Multimodal surgical gas delivery system configured to maintain stable body cavity pressure when suction is used in the body cavity

A system for delivering insufflation gas to a body cavity of a patient during a surgical procedure, comprising:

• a) an insufflator for receiving a supply of insufflation gas from a gas source by way of a pressure regulator and for delivering insufflation gas to the body cavity of the patient at a predetermined flow rate through a flow path that communicates with a first trocar, and wherein a control valve and a recirculation pump are provided to establish a stable pneumoperitoneum in the body cavity, wherein a supply conduit communicates with an output of the recirculation pump for delivering pressurized gas to the body cavity by way of a second trocar and a return conduit communicates with an input of the recirculation pump for returning gas to the recirculation pump from the body cavity by way of a third trocar;
• b) a suction device connected to a vacuum pump for removing solids, liquids and gases from the body cavity during the surgical procedure, wherein gas is removed from the body cavity by the suction device at a higher flow rate than the predetermined flow rate at which insufflation gas is delivered to the body cavity by the insufflator, causing the pneumoperitoneum in the body cavity to become unstable;
• c) a suction conduit outside of the flow path, the supply conduit and the return conduit, providing communication between the vacuum pump and the suction device;
• d) a flow meter communicating with the suction conduit for measuring an amount of gas flowing through the suction conduit that has been removed from the body cavity by use of the suction device;
• and
• e) a controller operatively connected to the flow meter for receiving a flow measurement from the flow meter to determine when the suction device is in use and an amount of insufflation gas needed to be delivered to the body cavity by the insufflator through the first trocar to compensate for the amount of gas that has been removed from the body cavity by use of the suction device,
• wherein the controller is adapted and configured to communicate with the insufflator, the control valve and the recirculation pump to adjust an amount of gas circulating through the system by way of the second and third trocars so as to maintain the stability of the pneumoperitoneum within the body cavity when the suction device is used during the surgical procedure, and
• wherein the suction device is operatively connected to the insufflator by way of the controller so that when use of the suction device is stopped, the controller causes the insufflator to immediately return to delivering insufflation gas to the body cavity through the first trocar at the predetermined flow rate to prevent overpressure conditions and pressure spikes in the body cavity.