Surgical Cassette

• US 20110232358A1
• Filed: 06/08/2011
• Published: 09/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcon Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Alexander N. Artsyukhovich, David Thoe, Gary P. Sorensen, Michael Yadlowsky, Mikhail Boukhny, Ralph E. Syetic, Raphael Gordon
• Inventors: Artsyukhovich, Alexander N., Yadlowsky, Michael, Syetic, Ralph E., Gordon, Raphael, Boukhny, Mikhail, Sorensen, Gary P., Thoe, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,545,198 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/1.16
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/00736 Instruments for removal of intra-ocular material or intra-ocular injection, e.g. cataract instruments A61F9/008 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/72 Cassettes forming partially or totally the fluid circuit
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/77 Suction-irrigation systems aspiration tips supplying fluids A61M1/85; specific for negative pressure wound therapy A61M1/92; combined with tracheal tubes A61M16/0463
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/12 with interchangeable cassettes forming partially or totally the fluid circuit
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3569 sublocal, e.g. between console and disposable
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/60 with identification means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6063 Optical identification systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6072 Bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 3/0201 Cassettes therefor

Abstract

A surgical system and cassette, the cassette having an identification method that is specific to the cassette. Suitable methods include bar coding or Radio Frequency Identification (“RFID”). Cassette information that may be encoded include features such as lot number and performance characteristics, such as pressure sensor calibration data, flow and pressure data and any other performance characteristics of the cassette captured during testing of the cassette at manufacture.

Claims

1. A surgical cassette sized and shaped to be received in a cassette receiving portion of a surgical console, the cassette comprising:

a housing;

a pressure sensor coupled to the housing; and

an identification device, located on the cassette, comprising unique performance characteristics specific to the cassette and determined for the cassette by testing at least one component of the cassette at manufacture.

2. The cassette of claim 1 wherein the identification device comprises a bar code.

3. The cassette of claim 1 wherein the identification device comprises an RFID chip or a microcomputer chip.

4. The cassette of claim 1 wherein the identification device comprises an optical means located on the pressure sensor.

14. The cassette of claim 1, wherein the identification device additionally includes individual cassette identification.

15. The cassette of claim 1, wherein the pressure sensor is an aspiration pressure sensor or an irrigation pressure sensor.

16. The surgical cassette of claim 1, wherein the unique performance characteristics for multiple cassettes are determined by testing at least one component on each cassette at manufacture.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein the identification means comprises:

a bar code, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip, or a microcomputer chip.

23. The method of claim 14, further comprising storing encoded individual cassette identification data on the identification means.

5. A surgical cassette sized and shaped to be received in a cassette receiving portion of a surgical console, the cassette comprising:

a housing;

a pressure sensor coupled to the housing;

an identification means, located on the cassette; and

pressure sensor calibration data, stored in the identification means, that includes unique information specific to operation of the pressure sensor and determined for the pressure sensor by testing the pressure sensor on the cassette at manufacture;

wherein the surgical console has an optical reader or detector configured to read pressure sensor calibration data within the identification means when the cassette is in the cassette receiving portion of the surgical console.

6. The cassette of claim 5 wherein the identification means comprises:

a bar code, a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip, or a microcomputer chip.

7. The cassette of claim 5 wherein the identification means is located on the pressure sensor.

17. The surgical cassette of claim 5, wherein the pressure sensor calibration data for multiple cassettes are determined by testing the pressure sensor on each cassette at manufacture.

8. A surgical system, comprising:

a surgical console having a cassette receiving portion;

a cassette sized and shaped to be received in the cassette receiving portion of the surgical console, the cassette comprising;

a housing;

a pressure sensor coupled to the housing;

an identification means, located on the cassette; and

pressure sensor calibration data, stored in the identification means, that includes unique information specific to operation of the pressure sensor coupled to the housing and determined for that unique pressure sensor by testing that unique pressure sensor on the cassette at manufacture; and

wherein the surgical console comprises an optical reader or detector configured to read the pressure sensor calibration data when the cassette is in the cassette receiving portion of the surgical console.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the identification means comprises:

a bar code, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip, or a microcomputer chip.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the identification means is located on the pressure sensor in coupled to the cassette.

18. The system of claim 8, wherein the console is configured to automatically make appropriate adjustments in the operating parameters of the console, in response to reading said pressure sensor calibration data, to help assure optimum performance of the surgical console in combination with an individual cassette.

19. The system of claim 8, wherein the surgical console comprises an optical reader and wherein the optical reader is a bar code reader, a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) camera, or a CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) sensor.

20. The surgical system of claim 8, wherein the pressure sensor calibration data for multiple cassettes are determined by testing the pressure sensor on each cassette at manufacture.

11-13. -13. (canceled)

21. A method of manufacturing surgical cassettes, comprising:

providing a housing for each cassette;

coupling at least one separate pressure sensor to each of the cassette housings;

determining pressure sensor calibration data individually for at least one separate pressure sensor on each cassette by individually testing at least one separate pressure sensor on each cassette during manufacturing; and

coupling an identification means, with unique determined pressure sensor calibration data for the at least one specific pressure sensor, to the cassette housing coupled to that specific pressure sensor;

wherein the cassette is configured to be received in a surgical console that includes an optical reader or detector configured to read the pressure sensor calibration data contained within the identification means when the cassette is received in the surgical console.