WO1991001692A1

WO1991001692A1 - Device for use in the discharge of fumes from an operating site

Info

Publication number: WO1991001692A1
Application number: PCT/SE1990/000523
Authority: WO
Inventors: Fredrik Petersson; Lennart Johnsson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1989-08-10
Filing date: 1990-08-10
Publication date: 1991-02-21
Anticipated expiration: 1992-02-10
Also published as: SE8902709D0; AU6270490A; SE463289B

Abstract

A device (1) for use in the discharge of fumes (20) from an operating site (16), e.g. in laser surgery (17, 19), comprises a chamber (3) which is defined by a body (2) and has a bottom opening (4) to be placed over the operating site (16) for conducting fumes (20) emitted therefrom into the chamber (3), and a working opening (5) substantially opposite to the bottom opening (4) for providing access to the operating site (16) through the chamber (3) and the bottom opening (4). A first end (8) of an exhaust duct (7) opens in the vicinity of the chamber (3), and a second end (9) of the exhaust duct is adapted to be connected to a negative pressure for sucking off fumes (20) conducted into the chamber (3). One or more air passages (10-13) extending from the outside of the body (2) and separate from the bottom and working openings (4, 5). These separate air passages (10-13), as well as the first end (8) of the exhaust duct (7), open in the chamber (3) between the bottom opening (4) and the working opening (5) at two opposite sides of the chamber (3). Thus, a lid of laminar air flows (10', 11', 12', 13') is formed in the chamber (3), thus preventing leakage of fumes through the working opening (5).

Description

DEVICE FOR USE IN THE DISCHARGE OF FUMES FROM AN OPERATING

SITE

The present invention relates to a device for use in the discharge of fumes from an operating site in fume- inducing surgery, e.g. laser surgery and diathermy. More precisely, the invention concerns a device enabling, in such an operation site, efficient local suction of fumes without any leakage to the ambient atmosphere.

When using laser surgery in virus-infected tissue, virus has been found in the fumes emitted from the operating site. Therefore, such fumes are a potential health hazard to the operating-theatre personnel, in addi- tion to being an environmental problem due to their un¬ pleasant smell. Furthermore, the fumes are disadvantageous by impairing the visibility at the operating site. In some cases, it is of great importance to prevent the fumes from spreading to surrounding tissue, e.g. adjacent to the point where the operation is performed.

The above inconveniences in fume-inducing surgery have been known for a long time, and a large number of devices for sucking off the generated fumes have therefore been conceived. A common feature of most of these suction devices is that they are based on the use of a compara¬ tively thick hose or a large nozzle, which is applied as close to the operating site as possible. AT 348,656, for example, discloses such a prior art device.

However, these prior art devices suffer from the major drawback of requiring very large air flows, up to several cubic metres per minute, for achieving reasonably efficient suction of the fumes from the operating site. This has an adverse effect on the ventilating system in the operating theatre, and produces a high sound level which may be unpleasant to the theatre personnel. Further¬ more, comparatively expensive equipment is needed for providing such large air flows. SU 1,179,981 discloses a device for local suction in laser surgery. This device comprises a circular, annular, upwardly concave plate, whose lower peripheral edge defines a bottom opening to be placed over the operating site, and whose other peripheral edge defines an opposing, larger working opening providing access to the operating site through the bottom opening. Thus, the annular concave plate, the bottom opening and the working opening together define a kind of frustoconical chamber into which the fumes are initially conducted from the operating site through the bottom opening. The annular, concave plate is rigidly connected to a handle formed with an elongate exhaust duct, whose one end opens near to the chamber, and whose other end is adapted to be connected to a negative pressure for sucking off fumes conducted into the chamber from the operating site. More precisely, the first end of the exhaust duct formed in the handle opens at a point outside the chamber and immediately above the working opening. This means that the fumes in the chamber must leave through the working opening in order to reach the mouth of the exhaust duct. The distinctive feature of this device is that the annular plate is made of metal, and that its concave upper side facing away from the operating site is blackened to prevent reflection of laser radia- tion.

However, the device disclosed in SU 1,179,981 is, for the following reasons, not suited for practical use. In fact, the fumes generated in laser surgery do not behave in the same way as, for instance, the smoke from a flame, but leave the operating site as quite heavy puffs. This is explained by the fact that laser radiation normally used in laser surgery is comparatively rich in energy, and that the energy thus supplied to the operating site brings about almost instantaneous heating and boiling of cell water. This produces a kind of small "evaporation explosions_^" resulting in that the fumes generated at the operating site will appear as upwardly directed, comparatively heavy puffs. The device described in SU 1,179,981 is no doubt incapable of efficiently sucking off such puffs, of which at least some in all probability will pass by the inlet opening of the exhaust duct located at the upper side of the working opening, and ascend towards the theatre personnel standing beside the operating site. Possibly, an extremely powerful air flow through the exhaust duct may to some extent reduce this fume leakage, but it would instead entail the above-mentioned incon- veniences of substantial air flows, i.e. disturbance of the ventilating system, unpleasant sounds, and the need of expensive equipment.

Thus, neither the device in SU 1,179,981, nor the exhaust devices mentioned by way of introduction and employing a thick hose or large nozzle, meet the need of an exhaust device which, with a comparatively small air flow and without any bulky or expensive equipment, pro¬ vides efficient, reliable and complete removal of such fumes as are emitted from an operating site in fume- inducing surgery.

The object of the present invention is to provide a device meeting this need. To this end, the inventive device comprises a chamber which is defined by a body and has a bottom opening to be placed over the operating site for conducting fumes emitted therefrom into the chamber, and a working opening substantially opposite to the bottom opening for providing access to the operating site through the chamber and the bottom opening, and an exhaust duct having a first end opening in the vicinity of the chamber, and a second end adapted to be connected to a negative pressure for sucking off fumes conducted into the chamber. The inventive device is characterised by one or more air passages extending from the outside of said body and separate from the bottom and working openings, said air passages and said first end of the exhaust duct opening in the chamber between the bottom opening and the working opening at two opposite sides of the chamber. By providing separate air passages opposite to the mouth of the exhaust duct and at a level between the bottom opening and the working opening, a laminar air flow will be produced in the chamber, transversely of the direction in which the fumes enter the chamber through the bottom opening. Thus, a kind of air lid will form over the cross-sectional area of the chamber. When using the inventive device, two part chambers, namely a first part chamber between the bottom opening and the air lid and a second part chamber between the air lid and the working opening, will form when the negative pressure is applied. Owing to the air lid, the fumes emitted from the operating site are prevented from rising into the second part chamber and out through the working opening, and will instead be effectively retained under the air lid and sucked off from the first part chamber through the exhaust duct.

The inventive device further has the advantage of requiring only a very small air flow through the exhaust duct, e.g. 20-301/min, to be compared with the several cubic metres per minute in prior art air exhaust devices. A preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a plurality of-.separate air passages which, as a row of substantially evenly distributed separate inlet openings, open in the chamber, said row being extended at least circumferentially relative to a centre line passing through the chamber and interconnecting the bottom opening and the working opening. In this embodiment, a correspond¬ ing number of laminar air flows are produced, passing from the air inlet openings to the end of the exhaust duct opening in the chamber. It may be observed that the air flow/air flows that are to form the air lid must be substantially laminar, since every turbulent flow inside the chamber entails the risk of fumes leaking out through the working opening. To achieve a more impervious air lid, it is preferred that the row of inlet openings is inclined in such a manner that a first end thereof is offset towards the bottom opening, and a second end thereof is offset towards the working opening. With this embodiment, a thicker and, consequently, more efficiently sealing air lid is obtained owing to the laminar air flows at different levels in the chamber.

Also other configurations and distributions of the inlet openings of the separate air passages are conceiv¬ able within the scope of the invention. A possible such alternative is to provide a whole matrix of air inlet openings.

In a currently preferred embodiment of the invention, the body, for defining the chamber and the bottom and working openings thereof, comprises a tubular body, e.g. a cylindrical circumferential wall, open at both ends. In this case, the separate air passages may consist of a corresponding number of peripheral through holes in the cylindrical circumferential wall.

Naturally, the size of the chamber can be varied depending on the work to be performed. For instance, the chamber may have a height of about 30 mm and a diameter of about 40 mm. However, substantial deviations from these dimensions are perfectly conceivable.

With the inventive device described above, a flow of air into the chamber will be produced not only through the separate air passages, but also through the working opening. Part of the air flow entering from outside through the working opening will also pass through the air lid in the chamber and descend towards the operating site, where it is deflected upwards. In this connection, there is a risk that the air flow coming from outside will give rise to turbulent flows within the chamber, thus impairing the "fume-tightness" of the device. In order to prevent such turbulent flows, a particu¬ larly preferred embodiment of the inventive device compri¬ ses a panel which is integrated with the body and projects therefrom at the side of the chamber where the first end of the exhaust duct opens, said panel covering, at this side of the chamber, a limited part of the cross-sectional area of said chamber. Preferably, the panel is located near to or in the same plane as the working opening. In this embodiment, the air flowing from outside through the working opening will descend along the sides of the chamber at the areas not covered by the panel. Thus, the panel prevents such outside air from descending and turn¬ ing at the operating site to immediately leave the chamber through the working opening. This in turn prevents turbu- lence in the chamber.

A preferred embodiment of the invention and its mode of operation will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an inventive device as seen obliquely from above;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side view of the device in Fig. 1 along the line III-III in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a side view of the device in Fig. 1 along the line IV-IV in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a schematic vertical section showing the device in Fig. 1 placed over an operating site, and illustrating the basic mode of operation of this device. A currently preferred embodiment of the invention will be described in more detail below with reference to Figs 1-4. The inventive device, generally designated 1, comprises a chamber 3 which is defined by a body 2 and has a bottom opening 4 and a working opening 5. In this embodiment, the body has the form of a straight cylinder which is open at both ends and whose circumferential wall defines the chamber 3. Naturally, the body may be designed otherwise. A connecting nipple 6 is integrally connected to the body 2 from which it projects about midway between the bottom opening 4 and the working opening 5. The connecting nipple 6 forms an exhaust duct 7 (see Fig. 5) between a first end 8 (see Fig. 5) opening in the chamber 3, and a second, free end 9 adapted to be connected to a negative pressure for sucking off fumes conducted into the chamber.

Four separate air passages in the form of through • holes 10, 11, 12, 13 in the circumferential wall 2 are formed substantially diametrically opposite to the mouth of the exhaust duct 7 in the chamber 3. As is apparent from Fig. 3, the holes 10-13 are circumferentially evenly distributed along a straight line which is slightly inclined relative to the diametrical plane. More precise- ly, the degree of inclination is such that the distance A indicated in Fig. 3 is approximately equal to the distance B indicated in Fig. 4, which represents the diameter of the exhaust duct 7.

Further, the device 1 comprises a panel 14 which is shaped as the segment of a circle and which, in this embodiment, is formed integral with the circumferential wall or body 2. The panel 14 is located in the plane of the working opening 2 above the duct end opening 8 in the chamber 3. Moreover, the device 1 may be equipped with sealing means (not shown) at the lower edge of the circumferential wall to provide efficient sealing between the circumferen¬ tial wall 2 and an operating site, when the device is being used. The mode of operation of the device illustrated in Figs 1-4 will be described in more detail below with reference to Fig. 5, which is a schematic vertical section of the device 1 applied over an operating site.

In Fig. 5, a skin portion is designated 15, and an operating site therein is designated 16. The device 1 with the bottom opening 4 is applied over the skin portion 15, either directly or indirectly via sealing means and/or surgical drapes or the like. Further, Fig. 5 schematically illustrates a surgical instrument 17 inserted through the working opening 5 to emit, at its lower end 18, laser radiation 19 towards the operating site 16. Owing to the laser radiation applied, fumes 20 are emitted in known manner from the operating site.

.In order to remove the fumes 20 from the operating site, the free end 9 of the exhaust duct 7 is connected to a negative pressure, produced preferably by means of suction pumps of the type which is normally used in operating theatres for sucking off residual tissue or the like and which can produce an air flow sufficient to make the inventive device work. By the application of a negative pressure, the fumes 20 from the operating site will be immediately sucked off from the chamber 3, as schematically illustrated by an arrow 21. However, all the fumes 20 will not take this "direct" route 21 since they are generated, as mentioned above, in the form of upwardly directed puffs. These puffs are efficiently caught by an air lid which is formed in the chamber 3 and which con¬ sists of a number of laminar air flows, in Fig. 5 schematically illustrated at 10', 11*, 12' , 13' . These air flows come.from the holes 10, 11, 12, 13 and are produced in the chamber 3 as soon as the negative pressure is applied to the exhaust duct 7. As a result, there are formed in the chamber 3 a lower part chamber 3A between the air lid 20 and the operating site 16, and an upper part chamber 3B between the air lid and the working opening 5. The fumes 20 from the operating site 16 will be effectively retained within the lower part chamber 3A and discharged through the exhaust duct 7.

As mentioned above, the holes 10-13 are slightly inclined, which makes thicker the air lid formed by the laminar flows 10'-13'. In this embodiment of the inven- tion, the distance A indicated in Fig. 3, i.e. the height of the circumferential band within which the holes 10-13 are located, roughly equals the diameter B of the exhaust duct 7. However, other ratios between A and B are perfectly conceivable.

The panel 14, which projects as the segment of a circle at the working opening 5, further improves the fume-removing capacity of the device 1. As indicated in Fig. 5 by a dashed, U-shaped arrow 22, an air flow entering from outside through the working opening 5 will not be able to turn and leave the chamber 3 directly, thus producing turbulence in the chamber with the ensuing leakage of fumes. The panel 14 effectively prevents any formation of turbulence without, however, preventing the instrument 17 from being inserted through the working opening 5, or obstructing the view through this opening. Finally, a dashed arrow 23 in Fig. 5 illustrates how the air flow entering the working opening 5 is also inter¬ cepted by the laminar air flows 10'-13' to be directly discharged from the chamber.

In the foregoing, the design and the mode of opera¬ tion of the inventive device have been illustrated by means of an embodiment. However, it goes without saying that a plurality of modifications are conceivable within the scope of the appended claims.

Thus, air passages 10-13 other than through holes in a circumferential wall may be provided. A possible option is to arrange a corresponding number of narrow tubes whose one end opens adjacent to the working opening within the chamber to take air therefrom, and whose other end opens at a position corresponding to a position of a hole 10-13 shown in Figs 1-5. Furthermore, the separate air passages may be formed otherwise, e.g. as slots. There may also be a single air passage in the form of an elongate slot.

Claims

1. A device (1) for use in the discharge of fumes (20) from an operating site (16), e.g. in laser surgery, comprising a chamber (3) which is defined by a body (2) and has a bottom opening (4) to be placed over the operating site (16) for conducting fumes (20) emitted therefrom into the chamber (3), and a working opening (5) substantially opposite to the bottom opening (4) for providing access to the operating site (16) through the chamber (3) and the bottom opening (4), and an exhaust duct (7) having a first end (8) opening in the vicinity of the chamber (3), and a second end (9) adapted to be connected to a negative pressure for sucking off fumes (20) conducted into the chamber (3), c h a r a c t e ¬ r i s e d by one or more air passages (10-13) extending from the outside of said body (2) and separate from the bottom and working openings (4, 5), said air passages (10-13) and said first end (8) of the exhaust duct (7) opening in the chamber (3) between the bottom opening (4) and the working opening (5) at two opposite sides of the chamber (3).

2. Device as claimed in claim 1, c h a r a c t e - r i s e d by a plurality of separate air passages (10-13) which, as a row of substantially evenly distributed sepa¬ rate inlet openings, open in the chamber (3), said row being extended, at least circumferentially, relative to a centre line passing through the chamber (3) and inter- connecting; the bottom opening (4) and the working opening (5).

3. Device as claimed in claim 2, c h a r a c t e ¬ r i s e d in that the row of inlet openings (10-13) is inclined in such a manner that a first end thereof is offset towards the bottom opening (4), and a second end thereof is offset towards the working opening (5).

4. Device as claimed in claim 3, c h a r a c t e ¬ r i s e d in that the degree of inclination of said row of inlet openings (10-13) is such that the distance (A) between said first and said second end of the row, as measured parallel to said centre line, approximately equals the extent (B) of the first exhaust-duct end (8) opening in the chamber (3), as measured parallel to said centre line.

5. Device as claimed in any one of claims 1-4, c h a r a c t e r i s e d by a panel (14) which is integrated with the body (2) and projects therefrom at the side of the chamber (3) where said first end (8) of the exhaust duct (7) opens, said panel covering, at this side of the chamber (3), a limited part of the cross-sectional area thereof.

6. Device as claimed in claim 5, c h a r a c t e ¬ r i s e d in that the panel (14) is located near to the working opening (5).

7. Device as claimed in any one of claims 1-6, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the body (2), for defining the chamber (3) and the bottom and working openings (4, 5) thereof, comprises a tubular body open at both ends.

8. Device as claimed in claim 7, c h a r a c t e - r i s e d in that said one or more air passages (10-13) consist of a corresponding number of through holes (10-13) in the circumferential wall (2) of said tubular body.

9. Device as claimed in any one of claims 1-8, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the body (2), for defining the exhaust duct (7), further comprises a pipe socket or connection nipple (6) integrated with said body (2) and projecting from the outside thereof.

10. Device as claimed in any one of claims 1-9, c h a r a c t e r i s e d by a sealing means, e.g. a silicone ring, which is carried by the body (2) and provided at the bottom opening (5) of the chamber (3) to serve as a seal between said body and the operating site (16), when the device (1) is being used.