Patent ID: 7753880

Claim:
A method of operating a surgical irrigation pump, said method including the steps of: attaching a tube to a variable speed irrigation pump, the tube having a proximal end connected to a fluid source and a distal end connected to an irrigation discharge device having an outlet port through which fluid is discharged to a surgical site; reading data in a memory attached to the tube, the data including: data for regulating the speed of the pump in a prime mode; and data for regulating the speed of the pump in an irrigation mode; accepting a user-entered command that adjusts the speed of the pump when in the irrigation mode; in response to a user-entered prime command, operating the pump in prime mode in which the pump is actuated based on the data for regulating the operation of the pump in the prime mode so that the pump operates at a speed that is not based on the user-entered command adjusting the speed of the pump in the irrigation mode wherein, the pump is operated for a select amount time so that a fluid head is pumped to a location downstream of the pump and proximal to the irrigation discharge device outlet port; and in response to a user-entered run command, operating the pump in an irrigation mode in which the pump is actuated based on the data for regulating operation of the pump in the irrigation mode and at a speed based on the user-entered command adjusting the speed of the pump so as to cause the discharge of fluid from the tube and the irrigation discharge device outlet port to the surgical site wherein the pump is continually actuated as long as the user-entered run command is entered and, when entry of the user-entered run command is terminated, the pump is deactivated.