System for evacuating detached tissue in continuous flow irrigation endoscopic procedures

摘要

A continuous flow irrigation endoscope and a continuous flow irrigation fluid management system, both designed to be compatible to each other and to function as a single system. The endoscope and the fluid management system are synergistic to each other such that both enhance the efficiency of each other. The invented system allows a body tissue cavity to be distended by continuous flow irrigation so that detached tissue pieces and waste fluid present inside a body tissue cavity are continuously automatically evacuated from the tissue cavity without causing the cavity to collapse at any stage and without the need of withdrawing the endoscope of a part of the endoscope from the tissue cavity. No type of feedback mechanism, such as mechanical or electrical, or valve or valve like systems, are incorporated in the endoscope to influence or facilitate the removal of detached tissue pieces or waste fluid in any manner.

主权项

1. A method of continuous flow irrigation of a tissue cavity during a morcellation based surgical procedure, comprising the steps of:
providing a continuous flow irrigation endoscope in a vicinity of the tissue cavity, the endoscope comprising only a single housing sheath without an inner sheath, the single housing sheath having a longitudinal axis, a distal end and a proximal end; an inflow port located at the proximal end of the single housing sheath, configured to allow fluid to enter the single housing sheath; and a morcellator tube or a shaver tube or a cutter tube extending about parallel to the longitudinal axis of the single housing sheath, the morcellator tube or the shaver tube or the cutter tube being configured to move in at least one of a linear motion and a rotary motion relative to the longitudinal axis of the single housing sheath, wherein the morcellator tube or the shaver tube or the cutter tube includes an evacuation channel for removal of fluid and/or tissue debris traveling from a distal opening located at a distal end of the morcellator tube or the shaver tube or the cutter tube to an outflow port located at a proximal end of the tube, wherein the single housing sheath has an effective cross sectional area that comprises a total cross sectional area of the single housing sheath from which a cross sectional area occupied by the morcellator tube or the shaver tube or the cutter tube has been subtracted, and the morcellator tube or the shaver tube or the cutter tube has an effective cross sectional area denoted by a cross-sectional area of the evacuation channel, the effective cross sectional area of the single housing sheath being less than the effective cross sectional area of the morcellator tube or the shaver tube or the cutter tube; connecting the inflow port of the single housing sheath to a fluid source via an inflow pump for pumping fluid from the fluid source at a controlled inflow rate into the inflow port of the single housing sheath and the tissue cavity, wherein the inflow rate is a flow rate of the inflow pump; and connecting the outflow port of the tube directly and without any intermediate valve type system to an outflow pump for removing waste fluid from the tissue cavity at a controlled outflow rate, wherein the outflow rate is a flow rate of the outflow pump.