Fail-safe insufflators
AssigneeLexion Medical, LLC
InventorsDouglas E. Ott, Steven Williams, Nathaniel Tran
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fail-safe insufflation device having a thermal cutoff for interrupting power to an electrical heater to prevent overheating of insufflation gas wherein the thermal cutoff operates independent of a temperature control system to provide electrical shutdown of an electrical heater in response to a hostile temperature condition of the insufflation gas or a hostile temperature condition proximate the electrical heater.
Claims22
A gas conditioning trocar for preventing overheating of an insufflation gas therein comprising:
- a housing having an instrument port, a gas conditioning chamber and an inlet for receiving an unconditioned insufflation gas;
- a cannula;
- a gas conditioning media located in said trocar comprising a hydration member for on-the-go hydration of the unconditioned insufflation gas and an electrical heater for on-the-go heating of the unconditioned insufflation gas;
- a thermistor circuit responsive to a temperature of the insufflation gas flowing through said gas conditioning media;
- a control station responsive to the thermistor circuit for maintaining the temperature of the insufflation gas through delivery of more or less power to the electrical heater in response to a signal from the thermistor circuit to thereby maintain the insufflation gas in a thermally conditioned state;
- and
- a thermal cutoff located in series with said electrical heater, said thermal cutoff responsive to an excessive temperature at the electrical heater to mechanically interrupt power to the electrical heater to prevent overheating the insufflation gas in the trocar.
The method of maintaining the temperature of insufflation gas from overheating comprising:
- directing the insufflation gas into a chamber having an electrical heater;
- measuring the temperature of the insufflation gas with a temperature sensor;
- controlling the temperature of the insufflation gas based on the temperature at the temperature sensor with a temperature control station;
- and
- disabling the electrical heater in the event the controlling the temperature of the insufflation gas based on a temperature sensor signal fails to prevent overheating the insufflation gas.
A fail-safe insufflator device for use during a medical procedure comprising:
- a housing;
- a chamber located in said housing;
- a gas conditioning media located in said chamber;
- an electrical heater in the chamber for heating an insufflation gas by flowing the insufflation gas through the conditioning media before delivery of the insufflation gas to a body cavity of a patient;
- and
- a thermal cutoff proximate the electrical heater, said thermal cutoff interrupting power to the electrical heater to prevent the insufflation gas from becoming overheated.
An insufflation device for preventing overheating of an insufflation gas therein comprising:
- a housing having an instrument port, a gas conditioning chamber and an inlet for receiving an unconditioned insufflation gas;
- a gas conditioning media located in said housing comprising a hydration member for on-the-go hydration of the unconditioned insufflation gas and an elongated electrical heating strip having a heating element for on-the-go heating of the unconditioned insufflation gas, said electrical strip extending in a lengthwise wise direction along said heating strip;
- a thermistor circuit responsive to a temperature of the insufflation gas flowing through said gas conditioning media;
- a control station responsive to the thermistor circuit for maintaining the temperature of the insufflation gas through delivery of more or less power to the electrical heating strip in response to a signal from the thermistor circuit to thereby maintain the insufflation gas in a thermally conditioned state;
- and
- a thermal cutoff located in series with said heating element, said thermal cutoff responsive to a hostile temperature proximate the heating element to mechanically interrupt power to the electrical heater to prevent overheating the insufflation gas in the insufflation device.
An insufflation apparatus for use during a medical procedure comprising:
- a housing having a chamber;
- a gas conditioning media;
- an electrical heater in the chamber for heating an insufflation gas by flowing the insufflation gas through the conditioning media before delivery of the insufflation gas to a body cavity of a patient;
- and
- a thermal cutoff proximate the electrical heater, said thermal cutoff interrupting power to the electrical heater in response to a temperature condition.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.