Vacuum wound drainage system

• US 4,826,494 A
• Filed: 02/25/1987
• Issued: 05/02/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/1984
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Stryker Corporation
• Original Assignee: Stryker Corporation
• Inventors: Tice, Robert G., Booth, William M. III, Richmond, James W.
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US07/018,894
• Time in Patent Office: 797 Days
• Field of Search: 604/317, 604/319, 604/320, 604/321, 604/323, 604/333
• US Class Current: 604/323
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/79 Filters for solid matter specially adapted for dental use A61C17/065
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2202/0057 retained by adsorption
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2202/08 Lipoids
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/7536 allowing gas passage, but preventing liquid passage, e.g. liquophobic, hydrophobic, water-repellent membranes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8206 battery-operated

Abstract

Apparatus for selectively blocking passage of lipids in a liquid flow path. A baffle interposed in the liquid flow path is of nonpolar material and is arranged to permit liquid flow therethrough with contact of said liquid with the nonpolar material of the baffle for removing lipids from the flow. In one embodiment, the baffle is interposed between the wound drain connection and vacuum connection in a drain reservoir and protects the hydrophobic filter which is at the end of the vacuum passage communicating with the interior of the drain reservoir bottle. The baffle enables use of a nonpolar material for the hydrophobic filter and avoids coating and thereby clogging of the hydrophobic filter by lipids in the liquid drained from a wound.

Claims

1. A continuous vacuum wound drainage system, comprising a base unit and a drain reservoir releasably secured to the base unit for partial evacuation to a subatmospheric pressure;

wound connection means for connecting said drain reservoir to a wound and therewith for vacuum draining fluids from said wound;

said base unit having a housing in turn having a forward facing groove which opens upward and is shaped and sized so that said drain reservoir is downwardly receivable in said groove, said base unit including control means and a power switch actuable for energizing said control means and a motorized vacuum pump actuable by said control means unit upon enabling of the latter by actuation of said power switch;

said drain reservoir comprising a hollow upward opening bottle closed by a fixed cover, one end of said cover overhanging the side of said bottle;

telescoping recess and leg means on said overhanging cover and the top of said base unit adjacent said groove, said telescoping recess and leg means being aligned substantially vertically for entering telescoped relation upon downward insertion of said drain reservoir into said groove in said base unit, said recess and leg means including an actuator for said power switch on said base unit and surface means on said cover overhanging end for actuating said power switch actuator in response to establishing of said telescoped condition of said recess and leg means due to insertion of said drainage receptacle and drain reservoir in said groove of said base unit.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said recess and leg means comprises a leg depending from said overhanging end of said cover and spaced adjacent the side of said bottle, said recess and leg means further including a recess upwardly opening in the top of said base unit adjacent said groove, said switch actuator protruding into said recess, said surface means on said cover being a ramp surface on the side of said leg and engagable with said actuator for moving same upon downward insertion of said leg into said upward opening recess.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said telescoping recess and leg means comprises a leg depending from the overhanging end of said cover and a recess upward opening in the top of said base unit adjacent said groove, vacuum passages leading from said vacuum pump to said recess and from the interior of said bottle through said cover and opening through said leg, a one way valve in the lower portion of said passage in said leg and oriented to normally close when the pressure outside the bottle is higher than that in the bottle and to open in response to a pressure at the lower end of said leg less than that in the bottle.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 including an enlarged diameter portion at the bottom of said passage in said leg, said valve being located to face downward at the top of said enlarged diameter portion, said valve having fixed portion and a resiliently flexible portion movable for opening and closing the valve, a head upstanding in said recess for reception into said enlarged diameter portion and into backing contact with the fixed portion of said valve with said leg fully seated in said recess.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 in which the lower end of said enlarged diameter portion of said passageway at the bottom of said leg is flared downwardly to ease reception of the head therein, said head carrying an annular seal engagable with the interior wall of the enlarged diameter portion of said passage at the bottom of said leg to effect a vacuum seal between the passages in said base unit and said drain reservoir.

6. A continuous vacuum wound drainage system, comprising a base unit and a drain reservoir releasably secured for partial evacuation to a subatmospheric pressure;

wound connection means for connecting said drain reservoir to a wound and therewith for vacuum draining fluids from said wound;

said base unit having a housing in turn having a forward facing groove which opens upward and is shaped and sized so that said drain reservoir is downwardly receivable in said groove, said base unit including control means and a power switch and a motorized vacuum pump actuable by said control unit upon enabling of the latter by actuation of said power switch;

said drain reservoir comprising a hollow upward opening bottle closed by a fixed cover, one end of said cover overhanging the side of said bottle;

telescoping recess and leg means on said overhanging cover and the top of said base unit adjacent said groove, said telescoping recess and leg means being aligned substantially vertically for entering telescoped relation upon downward insertion of said drain reservoir into said groove in said base unit, in which said base unit has a sidewardly facing recess, a battery pack arranged as a unit vertically slidable into and removable from said recess in said base unit, tongue-in-groove means on opposed walls of said recess and battery pack for guiding said battery pack into installed relation on said base unit and for preventing sideways movement of said battery pack out of said base unit, and electric contacts interposed between said base unit and battery pack for supplying current from said battery pack to said control means for energization of said vacuum pump, said base unit and drain reservoir having interconnectable vacuum passages in said telescoping recess and leg means and responsive to telescoping connection of the latter for enabling the vacuum pump to evacuate the drain reservoir.

7. A continuous vacuum wound drainage system, comprising:

a base unit;

a drain reservoir capable of being evacuated to a subatmospheric pressure;

wound connection means for connecting said drain reservoir to a wound for vacuum draining fluids from said wound;

said drain reservoir comprising an upward opening bottle closed by a fixed cover, one end of said cover overhanging the side of the bottle, telescoping recess and leg means on said overhanging cover and in the top of said base unit, said cover having an upward opening shallow recess having one end in the overhanging end of the cover and an opposite end overlying the top of the bottle and respectively communicating with vacuum passages extending downward into said telescoping recess and leg means and into said bottle, a plate-like closure covering said shallow recess and leaving a space above the bottom of said recess for passage of air from said bottle therethrough to said telescoping recess and leg means.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 in which said telescoping recess and leg means comprises a leg depending from said overhanging end of said cover of said drain reservoir and telescopically receivable down into an upward facing recess in the top of said base unit, said base unit having a vacuum passage communicating between said recess in said base unit and a vacuum source in said base unit, a means defining a one way valve in said depending leg, said one way valve being actuable for closing the end of said vacuum passage in said drain reservoir to preserve a subatmospheric pressure in said drain reservoir and being openable in response to application of a vacuum thereto from said base unit to evacuate said drain reservoir.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 including a hollow housing fixed to the underside of said cover within said bottle and communicating with said shallow recess in said cover, said housing having a hydrophobic filter associated therewith for permitting air to be drawn from said bottle into said shallow recess but preventing liquid from passing therethrough.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 including an empty spout on said cover spaced rom said shallow recess and communicating with the bottle interior, a cap releasably located on said spout for closing same against air leakage into said bottle and removable therefrom to allow emptying of liquid from said bottle through said spout, said wound connecting means being located on said cover intermediate said shallow recess and spout, said spout being located adjacent the end of the cover remote from said telescoping recess and leg means.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 in which said cap is resilient and has a portion distortable by a pressure drop thereacross to indicate a subatmospheric pressure in said bottle.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 in which the cover has a second end overhanging said bottle and a strap depending from said second end and engagable with means on a adjacent side of said base unit for assisting holding of the drain reservoir in position on the base unit, said telescoping recess and leg means also having means frictionally assisting in holding said drain reservoir in place on said base unit.