Exhaust system for laser surgery
OwnerJuan N. Martin, John K. Martininventors
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Abstract
In order to render harmless the aerosol laden smoke stream which results from the operation of medical lasers in or on mammalian bodies, the stream is moved in a closed circuit maintained at negative pressure. The circuit includes a container of sterilizing fluid to retain and destroy the larger aerosol particles and downstream of that container a chamber having an oxygen enriched atmosphere which is heated to a temperature sufficient to incinerate the remaining aerosol particles which are too small to filter. The thus purified stream is then cooled and released to ambient.
Claims3
Apparatus for treating an aerosol laden smoke stream generated during laser surgery to render it harmless for release to the ambient comprising:
- (a) a closed, fluid tight circuit having an inlet and outlet;
- (b) means for maintaining said circuit under negative pressure;
- (c) said circuit including between said inlet and outlet the following elements serially connected in the order named:
- a container at least partially filled with a sterilizing fluid, to retain and destroy the larger aerosol particles;
- a heating chamber having means maintaining said chamber at a temperature sufficient to incinerate smaller unfilterable aerosol particles which pass through said container;
- means for oxygen enrichment of the atmosphere in said chamber;
- heat exchange means for cooling the stream exiting from said chamber;
- and
- means for releasing the thus treated stream to ambient.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.