US2441980A - Aspirator - Google Patents

Description

May 25, 1948; c. s. sTElGERwALD 2,441,980

' smmon Filed Jan. 8, 1947' 'z-sheet-sheet 2 INVENTOR Patented May 25,A 194S UNITED- STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

My invention relates to aspiratorsystems for all types of surgical use.

A purpose of vmy invention is to free the operator and his assistants from the objectionable odors, emanating from the contents of the jar and the unsanitary manual care and the considerableloss of time and inconvenience incident to the use of glass-jar type aspirators in the operating room.

A further purpose is to provide kan aspirator operable by remote control, and permissibly to have it serve several locations.

vA further purpose is to prevent the necessity for skilled operation of an aspirator, and to render the operation fool-proof, so that difiiculty will not be encountered through the uninformed or careless lling, clogging or other misuse of the aspirator system.

A further purpose is to provide remote control valves for flushing and draining an aspirator tank and to interlock the valves so that ilushing cannot be started before the drain is open, preferably by making the switch controlling the remote control system for the drain valve operate in series with the switch controlling the remote control system for the flushing valve, or by using a single switch for both functions.

eign bodies, small slivers of bone fragments, gan- A further purpose is to provide controllable suction by controllable by-pass on the suction line from a remote control suction tank.

Further purposes appear in the specification and in the claims.

In the drawings I have chosen to illustrate a few'only of the embodiments of my invention, choosing the forms shown from the standpoints of convenience in illustration, satisfactory operation, and clear demonstration of the principles involved.

Figure 1 is a schematic view'of my aspirato-r system.

Figure 2 is an electrical circuit diagram for operating the mechanism of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a variant circuit diagram.

Figure 4 is a perspective showing the general lay-out of the mechanism.V

In the drawingsv like numerals refer to like parts throughout.

Describing in illustration but not in limitation and referring to the drawings:

In the oiiice and operating room of the modern general surgeon or specialist, including' nose and throat, oral surgery and eXodontia, it is frequently neces-sary to remove accumulations or progressive accretions of body fluids orsubstances such as blood, mucus, pus, tissue, saliva,` for the like. rForgrenous tissues, pus or the like can be carried away. For these and related reasons, aspirators have become Widely used and accepted in the operating rooms and lhospitals throughout the country.

Prior art aspirators have commonly been of glass bottle type, and are subject to clogging, and represent a very troublesome and inconvenient piece of equipment, from the standpoint of cleaning and sterilizing, and breakage. The aspirator of lthis type is also psychologically bad from the standpoint of the patient, for the reason that the vacuum glass jar must be Within the sight of the operator in order to determine the amount of aspirating material flowing into the limited capacity of the gla'ss vacuum jar, to avoid overowing and to be in easy access for disconnecting rubber tubing from the vacuum pump to the vacuum glass jar when emptying the contents of the jar.

I have discovered that a very convenient aspirator construction can be employed, with remote control operation, the essential operating parts, except for the control mechanism and the aspirator applicator, being placed at some vdi'stant point, frequently in the basement of the hospital, or the building housing the physician, or in a special lequipment room or closet.

In accordance with my invention I employ the usual aspirator applicator I5, suitably merely a tube I6 having a handle I7 and connected to a s flexible tube I8 of rubber or the like.

A pressure gauge I9 is conveniently connected in the aspirator line and a pipe or tube 2i) i's carried from the flexible tube I8, conveniently through a trap 2| (to eliminate possible return flow of liquid or the like during flushing) to a vacuum tank 22 conveniently at some remote point, as in the basement, closet or enclosed cabinet convenient to water supply and sewerage connections. The tank 22 will suitably be of steel welded construction and adequate size to hold all material removed during the full length of any given operation. At the conclusion of the operation the contents may then be removed and the system flushed.

The tank 22 is connected suitably at the top by a pipe 23 to a suction pump 24 which receives inlet air at 25 through a conventional air lter 26. The pump is conveniently mechanically driven at 21 from an electric motor 28, operating and controlled by connections 29 from a control panel 3l). As later explained, the motor may be controlled by a suitable switch as shown at 3|.

At a suitable point in the tank, conveniently .opposite terminal near the top, I locate a spray head 32 connected to a source of water 33 by a pipe 34 through a Valve 35. The Valve is conveniently of remote control type, and is controlled by connections 36 .from a, switch 3l on the control panel. Any convenient type of remote control valve may be used, but I find it Very satisfactory to employ a Valve of the character shown in Boyle U. S. Patent 1,807,191, granted May 26, 1931.

At the bottom of the tank I provide a suitable drain 3&3Y controlled by a Valve 39 suitably of remote control type, and desirably of the characterV a described in the Boyle patent. The control con- Y 4 flushing valve 35 in circuit branch 5I connected across to the opposite terminal 44' of the source, as well as tell-tale lamp 52 similarly connected in a parallel circuit branch 53.

Thus by reference to Figure 2,'it will be evident that the pump motor may be connected on Y and o' without reference tothe other mechanections 46 extend to a switch di on the control panel.

sue from cysts, accurate control of theanfiount^ of suction is important. For this purpose I provide a by-pass 42 on the pipe Eil Isuitably adjacent the connection of the tube IS, with a. Valve 43, suitably of adjustable type connected to atmosphere.- By this means it is possible through adjustment of the valve to increase or decrease the suction.Y applied by the applicator.

In operation of the Vdevice of Figure l, the

`flushing valve liti-and the drain valve 3e will norbrought Vinto contact with the end of the aspirator applicator, and will he sucked through Ythe applicator, through the tube iS and the pipe 2 0 into the tank 22, thus washing out the applicator, the tube i3 and they pipe 26. The pump 2d should thenV be turned oi, andV the drainrvalve 38 openedy by remote control operation from the switch di. Then the flushing Valve 35 is opened by remote control from the switch 37, thus causing Water from the spray vheadi! to wash out the tank and Idischarge through the drain. When there has been sucient flushing, the ilushing valve-35 is closedby operation ofthe switch 3f?, after which the drainage Valve 3S is closed. The mechanismisthen ready for further aspiration, upon merely starting the pump 2li.

In order to make the mechanism fool-proof, I provide special interlocking switching arrangements toiprevent opening of Vthe flushing Valve 35 until the drain ,39 is opened, or about to'be vOpened. I illustrate in Figure 2 a preferred circuit for this purpose,

:terminalsV ci and suinajbiy amici/ous and '.15 In many medical and surgical operations, such as cleaning out slivers of bone and removing tisnism, .by closing and opening switch 3l. The energy required to openthe remote control ilushing Yvalve 35 lhowevencanV only beisupplied when switch lil is closed, supplying the energy to open remote. control drain Valve 39. If switch 31 is Aclosed at any other time, no current can ow through coil 50, and the flushing valve will not open. `Thus .there is an elective interlocking whichprevents the opening of the flushing valve w-l'ienV the-drainfvalve is closed.

Figure shows an alternate circuit diagram accomplishing this purpose. The motor circuit is the same as in Figure 2.` The ilushingv and drain Vvalve control circuits are however ,different in that a single controlswitch 54 energizes the coil 49to open the drain Valve '39 in circuit Vbranch 'd8 andalso energizes the coil 50 in circuit branchl* in parallel with circuit "branch 48 Yto ,open the flushing yalve'35'. Inythis way `the necessity for the. extra lswitch 3'! is eliminated.

`Byniy invention-it"ispossible at al1 times to control the aspirator operating niechanismremotelymfrom apoint adjacent -theaspirator applicator, and-without iany diculty, or danger of improper operationgby inexperienced assistants. :In yiewomy invention and disclosureyaria- V,tions and modifications to meetindividual whim or particular Vneed will doubtless become evident to others skilled in the;art, to obtain allorpart of the benefits of my inventionwithout copying lthe' structure shown, handI, therefore, ,claimxall such insofar as they `fall within Athereasonable rspirit and Ascope ofvmy claims..

Y the tank, a pump c orinectergl,tothe tank for .ap-

cycles alternating current, supply.electricalY energy through a fuse d5 adjacent terminal lf-i.

to a circuit branch 4&3 including the motor 2t 'in series witha motor switch 3 l. A separate circuit branch All in parallel with the'branch d6 in-V cludes a switch 'fliin series fwith a circuit .branch `4i! including an electromagnet il@ of the remote grounded at. Also in: series Vwithltlfie drain valve switch .4i .I c ol'lioect` theswitch Slwhich A controls the electromagnetv 50 of remote control plicator, means connecting. vthe applicatorand the i tank includingj a` bypass,. acontrollable,4 by,- pass valve for regulating the suction on theapplicator, pump `means .applying .suction to the tank,

flushing means for introducing liquid into the tank, a `vali/,e ,controlling.theiiushing means,.-remote control,mechanismzoperable from adjacent the applicator for .controllinglthe fiushingyalva `a drain for Vtl1etanl:, a ,drain valueor thev drain and remote control valveineanscontrollablelfrorn adjacent the applicator for operatingY the.' drain Valve.

3. In anaspirator-for surgical use, anaspirator applicator, a tank 1cm0l?e.fr0m, thetahplicator,

means Vfor, Vconnecting the applicator ,and .the

.able from adjacent, the applicator or for contolling .the ,ushirie .ra1ve...a.drain forthatanls a ValveV controlling theidrain; remote control means operable from adjacent the applicator for operating the drain valve, a pump applying suction to the tank, and means for preventing opening of the ushing valve unless the drain valve is likewise opened.

4. In an aspirator for surgical use, an aspirator applicator, a tank remote from the applicator, means for connecting the applicator and the tank, a pump applying suction to the tank, ushing means for introducing liquid to wash the interior of the tank, a valve controlling the flushing means, remote control means operable from, adjacent the applicator for controlling the flush"- ing valve, a drain for the tank, a Valve controlling the drain, remote control means operable from adjacent the applicator forfoperating the drain valve, a switch controlling the drain valve remote control means, and a second switch in series with the rst controlling the ushing valve remote control means so that the flushing valve cannot open except when the drain valve opens.

5. In an aspirator for surgical use, an aspirator applicator, a tank remote from the applicator,

20 Number REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Janette Feb. 9, 1909 McKesson June 21, 1932

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