The bottle problem....

Bottles are commonly used for the storage, and dispensing, of ultrasound gel. Unfortunately, when bottles are exposed to body fluids, they can become contaminated with a wide range of pathogens that can be transmitted to another patient during a subsequent procedure.

Simply wiping the bottles before refilling from a bulk container does not guarantee that interior/exterior surfaces and leftover gel are contaminant free. Using small, disposable bottles, is expensive, laborious and time consuming. Even the most thorough disinfection protocol can only address the exterior of the gel bottle.

Bulk, clean ultrasound gel on demand - the MI Gel Dispenser

Medi-Inn's new MI Gel Dispenser is the answer. This device combines bulk gel storage with the ease and convenience of a connected dispenser nozzle. The triggered dispenser nozzle uses an inexpensive, sterile, disposable applicator cap for each patient. The entire system is conveniently mounted on the lab wall or the ultrasound unit and holds enough gel for approximately one day of scanning.

• High quality ultrasound gel delivered under constant pressure, patient after patient.
• The simple to use dispenser nozzle is less strenuous to use than traditional squeeze bottles, reducing strain and injury.
• The bulk Gel bag is replaced only once a day, and the dispenser nozzle is always nearby, never misplaced, and
• The disposable applicator caps protect against cross-contamination.

With the MI Gel system you will save time, decrease costs, reduce labour, and most importantly - improve protection for your ultrasound patients. The MI Gel Dispenser is a tool that your ultrasound laboratory should not do without.

The Technical Field

This invention relates generally to Ultrasound Gel bottles and, in particular, to a mechanical dispenser (medical gel dispenser) with a sealed containment area for storing and dispensing ultrasound gel.

Environment for the MI Gel Dispenser

Ultrasound Gel bottles in the past have been the norm to provide a containment unit which permits the dispensing of a conductive gel for the visualization of the interior of various cavities in human and veterinary medical applications. The gel bottle is a costly device that is typically exposed to body fluids during diagnostic or therapeutic medical procedures. When exposed to body fluids, bottles become contaminated with pathogens such as bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses. These pathogens can be transmitted to another patient during a subsequent procedure. The possibility of introducing an infection with a Gel bottle positioned around an open wound, for example, seriously impacts a generally healthy patient. However, the impact is more severe on an immuno-compromised patient such as one suffering from AIDS or following an immuno-suppression drug regimen.

The problem of contaminated gel bottles has previously been managed by wiping the bottle with an alcohol swab before refilling from the bulk container. First, the bottle is not completely empty of its gel before new gel is introduced to fill the bottle. The new gel is exposed to any contaminates that are within the bottle. The bottle is only wiped around the exterior of the cap area and not the interior of the cap or the interior of the bottle. This process is labour intensive, time consuming, costly, difficult, and does not address the contamination problem.

Furthermore, some reports indicate that these cleaning and disinfecting procedures are not always effective, probably due to incomplete contaminant removal. Even when the cleaning and disinfecting procedures are properly completed, the best possible result is a bottle that has a clean cap, not a clean interior bottle.

One attempt to solve the above mentioned problem is to use a pre-filled small bottle. The bottles sit in an open area until needed. The bottle and its cap are exposed to the work environment. This may create a contaminated cap, which could introduce an infection. The use of pre-filled bottles does not prevent the possibility of infection from contaminated bottles. The bottles designed to hold a significant quantity of gel, allowing for more than one procedure. By using the bottle on more than one patient, the possibility of infection being transferred from a contaminated bottle to another patient has not been fully addressed. The pre-filled bottles are inconvenient and costly in terms of storage - multiple small bottles and waste disposal from multiple small bottles. The cost of buying small pre-filled bottles is significantly higher than buying the gel in a bulk container and refilling the gel into a small bottle.