Patent ID: 7910072

Claim:
An apparatus for deactivating medical instruments and devices, comprised of: a decontamination chamber; a source for a microbial deactivation fluid; a circulation system fluidly connected to said decontamination chamber and to said source for a microbial deactivation fluid, said circulation system having a first closed loop circulation flow path and a second circulation flow path, said first closed loop circulation flow path having a first end and a second end, both connected to said decontamination chamber, said second circulation flow path having a first end connected at a first location to said first closed loop circulation flow path and a second end connected at a second location to said first closed loop circulation flow path to define a bypass portion of said first closed loop circulation flow path; a high-flow, low-pressure pump disposed in said bypass portion of said first closed loop circulation flow path, said high-flow, low-pressure pump operable to pump fluid at a flow rate greater than about 7 gallons per minute at a fluid pressure of less than about 14 psig; a filter membrane disposed along said second circulation flow path; a low-flow, high-pressure pump disposed in said second circulation flow path at a location upstream of said filter membrane, said low-flow, high-pressure pump operable to pump fluid at a flow rate less than about 6 gallons per minute at a pressure greater than about 20 psig of fluid pressure; and a valve disposed in said second circulation flow path at a location downstream of said filter membrane, said valve for controlling fluid flow along said second circulation flow path.