Patent ID: 8414550

Claim:
A method to vent gas from a body cavity during an endoscopic procedure, comprising: connecting a first conduit in fluid communication, either directly or indirectly, with the body cavity to an exhaust gas inlet of a vacuum break device, the vacuum break device comprising: a chamber, the chamber being both in fluid communication with the exhaust gas inlet and in fluid communication with an exhaust gas outlet, a valve, wherein the chamber further comprises at least one opening in fluid communication with both the chamber and the atmospheric air where the endoscopic procedure is taking place and wherein the valve deters gas inside the chamber from being exhausted to the atmospheric air; wherein the valve is operable to automatically cause the at least one opening to be in fluid communication with the atmospheric air when the suction source is operational and to automatically substantially prevent gas flow through the opening when the suction source is not operational, wherein the body cavity is the thoracic cavity or the peritoneal cavity; and connecting a second conduit in fluid communication with the exhaust gas outlet directly or indirectly to a suction source; and activating the suction source.