Patent ID: 8317739

Claim:
A surgical system, comprising: a first fluid container configured to hold an irrigation fluid; a surgical handpiece; an irrigation line connected at a first end to the first fluid container, and which is connected at a second end to the surgical handpiece; a suction pump having an inlet; an aspiration inlet line, which is provided from the surgical handpiece to the inlet of the suction pump, such that fluid can be sucked through the handpiece by the suction pump; a second fluid container configured to hold the irrigation fluid; an aspiration ventilation line, which connects the second fluid container to the aspiration inlet line; a venting valve, which is provided in the aspiration ventilation line at a location between the second fluid container and the aspiration inlet line and which is configured so that a position of the venting valve can be switched as a function of a fluid pressure in the aspiration inlet line; a filling line connected at a first end to the irrigation line and at a second end to the second fluid container and a flow element provided in the filling line, the flow element having a constant hydraulic resistance of between 0.5 and 50.0 mmHg/(ml/min).