Patent ID: 8052644
Filing Date: 2011-11-08
Classification: A61M

Abstract:
1. A surgical irrigation apparatus, comprising: an irrigation liquid handpiece for supplying irrigation liquid to a surgical site; a fixedly supportable console including a rotatable drive coupler, said console having a front opening recess and forward tapered generally tubular shell extending forward in said front opening recess; a cassette unit including (1) an irrigation liquid inlet tube, (2) a pump cassette connected to said irrigation liquid inlet tube in irrigation liquid receiving relation therewith and containing a bladed, rotatably driven, irrigation liquid engaging impeller, said pump cassette being nonrotatably received in said front opening recess and having a complimentarily forwardly tapered, rear opening chamber receiving said shell with said pump cassette received in said console recess, and (3) an irrigation liquid outlet tube in irrigation liquid supplying relation with said handpiece; said rotatable drive coupler and said irrigation liquid impeller having horizontal axes, said pump cassette having a pre-use position pendant from said irrigation liquid inlet tube and spaced in front of said console with said horizontal axis of said rotatable drive coupler and said irrigation liquid impeller at least mutually adjacent, said pump cassette having a use position fixedly supported on and in front of said console with said console rotatable drive coupler and said pump cassette irrigation liquid impeller coupled in horizontally aligned driving relation, whereby to allow a surgical team member to simply push said pump cassette into its said use position on said console, in a rearward directed single movement, to provide availability of irrigation liquid for a given surgical procedure; a latch mechanism cooperating between said pump cassette and said console recess, said pump cassette having a forward pump chamber separated by a substantially vertical wall from said rear opening chamber and containing said impeller, a generally horizontal rotatable shaft extending through said wall and fixedly carrying said impeller in said pump chamber and a driven coupler in said rear opening chamber, said couplers have generally horizontally extending and circumferentially interfingered sets of teeth, one said set being of resilient material, said inlet tube opening through a generally right angle path terminating in a generally horizontal inlet port into said pump chamber, said outlet tube being fed through an upward opening outlet port substantially at the vertical height of said shaft and of said inlet port and of a gravity filled level of said pump chamber; wherein said pump cassette comprises a rear opening cassette body including said inlet and outlet ports and said rear opening chamber and a rear opening wiring chamber below said rear opening chamber, said pump cassette including a cassette cover assembly including a cup-like body received sealingly in a rear portion of said pump chamber and having a front end wall defining said substantially vertical wall, said cassette cover assembly having a substantially vertical flange extending radially outward at the rear end of said rear opening chamber and having a depending lower portion covering the rear of said wiring chamber, said console front opening recess having a rear wall and receiving said pump cassette flange closely adjacent said rear wall thereof, said flange depending lower portion having flexible electrical contacts protruding forward therefrom into said wiring chamber and rearward therefrom into flexible electric contact with opposing forward protruding contacts on said console recess rear wall, and a proximity sensing arrangement cooperating between said cassette body and said console recess.