Patent ID: 7294116

Claim:
Apparatus for smoke or plume evacuation arising from operation of laser-surgical, electrosurgical, radiosurgical, and electrocautery devices, comprising: a) a housing having a front panel, b) a removable filter cartridge mounted inside the housing, the filter cartridge having a front panel accessible on the housing front panel and having an exposed air inlet at the housing front panel and an air outlet inside the housing, the filter cartridge being removable from the housing via the housing front panel, c) a motor in the housing and connected to the filter cartridge air outlet for forcing air at the air inlet to flow through the filter and to establish a suction at the air inlet, d) the filter cartridge air inlet being adapted to receive a removable vacuum hose whereby any air in the hose which may contain smoke or plume is forced through the filter when the apparatus is activated, e) the filter cartridge containing viral-trapping and odor-removing filter sections positioned such that the air from the air inlet is forced through said sections.