Smoke reducing device for minimally invasive surgery
AssigneeMedtronic, Inc.
InventorRonald A. Williams
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A smoke reducing device for use in minimally invasive surgery includes a housing having an inlet opening from an outlet opening. The housing is sized to fit through a trocar opening that leads to a body cavity. A filter is positioned within the housing between the inlet and outlet openings. An air flow generator is located within the housing and is positioned to draw air in through the inlet opening, pulled through the filter, and exhausted through the outlet opening to draw any smoke created during minimally invasive surgery through the filter. The smoke reducing device may form part of an electrocautery device such that smoke created during minimally invasive surgery can be filtered internally of the body cavity.
Claims18
A smoke elimination device for use inside a body of a patient comprising:
- a housing having a hollow interior, an air inlet port and an air outlet port, the inlet and outlet ports being in fluid communication with the hollow interior, the inlet and outlet ports being positioned so that both the ports are received inside the body when the device is in the operative position;
- a first filter member positioned inside the hollow interior of the housing, intermediate the air inlet and outlet ports;
- and
- an air flow generator provided in the housing and adapted to draw air into the housing through the air inlet port, and force the air through the first filter member and the outlet port.
A method of reducing smoke inside a body during a surgical procedure comprising the steps of:
- creating at least one incision in the skin of the body;
- providing a smoke reduction device comprising:
- a housing having a hollow interior, an air inlet port and an air outlet port, the inlet and outlet ports being in fluid communication with the hollow interior, the inlet and outlet ports being positioned so that both the ports are received inside the body when the device is in the operative position;
- a first filter member positioned inside the hollow interior of the housing, intermediate the air inlet and outlet ports;
- and
- an air flow generator provided in the housing and adapted to draw air into the housing through the air inlet port, and force the air through the first filter member and the outlet port;
- inserting the housing through one of said at least one incisions, the housing being inserted a sufficient distance so that the inlet and outlet ports are both positioned inside the body;
- actuating the air flow generator so that air inside the body is drawn into the housing through the inlet port, through the filter member and exhausted from the housing through the outlet port.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.