Underwater drainage apparatus with separable suction control chamber

An underwater drainage apparatus is provided which is convertible from a two bottle system including a collection chamber and underwater seal chamber to a three bottle system including a suction control chamber. A rubber diaphragm is provided in the container for the collection chamber and underwater seal and a needle having a large bore is provided in the suction control chamber. Trackways on the suction control chamber and collection chamber interfit so that the suction control chamber can be slid into position wherein the needle penetrates the diaphragm to place the suction control chamber in fluid communication with the underwater seal chamber and collection chamber.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to an underwater drainage apparatus and more 
particularly to a drainage apparatus which may be used as a two chambered 
system having a collection chamber and underwater seal chamber and as a 
three chambered system including a collection chamber, underwater seal 
chamber and a suction control chamber. 
Description of the Prior Art 
It is necessary to provide means for removing fluids from the pleural 
cavity of a patient following an operation on the lungs or heart, or in 
the case of a foreign object which penetrates the pleural cavity such as a 
stab wound, or the like. Usually such drainage devices are also provided 
with means for maintaining a predetermined amount of suction on the 
pleural cavity so that the lungs can expand and contract for normal 
breathing. The degree of suction may be regulated by the suction pump 
itself, by having an adjustable suction regulator or alternatively, the 
drainage apparatus may be provided with a suction control chamber which 
may maintain the degree of suction within the pleural cavity at any 
desired level. Frequently, in the treatment of a certain class of problem 
in the pleural cavity, it is unnecessary to provide any suction and the 
only need is for a collection chamber to collect fluids passing out of the 
pleural cavity through the thoracotomy tube. 
There have been no prior art underwater drainage devices which can readily 
be modified to accomodate the above stated operational requirements. U.S. 
Pat. Nos. 3,363,626 and 3,363,627 disclose one piece underwater drainage 
devices which include a collection chamber, underwater seal chamber and 
suction control chamber. These devices are ideal for use where suction 
control is required but, are not readily adapted to use as a two chambered 
device where no suction control is required. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,015,603 discloses essentially a two chambered device 
utilizing a collection chamber and underwater seal chamber and which is 
well suited for use with a vacuum system having a regulated suction 
control or for use as a two chambered device where no suction is necessary 
and the outlet may be left open to atmosphere. However, there is no means 
for modifying the apparatus shown in this patent to provide for use with 
conventional wall suction as used in a hospital where no suction control 
is provided. 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,847,152 discloses a modular thoracic drainage device 
comprising a plurality of separable bottles which may be interconnected to 
make up specific combinations as required. However, this device lacks 
simplicity and ease of assembly which are required for emergency use. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,105,031 discloses a simple attachment to provide for an 
extra collection chamber in a conventional three chambered system. This 
disclosure does not provide for a two chambered system for use with a 
regulated suction control or for use without suction. 
Summary of the Invention 
The present invention overcomes all of the disadvantages noted above with 
respect to prior art devices and provides a drainage system which may be 
readily converted from a two chambered system to a three chambered system 
having suction control. The present invention also provides for minimizing 
the dead air space normally attendant with use of conventional drainage 
systems. 
According to the present invention there is provided a first container 
having a collection chamber and an underwater seal chamber which is 
disposed directly below the inlet to the device. The outlet from the 
container is connected to the air space above the underwater seal chamber 
by a passageway having a oneway valve therein. The collection chamber is 
divided into a plurality of individual compartments with dissolvable seals 
disposed in each of the compartments so that the dead air space within the 
container is reduced to a minimum. Liquid flowing from the patient's 
pleural cavity initially fills the underwater seal and overflows into the 
collection chamber. The liquid dissolves the seal closing the first 
compartment and each compartment in the collection chamber is sequentially 
open as the preceding compartment is filled. The two chambered device can 
be used without suction with the outlet open to atmosphere or can be used 
with a regulated suction without the addition of a suction control 
chamber. There is provided a separable suction control chamber which has a 
trackway mounted thereon which interfits with a trackway on the first 
container. The suction control chamber has a needle with a large bore 
therein which is adapted to pierce a diaphragm on the first chamber so as 
to add a suction control chamber to the device if required. 
There is thus provided an underwater drainage apparatus which may be 
readily converted from a two chambered system to a three chambered system 
to meet any operational requirement. 
Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of the present invention 
will become more readily apparent upon consideration of the following 
detailed description of the preferred embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
With reference to the drawings, in FIG. 1 there is shown a container 1 
which includes a collection chamber and an underwater seal chamber. The 
structure of this container and the specific details are described and 
claimed in our copending application filed concurrently herewith. The 
container is provided with an inlet 2 having a nozzle portion extending 
outwardly of the container for connection with a thoracotomy tube 3 
leading to a patient's pleural cavity. The inlet 2 extends inwardly of the 
container in the form of a tubular portion 4 which extends to a sump 
portion 5 of the underwater seal chamber 6. The underwater seal chamber 6 
has a sloping bottom wall 7 so that the fluid within the underwater seal 
drains toward the sump portion 5. 
There is provided an outlet 8 which may be open to atmosphere or may be 
connected with a controlled suction by means of a tube 9. Beneath the 
outlet is provided a ball valve seat 10 and a ball valve 11 disposed 
within a cage beneath the seat 10. A chamber 12 is formed beneath the 
outlet 8 and a passageway 13 extends from this chamber to the air space 
above the water seal. There is provided a oneway valve 14 disposed in the 
passageway 13 which permits gasses to be drawn from the underwater seal 
chamber 6 into the chamber 12 but, which prevents reverse flow. The oneway 
valve may be a well known Heimlich valve shown in FIG. 1a comprising a 
pair of resilient elements 14a and l4b normally urged together to a closed 
position. 
The collection chamber is divided into a series of compartments by means of 
partitions 15, 16 and 17. Each of these partitions has an upper end 
portion thereof formed with an opening which is normally sealed by a 
polyvinyl alcohol film 18 for partition 15, seal 19 for partition 16 and 
seal 20 for partition 17. There is provided a passageway 21 which leads 
from the underwater seal chamber into the collection chamber and there is 
a polyvinyl alcohol film seal 22 normally closing this passageway. 
In operation the thoracotomy tube is connected with the patient's pleural 
cavity and fluid flowing from the pleural cavity is collected within the 
underwater seal chamber and when the underwater seal chamber is filled, it 
overflows into the passageway 21. The liquid dissolves the seal 22 so that 
the fluid can flow into the first compartment defined by partition 15. 
When fluid fills this compartment, the seal 18 is dissolved so that fluid 
can flow into the next compartment and thus, the compartments of the 
collection chamber are sequentially filled. 
The device shown in FIG. 1 may be used as a two chambered system with the 
outlet 8 open to atmosphere or with the outlet 8 connected via a tube 9 to 
a controlled source of suction. Means are provided to readily convert the 
device shown in FIG. 1 to a three chambered unit including the suction 
control chamber shown in FIG. 2. 
There is provided a rubber diaphragm 23 disposed in the top wall of the 
container 1 which opens into the chamber 12. This diaphragm is adapted to 
be punctured by a needle 24 mounted on the bottom wall of the suction 
control chamber 25 shown in FIG. 2. The needle 24 has a bore therein in 
communication with a passageway 26 which has the opposite end 
communicating with the upper end of the large arm 27 of the U-shaped 
suction control manometer. The small arm 28 of the suction control 
manometer has the upper end in communication with atmosphere and the lower 
end of this arm communicates with the bottom of large arm 27 through a 
sound muffling system 29 which is more fully disclosed in our copending 
application, Ser. No. 5,512, filed Jan. 22, 1979. 
In FIG. 4, it can be seen that interfitting trackways are provided on the 
container 1 and suction control container 25. The collection chamber and 
underwater seal chamber 1 has an L-shaped flange 30 thereon which engages 
a similarly formed groove 31 in the suction control container 25. 
When it is desired to provide a suction control chamber on the two 
chambered apparatus, the containers 1 and 25 are interconnected as shown 
in FIG. 3. The suction control chamber 25 is then moved downwardly with 
the trackways 30 and 31 interengaged so that the needle 24 punctures the 
rubber diaphragm 23 to place the suction control chamber in fluid 
communication with the chamber 12 disposed beneath the outlet 8. Thus, the 
two chambered device shown in FIG. 1 may be readily converted to a three 
chambered system and provide for suction control.