Fluid recovery system
AssigneeAtrium Medical Corporation
InventorsTheodore Karwoski, Steve A. Herweck, David Cross
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fluid collection vessel for drainage of body fluids includes a molded body with internal dividers constituting ports, baffles and subchambers, and a face plate that closes the body to form a suction-regulated multi-chamber vessel. The vessel has overpressure and underpressure protection, and cannot lose its fluid when tipped. The molded body incorporates novel valves and ports, and a wall structure enhances its utility for blood collection and monitoring. Dynamic fluid level is stabilized by diversion of fluid energy into a side chamber in the downstream region of the manometer column.
Claims23
A drain vessel comprising a collection chamber for collection of fluid and a manometer chamber or establishing a defined level of suction to be applied to the collection chamber, wherein the manometer chamber comprises a generally U-shaped water column having an air-communicating arm and a suction-attached arm which are connected at their lower ends and have their upper ends communicating with surrounding air and attached to a source of suction, respectively, so that air is drawn continuously through said arms to the source of suction, bubbling upward in the suction-attached arm, wherein the suction-attached arm comprises means for preventing fluid hunting, including a vertical column extending upwardly to a height greater than a selected suction level and a side chamber located adjacent an upper region of said vertical column, a baffle plate partially separating said vertical column and said side chamber such that water rising in said vertical column flowing over the baffle plate into said side-chamber passes downwardly through said side chamber and is directed to re-enter said vertical column through an opening of the baffle plate and means for initiating and maintaining cyclic flow such that fluid cycling through said side chamber prevents fluid level hunting in said vertical column.
A drain vessel comprising a collection chamber for collection of fluid and a manometer chamber for establishing a defined level of suction to be applied to the collection chamber, wherein the manometer chamber comprises a generally U-shaped water column having an air-communicating arm and a suction-attached arm which arc connected at their lower ends and have their upper ends communicating with surrounding air and attached to a source of suction, respectively, so that air is drawn continuously through said arms to the source of suction, bubbling upward in the suction-attached arm, wherein the suction-attached arm includes a vertical column extending upwardly to a height greater than a selected suction level, and a side chamber located adjacent an upper region of said vertical column, a baffle plate partially separating said vertical column and said side chamber such that water rising in said vertical column flows over the baffle plate into said side chamber and downwardly through said side chamber to re-enter said vertical column through an opening of the baffle plate, such that fluid cycling through said side chamber prevents fluid level hunting in said vertical column, the drain vessel comprising a molded body portion having the overall shape of an open box, and a face plate closing the box, the molded body portion further including divider plates integrally molded therewith and extending to the face plate to divide the box into subchambers constituting the manometer chamber and the collection chambers wherein a transverse opening in a divider plate allows fluid communication between subchambers,
- wherein said side has a side wall sloping down toward the opening, whereby water descending in the side chamber is deflected the opening to sustain a cyclic flow of fluid.
A drain vessel comprising a collection chamber for collection of fluid and a manometer chamber for establishing a defined level of suction to be applied to the collection chamber, wherein the manometer chamber comprises a generally U-shaped water column having an air-communicating arm and a suction-attached arm which are connected at their lower ends and have their upper ends communicating with surrounding air and attached to a source of suction, respectively, so that air is drawn continuously through said arms to the source of suction, bubbling upward in the suction-attached arm, wherein the suction-attached arm includes means for preventing fluid hunting in said suction-attached arm, said means comprising a vertical column extending upwardly to a height greater than a selected suction level, and a side chamber located adjacent an upper region of said column and means for initiating and maintaining cyclic flow for converting motion of fluid rising in said column to motion of fluid moving in opposite directions in said column and the side chamber to stabilize fluid level and produce a uniform level of suction in the manometer chamber.
A drain vessel comprising a collection chamber for collection of fluid and a manometer chamber the establishing a defined level of suction to be applied to the collection chamber, and a water seal chamber interposed between the manometer chamber and the collection chamber for isolating the collection chamber from backflow of air, wherein the manometer chamber comprises a generally U-shaped water column having an air-communicating arm and a suction-attached arm which are connected at their lower ends and have their upper ends communicating with surrounding air and attached to a source of suction, respectively, so that air is drawn continuously through said arms to the source of suction, bubbling upward in the suction-attached arm, wherein the suction-attached arm includes a vertical column extending upwardly to a height greater than a selected suction level, and a side chamber located adjacent an upper region of said vertical column, a baffle plate partially separating said vertical column and said side chamber such that water rising in said vertical column flows over the baffle plate into said side chamber and downwardly through said side chamber to re-enter said vertical column through an opening of the baffle plate, such that fluid cycling through said side chamber prevents fluid level hunting in said vertical column, and comprising a molded body portion having the overall shape of an open box, and a face plate closing the box, the molded body portion further including divider plates integrally molded therewith and extending to the plate to divide the box into subchambers constituting the manometer chamber and the collection chambers wherein a transverse opening in a divider plate allows fluid communication between subchambers, wherein the collection chamber comprises an inlet, a gravity pooling filter chamber below the inlet, and a fluids pooling region below the filter chamber, the fluids pooling region having a lower portion including a graduated vertical column for receiving an initial volume of fluid in a columnar body to provide a high height-to-volume resolution, and an acutely-sloping floor which funnels collected fluid into the graduated vertical column while providing a high run-to-volume resolution of a further volume of collected fluid.
A drain vessel comprising a collection chamber for collection of fluid and a manometer chamber for establishing a defined level of suction to be applied to the collection chamber, wherein the manometer chamber comprises a generally U-shaped water column having an air-communicating arm and a suction-attached arm which are connected at their lower ends and have their upper ends communicating with surrounding air and attached to a source of suction, respectively, so that air is drawn continuously through said arms to the source of suction, bubbling upward in the suction-attached arm, wherein the suction-attached arm includes a vertical column extending upwardly to a height greater than a selected suction level, and means for preventing fluid hunting in said suction-attached arm, said means including means for initiating and maintaining cyclic flow recirculating fluid through an upper region of said vertical column at a rule effective to prevent fluid level hunting in said vertical column.
A drain vessel for aspirating body fluids from a patient, such drain vessel including a molded body defining a plurality of vertically disposed adjacent intercommunicating chambers closed by a common face plate, said chambers including a U-shaped manometer column, a U-shaped water seal column and a fluid collection chamber, said U-shaped manometer column having on its downstream side a large arm portion connected to a suction source and through which air bubbles to maintain a set maximum level of suction, and said U-shaped water seal column having a large arm communicating at its top with the suction source and a small arm communicating at its top with the fluid collection chamber, the large and small arms of the water seal column joining in a sealing chamber at their bottom ends that receives a pool of fluid of approximately two centimeters depth when said drain vessel is upright to form an air barrier when said drain is oriented in an upright position for operation with both said arms extending vertically, said drain vessel further including means for standing the drain in an upright position from which it may be inadvertently knocked onto its back such that one arm of the water seal column slopes downwardly from said sealing chamber wherein said scaling chamber extends substantially the thickness of said drain vessel to form a chamber in which the pool of fluid is too shallow to escape over an edge of the sealing chamber whether the drain vessel is upright, or knocked over, and wherein one arm of the water seal column connects to said sealing chamber through a raised passage just below the plate at a height that prevents fluid passing into the upper portion of said one arm when the drain is knocked over on its back, and a portion of said manometer chamber large arm for containing a volume of suction control fluid occupies space above said scaling chamber when the drain vessel is upright, providing enhanced fluid containment in a compact vessel for water seal and manometer columns.
A drain vessel for aspirating body fluids from a patient, such drain vessel including a molded body having a depth and walls defining a plurality of vertically disposed adjacent intercommunicating chambers closed by a common face plate, said chambers including a U shaped manometer column, a U shaped water seal column and a fluid collection chamber, wherein said walls define a pooling chamber of the water seal column for containing a pool of water approximately two centimeters deep when said drain vessel is upright and said walls also define a chamber of the manometer column, both chambers being located in a common vertically extending region of said vessel, wherein the pooling chamber includes a receptacle extending for substantially the full depth of the vessel and communicating via a chimney having a small cross-section with the chamber of the manometer column, and the chamber of the manometer column extends for substantially the full depth of the vessel in a space above said receptacle, the chimney being located just below the face plate so that when the vessel lips backward the pool of water does not spill over an edge of said pooling chamber and cannot escape from said vessel via the chimney.
A drain vessel for collecting fluid from a patient, such vessel comprising a manometer section, a water seal section and a fluid collection section all disposed in an upright body, wherein the water seal section includes a first and a second column meeting in a pooling region that holds a pool of fluid approximately two centimeters deep when said drain vessel is upright forming a barrier to the passage of air between the columns, said pooling region being defined by a closed chamber joining said first column at a first port, and joining said second column at a second port, said closed chamber having a size and orientation such that at least said second port is at the bottom of the chamber and lies below the level of fluid in said chamber when the vessel is upright, and both said first and second ports are above the level of fluid in said chamber when the vessel is tipped over, so that the pool of fluid cannot escape by spilling over an edge of said closed chamber and passing through the either one of said ports, thereby preventing loss of fluid through either port when the vessel is tipped so that sealing is reestablished by righting the drain vessel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.