AU599019B2 - Surgical drainer - Google Patents

Description

59 9019 COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1952 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

ITis documnent contains the mewndrn~ntS Mpade under Section 49 and is correct for Application Number: 5 S S S Lodged: Class Int, Class FEE STAMP TO VALUE OF 1, 1,ATTACHED AIL O FFI Complete SpecIfication-Lodged:, Acce pted: Published: Priority: 7' P4 Related Art: .Name of Applicant: Address of Applk,,ant: Actual Inventor: Adfdress (or Service: TO B3E COMPLETED BY APPLICANT Laclislav Stephan KARPISEK Phillip Anthony TREW both of 86 Woodfield Boulevarie, Oaringbah, Now South Wal~es, Australia.

Iiadislav Stpehan KARPJ2SEK Phillip Anthony TRF.W HALIIfAYS, Patent Attorneys, of 4l4 Ashley Street, Hornsby, New South Wales, 2077, Australia.

Complete Specification (or the invention entitled: SURGICALJ DRAINER.

Theo following steement sl afull doscription 0! hiiis Invention, includingj theo best method of performing it known to mne:- PAT~ 4 J oIrPI, 0 i M!, 27 This invention relates to apparatus to draw off fluid from a given location. One use for the apparatus is in the medical field where fluid needs to be drawn off from a wound. The operative element in the present invention is an elastic member which when distended provides an energy store and the energy is directed into the prcduction of a suction force.

The principal inventive aspect of the present invention is the provision of a container for the elastic member which will avoid the creation of pockets of trapped air in the S, container or the liquid within the container, as could occur 'with other forms of container, when the elastic member is distended by introducing pressurised air into the elastic member.

Broadly, the present invention can be said to provide a surgical drainer comprising a symmetrical hollow rigid body defined by a wall, primary access means which extends through the body wall to connect the interior of the body to atmosphere and which is intersected by the axis of symmetry of the body, secondary access means through the body wall to connect the interior of the body to atmosphere, said second la iS u I c;

C

access means passes through the body wall at least where the body wall is most remote from said primary access means, an external shoulder on the body around said primary access means, bag retaining means on said shoulder, an elastically stretchable bag having as neck part and a body part with said neck part coupled to said shoulder by resilient engagement of said neck part with said retaining means and with said body part disposed within said body, said bag body part having: an internal volume which is substantially negligible when the bag body part is in a collapsed condition and (ii) an ability to resilently expand when subjected to 4 internal pressure to contact substantially the whole of the interior surface of said rigid body wall.

Two presently preferred forms of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:- Ib Figs.la to le show in elevation a container in accordance with a first form of the invention and a method of using the container in its first or a second form in a liquid draining operation, Fig.2 is an elevation of a container in accordance with a second form of the invention, Fig.3 is a sectional plan on the section line 3-3 of Fig.2, and, Figs.4a to 4g show in elevation a third form of the container of the invention and a method of using the container in a liquid draining operation and a subsequent use sequence.

0 0 0o° In the drawings Fig.la shows a container 1 made of glass or I t rigid plastics material having a large volume interior and a narrow neck 2 opening into the interior of the container.

Mounted on the container there is a tube 3 which is a snap fit into a resilient clip 4 on the container so that the upper end of the tube 3 lies at about the same elevation as the open end of the neck 2. The lower end of the tube 3 is 20 in sealed engagement with a nipple 5 in communication with the interior of the container adjacent the bottom of the container. As will be understood the foregoing apparatus could be moulded as an integrally formed item with the tube 3 connected to the container 1 at intervals or by means of a membrane extending the length of the tube 3.

2 There is an elastically stretchable bag 6 with a neck engaged in an airtight manner around a lip 7 at the free end of the container neck 2. Referring to Fig.lb, the bag is distended by the introduction of pressurised air into the bag. As the bag expands the air in the container is displaced by the bag and it escapes through the tube 3.

Fig.lc shows the condition where the bag is fully expanded to the limits defined by the internal surfaces of the container 1 and a cap 8 is placed over the open end of the tube 3 to prevent the return of air which would allow the O bag to deflate. A cap 9 is placed over the top of the neck oo 2 of the container to seal off the interior of the expanded S° bag.

i Fig.ld shows the cap 8 replaced by the end of tubing leading to the source of liquid to be drained. The system is static in that the cap 9 on the container is sealing off the bag interior to prevent the escape of air from within the bag.

Fig.le shows that when the cap 9 is removed the system becomes dynamic and the elastic memory of the bag 6 will cause it to contract as the air previously trapped within the bag can now escape. The'result is a suction in the container below the contracting bag, the tube 3 and the tubing 10 with the result that liquid from the source to which the tubing 10 is connected will be drawn into the 3

LA

container below the bag 6. Suction can be stopped at any time before the container fills by re-applying the cap 9.

Fig.2 shows a second form of the invention wherein the tube 3 is formed integrally with the container 1 and there is a slit between the bore of the tube 3 and the interior of the container 1 in a common wall for the tube 3 and the container 1. This is seen clearly in Fig.3.

Fig.4a illustrates a third form of the container which has k0 oo two tubes 3, indicated 3a and 3b, and the tubes may be of o o10 the separate or integral forms described with reference to o Fig.la. In Fig.4a both tubes 3a and 3b are sealed off and oo°^ the bag 6 is deflated. The tube 3a is connected to a tubing 0 10 leading to the liquid source. In Fig.4b, the cap 9 is removed and the bag 6 is inflated and the air from within the container is exhausted from the tube 3b, which is unsealed for this purpose. With the tube 3b sealed and the tube 3a unsealed liquid will be drawn into the container through the tubing 10 and the tube 3a, see Fig.4c.

Fig.4d shows a bottle 11 connected through a tubing 32 to the tube 3b but isolated from the interior of the container 1 by means of the seal 13 at 'the top of the tube 3b and another seal 14. It is to be noted that the container 1 is almost filled with liquid.

4 Fig.4e shows how by temporarily sealing the tube 3a and unsealing at the locations 13 and 14 and by then re-inflating the bag 6 the contents of the container 1 can be discharged into the bottle 11. This can be achieved without the removal of the tubing 10 from the liquid source.

By re-applying the seals 13 and 14, after the filling of the bottle 11, the system will be again operative to remove liquid from the source once the seal on the tube 3a is removed.

o: 10 Fig.4f is illustrative of how a small sample of liquid being S drained can be taken without fears of contamination or more than a short interruption of the draining process. The process being the same as that for the filling of a bottle as shown in Fig.4e.

5

Claims (4)

1. A surgical drainer comprising a symmetrical hollow rigid body defined by a wall, primary access means which extends through the body wall to connect the interior of the body to atmosphere and which is intersected by the axis of symmetry of the body, secondary access means through the body wall to connect the interior of the body to atmosphere, said second access means passes through the body wall at least where the body wall is most remote from said primary access means, an external shoulder on the body around said i ,t primary access means, bag retaining means on said shoulder, an elastically stretchable bag having as neck part and a body part with said neck part coupled to said shoulder by resilient engagement of said neck part with said retaining means and with said body part disposed within said body, said bag body part having: an internal volume which is substantially negligible when the bag body part is in a collapsed condition and (ii) an ability to resilently expand when subjected to internal pressure to contact substantially the whole of the interior surface of said rigid body wall. -6- I. I llr ~i r r- i; r ri ;l__rcL

2. A surgical drainer as claimed in claim 1 wherein the body wall comprises a round tube portion, a circular substantially flat bottom portion and an annular top portion and the secondary access means is located on the intersection of said round tube portion with said bottom portion.

3. A surgical drainer as claimed in claim 2 wherein said second access means comprises at least one hole each with an associated spigot means external to the body wall.

4. A surgical drainer as claimed in claim 1 wherein the body wall compr:ses a round tube portion, a circular substantially flat bottom portion and an annular top 1 portion, and the secondary access means comprises at least I one slot through said round tube portion, each said slot extends from the intersection of said round tube portion with said bottom portion towards said annular top portion and each said slot has an associated passageway external to said round tube portion and each passageway terminates in a spigot means. A surgical drainer substantially as hereinbefor.- described with reference to the accompanying drawin's. f SJi Dated this 23rd day of March, 1990 L.S.KARPISEK P.A.TREW By their Patent Attorneys, HALLIDAYS. 7