Vacuum surge suppressor for surgical aspiration systems

A vacuum surge suppressor, for a surgical aspiration system that includes a surgical instrument and a vacuum pump, the vacuum surge suppressor comprising:

• a first fluid path for coupling to the surgical instrument;
• a filter attached to the first fluid path, the filter defining a filter longitudinal axis that is oriented vertically with respect to gravity so that a downstream direction at the filter is upwards;
• a flow restrictor coupled to the filter, the flow restrictor comprising an orifice defining a fixed orifice inner diameter in the range 0.005 to 0.025 inches and a fixed orifice length in the range 1 to 2 inches, the filter being disposed upstream of the flow restrictor;
• a second fluid path for coupling to the vacuum pump, the second fluid path connected to the flow restrictor and disposed downstream of the flow restrictor, the second fluid path defining a path internal pressure;
• a third fluid path coupled to the filter and connected to the second fluid path, bypassing the flow restrictor;
• and
• a valve in the third fluid path that obstructs flow in the third fluid path in response to the path internal pressure.