Gas Recirculation Pump Control for Surgical Smoke Clearance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Surgical smoke generated during minimally invasive procedures poses health risks to patients and surgeons by impairing visualization and potentially leading to operation delays, and existing systems are inefficient in quickly removing smoke without manual intervention.
Innovation Solution
A gas recirculation system with a pump, tubes, and a smoke detection sensor that automatically adjusts motor speed to quickly clear smoke, utilizing filters and a bypass mechanism to manage smoke levels, and includes a controller to monitor pump operation and detect faults.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If surgical smoke is removed quickly using high flow rates, then smoke clearance efficiency is improved, but peritoneal cavity pressure and humidity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates a smoke detection sensor that continuously monitors smoke levels in the peritoneal cavity and provides feedback to the controller. The controller automatically adjusts the pump motor speed based on detected smoke concentration, increasing flow rate when smoke is detected and reducing it when smoke levels are low, thereby maintaining smoke clearance efficiency while preserving peritoneal cavity pressure and humidity
Solution Approach 2:
The pump motor speed is made dynamically adjustable rather than fixed. The system transitions from static operation to dynamic operation where the motor speed varies in response to real-time smoke detection, allowing the system to optimize between smoke removal efficiency and peritoneal cavity condition maintenance
2Device complexity
If manual intervention is used to manage smoke removal, then system complexity is reduced, but response time and operational efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service through automatic smoke detection and response. The smoke detection sensor continuously monitors the peritoneal cavity environment and the controller automatically adjusts pump operation without requiring manual intervention from the surgeon or surgical team, achieving rapid response time while maintaining manageable system complexity through integrated automation
Solution Approach 2:
Manual mechanical adjustment of smoke removal is replaced with an automated sensor-based control system. The smoke detection sensor and controller substitute for manual observation and adjustment, enabling faster response to smoke generation events while the overall system remains relatively simple in design
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively removes surgical smoke at high flow rates, maintaining peritoneal cavity pressure and humidity, reducing the need for additional gas injection, and preventing smoke from entering the operating room, thereby enhancing surgical visibility and safety.
Implementation Method 1
a pump having a motor to draw gas into the gas input connection from the peritoneal cavity through the first tube and to discharge gas out of the gas output connection and into a peritoneal cavity through the second tube
Implementation Method 2
A smoke detection sensor is positioned at a location along a gas flow path defined by the first tube, the pump and the second tube and is configured to measure an amount of smoke present in the gas
Implementation Method 3
The controller is further configured to adjust a speed of the motor of the pump in response to the amount of smoke detected
Data Source
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AI summary
Gas recirculation systems for use in endoscopic surgical procedures including a gas recirculation pump are disclosed. The gas recirculation pump may work in conjunction with an insufflator used to inflate a patient's peritoneal cavity during surgery. The gas recirculation system may recirculate a flow of gas from and to the patient, based on a detected amount of smoke in the gas, while filtering particulate matter out of the gas and while maintaining an adequate moisture content in the gas. A controller may adjust the speed of a pump motor based on the detected amount of smoke, and may also open a suction exhaust path to vent gas and smoke if the amount of smoke detected exceeds a threshold.