Controlling pressure in the eye during surgery
First Claim
1. Apparatus for use in eye surgery, comprisinga tube set through which fluid is supplied to and withdrawn from the eye, said tube set including a fluid reservoir having a diaphragm disposed thereon that deflects in response to a vacuum level in said reservoir,a housing configured to receive said tube set, said housing including a door movable between an open position to allow said tube set to be installed in and removed from said housing and a closed position in which said tube set is retained in said housing, anda sensor mounted on said housing for detecting deflections of said diaphragm,wherein said housing further comprises a spring-biased plunger for urging said reservoir into a recess in said housing adjacent to said sensor when said door is in the closed position.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Fluid pressure in the eye is monitored by detecting vacuum-induced deflections of a diaphragm on a reservoir that forms an integral part of the tube set through which fluid is supplied to and withdrawn from the eye. The rate at which fluid is withdrawn (i.e., aspirated) from the eye is controlled based on the detected deflections of the diaphragm. As a result, the detection component (e.g., a pressure sensor) is isolated from the fluids in the tube set by the diaphragm. This minimizes both the risk of contaminating the sensor with fluid aspirated from the patient, and the danger of so-called "cross-contamination" in which subsequent patients are exposed to the aspirated fluid of a prior patient.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. Apparatus for use in eye surgery, comprising
a tube set through which fluid is supplied to and withdrawn from the eye, said tube set including a fluid reservoir having a diaphragm disposed thereon that deflects in response to a vacuum level in said reservoir, a housing configured to receive said tube set, said housing including a door movable between an open position to allow said tube set to be installed in and removed from said housing and a closed position in which said tube set is retained in said housing, and a sensor mounted on said housing for detecting deflections of said diaphragm, wherein said housing further comprises a spring-biased plunger for urging said reservoir into a recess in said housing adjacent to said sensor when said door is in the closed position.
Specification