WO1992007591A1

WO1992007591A1 - Suction device

Info

Publication number: WO1992007591A1
Application number: PCT/GB1991/001809
Authority: WO
Inventors: Francis Emanuel Arnstein; Gary Brian Smith
Original assignee: Francis Emanuel Arnstein; Gary Brian Smith
Priority date: 1990-10-26
Filing date: 1991-10-17
Publication date: 1992-05-14
Also published as: GB9023346D0; IL99784A0; IE913750A1; AU8727091A

Abstract

The suction device is for aspirating mucus from a neonate. It has an inlet tube (1) terminating within an actuating chamber (2). A collection chamber (3) is connected to the actuating chamber (2). The actuating chamber (2) and the collection chamber (3) are formed of a flexible tube (4). Within the flexible tube (4) there is a length of resilient polythene tubing (11), which normally gives the actuating chamber (2) a generally elliptical cross-sectional shape. A flutter valve (12) is secured to the outlet end of the inlet tube and extends within the tubing (11). The actuating and collection chambers (2, 3) are interconnected by a connection tube (14) connected to an outlet flutter valve (15) within the collection chamber.

Description

SUCTION DEVICE

The present invention relates to a suction device, in particular but not exclusively, for extracting mucus from the airway of a neonate.

In our International Patent Application published under No.WO 90/03194 on 5th April 1990, we disclosed a suction device comprising:- an actuating chamber having an inlet and an outlet, the actuating chamber being at least partially collapsible under manual compression for expulsion of fluid material therefrom and being resilient for recovery of its original volume to draw in fluid material; an aspiration tube connected to the inlet and via which fluid material can be drawn into the device towards the actuating chamber; a collection chamber - having a collection space - connected to the outlet for receiving drawn-in fluid material from the actuating chamber and storing it the collection space; an inlet non-return valve at the inlet of the actuating chamber for allowing passage of drawn-in fluid material from the aspiration tube to the actuating chamber; and an outlet non-return valve between the actuating chamber and the collection space of the collection chamber for allowing passage of drawn-in fluid material into the collection space for storage there.

The preferred suction device had its inlet non-return valve within the actuating chamber at its inlet. The object of the present invention is to provide an improved suction device of this type.

A suction device according to the invention includes an actuating chamber comprised of a flexible tube enclosing a resilient member adapted for distending the flexible tube for recovery of the actuating chamber to its original volume after manual compression.

It should be noted that whilst the collection chamber will normally be closed for containment of aspirated material, it is envisaged that the collection chamber may be open, possibly even to an extent that the collection chamber is vestigial.

Preferably the resilient member has an open centre in which the inlet valve is accommodated. Conveniently the resilient member is a tubular member. It may be cropped from a length of extruded plastics material tube or may be injection moulded as a separate item.

The flexible tube may be comprised of two pieces of flat plastics material welded together to tubular form. Alternatively the flexible tube may be of "lie-flat" plastics material tube.

Conveniently, the flexible tube is welded to the aspiration or inlet tube. This provides a flexible connection of the aspiration tube, allowing ready manipulation of the aspiration tube in use with the actuating chamber held in the palm of the hand. Preferably the inlet valve is a flutter valve, secured onto a portion of the aspiration tube terminating within the actuating chamber. Conveniently the flutter valve is welded to the aspiration tube at the weld of the aspiration tube to the flexible tube of the actuating chamber.

The preferred flutter valve is short to avoid re-expulsion of aspirated material. It can be tapered from the diameter of the aspiration tube to a lateral end dimension when collapsed of three or more times this dimension. The inner end of the aspiration tube may be tapered to a shape complementary to the free shape of the flutter valve to support the flutter valve against total collapse and re-expulsion of aspirated material.

In accordance with a particular feature of the preferred embodiment, the collection chamber is an extensio of the tubular material of the flexible tube of the actuating chamber. Conveniently, the chambers are separate by a weld across this tubular material. The outlet valve may be secured by this weld and is conveniently a flutter valve secured to a piece of rigid tube held by this weld.

Conveniently, the entire aspirator is of transparent o translucent material for viewing of the fluid material bein aspirated.

In a variant of the preferred embodiment, the inlet flutter valve and the outlet valve are comprised of a singl piece of valve tube, which extends through the actuating chamber and into the collection chamber and has a cut away portion in the actuating chamber through which aspirated material can enter the actuating chamber from the aspiratio tube and can leave the actuating chamber towards the collection chamber. Conveniently, the flexible tube is welded across its extent to separate the actuating and collection chambers by a pair of welds which extend as far as the valve tube from opposite sides, but do not extend across the valve tube.

To help understanding of the invention, a specific embodiment thereof and its variant will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:-

Figure 1 is a plan view of a suction device of the invention;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional side view on Line II-II of the device of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional end view of the device o Figure 1 on Line III-III in Figure 2; and Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 1 of a variant of the suction device of Figure 1.

The suction device according to the invention illustrated in the drawing is primarily for aspirating mucu from the airway of a neonate. It may also be used for aspirating meσonium and other fluids. It has an inlet or aspiration tube 1 terminating within an actuating chamber 2. A collection chamber 3 for the collection of aspirated material is connected to the actuating chamber 2. The actuating chamber 2 - and indeed the collection chamber 3 - is formed of a flexible tube 4 comprised of two pieces of transparent flat plastics sheet 5,6 welded together along side edges 7,8, a front edge 9 and a rear edge 10, which latter defines the boundary between the actuating chamber 2 and the collection chamber 3. Within the flexible tube 4 of the actuating chamber, there is housed a length of resilient polythene tubing 11, which normally distends the actuating chamber 2 to give it a generally eliptical cross-sectional shape. The tubing 11 may be a cropped off piece of a longer length of extruded tubing; or it may be a injection moulded item. The tube 4 is a tight fit over the tubing 11 and of sufficient resiliency to generate a suctio of lOOmmHg on recovery after compression. Typically the actuating chamber has a transverse dimension of 45mm and a front to rear length of 40mm. The inlet tube 1 is secured by the weld at the front edge 9 of the actuating chamber. A flutter valve 12 is secured to the outlet end of the inlet tube by the front edge weld and extends within the tubing 11. The flutter valve is comprised of a short length - typically 25mm - of two skins of polythene sheet, of truncated cone shape. At the truncated end, the flutter valve is welded to the aspiration tube, whose diameter is typically 5mm. At its outlet end, it has a transverse dimension of 18mm. The aspiration tube extends into the flutter valve and terminates with a wedge shape 13 in side view formed by paring down of the end of the tube. This shape supports th flutter valve against collapse at the end of the aspiration on manual compression of .the tubing 11 and the actuating chamber 2 in use of the suction device and consequent re-expulsion of aspirated material. The actuating and collection chambers 2,3 are inter¬ connected by a connection tube 14 included within the weld at the rear edge 10 of the actuating chamber, together with an outlet flutter valve 15 within the collection chamber. The valve is of similar construction to the inlet valve 12, but is longer and has parallel sides. The collection chamber 3 is welded closed at end 16 opposite from the actuating chamber. Conveniently, the weld 10 is of sufficient width to be cut through allowing the collection chamber and the actuating chamber to remain intact so that the contents can be sent in it for analysis.

The length, typically 220mm, and flexibility of the aspiration tube and the flexible construction of the device are such that in use it may readily be manipulated by one hand, that is to say the aspiration tube manipulated by the thumb and index finger, whilst the actuating chamber is hel between the palm and other fingers for alternate compressio and release for recovery of the resilient tubing and aspiration. Turning now to Figure 4, the suction device thereshown has its inlet tube 1, actuating chamber 2, collection chamber 3, flexible tube 4 and distension tubing 11 identical to those of the suction device of Figure 1. Its inlet and outlet flutter valves 112 and 115 are modified in that they_.are of a single piece of thin-walled, lay-flat tube 150. This is elded to the inlet tube 1 and to the flexible tube 4 in the same manner as the inlet flutter valve 12. The tube 150 passes through the weld 110 between the actuating and collection chambers. The weld 110 is arranged as a pair of welds extending in from the edges of the device as far as the edge of the tube 150, but no further so as not to close the tube. This is achieved by notching of the jaws of a welding machine at the passage of the tube 150 through the combined weld 110. The tube 150 i partially cut away in the actuating chamber, whereby aspirated material can enter the chamber from the inlet and valve tubes; and the valve tube 150 can collapse and seal between its cut away portion 151 and the inlet tube to act as a non-return valve. Material to be expelled from the actuating chamber passes back into the valve tube through the cut away portion 151 and into the collection chamber, that is past the weld 110.

It is envisaged that the suction device may be somewhat larger for neonate use and indeed be scaled up for aspirating other fluids in a medical context. Particularly in non-neonate applications, the collection chamber may not be closed, for instance having an over-flow aperture to enable a volume of material greater than that of the collection chamber to be aspirated.

Claims

CLAIMS ;

1. A suction device comprising:- an actuating chamber having an inlet and an outlet, th 5 actuating chamber being at least partially collapsible unde manual compression for expulsion of fluid material therefro and being resilient for recovery of its original volume to draw in fluid material; an aspiration tube connected to the inlet and via whic ^' 10 fluid material can be drawn into the device towards the actuating chamber; a collection chamber - having a collection space - connected to the outlet for receiving drawn-in fluid material from the actuating chamber; 15 an inlet non-return valve at the inlet of the actuating chamber for allowing passage of drawn-in fluid material fro the aspiration tube to the actuating chamber; and an outlet non-return valve between the actuating chamber and the collection space of the collection chamber 20 for allowing passage of drawn-in fluid material into the collection space for storage there; wherein the actuating chamber is comprised of a flexible tube enclosing a resilient member adapted for distending the flexible tube for recovery of the actuating 25 chamber to its original volume after manual compression.

2. A suction device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the resilient member has an open centre in which the inlet valve is accommodated.

3. A suction device as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, 30 wherein the resilient member is a tubular member.

4. A suction device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the tubular member has been cropped from a length of extruded plastics material tube.

5. A suction device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the 35 tubular member is an injection moulding.

6. A suction device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the flexible tube is comprised of two pieces of flat plastics material welded together to tubular form.

7. A suction device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the flexible tube is of "lie-flat" plastics material tube.

8. A suction device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the flexible tube is welded to the aspiration tube.

9. A suction device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the inlet non-return valve is arranged within the actuating chamber at its inlet.

10. A suction device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the inlet non-return valve is secured onto a portion of the aspiration tube terminating within the actuating chamber.

11. A suction device as claimed in claim 10 as appendant t claim 9, wherein the inlet valve is welded to the aspiratio tube at the weld of the aspiration tube to the flexible tub of the actuating chamber.

12. A suction device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the inlet non-return valve is a flutter valve.

13. A suction device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the flutter valve is short to avoid re-expulsion of aspirated material.

14. A suction device as claimed in claim 12 or claim 13, wherein the inner end of the aspiration tube is tapered to shape complementary to the free shape of the flutter valve to support the flutter valve against total collapse and re-expulsion of aspirated material.

15. A suction device as claimed in claim 12, claim 13 or claim 14, wherein the flutter valve is tapered from the diameter of the aspiration tube to a lateral end dimension when collapsed of three or more times this dimension.

16. A suction device as claimed in claim 12, claim 13 or claim 14, wherein the inlet flutter valve and the outlet valve are comprised of a single piece of valve tube, which extends through the actuating chamber and into the collection chamber and has a cut away portion in the actuating chamber through which aspirated material can enter the actuating chamber from the aspiration tube and can leave the actuating chamber towards the collection chamber.

17. A suction device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the flexible tube is welded across its extent to separate the actuating and collection chambers by a pair of welds which extend as far as the valve tube from opposite sides, but do not extend across the valve tube.

18. A suction device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the collection chamber is an extension of the tubular material of the flexible tube of the actuating chamber.

19. A suction device as claimed in claim 18 as appendant to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the chambers are separated by a single weld across the flexible tube.

20. A suction device as claimed in claim 19, wherein the weld across the flexible tube is sufficiently wide for the collection and actuating chambers to be separated by cutting within the width of the weld, leaving the collection chamber intact.

21. A suction device as claimed in claim 20, wherein the outlet valve is secured by this weld across the flexible tube.

22. A suction device as claimed in claim 21, wherein the outlet valve is a flutter valve secured to a piece of rigid tube held by this weld across the flexible tube.

23. A suction device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the entire suction device is of transparent or translucent material for viewing of the fluid material being aspirated.

24. A suction device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the collection chamber is closed.

25. A suction device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 24, wherein the collection chamber is open.

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