FILTERING BLOOD SUCKER

• US 3,785,380 A
• Filed: 02/22/1972
• Issued: 01/15/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Robert C. Brumfield
• Original Assignee: Robert C. Brumfield
• Inventors: Brumfield, Robert C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosenbaum, Charles F.
• Application Number:
  US05/228,033
• Time in Patent Office: 693 Days
• Field of Search: 23/258.5 128/276-278,348,350
• US Class Current: 604/119
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3627 Degassing devices; Buffer reservoirs; Drip chambers; Blood filters
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/7411 by changing the size of a vent in combination with changing the cross-section of the line A61M1/7413
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/76 Handpieces specially for suction-irrigation A61M1/774, aspiration tips A61M1/84
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/79 Filters for solid matter specially adapted for dental use A61C17/065
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 604/902 Suction wands

Abstract

A blood sucker is connected to the suction side of a peristaltic tube pump, evacuating blood lost by a patient at a surgical site. The air evacuated through the blood sucker when in use can be filtered through a first disposable micropore filter in the sucker, prior to contacting the blood evacuated from the surgical site. The patient blood, clean air and surgical debris are also filtered through a sucker second disposable filter, whose pore apertures are sized to remove the tissue debris from the blood flowing into the sucker. Early removal of tissue debris from patient blood in the blood sucker can slow the initiation of the blood clotting mechanism. The filtered air can decrease the microscopic air contaminants in the filtered blood, which can then be returned to the patient'"'"''"'"'s circulatory system. An integral plurality of flexible, parallel array blood conductive tubing provide wall stabilized, low turbulence blood flow from the sucker to a cardiotomy reservoir or the like, prior to returning the blood to the patient'"'"''"'"'s circulation.

Claims

1. In a blood sucker having a case forming a handpiece, said case having an inlet, an evacuating tube and an air vent, the improvement comprising:

an open pore plastic foam filter mat operatively disposed inside said blood sucker case providing pores sized to pass particles less than 100 micron average diameter, said filter mat compatible with blood, said filter mat filtering all blood, air and surgical debris passing into said blood sucker filter case, said filter mat retaining said surgical Debris, said blood and air exiting through said filter mat through the sucker case exit conduit.

2. In a blood sucker having a case forming a handpiece, said case having an inlet, an evacuating tube, an air vent, and an exit conduit, the improvement combination comprising:

an open pore plastic foam filter means operatively disposed inside said blood sucker case, said filter means compatible with blood; and

, a support filter frame positioned inside said blood sucker case providing a support structure for said filter;

said filter means and support filter frame combination adaptively filtering the whole blood-air foam and surgical tissue debris entering said blood sucker case, retaining said tissue debris in said filter and passing said whole blood and air through the exit conduit of said blood sucker case.

3. The combination with claim 2 wherein the further improvement comprises:

a porous plastic foam sheet filter means having a porous foam filter sleeve having one closed terminus and one open terminus; and

, a support filter frame having a frame supportively positioned inside said filter sleeve, said frame having one terminus closure and an evacuation tube secured to said closure, providing a fluid conductive aperture therein;

said open terminus of said filter sleeve adaptively secured coaxially on said frame terminus closure and said evacuation tube adaptively conductively secured to said blood sucker case exit conduit of said sucker case closure.

4. In a blood sucker having a case forming a handpiece, said case having an inlet, an evacuating tube, and an air vent, the improvement combination comprising:

a support filter frame having a pair of oppositely disposed frame plate support areas, said frame closely fitting in said blood sucker case, said frame imperviously partitioning said pair of frame plate support areas from each other;

a microporous filter sheet completely disposed over one of said frame plate support areas having pores less than one micron average diameter;

an open pore plastic foam sheet completely disposed over the second of said pair of frame plate support areas, providing pores sized to pass particles less than 100 micron average diameter;

said microporous filter sheet confronting the blood sucker case air vent and spaced therefrom, providing a separate air reservoir in said blood sucker case;

said plastic foam sheet confronting the blood sucker case evacuation tube, providing a separate reservoir for blood, air and surgical tissue debris in said blood sucker case; and

, a blood sucker case closure conductively sealing said blood sucker case exit terminus, providing an exit conduit for the blood and air filtered through said plastic foam sheet on evacuation of said blood sucker case, retaining said surgical tissue debris in said sucker case.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein the further improvement combination comprises:

a blood sucker case closure having at least two exit conduits disposed thereon, each one of said conduits geometrically disposed providing dominantly separate air and blood evacuation through a separate conduit.

6. The combination of claim 4 wherein the further improvement combination comprises:

a blood sucker case closure having three exit conduits disposed thereon, one exit conduit sized and disposed to conduct predominantly air, and a pair of exit conduits sized and disposed to predominantly conduct laminar blood-air slug flow in exit conduits.

7. The combination with claim 4 wherein the further improvement comprises:

an open pore, sponge cartridge, having a blood impermeable sponge surface and a pore size less than 1 micron, disposed in said air exit conduit, providing a filtering air exit separating air from the blood-air foam.

8. The combination with claim 4 wherein the further improvment comprises:

an open pore polyurethane foam, having a blood compatible surface disposed thereon.