a few minutes. An effective disinfection is defined with four to seven log ₁₀ levels . With the chemo-thermal devices, high concentrations of disinfectant are not required. This avoids harmful vapors that could damage the respiratory tract and cause allergies. The thin film of disinfectant remaining on the surface of the wash ware should be dermatologically harmless and prevent recontamination of the wash ware as much as possible.

Chemical disinfection

With chemical disinfection, the items to be washed are sprayed with disinfectant concentrate diluted in water . This enables a cleaning time of a few minutes. The disinfection time or exposure time is up to 60 minutes, depending on the manufacturer's information, in order to sufficiently reduce the germs. Higher concentrations of disinfectant in the solution can shorten the exposure time, but produce more noxious vapors that can damage the respiratory tract and cause allergies.

Application of the Medical Devices Act

Bedpan washers are medical products of Class IIa Medical Devices Act (MPG), which is based on Directive 93/42 / EEC on medical products , and are therefore subject to the Medical Device Operator Ordinance (MPBetreibV). However, this only affects devices in which thermal disinfection is used. With the thermally disinfecting bedpan washers, the bedpans are completely disinfected when they are removed from the device after rinsing and subsequent thermal disinfection. As a result, the intended purpose - disinfection - is already fulfilled in the bedpan washer and the thermal bedpan washer is a medical product.

The bedpans in chemical devices are not yet disinfected after they have been rinsed and then sprayed with disinfectant solution when the device is unlocked to remove the bedpans. Disinfection is only complete after an exposure time of 60 minutes. The intended purpose - disinfection - has not yet been fulfilled after the wash program has ended. Only chemically working sinks are therefore also known as bedpan washers, prepared for chemical disinfection and are not a medical product. However, these devices no longer play a role in everyday life. The bedpans in chemo-thermal devices are also disinfected after rinsing and the subsequent spraying with disinfectant solution when the device is unlocked to remove the bedpans. After the automatic exposure time has expired, the disinfection is completely completed. The intended purpose - disinfection - is fulfilled after the rinsing and disinfection program has ended. Chemo-thermal bedpan washers are also washer-disinfectors in accordance with DIN EN ISO 15883 and thus medical products if they are approved by the manufacturer in accordance with Directive 93/42 / EEC from a notified body and have the CE mark with the 4- digit identification number of the notified body.

A special aspect is the conversion of chemical disinfecting systems to thermal disinfecting systems. Devices that are already in operation are converted to decentralized thermal disinfection on site. Even old bedpan flushing devices that are already thermally disinfecting can be modernized in this way. It should be noted here whether the conversion is carried out by the manufacturer of the bedpan washer or by an external company. If the conversion is carried out by an external company, this means a serious technical intervention in the cleaning or disinfection technology, device control or software. The original manufacturer's responsibility for the device expires, the external company must also be a medical device manufacturer, have approval for the conversion technology, and attach its own new type plate with its CE mark with the 4-digit identification number of its notified body to the device. However, there are statements (e.g. TÜV Austria) that equate this procedure with a new device development, which would require a separate type test for each individual converted device. This requirement always applies to every conversion of the cleaning or disinfection unit, even from one thermal process to another.

Disposable bedpan shredders as an alternative

There are also devices that shred disposable cardboard bedpans and dispose of them in the wastewater. They are cheap to buy. The follow-up costs for the disposable bedpans are to be calculated individually.

According to the TÜV, cardboard shredders are approved in Germany and have been classified as harmless (TÜV Technical Report No. 015-10052608), but according to the authorities, disposable bedpan shredders are not permitted in Germany. This is also how the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety rates it.