Surgery – Truss – Pad
Patent
1996-04-30
1997-10-14
Bockelman, Mark
Surgery
Truss
Pad
604 26, A61M 3100, A61M 3700
Patent
active
056761554
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus for insufflating gas, for example, carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2), into the bodily cavities of a human or an animal body.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Apparatuses of this type, which are needed in endoscopic surgery, are known in a variety of different embodiments. With regard hereto reference is made to the following patent documents: DE-A30 00 218, EP-B-0 169 972 or DE-C-36 11 018 or U.S. Pat. No. 4 874 362 or DE-A-42 19 859, the specifications of which are expressly incorporated by reference herein for an explanation of details not made more apparent below.
All of the known generic apparatuses possess a gas source and the possibility of adjusting the gas pressure and, respectively, the gas flow. For this purpose, the known apparatuses may be provided with a pressure regulator. The pressure regulator reduces the pressure of the gas source to a typical adjustable insufflation pressure (desired gas pressure) between 0 and 50 mm Hg. A flow regulator is also provided. The flow regulator sets the gas flow to an adjustable value (desired gas flow).
In the case of the apparatuses described in the aforementioned printed publications, the gas pressure and, respectively, the gas flow, cannot only be controlled but also regulated. For this purpose, these apparatuses are provided with a measuring device, which is provided with sensors for the actual gas pressure and the actual gas flow, and a control unit. The output signals of these sensors are applied to the control unit which controls the pressure regulator and the flow regulator.
It is problematic in the known apparatuses for insufflating gas into a bodily cavity to measure the gas pressure. This is because it is either usually not possible or only possible in a very complicated manner to measure the gas pressure inside the bodily cavity. By measuring the pressure outside the bodily cavity, due to the flowing gas and the consequent drop in pressure, a measuring error occurs. This measuring error cannot be tolerated in medical applications.
It has therefore been proposed to "drive down" the gas flow UQ/Ut to a value of 0 in order to measure the "static" gas pressure p and then to measure the gas flow when the gas flow actually reaches the "static" value 0. With regard to this, reference is made to, by way of illustration, FIG. 6 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,874,362 and the respective specification or to claim 1 of DE-A-30 00 218 and the respective specification.
This procedure has the advantage that it permits relatively accurate measurement of the gas pressure. However, a drawback to this procedure is that it does not permit at least a fairly constant gas supply.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for insufflating gas into a bodily cavity of a human or animal body, in which pressure measurement required for regulating the gas pressure, in particular can be conducted outside the body with the accuracy required for medical application, without needing to "drive down" the gas flow to a value of 0 in order to measure.
A solution to this object according to the present invention includes an apparatus for insufflating gas into a bodily cavity of a human or animal body having a gas source, a measuring apparatus provided with sensors for the actual gas pressure and the actual gas flow, and a control unit to which the output signals of the sensors are applied. The control unit triggers a pressure regulator, which reduces and, respectively, regulates the pressure of the gas source to an adjustable insufflation pressure (desired gas pressure), and a flow regulator which regulates the gas flow to an adjustable value (desired gas flow). For measuring the actual gas pressure, the control unit triggers the flow regulator in such a manner that the gas flow is set at a value between 10 and 40% of the desired gas flow during pressure measurement.
An element of the present invention is that, for measurement of the actual gas pressure, the control unit triggers the flow
REFERENCES:
patent: 5152745 (1992-10-01), Steiner et al.
Koninckx Philippe
Kraft-Kivikoski Juergen
Novak Pavel
Bockelman Mark
Storz Endoskop GmbH
Tao Ellen
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