Urological bladder evacuator

Abstract

The invention is an improved valve which forms part of an assembly used in transurethral operative procedures, including a syringe which may be put in communication with the bladder through a tube which is connected to the syringe through a two-way valve. The valve is disposed in a single plane and is operable to two positions by movement of the syringe, in one of which it provides straight line communication from the syringe to the bladder to permit injection into and withdrawal from the bladder and in the other of which it provides straight line communication from the syringe to a discharge passage to discharge material withdrawn from the bladder.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top view of an evacuator assembly according to the art prior to this invention; FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the valve part of the assembly, taken on line 2--2 of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a partial view of an assembly of the same parts as shown in FIG. 1 but being a top view of the valve provided by this invention, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the valve, taken on line 4--4 of FIG. 3.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In urology it often becomes necessary to evacuate from the bladder foreign materials such as blood clots, necrotic tissues, pieces of prostatic tissues following transurethral resection, or stone fragments or sand following crushing by litholapaxy. A widely used evacuator device, and one having possibly the closest relation to the present invention, is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings. This device is manufactured by American Cystoscope Makers, Incorporated, and is particularly disclosed in the catalog of V. Mueller and Co., Chicago, Illinois, 1956, at page 420. This prior art device comprises the syringe 2 having a compressible rubber bulb actuator 4 at one end, which may be replaced by a plunger, and at the other end having a tapered spout 6 which is connected through valve device 8 to tube 10 which is inserted into the bladder A in performing urological operative procedures. The valve device consists of an integrally formed tube having two parts 12, 14 which are connected at right angles to each other. The part 12 receives the discharge spout 6 of the syringe 2 and the part 14 extends into a cylindrical member 16 and is rotatably mounted therein, and within member 16 is provided with a port 18. The member 16 is provided with two ports 20, 22 the centers of which are spaced at 90.degree. to each other. Port 20 opens into the proximate end of tube 10 through fitting 24 and port 22 opens into discharge fitting 26 which extends vertically downwardly from the valve assembly. Tubular part 14 has an external stop member 28 which is received within a circumferentially extending slot 30 in cylindrical member 16. Engagement of the stop member with the ends of the slot positions the port 18 in valve tube 14 in alignment with either fitting 24 and tube 10 or with discharge fitting 26, and such movement of the valve tube 14 is effected by a vertical rotational operation of syringe 2 from the full line position to the broken line position of FIG. 2.

This prior art evacuator is not satisfactory in use because the valve includes a right angular passage between the syringe and the bladder which traps bits and pieces of tissue, such as those shown in FIG. 1, which have been resected during the operative procedure and must be withdrawn through the tube 10 and the valve. The present invention eliminates this difficulty by providing a valve through which the passage is straight line instead of angular.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The evacuator assembly including the new and improved valve device provided by this invention has the same parts as the conventional assembly shown in FIG. 1, these being the syringe 1 having a compressible rubber bulb, for which a plunger may be substituted, the tube 10 for insertion into the bladder A, and the improved valve device B connecting the syringe and tube 10.

The valve device comprises a hollow cylindrical casing having parallel end walls 40, 42 and peripheral wall 44 which is provided with two ports 46, 48 which are positioned at 90.degree. to each other. Port 46 communicates with the interior of a tubular fitting 50 which extends radially outwardly from the cylindrical valve body for connection to tube 10, while port 48 communicates with the interior of a tubular fitting 52 which extends radially outwardly and downwardly from the cylindrical casing and provides a discharge passage. The valve casing is provided with a circumferentially extending opening 58 having end walls 60, 62 which are positioned in a manner to be described.

A cylindrical valve body 70 is rotatably mounted within the valve casing with its peripheral wall in sliding engagement with the interior wall of the casing, and has an integrally formed fitting 72 which extends radially outwardly from the valve body through the opening 58 in the valve casing. A passage 74 extends diametrically through the valve body and communicates with the aligned interior passage 76 within the tubular fitting 72.

In accordance with the invention the centers of the ports 46, 48 and the axes of the fittings 50, 52 and 72 all lie in a common plane which is between and parallel to the end walls 40, 42 of the cylindrical valve casing and therefore the passages through the valve, to and from the syringe and the tube 10, and to and from the syringe and the discharge fitting 52, are straight line and therefore offer no impediment to passage of resected tissue from the operative field to the syringe and from the syringe to the discharge port 52 when such tissue is removed from the operative field.

In the operation of the valve the valve body 70 is rotated by moving the syringe in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction, thereby moving the fitting 72, which is connected to the syringe, in the same direction to rotate the valve body 70 and align the passage 74 in the valve body with either port 46 and fitting 50 or with port 48 and fitting 52. The length of opening 58 in the valve casing is such that the end walls 60, 62 of the opening form abutments limiting the movement of the syringe, fitting 72 and the valve body so that engagement of one or the other of these end walls positions the valve body for communication of its passage 74 with either tube 10 or the discharge fitting 52.

Claims

I claim:

1. In an evacuator assembly for use in urological operative procedures comprising a syringe and a tube for insertion into the operative field, an improved valve providing communication between the syringe and the tube comprising

a. a fixed hollow cylindrical casing having end walls and a peripheral wall,

b. the cylindrical casing having in its peripheral wall two ports which are positioned at 90.degree. to each other, one of which is adapted to be connected to the tube and the other to a discharge fitting, the latter being downwardly directed in the use of the evacuator assembly to permit discharge into a container, and the cylindrical casing also having a circumferentially extending opening,

c. a cylindrical valve body rotatably mounted within the fixed cylindrical casing and having a passage extending diametrically therethrough positioned to communicate selectively with the two ports in the cylindrical casing,

d. a hollow tubular connecting device forming a one-piece integral connection with the cylindrical valve body and extending outwardly therefrom through the circumferentially extending opening in the cylindrical casing and adapted to be connected to the syringe of the evacuator device,

e. the length of the circumferentially extending opening in the cylindrical body being such that when the connecting device engages one or the other of the end walls of the opening the passage through the valve body registers with one or the other of the ports in the cylindrical casing,

f. the centers of the ports in the valve casing and the axis of the passage in the valve body lying in the same plane which lies between the end walls of the cylindrical casing and is substantially parallel thereto, thereby providing straight line communication between the syringe and the tube and between the syringe and the discharge port.