Patent ID: 7780633

Claim:
An ophthalmic surgical system, comprising: an ophthalmic surgical device for aspirating liquid infusion fluid and ophthalmic tissue from an eye, said ophthalmic surgical device having a first fluid line fluidly coupled thereto; a vacuum generator having a second fluid line fluidly coupled thereto; and an ophthalmic surgical cassette, comprising: an aspiration port fluidly coupled to said first fluid line; an aspiration chamber having said liquid infusion fluid disposed in a bottom portion of said chamber and air disposed in a top portion of said chamber; a third fluid line having a first end and a second end, said first end of said third fluid line fluidly coupled to said aspiration port, and said second end of said third fluid line fluidly coupled to said aspiration chamber; an aspiration source chamber fluidly coupled to said aspiration chamber via an entry and having a port disposed therein, said port fluidly coupled to said second fluid line so that during operation of said ophthalmic surgical system said vacuum generator creates a vacuum in said ophthalmic surgical device, said first fluid line, said third fluid line, said aspiration chamber, and said aspiration source chamber, and so that some of said liquid infusion fluid is entrained within air bubbles in said top portion of said aspiration chamber; and a bubble breaking structure disposed within said aspiration source chamber between said entry and said port, said bubble breaking structure having a geometry that facilitates breaking of said air bubbles so that said entrained liquid falls back into said aspiration chamber and does not pass to said vacuum generator, said geometry of said bubble breaking structure comprising: a first appendage having a thin planar geometry, a proximal end beginning at an internal wall of said aspiration source chamber, and a distal end that is angled downward from said proximal end; and a second appendage disposed above and in a generally opposing manner relative to said first appendage, said second appendage having a thin planar geometry, a second proximal end beginning at said internal wall of said chamber, and a second distal end that is angled downward from said second proximal end.