Abstract:
A siphoning device suited for automatically removing fluid/blood from a surgical site is described, having a length of sterile flexible tubing that is configurable into a loop, the tubing having a first open end, a second open end, and a central portion. A plurality of holes punctuate the circumference of either the first open end or the central portion of the loop, the one or more sets of holes being distributed along a longitudinal direction of the tubing. A sterile absorbent covering encompasses the one or more sets of the plurality of holes, the covering being permeable to bodily fluids. The siphoning device is connected to a vacuum system that generates a negative pressure, causing fluids that have accumulated in the absorbent covering to be withdrawn into the vacuum system. Accordingly, a durable, simple non-gauze system for automatically clearing blood/fluid from a surgical site is described.

Description:
FIELD 
       [0001]    This invention relates to surgical devices. More particularly, the invention relates to a flexible vacuum-assisted device suited for removing fluid and/or blood from a surgical site. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Major surgery typically involves the cutting of tissue, causing a significant amount of blood to be released from the incisioned area. Conventional approaches to evacuating the released blood around the incisioned area is through the use of absorbent gauzes or sponges individually placed around the incisioned area, which then must be periodically replaced, as the gauzes/sponges become saturated. The released blood must be quickly removed as its accumulation and resulting coagulation obscures the operated area. Consequently, the process of placement, removal and replacement of the gauzes is an often-repeated procedure, resulting in the surgery taking longer; and, in some cases, the gauzes/sponges being errantly left inside the person after the surgery is complete. In the long history of surgery, there has not been any other approach to removing surgery-related blood and/or fluids. 
         [0003]    Therefore, there has been a long-standing need in the surgical community for systems and methods that address these and other shortcomings in the medical field. Aspects of various systems and methods to address these issues are presented in the following detailed description. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the claimed subject matter. This summary is not an extensive overview, and is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope of the claimed subject matter. Its purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later. 
         [0005]    In one aspect of the present disclosure, there is described a siphoning device suited for automatically removing fluid/blood from a surgical site, comprising: a length of sterile flexible tubing configurable into a loop, the tubing having a first open end, a second open end, and a central portion; at least one or more sets of a plurality of holes punctuating a circumference of either the first open end or the central portion of the loop, the one or more sets of holes being distributed along a longitudinal direction of the tubing; and a sterile absorbent covering encompassing the one or more sets of the plurality of holes, the covering being permeable to bodily fluids. 
         [0006]    In another aspect of the present disclosure, there is described a siphoning device suited for automatically removing fluid/blood from a surgical site, comprising: a plurality of sterile flexible tubings having first open ends and second open ends; at least one or more sets of a plurality of holes punctuating a circumference of the first open ends, the one or more sets of holes being distributed along a longitudinal direction of the plurality of tubings; and a sterile absorbent covering encompassing the one or more sets of the plurality of holes, the covering being permeable to bodily fluids. 
         [0007]    In yet another aspect of the present disclosure, there is described a method for automatically removing fluid/blood from a surgical site, comprising: obtaining a fluid/blood siphoning device comprising: a length of sterile flexible tubing configurable into a loop, the tubing having a first open end, a second open end, and a central portion; at least one or more sets of a plurality of holes punctuating a circumference of either the first open end or the central portion of the loop, the one or more sets of holes being distributed along a longitudinal direction of the tubing; and a sterile absorbent covering encompassing the one or more sets of the plurality of holes, the covering being permeable to bodily fluids; attaching at the second open end of the tubing to a vacuum system; positioning the absorbent covering proximate to a surgical site; and engaging the vacuum system to a negative pressure in the tubing, causing any fluids in the absorbent covering to be automatically evacuated into the one or more sets of the plurality of holes of the tubing into the vacuum system. 
         [0008]    These and various other aspects of the present disclosure are presented below. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is an illustration of a prior art approach to blood spillage control in an oral/dental surgical setting. 
           [0010]      FIGS. 2A-B  are illustrations of an exemplary fluid/blood collection device and a section of absorbent element. 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is an illustration of an exemplary device in use with an oral surgery operation. 
           [0012]      FIGS. 4A-D  are (semi) cut-away illustrations of exemplary absorbent elements. 
           [0013]      FIGS. 5A-C  are (semi) cut-away illustrations of exemplary absorbent elements. 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  is an illustration of an exemplary fluid/blood collection device with a control knob/valve. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0015]    It should be noted that while the various embodiments and examples described herein are illustrated in the context of dental surgery, it is expressly understood that the exemplary embodiments are applicable to other forms of surgery, not being limited to the dental or oral areas. Therefore, the fluids removed do not have to be blood or saliva, but may be other types of bodily fluids. Moreover, it is also expressly understood that the exemplary devices and methods disclosed herein may applied to non-human patients, that is, for animals. Therefore, based on the following examples, one of ordinary skill may make modifications and changes to the exemplary embodiments for non-dental/oral and/or non-human surgical scenarios without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. 
         [0016]      FIG. 1  is an illustration of a prior art approach  10  to blood spillage control in an oral/dental surgical setting. Specifically, the site/area  12  under surgery is surrounded by absorbent gauze  14  to control excess blood. The gauze  14  operates to absorb blood shown here as escaping (see arrows) from the surgery site/area  12 . As the gauze  14  becomes saturated with blood, it no longer effectively absorbs blood and must be replaced with fresh gauze. If there are several pieces of saturated gauze about the surgery site/area  12 , then the surgery must be temporarily halted while the surgeon or nurse removes, replaces and secures each individual gauze  14 . Of course, this is disruptive to the surgical procedure and also very time consuming. In some cases, the act of removing/replacing the gauze  14  can traumatize the state of the surgery site/area  12 , further complicating the surgery. Also, one or more gauzes  14  may become dislodged during surgery, again requiring the surgery to be temporarily halted to address the wayward gauze  14 ; or lost down the throat, threatening the patient&#39;s safety. 
         [0017]    In an oral surgery scenario, a passage way  18  in the mouth is sometimes required or desired so as to allow the patient a secondary airway (the primary airway being the nasal passages). Of course, evacuating blood that has saturated the gauzes  14  will generally move (see arrows) towards the air passage  18 , presenting another issue of concern for the surgeon. 
         [0018]    It is clear that this prior art approach is at best, cumbersome and difficult to manage. What is amazing is that the above described gauze approach is the state-of-the art approach in surgical settings. For the last hundred or more years, there has not been any significant improvement practiced by surgeons. 
         [0019]    While suction devices  16  have been introduced to supplement or aid in collecting blood/fluid during surgery, they are intrusive and are mostly utilized when there is sufficient buildup of fluid to warrant its intrusiveness. Because of their intrusiveness, the suction device  16  will have a large opening, so as to evacuate as much fluid as possible in as short a time as possible. Therefore they are intermittently used, mostly when the fluid buildup cannot be tolerated anymore by the surgeon or patient. Also, they are indiscriminant in what they collect—that is, the suction device  16  will collect whatever object that will pass through its large opening. In some instances, it can suck up unintended objects (for example, a part of loose tissue or tooth fragment) which may be catastrophic to the surgery. 
         [0020]      FIG. 2A  is an illustration  20  of an exemplary fluid/blood collection device  20  suitable for addressing the deficiencies of the prior art described above. The exemplary device  20  utilizes a powered vacuum system  22 , which provides controllable suction through flexible tube  24  that is formed into a loop  26  with absorbent element  28  at one end and a coupler  25  at the other end, that connects to a single tube or double/multiple tube section  24 . The absorbent element  28  can be placed in the vicinity of a surgical site and vacuum tube(s)  26  can draw blood through absorbent element  28  into vacuum system  22  via tubes  26 ,  24 . The tube  26  is attached to absorbent element  28  or vice versus, whereas fluid entering absorbent element  28  is “sucked” into tube  26 . To enable fluid to enter tube  26 , absorbent element  28  may have porous channels that connect to tube  26  that are adjacent  27   a ,  27   b  to absorbent element  24  or tube  26  may be continuous, traveling through absorbent element  28 , the tube  26  having perforations within absorbent element  28  to allow blood/fluid to enter into tube  26 . 
         [0021]    In operation, blood/fluid can be drawn into absorbing element  28  and instead of accumulating in absorbing element  28  (to become saturated,) the blood/fluid is evacuated via suction from tube  26  into tube section  24  into vacuum system  22 . The combination of the vacuuming and physical “buffering” by absorbing element  28  provides a blood/fluid evacuating system that will not be saturated, thereby avoiding the need for periodic replacement. Further, pores/channels in absorbing element  28  can be small enough to avoid unintended collection/evacuation of non-fluid materials. Further, absorbing element  28 , if configured of a material having large enough pores (for example, a sponge-like material), it can also provide the capability to pass air. Therefore, if absorbing element  28  is placed in front of passage way  18  ( FIG. 1 ), an airway can be maintained while blocking fluid from entering the passage way  18 . 
         [0022]    The flexibility of tube  26  allows the exemplary device  20  to be flexibly situated about, around a surgical site, possibly conforming to natural physical contours of the anatomy of the patient. Further, absorbing element  28  may also be flexibly bendable to conform to an anatomical feature of the patient. Since the exemplary flexible tube  24  and absorbent element  28  are utilized in a surgical setting, they and the other following similar embodiments utilizing the “same” are understood to be sterile or treated to be sterile. 
         [0023]      FIG. 2B  is a semi-cut-away illustration of a section of absorbent element  28 , showing one embodiment whereas tube section  29  inside absorbent element  28  contains a series of holes/perforations  21 . The absorbent material  28  can have channels and/or pores or other features that enable fluid to be absorbed into the absorbent material  28 , whereas the absorbed fluid is drawn into holes  21  via negative pressure (e.g., vacuum) from the holes  21 . While only four equally spaced holes  21  are shown in this FIG., more or less holes and other positionings are contemplated. The sizes and shapes and locations of the holes  21  can also be varied, according to design preference. The tube section  29  may be of a rigid material or flexible material, again depending on design preference. 
         [0024]    For example, in several prototypes manufactured by the inventor, the tube section  29  was from a sterile, disposable “for irrigation” use, flexible plastic tubing (commonly found in the dental industry), having a diameter of approximately 3 mm, with four radially located sets of three holes of approximately 0.1 mm in diameter, each hole spaced approximately 1 cm from each other. The absorbent element  28  was formed from a generic Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) sponge with a diameter of approximately 2 cm, with a lengths ranging between 2 to 5 inches, and placed over the sets of holes. 
         [0025]    Of course, it is expressly understood that the materials and sizes used in the prototypes may be altered, changed, modified by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. As one of many possible examples, the absorbent material may be made of cellulose, foam, melamine, animal, etc. or from layered fabric, and so forth. The absorbent material may vary in shape, being cylindrical, elliptical, square, etc. The absorbent material may also vary in length, being three to four inches in length, for example in a dental surgery scenario, or smaller or larger in other surgical settings. 
         [0026]      FIG. 3  is an illustration of an exemplary device in use with an oral surgery operation. Specifically the exemplary device&#39;s absorbent element  38  is placed at the back of the mouth of the patient, and if the absorbent element  38  is of sufficient size, it can operate to “block” the throat entrance, while allowing air (if the absorbent element  38  is of a density to allow easy air passage) to enter into the passage way  18 . If “interior” tube section  39  is of a flexible tube material, the absorbent element  38  can be conformed/bent to “fit” whatever anatomical feature of the patient that the surgeon desires. 
         [0027]    Repeating the scenario detailed in  FIG. 1 , fluid/blood is released from the surgical site  12  which can travel towards absorbent element  38  and be evacuated from the patient/surgical area via suction arising from holes in tube section  39 . The evacuated fluid/blood is carried away from absorbent element  38  through tube sections  39  to “exposed” tube  36 ,  37  and to tube section  34  (leading to vacuum system—not shown). The exposed tube sections  36 ,  37  may be joined by an optional coupler  35  which can connect to single tube section  34  or the coupler  35  may operate simply to act as a binding point for exposed tube  36 ,  37 , so as to assist in keeping them together as they travel (together) to the vacuum system. 
         [0028]    It should be understood tubes  39 ,  36 ,  37 ,  34  (and any use of the word tube presented throughout this disclosure) do not have to be circular in cross-section (e.g., be pipe-like) but may have a cross-section that is oblong, square, rectangular, triangular, of varying diameters, and so forth. Therefore, any vessel or enclosed channel that can support a vacuum and also provide a conduit for fluid can be utilized as a “tube” without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. In prototypes manufactured by the inventor, tube lengths of approximately 21 inches (i.e., diameter of loop) were used with positive results. 
         [0029]    While  FIG. 3  illustrates absorbent element  38  as being placed “away” from the surgical site  12 , it is understood that the exemplary device may be re-oriented to position absorbent element  38  in close proximity to the surgical site  12 . For example, absorbent element  38  may be re-situated to rest along the outer section (section A) of the surgical site  12 . Similarly, the absorbent element  38  may be re-situated along section B, corresponding to the inner section of the surgical site  12 . The flexibility of tubes  36 ,  37  permit the exemplary device to be re-oriented/positioned with little effort. 
         [0030]    It is noteworthy, that for an oral surgery or dental surgery scenario, as illustrated in this example, the location of optional coupler  35  can be such that it defines a “near mouth-sized” loop with tubes  36 ,  37  so that tubes  36 ,  37  easily fit between the patient&#39;s buccal and vestibule securing the exemplary device in the patient&#39;s mouth. This is noteworthy as it reduces the probability that the exemplary device will dislodge or move during surgery. 
         [0031]    Of course, depending on the surgery being performed, coupler  35  can be re-located to increase or decrease the size of the loop. In some embodiments, coupler  35  may be slideably moved along tube section  34 , tubes  36 ,  37  to decrease or increase the size of the respective loop. 
         [0032]      FIG. 4A  is a semi-cut-away illustration of an exemplary section  40  of an exemplary absorbent element  48 , showing one embodiment where tube section  49  inside absorbent element  48  is of a different diameter than external tube couplers  46   a ,  47   a . The different sizing can facilitate the easy removal and replacement of exemplary absorbent element  48  (with tube section  49 , couplers  46 ,  47   a ) from adjoining tubes (not shown). It may be convenient to have the ability to quickly “swap out” the exemplary section  40  by simply disconnecting it from the adjoining tubes. 
         [0033]    The ability to have different sized tube section  49  and different sized holes/perforations  41 ,  42  along tube section  49  are also illustrated. Use of larger holes may provide higher volume fluid/blood removal characteristics along different portions of tube section  49 . 
         [0034]      FIG. 4B  is an illustration of a cross-section of another exemplary absorbent element  43 , whereas different types/shapes  48   a ,  48   b  of absorbent materials are used, perhaps with different density/porosity characteristics. Tube  49   a  is shown with three holes  42   a ,  42   b ,  4   c  around the circumference of the tube  49   a . Aspects of this exemplary absorbent element  43  are understood to be self-evident to one of ordinary skill in the art. 
         [0035]      FIG. 4C  is illustration of a cross-section of another exemplary absorbent element  45 , whereas the shape of the absorbent element  45  is oval, having multiple tubes  49   b ,  49   c , with respective holes  42   h - k  and  42   r - u . This embodiment shows the use of multiple interior tubes  49   b - c , the aspects of which are understood to be self-evident to one of ordinary skill in the art. 
         [0036]      FIG. 4D  is an illustration of another exemplary absorbent element  50  having a non-uniform contour, aspects of which are understood to be self-evident to one of ordinary skill in the art. 
         [0037]      FIG. 5A  is a semi-cut-away illustration of another exemplary absorbent element  52 , showing truncated tubes  59   a ,  59   b . This embodiment contemplates non-contiguous tubes  59   a ,  59   b  inside of absorbent element  52 . This embodiment also contemplates the ability to possibly insert an extra tube (or remove), if needed, into absorbent element  52 . That is, based on the fluid/blood evacuating needs, the surgeon can increase or decrease the effectiveness of the exemplary absorbent element  52 , by inserting or removing a respective tube. 
         [0038]      FIG. 5B  is a semi-cut-away illustration of another exemplary absorbent element  54 , with a one-sided tube section  59   c . This embodiment contemplates a non-loop configuration where only one tube is used. This embodiment also illustrates the possibility of having different positioned holes to provide a suction profile along the exemplary absorbent element  54 . 
         [0039]      FIG. 5C  is a semi-cut-away illustration of another exemplary absorbent elements  56   a - c , showing a series of elements. The absorbent elements  56   a - c  may be rigid or flexible, whereas tube  57  may be “bendable” to conform the exemplary absorbent elements  56   a - c  to fit an anatomical feature of the patient (not shown). 
         [0040]      FIG. 6  is an illustration of an exemplary fluid/blood collection device  60 , whereas internal tube  69  is shown in a spiral form. Also, control of the amount of vacuum from vacuum system  62  may be facilitated by a control knob/valve  64  which may be adjacent to coupler  65 . In some embodiments, the coupler  65  may be the valve  64 , or a combination thereof. The control valve  64  may directly control the vacuum system  62  or the control valve  64  may simply be a controllable external air port—allowing a measured amount of external air to be sucked into the vacuum system  62 , thereby lessening the amount of suction in internal tube  69 . 
         [0041]    It will be understood that many additional changes in the details, materials, steps and arrangement of parts, which have been herein described and illustrated to explain the nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.