Information
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Patent Grant
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6224583
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Patent Number
6,224,583
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Date Filed
Thursday, October 15, 199825 years ago
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Date Issued
Tuesday, May 1, 200123 years ago
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Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
- Seidel; Richard K.
- Rodriquez; Cris
Agents
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CPC
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US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 604 405
- 604 408
- 604 27
- 604 35
- 604 45
- 383 41
- 206 205
- 206 438
- 055 261
- 055 286
- 055 287
- 055 361
- 055 365
- 055 368
- 055 381
- 055 379
- 055 DIG 1
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International Classifications
-
Abstract
An ophthalmic irrigation/aspiration venting system that vents a portion of an aspiration circuit by drawing sterile air from a bag. The bag is provided with an air reservoir member to ensure that an adequate air volume is available.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to air venting in an ophthalmic irrigation/aspiration system via a closed bag system and to a structure for a closed bag used in an ophthalmic irrigation/aspiration system.
2. Related Art
The Storz Millennium Microsurgical System uses a venturi pump for irrigation and aspiration. When venting is in progress for the irrigation/aspiration aspects of the microsurgical system, air is drawn through the pump, through the bag and into the aspiration circuit. The air that is drawn is ambient air.
The Phacotron Gold microsurgical system also employs air venting. In this system, a T is provided into an aspiration circuit. The T provides direct access to the ambient air and is controlled by a pinch valve. During venting, the controlling pinch valve is opened which permits ambient air to flow directly into the aspiration circuit and relieve residual pressure.
There is no known venting system which provides a sterile volume of venting air. In addition, there is no known system which divides an aspiration circuit and air vents one of these divided sections.
There is a need in the art to provide a system that draws sterile air from, not through, the bag to accomplish venting.
There is a further need in the art to provide a bag with an air reservoir member for guaranteeing a supply volume of sterile air.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is in view of the above problems that the present invention was developed. The invention is a venting system that vents a portion of an aspiration circuit by drawing sterile air from a bag. The bag is provided with an air reservoir member to ensure that an adequate air volume is available.
Further features and advantages of the present invention, as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the present invention, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of the specification, illustrate the embodiments of the present invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings:
FIG. 1
illustrates an ophthalmic irrigation/aspiration system in accordance with the present invention; and
FIG. 2
illustrates a cross-section view of a bag in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to the accompanying drawings in which like reference numbers indicate like elements,
FIG. 1
illustrates an ophthalmic irrigation/aspiration system shown generally at
10
. Ophthalmic irrigation/aspiration system
10
includes bottle
12
, pump
14
, bag
16
, and irrigation/aspiration circuit
18
.
Located variously throughout irrigation/aspiration circuit
18
for controlling fluid communication are irrigation pinch valve
22
, bridge pinch valve
24
, aspiration pinch valve
26
, and calibration pinch valve
28
. Irrigation circuit shown generally at
36
comprises first section
38
and second section
40
. One end of second section
40
is adapted to contact eye
32
. Aspiration circuit shown generally at
48
comprises lower section
49
, third section
50
, fourth section
52
, and fifth section
54
. Lower section
49
is adapted at one end to contact eye
32
.
The workings of this ophthalmic irrigation/aspiration system
10
are clearly set forth in a co-pending patent application Ser. No. 09/173,451, filed Oct. 15, 1998, and titled Ophthalmic Aspiration System with Selectable Vent Method filed by inventors James Perkins, William Neubert, and Jeffery Knight and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Still further information is provided in a co-pending patent application Ser. No. 09/173,452, filed Oct.15, 1998, and titled Fluid Venting in Ophthalmic Irrigation/Aspiration System filed by inventors James Perkins and Jeffery Knight and hereby is incorporated in its entirety.
During fluid venting, pump
14
is stopped. Accordingly, no fluid enters in the pump inlet
55
through third section
50
nor exits pump outlet
56
to discharge directly into first opening
15
of bag
16
. Aspiration pinch valve
26
closes and calibration pinch valve
28
is opened. Thus third section
50
, fourth section
52
, and fifth section
54
of aspiration circuit
48
are isolated from lower section
49
of aspiration circuit
48
. The residual vacuum pressure existing in third section
50
, fourth section
52
, and fifth section
54
pulls air from second opening
17
of bag
16
.
Thus, a portion of irrigation/aspiration circuit
18
is air vented.
In another example, pump
14
is stopped, aspiration pinch valve
26
closes, calibration pinch valve
28
opens, bridge pinch valve
24
is closed, and irrigation pinch valve
22
is open. As a result, air is drawn from second opening
17
of bag
16
to vent aspiration circuit
48
. This results in a slight pressure differential between one end of second section
40
of irrigation circuit
36
and lower section
49
of aspiration circuit
48
. A practical result of this slight pressure differential is that material is guided from the irrigation side to stay at the aspiration side of an irrigation/aspiration handpiece (not shown). This characteristic emulates air venting in irrigation/aspiration systems which do not utilize a positive displacement pump as is utilized and shown at
14
of ophthalmic irrigation/aspiration system
10
.
As shown in
FIG. 2
, bag
16
is formed from first wall
58
and second wall
60
joined together at weld
62
. Disposed within bag
16
is a first air reservoir member
64
made from a cellular material, a sponge. Also, a second air reservoir member
66
may be disposed within bag
16
which is a spacing element that ensures a predetermined distanced separation between first wall
58
and second wall
60
. While two reservoir members are shown in
FIG. 2
, it is preferred that only one air reservoir member be present within bag
16
. In the preferred embodiment, first and second air reservoir members
64
and
66
provide sterile air in a volume sufficient to provide relief to the vacuum pressure demands in aspiration circuit
48
.
In view of the foregoing, it will be seen that the several advantages of the invention are achieved and attained.
The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
As various modifications could be made in the constructions and methods herein described and illustrated without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative rather than limiting. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims appended hereto and their equivalents.
Claims
- 1. A bag for use in an ophthalmic microsurgical system wherein the system has an aspiration circuit and a pump having an inlet and an outlet, in fluid communication with the aspiration circuit, the bag comprising:a first wall; a second wall joined to said first wall to form said bag; an air reservoir member disposed within said bag to allow venting of the aspiration circuit; and a first opening for connection to the pump outlet and the aspiration circuit and a second opening for connection to the aspiration circuit and the pump inlet.
- 2. A bag according to claim 1, wherein said air reservoir contains sterile air.
- 3. A bag according to claim 1, wherein said air reservoir member is made from a cellular material.
- 4. A bag according to claim 3, wherein said cellular material is a sponge.
- 5. A bag according to claim 1, wherein said air reservoir member is a spacing element that ensures a predetermined distance separation between said first wall and said second wall.
US Referenced Citations (14)
Foreign Referenced Citations (4)
Number |
Date |
Country |
1 263 111 |
Feb 1972 |
GB |
WO 8903230 |
Oct 1988 |
WO |
WO 9000908 |
Apr 1989 |
WO |
WO 9818507 |
Oct 1997 |
WO |