Single chamber underwater drainage apparatus

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

There follows a detailed description, together with accompanying drawings, of a preferred embodiment of the invention. However, it is to be understood that the invention is capable of numerous modifications and variations apparent to those skilled in the art within the spirit and scope of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is perspective view of a drainage system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the collection chamber of the present invention with the front cover plate shown as transparent.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a separate view of an element shown in FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawings wherein like numerals are used to designate like parts throughout the several views, there is shown in FIG. 1 the overall drainage apparatus 10 including the housing member 13. The lower portion of the housing may contain a vacuum pump as shown in the lower portion of the housing as shown in our previous U.S. Pat. No. 3,363,626. The drainage bottle 11 which is shown in detail in FIGS. 2 and 3, may be constructed in any convenient manner and may be formed of any convenient material. Preferably, the drainage bottle 11 would be formed of a relatively stiff, transparent, plastic material such as polyethylene or the like.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, the drainage bottle 11 includes an enlarged single chamber 15 which is primarily a collection chamber. The bottle includes an inlet passage 16 adapted to be placed in fluid communication with the cavity to According to the present invention, there is provided a sin- 70 be drained and an outlet opening 17 adapted to be placed in gle-chamber drainage apparatus having located, at its upper end, an inlet passage for receiving fluids from the cavity being drained and an outlet passage for connection either to atmosphere or to a vacuum source, depending upon the intended mode of operation of the device. A tube within the fluid communication either with a vacuum pump or with atmosphere (depending upon the intended mode of operation of the apparatus). An elongated tube 18, which is shown separately in FIG. 4, as an elongated central portion which is connected to an upper portion 19 by a flexible elbow portion »

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20α and which is connected to a lower portion 21 by a lower flexible elbow portion 20ft. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the upper portion 19 is connected directly to the inlet passage 16 and the lower portion 21 terminates at a lower opening 22. A floating element 23 is rigidly affixed to the lower portion 21 to. 5 cause the latter to rise as the level of the liquid in chamber 15 rises. In FIG. 2 the arm 18 and its associated elements are shown in solid lines in the positions which they assume when the chamber 15 is empty. As liquid enters and fills the chamber 15, however, the float 23 will rise with the liquid, 'θ The position of tube 18 and its associated elements are shown in phantom line at the upper portion of the chamber which is the position that these elements would assume when liquid in the chamber has arisen to the level indicated by the line W. It ] _gwill be noted that when the elements are in the raised position, the opening 22 is located at a distance H beneath the surface level W of the liquid. It is to be understood this distance H between the opening 22 and the level of the liquid is maintained whatever be the level of liquid in the chamber except, 20 of course, when the opening 22 rests on the bottom and the total level of liquid in the chamber is less than H. Before operation the device is filled with water to a level equal to the height H.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the housing 13 is intended not 25 only to support the drainage bottle 11 but also to house various control elements. As indicated, the lower portion of this housing may contain a vacuum pump as illustrated in our said previous U.S. Pat. No. 3,363,626. The pump would include a passage rising upwardly in the rear portion of the housing to 30 opening 29 whereat the passage would be connected to tube 17 leading from the collection chamber 15.

In addition, a vacuum gage 25 could be mounted on the housing; and this gage could connect with the tube 17 to read the vacuum in trap 15 to indicate the pressure in the collection 35 chamber 15. The housing could also include a compliance pressure gage 28 which would be connected either to the chamber 15 through suitable tubing to an opening in the tube of the chamber (not shown) or to the inlet passage 16 or the tube 18 in order to ascertain a rapid increase in the negativity 40 of the pressure in the cavity being drained. As explained in our said earlier U.S. Pat. No. 3,363,627, “compliance,” which is a rapid increase in the negativity of the pressure in the patient’s pleural cavity, is a condition about which the physician should „ be informed. The compliance pressure at any given moment in ⁴³the cavity being drained. The other dial could be a “maximum reading” dial which moves with the first dial and then remains at the maximum point. This, of course, would provide a permanent maximum reading which could be observed by the physician at a time after the maximum had been reached.

The housing would include a reset dial 27 for resetting the “maximum reading” needle of the compliance pressure gage 26.

When this drainage system is operated with the tube 17 con- $$ nected to the opening 29 and hence to the vacuum pump, it is necessary at-first to have this passage opened to the atmosphere through a bleeder valve. The pump is turned on while the bleeder valve is wide open. Then, the bleeder valve is gradually controlled thereby accurately controlling within ¢0 fine limits the magnitude of the vacuum drawn through opening 17. Fot this purpose a bleeder valve control valve 28 may conveniently be provided on the housing 13. The housing may also include a simple off-on switch for the pump.

The operation of the invention is as follows: The chamber 65 15 is first filled with a quantity of water sufficient to place the opening 22 at a distance H beneath the surface of the liquid. In a typical situation this may be 2 cm. The inlet passage 16 is then connected to the cavity being drained. In this example it will be assumed that the cavity being drained is the pleural 70 cavity of the patient. The outlet passage 17 will then be connected directly to the atmosphere or to a vacuum source, depending upon the intended mode Of operation of the system.

For example, if the patient’s lung is working normally, the fluctuations in the pressure of the pleural cavity which accom- 75 pany normal breathing may be sufficient to expel extraneous fluids from the pleural cavity. Assume for example, that the normal fluctuations are between a pressure of +2 cm. of water (when the patient inhales). If no extraneous liquids have collected in the patient’s pleural cavity, then as the patient inhales and exhales, the level of the liquid in the tube 18 will fluctuate between a first level 2 cm. above the level of the liquid in the chamber, respectively. The latter level will correspond with the opening 22.

Assume now that extraneous fluid collect in the pleural cavity of the patient. As the patient exhales, the pressure in the pleural cavity will push the 2 cm. of water out of tube 18 and it will also push any excess gases which have collected in the pleural cavity out of the opening 22 and these excess gases will rise upwardly in the body of liquid in the chamber 15 while extraneous liquids in the body of liquid in the chamber 15 will simply collect and raise the level of liquid in the chamber 15.

If the opening from the tube were located at a point greater than 2 cm. below the level of liquid in the chamber, which situation would occur if the level of the opening 22 were fixed and the level of the liquid were raised then the pressure in the pleural cavity of the patient would not be sufficient to expel the extraneous gases from the tube 18. Consequently as the patient inhaled, these extraneous gases would be drawn back into the pleural cavity.

With the present invention, however, since the opening is always located at a predetermined distance, for example, 2 cm. below the level of liquid in chamber 15, the +2 cm’, pressure buildup in the pleural cavity of the patient during exhalation will always be sufficient to cause expulsion of the extraneous gases from the tube 18 through the opening 22.

In other situations, for example, where the lungs of the patient are ruptured and are not operating normally, it is necessary to connect the tube 17 to the vacuum source to create a greater negative pressure in chamber 15 for drawing extraneous gases and liquids from the pleural cavity through tube 18. In this case as in case where the tube 17 is connected to atmosphere, the negative pressure set by controlling the pump and the bleeder valve 28 will not be minimized by an increasing pressure head as the liquid in the chamber 15 rises. Rather, the initial pressure will be maintained since the opening 22 will rise with the liquid and remain a fixed distance below the surface of the liquid.

Although the invention has been described in considerable detail with respect to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be apparent that the invention is capable of numerous modifications and variations apparent to those skilled in the art.