Patent ID: 7481791

Claim:
A surgical suction irrigation apparatus, comprising: a handpiece; a pump unit connected to an irrigation liquid source and an irrigation supply tube connected between said pump unit and said handpiece, said pump unit having a deenergized condition in which it is inert to gravity pressure providing irrigation liquid flow to said supply tube, said pump unit having an energized, pressure adding condition in which irrigation liquid in said supply tube downstream of said pump unit is at higher than gravity pressure; a suction valve unit on said handpiece between a suction source connection on said handpiece and a surgical site connectable conduit on said handpiece; an irrigation valve unit on said handpiece between said surgical site connectable conduit and an irrigation liquid inlet connection to said supply tube, said irrigation valve unit including a deenergized/energized pump control operatively connected to said pump unit, said irrigation valve unit having: 1) a fully closed position corresponding to said de-energized condition of said pump unit and closing off of the irrigation liquid inlet connection to said conduit; 2) partially closed positions corresponding to said de-energized condition of said pump unit that provide gravitational pressure irrigation liquid to said conduit; 3) partially open positions corresponding to said energized condition of said pump unit to provide greater than gravitational pressure irrigation liquid to said conduit; and 4) a fully open position corresponding to said energized condition of said pump unit to provide maximum irrigation liquid to said conduit.