Irrigation-aspiration apparatus

A suction pump unit adapted to be arranged on an aspirating tube and between a waste bag and a handpiece in a cataract surgery apparatus, said suction pump unit comprising:

• a support rotatable about an axis;
• a plurality of rollers arranged on said support at constant angular intervals, each of said rollers being spaced from said axis by a same distance;
• a tube receptacle having an arcuate surface and a tube holding surface adjacent said arcuate surface;
• and
• a block adapted to be spaced from said tube holding surface by a first distance smaller than an outer diameter of an aspirating tube so as to flatten a portion of the aspirating tube while securing an aspirating path through the flattened portion of the aspirating tube to allow liquefied residue to be sucked through the flattened portion during an operation of said suction pump unit, said block arranged at a position near a point where each of said rollers and said tube receptacle are adapted to start compressing the aspirating tube to collapse so as to narrow an aspirating path in the aspirating tube as a liquefied residue is sucked through the aspirating tube by operation of said suction pump unit;
• and
• wherein said block is disposed near said rollers so that said block contacts with each of said rollers as said rollers rotate pass said block.

An irrigation-aspiration apparatus for use in eye surgery which sucks in supplied irrigating fluid together with a residue in an eye undergoing surgery, the irrigating fluid together with the residue defined as a liquefied residue, said aspirating apparatus comprising:

• a flexible aspirating tube through which the liquefied residue is sucked;
• a peristaltic pump which has a plurality of rollers and a tube receptacle and which sucks in the liquefied residue in the eye by generating aspirating pressure in said aspirating tube by rotating said rollers to compress said aspirating tube to collapse against said tube receptacle as said rollers rotate;
• flattening means for flattening a portion of said aspirating tube while securing an aspirating path through said flattened portion in said aspirating tube to allow the liquefied residue to be sucked through said flattened portion during operation of said peristaltic pump, said flattening means disposed near a point where each of said rollers and said tube receptacle start compressing said aspirating tube to collapse;
• wherein said flattening means comprises a flattening block and a part of said tube receptacle, and wherein said flattening block is provided in a face-to-face relationship with said tube receptacle;
• and
• said irrigation-aspiration apparatus further comprising means for moving said tube receptacle to a predetermined position and fixing said tube receptacle at said predetermined position so as to compress said aspirating tube to collapse by engagement with said rollers during operation of said peristaltic pump and so as to flatten the portion of said aspirating tube with said flattening block.

An irrigation-aspiration apparatus for use in eye surgery which sucks in supplied irrigating fluid together with a residue in an eye undergoing surgery, the irrigating fluid together with the residue defined as a liquefied residue, said aspirating apparatus comprising:

• a flexible aspirating tube through which the liquefied residue is sucked;
• a peristaltic pump which has a plurality of rollers and a tube receptacle and which sucks in the liquefied residue in the eye by generating aspirating pressure in said aspirating tube by rotating said rollers to compress said aspirating tube to collapse against said tube receptacle as said rollers rotate;
• flattening means for flattening a portion of said aspirating tube while securing an aspirating path through said flattened portion in said aspirating tube to allow the liquefied residue to be sucked through said flattened portion during operation of said peristaltic pump, said flattening means disposed near a point where each of said rollers and said tube receptacle start compressing said aspirating tube to collapse;
• wherein said peristaltic pump has a support rotatable about a shaft, and wherein each of said rollers is arranged on said support at a constant angular interval and spaced from a center of said shaft by a same distance;
• and
• wherein said flattening means is disposed near said rollers so that said flattening means contacts an outer locus of each of said rollers rotating about said shaft as said rollers rotate during operation of said peristaltic pump.

An irrigation-aspiration apparatus for use in eye surgery which sucks in supplied irrigating fluid together with a residue in an eye undergoing surgery, the irrigating fluid together with the residue defined as a liquefied residue, said aspirating apparatus comprising:

• a flexible aspirating tube through which the liquefied residue is sucked;
• a peristaltic pump which has a plurality of rollers and a tube receptacle and which sucks in the liquefied residue in the eye by generating aspirating pressure in said aspirating tube by rotating said rollers to compress said aspirating tube to collapse against said tube receptacle as said rollers rotate;
• flattening means for flattening a portion of said aspirating tube while securing an aspirating path through said flattened portion in said aspirating tube to allow the liquefied residue to be sucked through said flattened portion during operation of said peristaltic pump, said flattening means disposed near a point where each of said rollers and said tube receptacle start compressing said aspirating tube to collapse;
• and
• wherein said flattening means is disposed near said rollers so that said flattening means contacts each of said rollers as said rollers rotate during operation of said peristaltic pump.