Vacuum curet
First Claim
1. A vacuum curet comprisinga tube of flexible material having a central lumen extending therethrough, a distal end portion adopted to be inserted into a body cavity, a proximal end portion adopted to be connected to a vacuum source, and an intermediate tapered shank;
- said distal end portion having a narrow predetermined, outside diameter; and
means for curetting at its tip region; and
means for providing greater rigidity in said tapered shank than in said distal end portion.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A vacuum curet of novel design having a central portion which is tapered and an internal lumen which is preferably also tapered. This provides a curet which is rigid over its central and proximal end (i.e. the end that fits into a vacuum source) and maximal flexibility and small external diameter at its distal end portion. Further advantages of this arrangement are reducing the possibility of perforation (due to the flexibility of the distal end portion), better "feel" (due to the rigidity of the central and proximal end portion), and decreased trauma due to the thin wall thickness of the proximal end portion and a corresponding reduction in outside diameter for a given or required lumen diameter. The lumen of this design may also be mass produced. In an additional embodiment, there is a novel design on the tip openings at the distal end, which further minimizes the possibility of perforation.
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Citations
10 Claims
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1. A vacuum curet comprising
a tube of flexible material having a central lumen extending therethrough, a distal end portion adopted to be inserted into a body cavity, a proximal end portion adopted to be connected to a vacuum source, and an intermediate tapered shank; -
said distal end portion having a narrow predetermined, outside diameter; and
means for curetting at its tip region; andmeans for providing greater rigidity in said tapered shank than in said distal end portion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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Specification