Filter cartridge assemblies for managing fluid and humidity in endoscopic surgery

Abstract

A filter cartridge for surgical gas delivery systems includes a filter housing configured to be seated in a filter cartridge interface of a surgical gas delivery system, with a plurality of flow paths defined through the filter housing including at least one evacuation/return flow path and at least one insufflation/sensing flow path. A humidity filter element is included in the evacuation/return flow path for removing humidity from an evacuation/return lumen of a tube set. The humidity filter element can include a sintered polymer material configured to provide tortuous flow paths therethrough to condense humidity out of a flow through the humidity filter element.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A filtered tube set comprising:
 a) a filter cartridge having a cylindrical housing and defining a filtered inlet flow path and a filtered outlet flow path, wherein the filtered inlet flow path includes a first pleated filter element and the filtered outlet path includes a second pleated filter element;   b) a first lumen extending from a front end of the filter cartridge and communicating with the filtered outlet flow path, wherein the first lumen has a first connector at a distal end thereof for connecting to a first surgical access device;   c) a second lumen extending from the front end of the filter cartridge and communicating with the filtered inlet flow path;   d) an in-line humidity filter assembly having a cylindrical housing containing a humidity filter element and including an inlet fitting and an outlet fitting, wherein the outlet fitting communicates with a distal end of the second lumen; and   e) a third lumen extending from the inlet fitting and having a second connector at a distal end thereof for connecting to a second surgical access device.