GB2146099A - Device for use in veterinary and medical instruments - Google Patents

Abstract

A device for veterinary and medical instruments such as endoscopes and bronchoscopes comprises a connection 24 to a pump continuously drawing a vacuum or taking a suction on the system with means for bypassing the suction in full or in part. In operation, suction through connection 24 draws on atmosphere through bore 23. When the latter as stopped by a finger 8, flow from atmosphere passes through bore 19, tube 17, to suction source 24 and also from the scope via passage 16. When both passages 23, 19, are stopped, full suction is drawn through bore 16. If a syringe 5, Fig. 4 (not shown), is fitted, valve 18 seals passage 16. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A system of valves and conduits for veterinary and medical instruments The present invention relates to valves and conduits and relates in particular to systems of valves and conduits useful in veterinary or medical instruments such as endoscopes or bronchoscopes.

The invention is particularly useful in those scopes of the above class whose conduit system is connected to a pump continuously drawing a vacuum or a suction on the system.

A A representation of the prior art over which the present invention is an improvement is disclosed and described in U.S. Patent No.

4,198,958 issued April 22, 1980, to Mikio Utsugi and U.S. Patent No. 3,958,566 issued May 25, 1976, to Hiroyuki Furihata, both assigned on the face of the patents to Olympus Optical Co. Ltd., Tokyo, Japan.

In the prior art unit disclosed in the '958 patent, a suction conduit 36 communicates with cylindrical member 14 and through openings 46 and 47 the suction is bypassed to the atmosphere. The unit applies either full suction to the distal end of an endoscope or a full bypass of suction to the atmosphere.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a novel system of valves and conduits useful in veterinary and medical instruments such as bronchoscopes and the like.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a conduit and valve system that affords the user the choice of applying full suction, partial suction or no suction to the distal end of an instrument without the need to interrupt the continuous drafting of suction.

It is a further feature and object of the invention to provide a movable conduit which acts as a valve to permit introduction of fluid such as by means of a syringe while maintaining a bypass of full suction to the atmosphere.

A still further feature is the provision of a method of providing full or partial suction to instruments of the class described.

A system of conduits and valves useful in the environment described above may comprise at least one conduit making a connection to a vacuum source taking full suction continuously from the system, a second conduit defining an exploratory shaft or channel, a plurality of fluid paths within the system for bypassing the suction and for directing the suction, in full or in part, from the system to the atmosphere, a first fluid path including an .orifice defining a primary bypass for applying full suction to the atmosphere and a second fluid path including a second orifice defining a secondary bypass for applying a portion of the suction to the atmosphere and a portion of the suction to the system, said second path including a third conduit terminating at one end at said second orifice and at the opposite end in a seal means, said third conduit being movable from a first position in which said second orifice is open to the atmosphere to a second position in which said third conduit seal means makes a fluid-tight connection with said shaft and said second orifice is thereby closed to said vacuum source while said suction draws continuously on the atmosphere through the primary bypass.

A method embracing certain features of the invention may comprise the steps of providing a first fluid path for applying full suction to the atmosphere, providing a second fluid path having greater resistance to fluid flow relative to said first path, and closing said first fluid path whereby said suction to the atmosphere is throttled or reduced and a portion of the suction is available within the instrument.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from an examination of the following specification when read in conjunction with the appending drawings, in which; Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of valve and conduit system of this invention; Fig. IA is a schematic of the primary bypass taking suction on the atmosphere; Fig. 2 is a similar longitudinal section showing the primary bypass closed and the secondary bypass open to atmosphere; Fig. 2A is the corresponding schematic showing partial suction on the instrument shaft and partial suction on the atmosphere; Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing the primary and secondary bypasses closed; Fig. 3A is a corresponding schematic showing full suction on the instrument shaft; Fig. 4 is a sectional view showing a syringe inserted into the system;; Fig. 4A shows a schematic of fluid flowing into the shaft and the suction bypassed to atmosphere; Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section with an elongated medical probe or forceps inserted into the system; Fig. 5A shows the corresponding schematic with full suction drawing on the atmosphere through the primary bypass; Fig. 6 is similar to Fig. 5 but with the primary bypass closed and full suction drawing on the shaft around the exterior of a biopsy unit or forceps; and Fig. 6A shows the corresponding schematic.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, in particular Figs. 1, 1A, 2 and 2A, the reference numeral 10 indicates a portion of the housing-handle portion of the instrument receiving a sleeve 11 in turn making a fluidtight connection with a barrel 12 which threadedly engages a cap 13.

The sleeve 11 is connected to a flexible exploratory shaft 14 having a bore 16 providing a housing for a biopsy forcep, a conduit for fluid transmission, and access for other instrumentalities in well-known fashion.

The cap 13 carries a movable hollow tube 17 which terminates at one end in a seal means 18 and at the opposite end in an orifice 19.

The tube 17 is retained in the position shown in Fig. 1 by a coil spring 21 and is movable to the left as viewed in Fig. 1 against the resistance of the spring 21 so that the seal means 18 makes a fluid-tight connection with the interior of the sleeve 11 as at 22 in a manner and for a purpose that will be more apparent as the specification proceeds. The cap 13 also includes a bore 23 and a nipple 24.

For purposes of claiming the present invention, note that the bore 23 leads to a primary bypass from a source of suction to atmosphere, the orifice 19 of the hollow tube 17 leads to a secondary bypass to atmosphere, the nipple 24 defines a conduit leading to a source of vacuum, and the bore 16 of the exploratory shaft 14 defines a second conduit and the hollow tube 17 defines a third conduit.

With the instrument in the condition shown in Fig. 1, suction through the nipple 24 draws on the atmosphere through the bore 23 and the primary bypass as indicated by the arrows of Figs. 1 and 1A.

The primary bypass leads from the bore 23 to the annulus 26 surrounding spring housing 276 and thence to nipple 24.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 2A, the secondary bypass becomes operative when the bore 23 is plugged as by an operator's finger F and this bypass leads from the atmosphere through orifice 19, the hollow tube 17, thence through the annulus 28 through nipple to the suction source.

Since the secondary bypass is designed to have less fluid flow capacity, i.e., greater resistance to flow than that of the primary bypass, the suction source draws partially on the atmosphere and partially on the bore of the exploratory shaft as shown by the arrows of Figs. 2 and 2A.

Figs. 3 and 3A show the paths of full suction resulting from plugging both the primary and secondary bypasses by placing one's fingers over the opening leading to the bore 23 and the orifice 19 of the hollow tube 17. In this arrangement, full suction is drawn on the bore 16 of the exploratory shaft 14.

Figs. 4 and 4A show a syringe S introduced into the cap 13, in well-known fashion, pushing hollow tube 17 against coil spring 21 causing seal means 18, defining an O-ring 29, to make a fluid-tight connection with the bore 16 facilitating the introduction or withdrawal of fluid by manipulation of the syringe plunger.

Note that in the Fig. 4 configuration the primary bypass is operative and suction draws on the atmosphere continuously.

Figs. 5 and 5A show a biopsy unit B inserted in the hollow tube 17 with internal 0ring 31 making a seal around the periphery of the unit B against the interior of the tube 17.

In this arrangement, the continuous suction draws on the atmosphere as shown in the schematic drawing of Fig. 5A.

In Figs. 6 and 6A, the primary bypass is shown plugged and the suction is drawn on the shaft 14 through the annulus 32 surrounding the biopsy unit B.

Thus the present invention discloses and describes a conduit system including a method of operating a conduit system facilitating the continuous application of suction to a medical instrument to obtain partial, full or complete bypass of suction. The system also accommodates a syringe and/or a biopsy unit without interrupting the continuous draft of suction.

It is anticipated that a wide variety of embodiments of the basic principles of the invention can be devised without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

Claims (15)

1. A system of valves and conduits useful in veterinary and medical instruments such as bronchoscopes and the like comprising at least one conduit making a permanent connection to a vacuum source taking suction continously from the system, a plurality of fluid paths within the system for bypassing the suction and for directing the suction, in full or in part, from the system to the atmosphere, a first fluid path defining a primary bypass for applying the full suction to the atmosphere and a second fluid path defining a secondary bypass for applying a portion of the suction to the atmosphere and a portion of suction to the system.

2. A system of valves and conduits useful in veterinary and medical instruments such as bronchoscopes and the like comprising at least one conduit making a permanent connection to a vacuum source taking suction continously from the system, a plurality of fluid paths within the system for bypassing the suction and for directing the suction, in full or in part, from the system to the atomsphere, a first fluid path including an orifice defining a primary bypass for applying the full suction to the atmosphere through said orifice and a second fluid path including a second orifice defining a secondary bypass for applying a portion of the suction to the atmosphere through said second orifice and a portion of the suction to the system, said system being operable to shift the suction from one bypass to the other bypass by plugging the orifice individual to said one bypass.

3. A system of valves and conduits useful in veterinary and medical instruments such as bronchoscopes and the like comprising at least one conduit making a permanent connection to a vacuum source taking suction continously from the system, a second conduit defining an exploratory shaft, a plurality of fluid paths within the system for bypassing the suction and for directing the suction, in full or in part, from the system to the atmosphere, a first fluid path including an orifice defining a primary bypass for applying the full suction to the atmosphere through said orifice and a second fluid path including a second orifice defining a secondary bypass for applying a portion of the suction to the atmosphere through said second orifice and a portion of the suction to the system, said system being operable to shift full suction to said exploratory shaft by plugging said first and second orifices.

4. A system according to Claim 3 in which the second fluid path includes a third conduit terminating at one end at said second orifice and at the opposite end in a seal means, said third conduit being movable from a first position in which said second orifice is open to the atmosphere to a second position in which said third conduit seal means makes a fluidtight connection with said shaft and said second orifice is closed to said vacuum source while said suction draws continuously on the atmosphere through the primary bypass.

5. A system according to Claim 4 in which said movable third conduit is retained normally in said first position by spring means.

6. A system according to any of Claims 3 to 5 in which said second orifice is adapted to make a fluid-tight connection with a fluid pump whereby said third conduit, in said second position, is operable to introduce fluid into said shaft.

7. A system according to any of Claims 4 to 6 in which the seal means on said third conduit defines an O-ring on the outer diameter of said third conduit.

8. A system according to any of Claims 4 to 7 in which the seal means on third conduit includes an internal seal operable to make a fluid-tight connection with a tubular element received within said third conduit and projecting into said shaft when said third conduit is in said second position.

9. A system according to Claim 8 in which said internal seal is an O-ring received in an annular recess formed on the interior of said third conduit.

10. A system according to any of Claims 4 to 9 in which a fourth conduit is received within said third conduit facilitating the introduction of a biopsy unit through said second orifice into said shaft.

11. A system according to Claim 10 in which a seal means is positioned between the external surface of the fourth conduit and the internal surface of the third conduit to effect a fluid-tight connection between both said conduits.

12. A method of using a valve system with medical instruments such as endoscopes and bronchoscopes of the type that are connected to a pump drawing a vacuum continuously, the method enabling the application of full suction, partial suction or no suction to the instrument without interrupting the continuous draft of suction and comprising the steps of: providing a first fluid path for applying full suction to the atmosphere, providing a second fluid path having greater resistance to fluid flow relative to said first path, and closing said first fluid path whereby said suction to the atmosphere is throttled or reduced and a portion of the suction is available within the instrument.

13. A method according to Claim 12 which includes the step of closing the second path effective to apply full suction of the instrument.

14. A valve system substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

15. A method of using a valve system substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.