SLEEVE SHIELDED NEEDLES FOR PHACO-EMULSIFICATION DEVICES

摘要

A sleeve-shielded needle, to be inserted through an incision for maintenance of aspiration and irrigation flows includes a soft sleeve portion about a small diameter needle tip, at a spacing sufficient to provide a flow gap for irrigation fluid while aspiration fluid flows oppositely through the center of the needle tip. A radially rigid tubular element within a proximal portion of the sleeve maintains a constant flow gap, allowing the edges of a small incision into which the needle is inserted to compress the soft sleeve without reducing the gap. At the distal end, however, the sleeve can compress in response to tissue resistance during insertion, minimizing the risks of tearing tissue or enlarging the incision.