Lens cleaning means for invasive viewing medical instruments with anti-contamination means

Apparatus for cleansing the lens of a viewing camera used in biological observation by penetration into the cavity of living beings, the camera having an elongated tube housing fibre optics for producing a lighted area from a light source and a image relay for a television camera the improvement comprising:

• a double walled tubular member concentrically mounted around said elongated tube and including a longitudinal passageway defined between the inner wall and outer wall of said double walled tubular member,
• a lens extending laterally in said elongated tube disposed at the distal end to prevent the backflow of blood, body fluids and contaminants from reaching said fiber optics and said camera,
• a cuff portion extending beyond the distal end of said elongated tube to reduce lens contact with body parts to inhibit opaque fluids from obscuring visibility, said cuff portion including fluid passage means in fluid communication with said longitudinal passageway and defining at least one discharge port at the end of said elongated tube, said cuff portion including a bottom wall surface to redirecting the flow of fluid in said passage means to flow into said discharge port and flow laterally in a direction to scrub the surface of the lens mounted at the distal end of said elongated tube,
• said discharge port being sized to coalesce and direct the flow of fluid to form a sheet of fluid,
• means for admitting fluid into said elongated passage whereby the flow of fluid formed into a sheet is directed over the lens on demand of the operator;
• and
• bag means attached to the proximal end of said elongated tubular member to encapsulate said camera and fiber optics,
• means for generating a vortex of said fluid disposed at the end of said discharge port,
• said means for generating a vortex including a plurality of spaced vanes circumferentially spaced about an axis that is disposed coaxially relative to the longitudinal axis of said lens, and,
• cap means having an upper member and a lower member being in rotatable relationship, said lower member being affixed to the proximal end of said tubular member, a cam member having radially extending lobes and having a central passage adapted to fit over the proximal end of said elongated tube supported internally of said upper member, said lower member having a central opening in cooperating relationship relative to said cam and having detentes for receiving said lobes, said upper member and said lower member defining handle means so that engagement by an operator causes said upper member to rotate relative to said lower member for placing said lobes into said detentes for locking said elongated tube to said tubular member.