Patent Application
20110186083
The present invention relates generally to a process for cleaning a pill dispensing system.
Pharmaceutical cells are boxes that hold and release pills. These cells are typically made of plastic and used with robotic pill dispensing equipment in pharmacies. Cells come in various sizes, the largest of which is called a “super cell.”
Pharmacists may use a single cell for the distribution of many different types of pills. Cells must be cleaned between use with different types of pills in order to prevent cross-contamination resulting from the dust or other residue that is inevitably left behind by the pills. Even cells that are used for a single type of pill must be cleaned periodically for routine maintenance.
One technique currently used to clean these cells is to blow out the dust with a duster. This technique creates the obvious hazard of potentially contaminating any surface within the vicinity of the dust that is blown from the cell.
In many instances, cells are sent back to the manufacturer or supplier for thorough cleaning to remove drug residue. This centralized cleaning procedure may be performed using isopropyl alcohol batch cleaning, or using large-scale ultrasonic cleaning devices. In either case, this procedure is quite costly, considering shipping costs as well as the need to provide replacement cells once the dirty cells have been removed from the pharmacy. This procedure is also time-consuming and requires a considerable amount of logistics planning.
In other instances, a pharmacy may purchase a small ultrasonic cleaner in order for the pharmacists to clean the cells themselves. However, even small ultrasonic cleaners take up space and are relatively expensive.
There is thus a need or desire for a method of cleaning pharmaceutical cells onsite at a pharmacy. There is a further need or desire for such a method that does not require expensive or space-consuming equipment.
A method in accordance with the principles of the invention provides a way to clean a pharmaceutical cell onsite in a pharmacy without requiring expensive or space-consuming equipment. The method can be used to clean virtually any size pharmaceutical cell, including the largest type of cell, namely super cells.
The method suitably includes the steps of placing the cell in a resealable container, adding a wash solution to the resealable container, sealing the resealable container, shaking the sealed container, pouring the wash solution out of the resealable container, and rinsing the cell by repeating the preceding steps using a rinse solution in place of the wash solution. The wash solution can include soap, alcohol, and/or a surfactant. For example, the wash solution may include deionized water and a polyglucoside. As another example, the wash solution may include deionized water and alcohol ethoxylate.
Certain embodiments of the present invention provide compliance with strict local disposal laws by ensuring that the wash solution is in a neutral pH range, which may be drained in an ordinary sink. Additionally, the rinse solution may also be formulated to be in a neutral pH range for the same reason.
The rinsing step may be performed just once or multiple times using one or more rinse solutions. For example, the cell may be rinsed a first time with a first rinse solution and subsequently rinsed a second time with a second rinse solution. Alternatively, the cell may be rinsed a first time with a first rinse solution and subsequently rinsed a second time using the same type of solution. One example of a suitable rinse solution includes deionized water. Another example of a suitable rinse solution includes isopropyl alcohol.
The method can be carried out relatively quickly, such as in less than 10 minutes. Additionally, the method can be carried out at room temperature. Thus, the method can be carried out with minimal expense, minimal space, and with minimal effort.
This invention will become more fully understood from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings described herein below, and wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts.
In one embodiment of the invention, the cell 20 is first placed in a resealable container 22, as shown in
A wash solution 24 can then be added to the resealable container 22, as shown in
The wash solution 24 may be a soapy water solution, or alcohol water, or other surfactant, for example. As one example, the wash solution 24 may include deionized water and a polyglucoside, such as GLUCOPON®, available from Cognis of Ambler, Pa. As another example, the wash solution 24 may include 1 liter of deionized water and 100 ul of Huntsman SURFONIC® L12-6 surfactant (alcohol ethoxylate), available from Huntsman International LLC of The Woodlands, Tex. In general, the wash solution 24 may include at least 90%, or at least 95%, or at least 99% by volume deionized water and the remainder may be soap, alcohol, and/or other surfactant.
Once the wash solution 24 has been poured into the resealable container 22 and the container 22 has been sealed, the wash solution 24 within the container 22 may be allowed to set for a short period of time, such as about 30 seconds or less. The sealed container can then be shaken. The sealed container 22 can be shaken on all six orientations, namely concentrating forces on the front 26, back 28, top 30, bottom 32, left side 34, and right side 36 of the container 22. Shaking the sealed container 22 in this manner provides agitation that may be necessary to remove any pill residue from holes or crevices within the cell 20. The shaking can be carried out for a minimum of 2 minutes, for example. After sufficiently shaking the sealed container 22, the container 22 can then be opened and the wash solution 24 poured out of the container 22 while maintaining the cell 20 within the container 22.
The cell 20 can then be rinsed in much the same manner as described with respect to the wash solution 24, but using a rinse solution in place of the wash solution 24. In particular, the rinse solution can be poured into the cell 20 within the resealable container 22, and the container 22 can then be sealed. The sealed container 22 may be allowed to set for a short time, such as about 30 seconds or less. The sealed container 22 may then be shaken on all six orientations, suitably for a minimum of 2 minutes. After shaking the sealed container 22, the container 22 can then be opened and the rinse solution poured out of the container 22 while maintaining the cell 20 within the container 22.
The amount of rinse solution used in each rinse cycle may be about the same amount as the wash solution 24. Alternatively, the amount of rinse solution may be considerably greater than the amount of wash solution 24 used. For example, when using 1 liter of wash solution, a rinse cycle may subsequently be performed using approximately 2 liters of rinse solution. One example of a suitable rinse solution is deionized water.
Multiple rinse cycles may be performed using either the same type of rinse solution or different rinse solutions each time. For example, a first rinse cycle may be performed using deionized water as the first rinse solution and a second rinse cycle may be performed using isopropyl alcohol as the second rinse solution. In particular, isopropyl alcohol can be sprayed and/or flushed through the cell 20 to rinse the cell 20 as well as to scavenge any moisture from the cell 20. The amount of rinse solutions may also vary between rinse cycles. For instance, when using deionized water as the first rinse solution and isopropyl alcohol as the second rinse solution, a much greater amount of the first rinse solution may be used compared to the amount of the second rinse solution.
After each rinse cycle, the cell 20 should be examined for any caked residue remaining in the cell 20. If there is any remaining residue, another rinse cycle should be performed. Prior to reconnecting the cell 20 with the rest of the pill dispenser, the cell 20 should be free of moisture and caked residue.
Local disposal laws vary from place to place. Some local regulations may allow for dumping the soluble waste within the wash solution and rinse solution down a drain, particularly since the amount of pill dust should be negligible; however, some communities may not allow such draining. In certain situations, the wash solution 24 and/or the rinse solution may be formulated to be in a neutral pH range to accommodate local disposal laws. Alternatively, the wash solution 24 and/or the rinse solution may be poured into a medical waste container when drained from the resealable container 22 if the solution may not be poured down the drain. In any case, wash solutions and rinse solutions should not be reused to clean subsequent cells 20.
As illustrated in
The entire method may be carried out at room temperature. Additionally, all materials used in the method may be stored at room temperature. For the cleaning of most cells 20, the method can be carried out in less than 10 minutes. Thus, the invention provides methods that can be carried out with minimal expense, minimal space, and with minimal effort.
The above-described cleaning method was carried out on dirty PARATA® F5021369 super cells, available from Parata Systems of Durham, N.C., and the super cells, wash solutions, and rinse solutions were analyzed to determine the effectiveness of the cleaning method. This particular type of cell 20 is illustrated in
Each cell 20 was placed in a PN 508 (12-inch by 16-inch) heat-sealable plastic bag made by Kapak Corporation. Next, 1 liter of wash solution (either 90% by volume deionized (DI) water combined with 10% by volume isopropyl alcohol (IPA), or deionized (DI) water with 100 ul of Huntsman SURFONIC® L12-6 surfactant (L12-6)) was poured into the bag and down into the super cell 20. The bag was then sealed and the wash solution, at room temperature, was allowed to set within the sealed bag for 30 seconds. The sealed bag was then shaken on all six orientations for 3 minutes total time in the bag (30 seconds of setting, 2.5 minutes of shaking). At the end of 3 minutes, the bag was opened and the wash solution was poured into a medical waste container while keeping the cell 20 in the bag. Samples of this wash solution were then analyzed as described below, with results appearing as ID #7 and 8 in Table 1 below.
A first rinse solution (2 liters of DI water only) was poured into the super cell 20 within the bag. The bag was then sealed and the first rinse solution, at room temperature, was allowed to set within the sealed bag for 30 seconds. The sealed bag was then shaken for a minimum of 2 minutes on all six orientations. Following the shaking, the bag was opened and the first rinse solution poured into a medical waste container. Samples of this first rinse solution were then analyzed with results appearing as ID #9 and 10 in Table 1 below.
A second rinse solution (2 liters of DI water only) was poured into the super cell 20 within the bag. The bag was then sealed and the second rinse solution, at room temperature, was allowed to set within the sealed bag for 30 seconds. The sealed bag was then shaken for a minimum of 2 minutes on all six orientations. Following the shaking, the bag was opened and the second rinse solution poured into a medical waste container. Samples of this second rinse solution were then analyzed with results appearing as ID #11 and 12 in Table 1 below.
The super cell 20 was then removed from the bag and allowed to air dry on a towel or drying rack.
East test site used a fresh C3 test cell 42, such as the one illustrated in
In order to assess the amount and composition of residue before and after cleaning (ID #1-6 and 13-19), the C3 test cell extraction solution has been designed to achieve effective ionic residue removal using a heated delivery system consisting of 3 stages:
1. Solution heating/delivery to the extraction site
2. Soak and ionization time
3. Aspiration of solution to a collection cell
This cycle is repeated 9 times to effectively remove the surface residues from a 0.1 square-inch area, generating approximately 2.5 mL of extraction solution to be used during the testing and afterwards for additional testing.
Electrical testing was then performed on the samples using a C3 test system 52, manufactured by Foresite Inc., as illustrated in
As shown by the data in Table 1, the methods described herein are capable of greatly reducing, if not completely removing, ionic residues associated with pill residue.
It should be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the method set forth herein. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Variations and modifications of the foregoing are within the scope of the present invention. It also being understood that the invention disclosed and defined herein extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features or steps mentioned or evident from the text and/or the drawings. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the present invention. The embodiments described herein explain the best modes known for practicing the invention and will enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention.
