Lavage assembly

Abstract

A lavage assembly (2) has an applicator housing (4) which comprises a handle (6) and an application opening (8) for dispensing a rinsing liquid (SF) and which encloses a drive receiving area (10). In addition, the lavage assembly has a liquid line (16), by means of which the application opening (8) can be connected to a supply (V) of rinsing liquid (SF), and a drive unit (12), accommodated in the drive receiving area (10), for a pump (14), which is used to convey the rinsing liquid (SF) from the supply (V) to the application opening (8), the drive unit (12) having a drive controller (22). According to the invention, an application module (24, 24A, 24B), which has a dispensing characteristic, can be releasably attached to the application opening (8), the drive controller (22) being adjustable in accordance with the attached application module (24, 24A, 24B).

Description

[0001] Lavage arrangement

[0002] Description

[0003] The invention relates to a lavage arrangement according to the preamble of claim 1 for rinsing and cleaning body parts or wounds by means of sprays or irrigation pulses during surgery, such as during the insertion of artificial joints or prostheses or during wound debridement. For this purpose, the lavage arrangement comprises an applicator housing that forms a handle and an application opening for dispensing an irrigation fluid and encloses a drive unit. The lavage arrangement also includes a fluid line by means of which the application opening can be connected to a reservoir of the irrigation fluid. Furthermore, a permanently installed or replaceable drive unit of a pump is accommodated in the drive unit, which serves to convey the irrigation fluid from the reservoir to the application opening, wherein the drive unit includes a drive control.

[0004] Such a lavage setup allows for the gentle and thorough rinsing of wounds or surgical areas, particularly through repeated irrigation pulses. This removes bone, tissue, or material debris and other contaminants generated during surgery, thereby preventing infections and accelerating the healing process. Especially before the implantation of artificial joints, loose bone material can be removed to facilitate better bone penetration during implant cementation.

[0005] US 2017 / 0119939 describes a lavage arrangement for spraying and aspirating liquid using a pistol-shaped handpiece containing a pump with an impeller. The spray liquid is dispensed via a probe attached to the application opening, to which a tubular spray device is attached.

[0006] A disadvantage of the known lavage arrangement is that its spray device can only produce a specific spray geometry when dispensing the spray liquid. This limits the lavage arrangement to certain spraying applications.

[0007] The object of the invention is to avoid the aforementioned disadvantages in a generic lavage arrangement and to enable more flexible use.

[0008] This problem is solved by a lavage arrangement with the features of claim 1. An application module, which has a shape-dependent dispensing characteristic, is detachably attached to the application opening, and the drive control is adjustable depending on the attached application module. This allows the application module to be attached to the application opening to adapt the lavage arrangement to a specific application, in order to generate a spray geometry that is particularly favorable for that application by means of the respective shape or dispensing characteristic. At the same time, the drive control can be adapted to this shape-dependent dispensing characteristic, in particular with regard to an adjustable range of delivery pressure or delivery rate. In this way, the lavage arrangement can be adapted to a new application with particular flexibility and precision.

[0009] Advantageously, the application module features coding elements that, when attached to the application opening, interact with or can be read by a housing-side adjustment device held on the application housing and / or the drive unit. This allows the attached application module to be identified by the adjustment device, and the drive control to be automatically adapted to the shape-related dispensing characteristics of the identified application module when it is attached to the application housing. In this way, the drive unit can be automatically adjusted for a specific application, and the lavage arrangement can be adapted to a new use particularly quickly and conveniently. This, in turn, ensures gentle and safe patient treatment.In a particularly preferred embodiment of the lavage arrangement, it comprises at least one first application module with a first shape and dispensing characteristic, and a second application module with a second shape and dispensing characteristic that differs from the first. Furthermore, an applicator receptacle is provided or formed on the applicator housing, to which the application modules can be interchangeably attached via appropriately designed connecting elements. This allows for convenient configuration of one of at least two different shape-related dispensing characteristics for different application types on the application arrangement. Moreover, the drive control can be adjusted to the selected dispensing characteristic, thus enabling flexible use of the lavage arrangement for different application types.

[0010] Advantageously, the application modules can be connected to the applicator mount via a quick-change mechanism, such as a bayonet, snap-in, or screw connection. This allows for convenient attachment and easy replacement of the application modules, making it particularly easy to adapt the lavage arrangement to different uses.

[0011] Furthermore, it is advantageous if the encoding is provided by a readable chip, such as an RFID chip. This allows any information to be transferred from the attached application module to the setting device, which in turn enables particularly comprehensive and precise adjustment of the drive control to the output characteristics.

[0012] Alternatively or additionally, the coding means can be a printed code, such as a barcode or QR code, a magnetic code, or a mechanical code, which makes the coding means and the setting device particularly simple and cost-effective. Advantageously, depending on the attached application module, a speed profile and / or torque range of the drive unit can be set. The set speed profile can include predetermined speed changes, for example, to enhance the pulsation of a discharged spray jet. Furthermore, a preferred speed range can be limited depending on the specific application.Overall, this ensures that the application module is operated within a predetermined flow rate range and / or pressure range of the rinsing medium, in which the respective shape or delivery characteristic can generate a desired spray geometry.

[0013] Furthermore, a suction function can be activated or deactivated depending on the attached application module. In addition to the respective dispensing characteristics, it can therefore also be determined, depending on the intended use, whether the lavage arrangement should also be used for suction or not.

[0014] The suction function can advantageously be controlled via wireless communication with a suction unit, thus enabling a particularly flexible and convenient combination of the rinsing function with an additional suction function.

[0015] It should be noted that all the features of the object according to the invention described above are interchangeable or combinable with each other, provided that such an exchange or combination is not excluded for technical reasons.

[0016] The figures illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the invention. They show:

[0017] Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a lavage arrangement according to the invention and

[0018] Figure 2 shows a longitudinal section through an applicator housing of the lavage arrangement according to Figure 1. Figures 1 and 2 show a lavage arrangement 2 for rinsing and cleaning body parts or wounds by means of spray or irrigation pulses, such as during joint surgery. For this purpose, the lavage arrangement 2 has an applicator housing 4, which forms a handle 6 that can be grasped by one hand and an application opening 8 on one application side A for dispensing an irrigation fluid SF.

[0019] As can be seen in Figure 2, the applicator housing 4 encloses a drive receptacle 10, which serves to accommodate a drive unit 12 for a pump 14. The pump 14 is, by way of example, designed as a peristaltic pump and serves to pump the rinsing fluid SF via a fluid line 16 as shown in Figure 1, which connects a reservoir V to an application opening 8. The reservoir V can, for example, be formed by a storage container or by a connection to a piping system, as shown.

[0020] The drive unit 12 includes a pump motor 18, which is supplied by a power supply unit 20 and controlled by a drive controller 22. The power supply unit 20 can be, in particular, a battery pack or, alternatively, a mains connection unit.

[0021] To dispense the rinsing fluid SF in a desired rinsing or spray jet shape, a first application module 24 is held at the application opening 8, which has a first dispensing characteristic or shape.

[0022] As can be seen from Figure 2, the first application module 24 has coding means 26 which, when attached to the application opening 8, interact with an adjustment device 28. The coding means 26 include, for example, a readable chip 30, such as an RFID chip, while the adjustment device 28 is formed by a read device 32 for corresponding chips 30. Alternatively or additionally, the coding means 26 can also be formed by any other known and suitable form, such as a printed or embossed code in the form of a barcode or QR code, or by a magnetic or mechanical code, each of which interacts with a corresponding adjustment device 28.

[0023] In any case, the adjusting device 28 can recognize the attached application module 24 via the coding means 26 and, in particular, transmit information to the drive control 22 depending on its shape or output characteristics. Based on this information from the adjusting device 28, the drive control 22 can adapt the operation of the drive unit 12 to the application module 24. For example, this allows a suitable speed profile and / or a specific speed and / or torque range of the pump motor 18 to be defined.

[0024] As can be seen in Figure 2, the application module 24 is preferably held at the application opening 8 by means of a quick-change arrangement 34. For this purpose, the applicator housing 4 has an applicator receptacle 36 on the application side A, to which appropriately shaped fastening elements 38 of the application module 24 can be attached. The housing-side applicator receptacle 36 and the module-side fastening elements 38 can, for example, be designed as a bayonet, snap-fit, or screw connection.

[0025] As further shown in Figure 2, the lavage arrangement 2, in addition to the application module 24 with the first dispensing characteristic or shape attached to the applicator receptacle 36, also includes a second application module 24A with a second dispensing characteristic or shape that differs from the first, and a third application module 24B with yet another different third dispensing characteristic or shape. The second and third application modules 24A and 24B have the same fastening means 38, so that the first application module 24 on the applicator receptacle 36 can be replaced by one of the other application modules 24A or 24B.As soon as a new application module 24, 24A, 24B is attached to the applicator holder 36, the setting device 28 interacts with the coding means 26 to identify the application module 24, 24A, 24B and transmit corresponding information to the drive control 22 to adjust it to the current dispensing characteristics. In this way, the drive control 22 can be adjusted depending on the attached application module 24, 24A, 24B.

[0026] In addition to adapting the drive control 22 to the delivery characteristics of the attached application module 24; 24A; 24B, a suction function of the lavage arrangement 2 can also be activated or deactivated, depending on its coding means 26. To perform this suction function, the lavage arrangement 2 has an additional suction line 40, which is connected to a suction unit 42. A vacuum can be generated via this unit at a correspondingly designed application module 24; 24A; 24B in order to suction up any liquid, including tissue fragments and other particles, that accumulates during a rinsing or spraying process and feed it to a collection device 44.

[0027] In a particularly preferred embodiment of the lavage arrangement 2, the suction function or the suction unit 42 is activated or deactivated by the drive control 22 or by the adjustment device 28. The drive control 22 or the adjustment device 28 can be connected to the suction unit 42 via wired and / or wireless communication.

[0028] It should be noted that all the elements and features described above of the various embodiments of the object according to the invention are interchangeable or combinable with each other, provided that such an exchange or combination is not excluded for technical reasons.

Claims

Patent claims 1. Lavage arrangement (2) with an applicator housing (4) having a handle (6) and an application opening (8) for dispensing a rinsing liquid (SF) and enclosing a drive receptacle (10), with a liquid line (16) by means of which the application opening (8) can be connected to a reservoir (V) of the rinsing liquid (SF), and with a drive unit (12) of a pump (14) for conveying the rinsing liquid (SF) from the reservoir (V) to the application opening (8) received in the drive receptacle (10), wherein the drive unit (12) has a drive control (22), characterized in that an application module (24, 24A, 24B) having a dispensing characteristic can be detachably attached to the application opening (8), and the drive control (22) is adjustable depending on the attached application module (24, 24A, 24B).

2. Lavage arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that the application module (24, 24A, 24B) has coding means (26) which, when attached to the application opening (8), interact with an adjustment device (28).

3. Lavage arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it has at least one first application module (24, 24A, 24B) with a first dispensing characteristic and a second application module with a second dispensing characteristic that differs from the first dispensing characteristic and an applicator receptacle (36) is formed on the applicator housing (4) to which the application modules (24, 24A, 24B) can be interchangeably attached.

4. Lavage arrangement according to claim 3, characterized in that the application modules (24, 24A, 24B) can be connected to the applicator receptacle (36) via a quick-change arrangement (34).

5. Lavage arrangement according to one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the coding means (26) are formed by a readable chip (30).

6. Lavage arrangement according to one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the coding means (26) are formed by a printed code, a magnetic coding or a mechanical coding.

7. Lavage arrangement according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that a speed profile and / or torque range of the drive unit (12) is adjustable depending on the attached application module (24, 24A, 24B).

8. Lavage arrangement according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that a suction function can be activated or deactivated depending on the attached application module (24, 24A, 24B).

9. Lavage arrangement according to claim 8, characterized in that the suction function can be controlled via wireless communication with a suction unit (42).

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