Surgery – Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material – Material collector with condition indicator
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-29
2001-04-03
Nguyen, Anh-Tuan T. (Department: 3763)
Surgery
Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material
Material collector with condition indicator
Reexamination Certificate
active
06210383
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to apparatuses for draining fluid from a patient, and more particularly, to fluid recovery systems for draining blood from the thoracic cavity of the patient.
Various devices have been developed to drain and collect fluids such as blood from the body cavity of a patient. Such devices typically employ a vacuum to the body cavity of the patient sufficient enough to maintain high “siphon” potential for the removal of blood or other fluid following trauma or surgery. One example of such a draining device is a chest drain, also known as a thoracic cavity drain. Generally, a chest drain is a relatively compact bedside vessel employed to collect fluids postoperatively from a closed surgical site, for example, through a drain tube implanted in the patient's chest.
In many medical situations in which fluids are drawn from a patient, it is critical to accurately measure and monitor the initial volume, for example the first 100, of fluid collected from the patient. Conventional fluid recovery systems generally include a collection chamber having a cut-away portion that provides a section of reduced volume within the collection chamber for receiving the initial volume of fluid collected from the patient. The reduced volume section of the collection chamber permits more accurate monitoring and measuring of the initial fluid collected as changes in the fluid volume collected within the reduced volume section can be measured in smaller increments and at higher resolution.
However, provision of the reduced volume section within the collection chamber has a number of disadvantages. For example, providing a cut-away portion in the collection chamber reduces the total volume of the collection chamber and results in the collection chamber having a non-uniform cross-section, which can complicate manufacturing of the chest drain and can increase production costs. This is particularly true if the fluid recovery system is manufactured through an injection molding process, as a complicated mold must be constructed to produce the reduced volume section of the collection chamber. Moreover, provision of the cut-away portion of the collection chamber can reduce the stability of the fluid recovery system, rendering the chest drain susceptible knock-over, which can adversely effect the operation of the chest drain.
In a hospital setting, a fluid recovery system is typically positioned on the floor further increasing the difficulty in monitoring the volume of fluid collected within the collection chamber of the system. Often, medical personnel must either lift the entire system to bring the system to eye-level or bend-over to accurately measure the fluid volume within the system and monitor the operation of the system. Moreover, glare from overhead lights on the translucent face of the collection chamber can interfere with accurate and reliable monitoring of the fluid volume within the collection chamber.
Accordingly, there is a need for a fluid recovery system that provides for reliable and accurate monitoring of the fluid collected from the patient, particularly the initial volume of fluid collected from the patient.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a fluid recovery system for collecting fluid from a patient that provides for reliable and accurate monitoring of the operation of the fluid recovery system, in particular the volume of fluid recovered from the patient, under a wide range of operating conditions.
A fluid recovery system of the present invention includes a housing having a base and a collection chamber therein for collecting a volume of fluid from a patient. The fluid recovery system further includes a front face coupled to the housing, at least a portion of which is translucent, preferably transparent, to allow monitoring of the operation of the system, in particular to permit measuring of the fluid collected within the collection chamber. The front face is preferably positioned at an acute angle relative to the base of the housing to facilitate monitoring of the operation of the fluid recovery system through the translucent front face. In particular, the acutely angled front face allows a medical professional to view and to accurately measure the collected fluid volume with ease from a position substantially above the fluid recovery system. For example, the acutely angled front face permits a medical professional to measure the volume of collected fluid within a fluid recovery system positioned on the floor from a standing position, without having to compensate for measurement discrepancies due to the height difference between the standing medical professional and the fluid recovery system positioned on the floor.
According to one aspect of the invention, the acute angle of the front face can be less than or equal to 85°, and preferably is substantially equal to 75°. Such an acute angle between the base and the face of the fluid recovery system allows viewing of the translucent portion of the front face from a position substantially above the fluid system such that the line of sight intersecting the translucent portion of the front face forms a substantially normal angle with the front face.
According to another aspect of the invention, a graduated scale, typically in the form of spaced-apart fluid volume markings, provided on the front face of the housing for measuring the volume of the fluid collected within the collection chamber is configured to compensate for the acutely angled front face. In particular, the volume markings of the graduated scale are spaced to compensate for the particular acute angle of the front face relative to the base of the housing. For example, as the fluid is collected within the collection chamber, the height of the fluid within the collection chamber increases. The acute angle of the front face can result in a non-linear relationship between an incremental rise in the height of the fluid and the corresponding incremental increase in its volume. The graduated scale is preferably configured to compensate for such a non-linearity.
According to another aspect of the invention, the fluid recovery system includes a top surface, a rear surface, and two side surfaces. The front face extends from the base to the top surface and is coupled to the two side surfaces. In a preferred embodiment of this aspect of the invention, the surfaces of the housing are arranged to form a generally trapezoidal cross-section for the housing. Such a trapezoidal cross-section can increase the stability of the fluid-recovery system by lowering the center of gravity of the housing.
A second embodiment of the present invention relates to a fluid-recovery system that includes a column insert positioned within the housing for collecting a volume of the fluid from the patient, preferably the initial volume of fluid collected from the patient. The column insert can be an integral portion of the collection chamber, i.e. formed during the manufacture of the housing, or, an integral molded component of the front face, or alternatively, the column insert can be a separate structure that is positioned within the collection chamber during manufacture. The volume of the column insert is preferably selected to be less than the volume of the collection chamber to permit accurate measurement of the fluid volume within the column insert at higher resolution, i.e. in smaller volume increments.
Provision of the column insert within the collection chamber obviates the need for a cut-away portion in the collection chamber to provide a reduced volume section for collecting and measuring the initial volume of the fluid as in conventional fluid recovery systems. The presence of the column insert thus provides a separate volume for collecting and measuring the initial volume of fluid collected from the patient without substantially reducing the total volume capacity of the collection chamber. Moreover, elimination of the cut-away portion of the collection chamber increases the stability of the fluid recovery system.
According to a
Gillis Ralph L.
Herweck Steve A.
Karwoski Theodore
Want Nicholas
Weimer Craig J.
Atrium Medical Corporation
Lahive & Cockfield LLP
Nguyen Anh-Tuan T.
LandOfFree
Fluid recovery system does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Fluid recovery system, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Fluid recovery system will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2487746