Medical instrument with automatic shut-off valve
OwnerCharles N. Burns, Sr., James J. Lennox +1inventors
InventorsCharles N. Burns, Sr., James J. Lennox, Clifford R. Mirman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A medical instrument such as an endoscopic or laparoscopic instrument comprising a tubular sheath assembly through which a variety of surgical tools may be axially inserted to perform desired medical procedures. The sheath assembly includes a cylindrical barrel having an irrigation fluid passageway and valve means associated with the passageway for automatically opening and closing the passageway in response to the insertion and removal of a tool from the sheath.
Claims17
A medical instrument comprising:
- a sheath assembly including:
- an elongated tubular sheath having an outer end adapted to be inserted into the body of a patient and an inner end;
- a barrel connected to said inner end of said tubular sheath and having a cylindrical bore aligned on the longitudinal axis of said tubular sheath, said barrel having a passageway through which irrigation fluid in introduced into said cylindrical bore;
- and
- a medical tool axially insertable into and removable from said barrel and said tubular sheath of said sheath assembly;
- and
- valve means associated with said barrel of said sheath assembly for automatically opening and closing said passageway in response to actuation by said medical tool as said medical tool is inserted into and removed from said barrel and said sheath, whereby fluid flow through said passageway is stopped automatically as said medical tool is removed from said sheath and said barrel.
A medical sheath assembly including a tubular sheath having an outer end adapted to be inserted into the body of a patient and an inner end;
- a barrel connected to said inner end of said tubular sheath and having a cylindrical bore aligned on the longitudinal axis of said tubular sheath, said barrel having a passageway through which irrigation fluid is introduced into said cylindrical bore;
- and
- valve means associated with said barrel and movable between a normally closed position and an open position for automatically opening and closing said passageway in response to axial insertion and removal of a medical tool from said barrel and said tubular sheath, said valve means being positioned in said normally closed position so that no fluid flows through said passageway when the medical tool is absent from said barrel and said sheath.
A medical instrument comprising:
- a tubular device having:
- a barrel section;
- an elongated tubular sheath section extending outwardly from said barrel section and adapted to be inserted into the body of a patient;
- and
- a bore extending axially through said barrel section and said sheath section, said barrel section having a passageway through which irrigation fluid is introduced into said bore;
- and
- a medical tool axially insertable into and removable from said bore of said tubular device;
- and
- valve means associated with said barrel section of said tubular device for automatically opening and closing said passageway in response to actuation by said medical tool as said medical tool is axially inserted and removed from said bore, whereby fluid flow through said passageway is stopped automatically as said tool is removed from said bore.
A medical sheath device comprising:
- a barrel section;
- an elongated tubular sheath section extending outwardly from said barrel section and adapted to be inserted into the body of a patient;
- a bore extending axially through said barrel section and said sheath section, said barrel section having a passageway through which irrigation fluid is introduced into said bore;
- and
- valve means associated with said barrel section and movable between a normally closed position and an open position for automatically opening and closing said passageway in response to axial insertion and removal of a medical tool from said bore, said valve means being positioned in said normally closed position so that no fluid flows through said passageway when the medical tool is absent from said bore.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.