Tip assembly for a medical/surgical irrigator, the tip assembly including a reservoir for holding a therapeutic agent and a pump for discharging the agent
AssigneeStryker Corporation
InventorsBruce Henniges, Richard F. Huyser
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A medical/surgical irrigator with a handpiece for discharging a lavage solution. There is reservoir in which a therapeutic agent is stored. The therapeutic agent can be selectively mixed with the lavage solution to form a blended solution. The mixing can be performed selectively so as to make it possible to sequentially apply the blended solution or a basic (lavage only) solution.
Claims18
A tip assembly for a medical/surgical irrigator, the irrigator having a discharge head with an open end from which a pump internal to the irrigator discharges a lavage solution and a suction line having an open end through which a suction is drawn, said tip assembly having:
- a first discharge tube that has opposed proximal and distal ends, the proximal end shaped for fitting to the open end of the irrigator discharge head to receive solution discharged out of the irrigator pump, the distal end having an opening through which the solution is applied to a target medical/surgical site;
- a suction tube attached to said first discharge tube, said suction tube having opposed proximal and distal ends, the suction tube proximal end being open and being shaped to be fitted to the open end of the irrigator suction line, the distal end having an opening through which suction drawn through the suction tube is applied to the target medical/surgical site, wherein said suction tube is attached to the first discharge tube so that, the fitting of the proximal end of said first discharge tube to the irrigator discharge head results in the fitting of said suction tube to the irrigator suction line;
- a coupling feature integral with said first discharge tube or said suction tube configured to cooperate with an complementary coupling feature integral with the irrigator so that, when the coupling features cooperate, the coupling features releasably hold said first discharge tube and said suction tube to the irrigator;
- and
- a reservoir attached to said first discharge tube or said suction tube configured to store a therapeutic agent, said reservoir including:
- an outlet directed to the target medical/surgical site;
- and a reservoir pump that is separate from the irrigator pump that is actuated independently of the irrigator pump, said reservoir pump being a manually operated pump that, when actuated, discharges therapeutic agent from said reservoir out of the reservoir outlet to the target medical/surgical site.
A tip assembly for a medical/surgical irrigator, the irrigator having a discharge head with an open end from which a pump internal to the irrigator discharges a lavage solution and a suction line having an open end through which a suction is drawn, said tip assembly having:
- a first discharge tube that has opposed proximal and distal ends, the proximal end shaped for fitting to the open end of the irrigator discharge head to receive solution discharged out of the irrigator pump, the distal end having an opening through which the solution is applied to a target medical/surgical site;
- a suction tube attached to said first discharge tube, said suction tube having opposed proximal and distal ends, the suction tube proximal end being open and being shaped to be fitted to the irrigator suction line, the distal end having an opening through which suction drawn through the suction tube is applied to the target medical/surgical site, wherein said suction tube is attached to the first discharge tube so that, the fitting of the proximal end of said first discharge tube to the irrigator discharge head results in the fitting of said suction tube to the irrigator suction line;
- and
- a pouch formed from flexible material that is attached to said first discharge tube or said suction tube so as to extend at least partially over at least one of said tubes, said pouch configured to store a therapeutic agent;
- and
- a second discharge tube that extends forward from said pouch that is in fluid communication with said pouch, said second discharge tube having at least one outlet opening adjacent the distal ends of said first discharge tube and said suction tube and being in fluid communication with said pouch so that the compression of said pouch results in the discharge of therapeutic agent through the second discharge tube toward the target medical/surgical site.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.