Surgical smoke treatment system for polar and nonpolar gases
OwnerDavid Louis Kirschman, Gregory Carrollinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A surgical treatment system for contaminated air streams having particulate contamination, polar contamination and/or nonpolar contamination in the gas or vapor stream. A surgical smoke plume treatment system and method provide or define a multi-stage treatment process that mechanically filters the air stream, followed by nonpolar decontamination and then polar decontamination or treatment. The system may be used stand alone or incorporated and used with other surgical instruments or incorporated into an air handler adapted to decontaminate an air stream. A desiccant may optionally be used to remove water from the air stream.
Claims31
A surgical smoke filtration system for receiving and treating vapor, comprising:
- a filter;
- an activated carbon surface for adsorbtion of primarily nonpolar gases;
- and
- a metallic gas catalyst for oxidation of primarily polar volatile gases;
- wherein said filter, said activated carbon surface, and said metallic gas catalyst define an integrated filtration module;
- and
- said integrated filtration module further comprises a connector or connection means to attach said filtration system and an output or output means to allow for expulsion of treated surgical smoke.
An electrocautery and filtration system for cauterizing a surgical site associated with a patient and for treating vapor resulting therefrom, said electrocautery and filtration system comprising:
- an electrocautery instrument that generates the vapor during a surgical procedure;
- and
- a surgical smoke treatment system for receiving and treating said vapor, comprising:
- a filter;
- an activated carbon surface for adsorbtion of primarily nonpolar gases;
- and
- a metallic gas catalyst for oxidation of primarily polar volatile gases;
- wherein said filter, said activated carbon surface, and said metallic gas catalyst define an integrated filtration module;
- said integrated filtration module further comprises a connector or connection means to attach said electrocautery instrument and an output or output means to allow for expulsion of treated surgical smoke;
- wherein a passageway in said electrocautery instrument is defined by a tubular body and causes said vapor resulting from the cauterizing at the surgical site to be evacuated through said tubular body.
26-48. (canceled)
An electrocautery system for cauterizing a surgical site associated with a patient, said electrocautery system comprising:
- a tubular body having a passageway for evacuating vapor from the surgical site;
- said tubular body comprising an extension for cauterizing at the surgical site;
- said extension being conductive and adapted to be coupled to a power source for energizing said extension;
- said tubular body having an inlet end having said extension and an outlet end coupled to a vacuum source adapted to create a predetermined pressure in said passageway in order to evacuate vapor from said surgical site through said tubular body prior to, during or after use of said electrocautery system at the surgical site, said vapor comprising at least one of smoke, cauterizing vapor, gas, liquid or debris;
- wherein said passageway is defined by said tubular body and causes said vapor resulting from the cauterizing at the surgical site to be evacuated through said tubular body;
- and
- a surgical smoke treatment system for receiving evacuated vapor and for treating it, said surgical smoke treatment system comprising:
- a mechanical filter;
- an activated carbon surface for adsorbtion of primarily nonpolar gases;
- and
- a metallic gas catalyst for oxidation of primarily polar volatile gases;
- wherein said mechanical filter, activated carbon surface, and metallic gas catalyst define an integrated filtration module;
- said integrated filtration module further comprises a connector or connection means to attach to said electrocautery system and an output or output means to allow for expulsion of treated surgical vapor.
50-70. (canceled)
A surgical smoke treatment system comprising:
- a mechanical filter;
- an activated carbon surface for adsorbtion of primarily nonpolar gases;
- and
- a metallic gas catalyst for oxidation of primarily polar volatile gases;
- wherein said filter, carbon surface, and catalyst comprise an integrated filtration module;
- said module further comprising a connection means to attach a surgical smoke collection means, and an output means to allow for expulsion of treated surgical smoke.
72-81. (canceled)
A method for staged treatment of nonpolar and polar gases from surgical smoke comprising evacuation of surgical smoke from a surgical environment utilizing a collection means, directing surgical smoke to an enclosed filtration area, drying the surgical smoke via desiccant or condensation, absorption via activated carbon, and oxidation and/or reduction of polar gases via metallic catalyst.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.