Method and device for irrigation of body cavities

• US 20080243054A1
• Filed: 09/26/2007
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tennessee Medical Innovations Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Medical Vision AB
• Inventors: Milton, Sven, Movin, Tomas, Mollstam, Anders
• Granted Patent: US 7,981,073 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/31
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/015 Control of fluid supply or evacuation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/126 provided with means for cleaning in-use
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/331 used as turbidity change detectors, e.g. for priming-blood or plasma-hemoglubine-interface detection
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3313 used specific wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/50 with microprocessors or computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/702 automatically during use
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 3/0202 with electronic control means or interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 3/0204 Physical characteristics of the irrigation fluid, e.g. conductivity or turbidity
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 3/0208 before use
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 3/0212 after use
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 3/0216 Pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 3/022 Volume; Flow rate
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 3/0258 by means of electric pumps

Abstract

A pressure and a vision regulation method and device for irrigation of a body cavity (1), in which method an inflow liquid pump (2) pressurizes the irrigation liquid in a feed line (13) and in which an outflow device (3) or an external suction source (20) drains the irrigation liquid from the body cavity (1) through a tubing (16) into a waste container (17) and in which a control unit (4) controls either the inflow liquid pump (2) only or both the inflow liquid pump (2) and the outflow device (3) depending on an inflow irrigation liquid pressure from a pressure sensor (5), where the first control unit (4) compares the inflow irrigation liquid pressure and flow with pressures calculated to correspond to pressure in the body cavity for the respective flow for a nominal surgical site and that a matching between the calculated values and the inflow irrigation liquid pressures is made by altering the effect of either the inflow liquid pump (2) only or the inflow liquid pump (2) and/or the outflow device (3) and/or the shut off valve. The above-mentioned pressure registration method and the device for irrigation of a body cavity is combined with an method for detecting blood cells, red blood cells, haemoglobin and/or debris in liquid coming from a surgical site so an automatically control and rinsing system is achieved keeping a clear vision in the viewing area of the operational site.

Claims

1. A regulation method of an irrigation liquid at a surgical site in a body cavity (1), comprising an inflow liquid pump (2) pressurizing the irrigation liquid in a feed line (13) and a control unit (4) controlling the inflow liquid pump (2), characterized in that the inflow irrigation liquid pressure depends on detected and registered signals from an optical sensor (21, 22) suitable to register the blood cells and/or the red blood cells and/or the haemoglobin and/or the amount of debris in the liquid coming out from the surgical site, and further comprising comparing these registered signals representing values with reference values in a clear vision module (24) and wherein the control unit (4) increase the effect of the inflow liquid pump (2) until a level of clear vision in the module (24) and thus in the body cavity (1) is reached.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the control unit (4) automatically increases the flow of the irrigation liquid when the amount of debris is increased in the irrigation liquid in, or coming out of, the surgical site or regulates the pump so that the pressure of the irrigation liquid in increased when the amount of blood or haemoglobin is increased in or out of the surgical site.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the control unit (4) compares the inflow irrigation liquid pressure and flow values with pressures calculated to correspond to pressures in the body cavity for the respective flow, and alignment between the pressure values is made by altering the effect of the inflow liquid pump (2) and/or the outflow liquid device (3).

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the optical sensor (21,22) comprises a light emitting diode and a photo detector.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the optical sensor (21,22) comprises a video camera and a video signal processor and wherein the video camera can be attached on a surgical instrument or on a separate optical fibre or at the tubing on the outflow site of the surgical site.

6. A device for irrigation a body cavity (1) having an inflow site and an outflow site, the device comprising an inflow liquid pump (2) arranged to feed an irrigation liquid from a container (10, 11) though a feed line (13) into a body cavity (1), a control unit (4) attached to the inflow liquid pump (2), characterized in that an optical sensor (21, 22) is provided at a tubing (16) on the outflow site of the body cavity (1) to register the amount of blood cells and/or red blood cells and/or haemoglobin in the irrigation liquid.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein a pressure sensor (5) is provided at the inflow site of the body cavity (1) for measuring the inflow irrigation liquid pressure with pressures calculated to correspond to pressures in the body cavity for the respective flow and in that a matching device in the control unit (4) is arranged to align the pressure values by altering the effect of the inflow liquid pump (2) and/or an outflow device (3).

8. A pressure regulation method of an irrigation liquid at a surgical site in a body cavity (1), in which method an inflow liquid pump (2) pressurizes the irrigation liquid in a feed line (13) and in which an outflow device (3) drains the irrigation liquid from the body cavity (1) through a tubing (16) and in which a control unit (4) controls both the inflow liquid pump (2) and the outflow device (3) depending on an inflow irrigation liquid pressure from a pressure sensor (5), characterized in that the control unit (4) compares the inflow irrigation liquid pressure and flow values with pressures calculated to correspond to pressures in the body cavity for the respective flow, and that alignment between the pressure values is made by altering the effect of the inflow liquid pump (2) and/or the outflow liquid device (3).

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the outflow device (3) is either an outflow liquid pump (3a) or an outflow shut off valve (3b) or a combination of an outflow shut off valve (3b) and an external suction source (3c).

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the inflow irrigation liquid pressure and flow comparison with pressures calculated to correspond to pressures in the body cavity for the respective flow is recalculated for an actual surgical site by simultaneously stopping both the inflow liquid pump (2) and the outflow liquid pump (3a) or alternatively stopping the inflow pump (2) and the outflow liquid with a outflow shut off valve (3b), during a time interval, and continuously registering the inflow irrigation liquid pressure of the pressure drop in the liquid volume between both pumps or between the inflow pump (2) and the shut off valve (3b) during the time interval.

11. The method according to any of the claims 8-10, wherein an optical sensor (21, 22) registers the blood cells, the red blood cells, the haemoglobin and/or the amount of debris in the liquid coming out from the surgical site and compares these registered values with reference values in a clear vision module (25) and wherein a second control unit (24) increases the effect of the inflow and/or outflow liquid pump (3a) until a level of clear vision in the module is reached.

12. A pressure regulation device of a liquid for irrigation at a surgical site in a body cavity (1) comprising an inflow liquid pump (2) arranged to feed an irrigation liquid from a container (10, 11) though a feed line (13) into a body cavity (1), an outflow device (3) arranged to drain the irrigation liquid from the body cavity (1) through a tubing (16), a control unit (4) attached to both the inflow liquid pump (2) and the outflow device (3) and an inflow pressure sensor (5) connected to the feed line (13), characterized in that the control unit (4) is provided with a function to compare the inflow irrigation liquid pressure from the inflow pressure sensor (5) and flow values with pressures calculated to correspond to pressures in the body cavity for the respective flow and a matching device in the control unit (4) is arranged to align the pressure values by altering the effect of the inflow liquid pump (2) and/or the outflow device (3).

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein a recalculation device is provided in the control unit (4) together with a calibration device for the pressure from the pressure sensor (5) and flow values that compares the inflow irrigation liquid pressure and flow with pressures calculated to correspond to pressures in the body cavity for the respective flow that are recalculated to an actual surgical site by simultaneously stopping both the inflow liquid pump (2) and the outflow device (3) during a time interval and continuously registering the inflow irrigation liquid pressure of the pressure drop in the liquid volume between the inflow liquid pump (2) and the outflow device (3) during the time interval.

14. The device according to claim 12, wherein there is a function to monitor leakage in the system and present this information to the operator, sound an alarm or stop the pump depending on the nature of the leakage.

15. A device according to any of the claims 12-13, wherein the function to compare the inflow irrigation liquid pressure and flow with pressures calculated to correspond to pressures in the body cavity for the respective flow is arranged to interact with the control unit (4) so that a constant irrigation liquid pressure and/or a constant irrigation liquid flow is maintained in the body cavity (1) at a value of inflow liquid pressure from the pressure sensor (5) and flow that corresponds to pressures in the body cavity for the respective flow by a control of both the inflow liquid pump (2) and/or the outflow device (3) for outflow liquid.

16. A device according to any of the claims 12-14, wherein an optical sensor (21, 22) is provided to register the blood cells, the red blood cells, the haemoglobin and/or the amount of debris in the liquid coming out from the body cavity (1) and to compare these registered values with reference values in a clear vision module (25) attached to the sensors and in that the clear vision module (25) is attached to a second control unit (24) able to increase the speed of the outflow device (3) until a level of clear vision in the module is reached.

17. A pressure regulation method of an irrigation liquid in a body cavity (1) in which method an inflow liquid pump (2) pressurizes the irrigation liquid in a feed line (13) and in which a change in flow is made automatically by the pump or manually by the operator, such change of flow being made in a manner compensating for reactance in the tubing and instrumentation.