Flexible surgical suction device and method

Abstract

A siphoning device suited for automatically removing fluid/blood from a surgical site is described, having a length of sterile flexible tubing that is configurable into a loop, the tubing having a first open end, a second open end, and a central portion. A plurality of holes punctuate the circumference of either the first open end or the central portion of the loop, the one or more sets of holes being distributed along a longitudinal direction of the tubing. A sterile absorbent covering encompasses the one or more sets of the plurality of holes, the covering being permeable to bodily fluids. The siphoning device is connected to a vacuum system that generates a negative pressure, causing fluids that have accumulated in the absorbent covering to be withdrawn into the vacuum system. Accordingly, a durable, simple non-gauze system for automatically clearing blood/fluid from a surgical site is described.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A siphoning device suited for automatically removing fluid/blood from a surgical site, comprising:
 a first open end, a second open end, and a central portion between the first open end and the second open end forming a continuous loop, wherein a section of the central portion is sized so as to permit the section of the central portion to extend across an airway of a person's throat at a back of a user's mouth and is rigid;   at least one or more sets of a plurality of holes punctuating a circumference of the section of the central portion, the one or more sets of holes being distributed along a longitudinal direction of the tubing; and   a sterile absorbent sponge of at least 2 cm in diameter adapted to block the back of the person's throat encompassing the one or more sets of the plurality of holes, the sterile absorbent sponge being permeable to bodily fluids.   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1 , further comprising a vacuum system coupled to each of the first open end and the second open end of the tubing, the vacuum system being configured to create a negative pressure in the tubing by removing air from the device via the first open end and the second open end, causing any fluids in the sterile absorbent sponge to be evacuated into the one or more sets of the plurality of holes of the tubing into the vacuum system. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein at least three sets of the plurality of holes are distributed along a longitudinal direction of the tubing and each set of the plurality of holes is covered by a discrete section of the sterile absorbent sponge. 
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the sterile absorbent sponge is substantially cylindrical in shape and formed from at least one of a cellulose, foam, melamine, animal, and layered fabric material. 
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the sterile absorbent sponge is formed from a Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) sponge and is at least three inches in length. 
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 1 , further comprising a coupler fitted over two sections of the tubing, moveable over the two sections of the tubing to allow the loop to be increased or reduced in size. 
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 6 , further comprising a coupler that joins the first and second open ends of the tubing to a first end of a second tubing, a second end of the second tubing being coupled to a vacuum system. 
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 7 , wherein the coupler further includes a control valve so as to control an amount of vacuum pressure in the tubing. 
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the tubing is approximately 3 mm in diameter. 
     
     
         10 . A siphoning device suited for automatically removing fluid/blood from a surgical site, comprising:
 a sterile tubing having a first open end and a second open end, the first and the second open ends forming a continuous loop, wherein a section of the central portion is sized so as to permit the section of the central portion to extend across an airway of a person's throat at a back of a user's mouth and is rigid;   at least one or more sets of a plurality of holes punctuating a circumference of the first open ends, the one or more sets of holes being distributed along a longitudinal direction of the sterile tubing;   a sterile absorbent sponge comprised of polyvinyl alcohol, the sterile absorbent sponge being of at least 2 cm in diameter adapted to block the back of a person's throat encompassing the one or more sets of the plurality of holes, the sterile absorbent sponge being permeable to bodily fluids; and   a vacuum system coupled to the first open end and the second open end of the sterile tubing, the vacuum system being configured to draw air from the sterile tubing via the first open end and the second open end causing any fluids in the sterile absorbent sponge to be evacuated into the at least one or more sets of the plurality of holes of the sterile tubing and removed via the vacuum system.   
     
     
         11 . A method for automatically removing fluid/blood from a surgical site, comprising:
 obtaining a fluid/blood siphoning device comprising:
 length of sterile tubing forming a continuous loop, the tubing having a first open end, a second open end, and a central portion between the first and second open ends wherein a section of the central portion is sized so as to permit the section of the central portion to extend across an airway of a person's throat at a back of a user's mouth and is rigid; 
 at least one or more sets of a plurality of holes punctuating a circumference of the section of the central portion of the loop, the one or more sets of holes being distributed along a longitudinal direction of the tubing; 
 a sterile absorbent sponge encompassing the one or more sets of the plurality of holes, the covering being permeable to bodily fluids; 
 attaching at the first and the second open ends of the tubing to a vacuum system; 
 positioning the central potion with the sterile absorbent sponge within the patient's airway; and 
 engaging the vacuum system to a negative pressure in the tubing via the first open end and the second open end, causing any fluids in the sterile absorbent sponge to be automatically evacuated into the one or more sets of the plurality of holes of the tubing into the vacuum system. 
   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising controlling an amount of the negative pressure via a control at the vacuum system. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising controlling an amount of the negative pressure via a control valve situated at a coupler that joins the first and second open ends of the tubing to a first end of a second tubing, a second end of the second tubing being coupled to the vacuum system. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the sterile absorbent sponge is substantially cylindrical in shape and formed from at least one of a cellulose, foam, melamine, animal, and layered fabric material. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the sterile absorbent sponge is formed from a Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) sponge and is at least three inches in length. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the tubing is approximately 3 mm in diameter.