Unit for insufflating and cleaning gas

• US 5,098,375 A
• Filed: 05/29/1990
• Issued: 03/24/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Richard Wolf GmbH (Richard & Annemarie Wolf- Stiftung)
• Original Assignee: Richard Wolf GmbH (Richard & Annemarie Wolf- Stiftung)
• Inventors: Baier, Manfred
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lewis, Ralph A.
• Application Number:
  US07/529,976
• Time in Patent Office: 665 Days
• Field of Search: 604/21, 604/23-26, 604/27, 604/28, 604/30, 604/35, 128/747, 606/2, 606/10-12
• US Class Current: 604/23
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2218/006 for smoke evacuation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 13/003 Blowing gases other than for carrying powders, e.g. for inflating, dilating or rinsing
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 13/006 with gas recirculation

Abstract

A insufflation unit for distending a body cavity such as a uterus which is to be examined or treated endoscopically has a gas control circuit which connects a gas supply unit to the endoscope via a flowmeter, a shut-off valve and a filter. Associated with this gas control circuit is an extractor circuit which comprises a pump whose suction end is coupled up to the output of the flowmeter. A pressure-measuring transducer logs the pressure at the suction end of the pump and its measurements, together with those from the flowmeter, are made use of in analyzer electronics by switching off the pump before a pressure likely to put the patient at risk occurs should there be a fault in the extractor circuit.

Claims

1. An insufflation unit for insufflating a small body cavity with a gas and for recycling said gas removed from said small body cavity, comprising:

a gas supply unit for supplying a gas;

a shut-off valve being in fluid communication with said gas supply unit having a first position such that gas flowing from said gas supply unit flows through said shut-off valve and a second position such that gas flowing from said gas supply unit is prevented from flowing through said shut-off valve;

a filter being in fluid communication with said shut-off valve such that gas is able to flow from said shut-off valve through said filter, and for being in fluid communication with a first instrument channel of an endoscope which is in fluid communication with a body cavity such that fluid can flow between said body cavity and said filter through said first instrument channel;

a pump having a suction end, said suction end being in fluid communication with said filter for withdrawing said gas within said body cavity through said first instrument channel and said filter, said pump having a delivery side for expelling said withdrawn gas;

a sterile filter being in fluid communication with said delivery side of said pump for receiving and filtering said withdrawn gas and for being in fluid communication with a second instrument channel of said endoscope which is in fluid communication with said body cavity such that said filtered gas flows into said body cavity through said second instrument channel;

a pressure sensor being in fluid communication with said suction end of said pump for sensing a pressure of said gas at said suction end of said pump which corresponds to a pressure of said gas within said small body cavity;

control means for moving said shut-off valve between said first and second positions and for preventing said pump from being actuated in response to said sensed pressure, said control means comparing said sensed pressure to a predetermined pressure, said control means positioning said shut-off valve in said first position and preventing said pump from being actuated when said sensed pressure is less than said predetermined pressure for insufflating said small body cavity and said control means positioning said shut-off valve in said second position and permitting actuation of said pump when said sensed pressure is greater than or equal to said predetermined pressure for recycling said gas within said small body cavity.

2. An insufflation unit according to claim 1, further comprising a flowmeter being in fluid communication with said gas supply unit and said shut-off valve such that said gas flows from said gas supply unit through said flowmeter to said shut-off valve, said flowmeter for monitoring a volume of the gas flowing therethrough, said control means moving said shut-off valve between said first and second positions in response to said volume of gas flowing through said flowmeter, said control means further comparing said volume of gas flowing through said flowmeter to a predetermined volume, said control means positioning said shut-off valve in said first position when said volume is less than said predetermined volume for insufflating said small body cavity and said control means positioning said shut-off valve in said second position when said volume is greater than or equal to said predetermined volume for preventing said supplied gas from entering said small body cavity.