CONTAMINATION FREE SURGICAL EVACUATOR

• US 3,779,243 A
• Filed: 10/15/1971
• Issued: 12/18/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: George W. Oakes, Herbert F. Carr, Irving Melnick, Jimmy D. Tussey
• Original Assignee: George W. Oakes, Herbert F. Carr, Irving Melnick, Jimmy D. Tussey
• Inventors: Oakes, George W., Carr, Herbert F., Melnick, Irving, Tussey, Jimmy D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosenbaum, Charles F.
• Application Number:
  US05/189,563
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• Field of Search: 128/275-278,145.5-145.8
• US Class Current: 604/133
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/68 Containers incorporating a flexible member creating suction

Abstract

A contamination free surgical evacuator comprising an evacuator bag having valves in the input (drain) and the output (purge) lines leading to and from the bag is disclosed. The drain valve is a one-way flap valve that allows fluids to enter the bag from a patient yet prevents fluids from returning to the patient. The purge valve is a one-way magnetic valve that allows drained fluids to be purged from the evacuator bag without allowing contaminants to enter the bag. The evacuator bag is collapsible and is located between a pair of rigid plates, one of which curves outwardly. The drain and purge valves are located in the outwardly curved rigid plate with the purge valve being located in a cup-like trap that projects outwardly from the center of the curved shaped plate. The cup-like trap includes graduations which allow the evacuator to be utilized as an instrument to measure the rate of drainage from a patient.

Claims

1. A surgical evacuator for draining the fluids from the body of a patient comprising:

an evacuator bag, said evacuator bag being compressible and expandable to decrease and increase the internal volume of the evacuator bag;

a drain inlet formed in said evacuator bag for connection to a drain tube adapted to drain fluids from the body of a patient into said evacuator bag;

an exhaust outlet formed in said evacuator bag for evacuating fluids and air from said evacuator bag when said evacuator bag is compressed; and

, a magnetic exhaust valve forming a part of said exhaust outlet, said magnetic exhaust valve being a one-way valve mounted so as to allow saiD fluids and air to exhaust from said evacuator bag when said evacuator bag is compressed, said magnetic exhaust valve rapidly closing upon termination of said compression so as to prevent contaminants from entering said bag through said exhaust valve, said magnetic exhaust valve comprising;

a cylinder formed of a ferromagnetic material and having a central aperture; and

, a disc formed of a ferromagnetic material, said disc being hingedly attached to said cylinder so as to normally close said central aperture in said cylinder by magnetic attraction therebetween, said disc being movable with respect to said cylinder to provide a passageway between said cylinder and said disc upon the application of a sufficient pressure through said central aperture in said cylinder, one of said cylinder and said disc being permanently magnetized.

2. A surgical evacuator for draining fluids from the body of a patient as claimed in claim 1 wherein said hinged attachment between said disc and said cylinder includes a gasket permanently attached on one side to one of said disc and said cylinder and partially attached on the other side to the other of said disc and said cylinder.

3. A surgical evacuator for draining fluids from the body of a patient as claimed in claim 2 including an inlet valve forming a part of said drain inlet, said inlet valve being a one-way valve which allows fluids to drain from the body of said patient into said evacuator bag and prevent the return of fluid and air from said evacuator bag to said patient when said evacuator bag is compressed.

4. A surgical evacuator for draining fluids from the body of a patient as claimed in claim 3 wherein said inlet valve comprises a cylinder having a central aperture therein and a resilient disc, said disc being attached to said cylinder along a portion of its periphery so as to normally close said aperture and prevent fluid from passing through said valve, said disc being movable away from said cylinder to provide a passage through said inlet valve upon the application of a suitable force to said disc.

5. A surgical evacuator for draining fluids from the body of a patient as claimed in claim 4 including first and second rigid plates, said evacuator bag being mounted between said first and second rigid plates and being attached thereto, said plates being generally mounted in a parallel manner, one of said plates being flat and the other curving outwardly, said drain inlet and said evacuator outlet passing though said outwardly curving plate.

6. A surgical evacuator for draining fluids from the body of a patient as claimed in claim 5 including a cup-like trap projecting outwardly from said outwardly curving plate, said evacuator outlet passing through said cup-like trap, said cup-like trap having at least one graduation thereon.

7. A surgical evacuator for draining fluids from the body of a patient as claimed in claim 6 including a plurality of coil springs mounted in said evacuator bag between said pair of plates so as to maintain said evacuator bag in an expanded state until pressure is applied to compress said plates toward one another.

8. A surgical evacuator for draining fluids from the body of a patient as claimed in claim 7 wherein said rigid plates are in the form of a non-rectangular parallelograms with rounded corners and wherein the plate remote from the plate through which said drain inlet and exhaust outlet pass includes first and second apertures which allow said evacuator bag to be attached to the body of a patient.

9. A surgical evacuator for draining fluids from the body of a patient as claimed in claim 1 including an inlet valve forming a part of said drain inlet, said inlet valve being a one-way valve which allows fluids to drain from the body of said patient into said evacuator bag and prevent the return of fluid and air from said evacuator bag to said patient when said evacuator bag is compressed.

10. A surgical evacuator for draining fluids from the body of a patient as claimed in claIm 9 wherein said inlet valve comprises a cylinder having a central aperture therein and a resilient disc, said disc being attached to said cylinder along a portion of its periphery so as to normally close said aperture and prevent fluid from passing through said valve, said disc being movable away from said cylinder to provide a passage through said inlet valve upon the application of a suitable force to said disc.

11. A surgical evacuator for draining fluids from the body of a patient as claimed in claim 10 including first and second rigid plates, said evacuator bag being mounted between said first and second rigid plates and being attached thereto, said plates being generally mounted in a parallel manner, one of said plates being flat and the other curving outwardly, said drain inlet and said evacuator outlet passing through said outwardly curving plate.

12. A surgical evacuator for draining fluids from the body of a patient as claimed in claim 11 including a cup-like trap projecting outwardly from said outwardly curving plate, said evacuator outlet passing through said cup-like trap, said cup-like trap having at least one graduation thereon.

13. A surgical evacuator for draining fluids from the body of a patient as claimed in claim 12 including a plurality of coil springs mounted in said evacuator bag between said pair of plates so as to maintain said evacuator bag in an expanded state until pressure is applied to compress said plates toward one another.

14. A surgical evacuator for draining fluids from the body of a patient as claimed in claim 13 wherein said rigid plates are in the form of non-rectangular parallelograms with rounded corners and wherein the plate remote from the plate through which said drain inlet and exhaust outlet pass includes first and second apertures which allow said evacuator bag to be attached to the body of a patient.

15. A surgical evacuator for draining the fluids from the body of a patient comprising:

an evacuator bag, said evacuator bag being compressible and expandable to decrease and increase the internal volume of the evacuator bag;

a drain inlet formed in said evacuator bag for connection to a drain tube adapted to drain fluids from the body of a patient into said evacuator bag;

an exhaust outlet formed in said evacuator bag for evacuating fluids and air from said evacuator bag when said evacuator bag is compressed;

a magnetic exhaust valve forming a part of said exhaust outlet, said magnetic exhaust valve being a one-way valve mounted so as to allow said fluids and air to exhaust from said evacuator bag when said evacuator bag is compressed, said magnetic exhaust valve rapidly closing upon termination of said compression to prevent contaminants from entering said bag through said exhaust valve; and

, first and second rigid plates, said evacuator bag being mounted between said first and second rigid plates and being attached thereto, said plates being generally mounted in a parallel manner, one of said plates being flat and the other curving outwardly, said drain inlet and said evacuator outlet passing through said outwardly curving plate.

16. A surgical evacuator for draining fluids from the body of a patient as claimed in claim 15 including a cup-like trap projecting outwardly from said outwardly curving plate, said evacuator outlet passing through said cup-like trap, said cup-like trap having at least one graduation thereon.

17. A surgical evacuator for draining fluids from the body of a patient as claimed in claim 16 including a plurality of coil springs mounted in said evacuator bag between said pair of plates so as to maintain said evacuator bag in an expanded state until pressure is applied to compress said plates toward one another.

18. A surgical evacuator for draining fluids from the body of a patient as claimed in claim 17 wherein said rigid plates are in the form of non-rectangular parallelograms with rounded corners and wherein the plate remote from the plate through which said draiN inlet and exhaust outlet pass includes first and second apertures which allow said evacuator bag to be attached to the body of a patient.