# US 10,369,267 B2 · Surgical fluid management system

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- Number: US 10,369,267 B2
- Document ID: US10369267B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/053,375
- Filed: 2016-02-25
- Published: 2016-06-16
- Granted: 2019-08-06
- Earliest claimed: 2008-08-22
- Assignees: Medtronic Xomed, Inc.
- Applicants: Medtronic Xomed, Inc.
- Inventors: Gerould W. Norman; Charles F. Scott Carpenter; Michael L. Koltz; Stephen R. Viviano
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10369267B2

## CPC

- A61M 1/77: {Suction-irrigation systems (aspiration tips supplying fluids A61M1/85; specific for negative pressure wound therapy A61M1/92; combined with tracheal tubes A61M16/0463)}
- A61B 17/32: Surgical cutting instruments ({A61B18/042 takes precedence; suture cutters A61B17/0467;} implements for ligaturing and cutting {A61B17/122, A61B17/12; instruments for rupturing the amniotic membrane A61B17/4208; specially adapted knives for eye surgery A61F9/0133})
- A61M 3/0202: {with electronic control means or interfaces}
- A61M 3/0208: {before use}
- A61M 3/022: {Volume; Flow rate}
- A61M 3/0258: {by means of electric pumps}
- A61B 17/32002: {with continuously rotating, oscillating or reciprocating cutting instruments}
- A61B 2017/00199: {with a console, e.g. a control panel with a display}
- A61B 2017/00212: {using remote controls}
- A61B 2017/00225: {Systems for controlling multiple different instruments, e.g. microsurgical systems}
- A61M 1/772: {operating alternately}
- A61M 2205/3334: Measuring or controlling the flow rate
- A61M 2205/3569: sublocal, e.g. between console and disposable
- A61M 2205/3592: using telemetric means, e.g. radio or optical transmission
- A61M 2205/502: User interfaces, e.g. screens or keyboards
- A61M 2205/505: Touch-screens; Virtual keyboard or keypads; Virtual buttons; Soft keys; Mouse touches
- A61M: DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY (introducing media into or onto the bodies of animals A61D7/00; means for inserting tampons A61F13/26; devices for administering food or medicines orally A61J; containers for collecting, storing or administering blood or medical fluids A61J1/05); DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY (surgery A61B; chemical aspects of surgical articles A61L); DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR {(Electrotherapy, e.g. producing anaesthesia by the use of alternating or intermittent currents A61N1/36021)}
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)

## Abstract

A surgical fluid manager includes a pump releasably engageable to tubing and a user interface. The user interface is configured to enable finger-touch selection of a fluid flow rate through the tubing and configured to operate in at least one of a first mode or a second mode. In the first mode, the flow rate is controlled via direct selection of one of a plurality of selectable digital numeric values, while in the second mode the flow rate is controlled via user selection of one alphanumeric identifier within a scale of alphanumeric identifiers. Each respective alphanumeric identifier directly corresponds to just one instrument size within a scale of instrument sizes.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of performing surgery comprising:
locating both a first surgical instrument and a remote control of a fluid manager within a sterile field while locating a peristaltic pump external to the sterile field;
selecting as an independent variable, via the remote control, a first fluid flow rate as a digital numeric value; and
performing a surgical procedure using the first surgical instrument, including directing the irrigation fluid through tubing, via the peristaltic pump at the first fluid flow rate, and through the irrigation conduit of the first surgical instrument onto the treatment site.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 comprising:
arranging the fluid manager to receive user selection of an increase or a decrease in the selected first fluid flow rate by a numeric value via discrete intervals of at least one order of magnitude less than the order of magnitude of the selected first fluid flow rate.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 comprising:
changing the selected first fluid flow rate via discrete intervals in correspondence with performing a surgical procedure using at least one of successively larger surgical instruments or successively smaller surgical instruments throughout the procedure.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 comprising:
arranging the first surgical instrument to include at least one of:
a suction conduit independent and separate from the irrigation conduit; or
a cutting element.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, comprising:
selectively terminating a flow of the irrigation fluid through the irrigation conduit, including temporarily reversing a direction of the fluid flow.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein temporarily reversing the direction of the fluid flow comprises:
decreasing dampening, at a location between the pump and the irrigation conduit of the surgical instrument, to enable faster fluid flow response.

### Claim 7

A method comprising:
locating both a first surgical instrument and a remote control of a fluid manager within a sterile field while locating a pump external to the sterile field;
selecting as an independent variable, via the remote control, a first fluid flow rate as a digital numeric value;
performing a surgical procedure using the first surgical instrument, including directing an irrigation fluid through tubing, via the pump at the first fluid flow rate, and through an irrigation conduit of the first surgical instrument onto the treatment site;
providing a plurality of selectable surgical instruments which range in cross-sectional size according to a scale defined by a discrete interval between successive sizes within the range of cross-sectional sizes, wherein the plurality of instruments include at least the first surgical instrument and a differently sized, second surgical instrument;
providing a plurality of selectable fluid flow rates, including at least the first fluid flow rate and a second fluid flow rate, represented by a plurality of alphanumeric identifiers wherein each respective fluid flow rate is calibrated to directly correspond to the cross-sectional size of one of the respective selectable surgical instruments; and
selecting one of the respective fluid flow rates, via the remote control within the sterile field, by selecting one of the alphanumeric identifiers corresponding to the cross-sectional size of the second surgical instrument.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, comprising:
replacing the first surgical instrument with the second surgical instrument; and
resuming the procedure using the second surgical instrument, including directing the irrigation fluid via the pump at the second fluid flow rate through the tubing and through the irrigation conduit of the second surgical instrument.

### Claim 9

A method comprising:
locating both a first surgical instrument and a remote control of a fluid manager within a sterile field while locating a pump external to the sterile field;
selecting as an independent variable, via the remote control, a first flow rate as a digital numeric value; and
performing a surgical procedure using the first surgical instrument, including directing the irrigation fluid through tubing, via the pump at the first fluid flow rate, and through the irrigation conduit of the first surgical instrument onto the treatment site; and
implementing the selected first fluid flow rate as an average flow rate via a series of pulses in which each individual pulse directs the irrigation fluid at a second fluid flow rate substantially greater than the average flow rate and wherein the respective pulses are separated from each other by no-flow intervals in which no fluid exits the irrigation conduit onto the treatment site.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, comprising:
performing suction at the treatment site during the no-flow intervals.

### Claim 11

A method comprising:
locating both a first surgical instrument and a remote control of a fluid manager within a sterile field while locating a pump external to the sterile field;
selecting as an independent variable, via the remote control, a first fluid flow rate as a digital numeric value;
performing a surgical procedure using the first surgical instrument, including directing the irrigation fluid through the tubing, via the pump at the first fluid flow rate, and through the irrigation conduit of the first surgical instrument onto the treatment site; and
arranging the fluid manager to enable electronic finger-touch selection of a fluid flow rate through the tubing and through the first surgical instrument, including configuring an user interface configured to operate convertibly between a first mode in which the selectable fluid flow rate, including the first fluid flow rate, is controllable via user selection of one of a plurality of selectable digital numeric values and a second mode in which the flow rate is controllable via user selection of one alphanumeric identifier within a scale of alphanumeric identifiers wherein each respective alphanumeric identifier directly corresponds to just one instrument size within a scale of instrument sizes.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, comprising:
arranging the user interface to include the remote control and a console positionable external to the sterile field and supporting the pump;
arranging the remote control to be in communication with the console and positionable within the sterile field, wherein the remote control is separate from and independent of the surgical instrument; and
arranging both the console and the remote control to provide the electronic finger-touch selection of the selectable fluid flow rate via one of the respective first and second modes.