JP5879904B2 - Channel pipe and fluid ejection device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for ejecting a fluid from a nozzle.

  2. Description of the Related Art A fluid ejecting apparatus that excises biological tissue by pressurizing a fluid such as water or organized saline and ejecting the fluid from a nozzle toward an operation site has been developed. In surgery using such a fluid ejection device, tissues such as organs can be selectively excised without damaging nerves or blood vessels, so that the burden on the patient can be reduced.

  In addition, if the fluid ejected from the nozzle accumulates in the surgical site, it becomes difficult to see the surgical site and it becomes difficult to excise the biological tissue at a desired position, or the force of the ejected fluid is weakened by the fluid in the surgical site. As a result, adverse effects such as a reduction in resecting power occur. In view of this, a technique has been proposed in which a suction device is provided in the fluid ejection device and the fluid ejected to the surgical site is aspirated from the suction port of the suction device to avoid such adverse effects (Patent Document 1). .

  Further, when aspirating fluid at the surgical site, the biological tissue may get in the way of resection due to the biological tissue sucking on the suction port. Therefore, a pressure sensor is provided in the suction flow path connected to the suction port, and when the detected value by the pressure sensor becomes larger than a predetermined value, the suction amount is reduced to reduce the biological tissue that has been sucked. The technology to release is also proposed (Patent Document 2).

JP-A-6-90957 JP 2007-229010 A

  However, if the biological tissue is to be released by the above-described conventional technology, it is necessary to provide a pressure sensor in the suction flow path, and further, control for adjusting the suction amount based on the detection result by the pressure sensor is required. There has been a problem that the structure and control of the fluid ejection device become complicated.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems of the conventional technology described above, and in a fluid ejecting apparatus that collects ejected fluid by suction, suction and without complicating structure and control. The purpose is to provide technology that can release biological tissues sucked into the mouth.

In order to solve at least a part of the problems described above, the fluid ejecting apparatus of the present invention employs the following configuration. That is,
A fluid ejecting apparatus having a nozzle for ejecting fluid toward an object and a suction port for sucking the fluid ejected onto the object,
A suction tube provided at the tip of the suction port;
A suction means for sucking the fluid from the suction port by setting the inside of the suction tube to a negative pressure;
The suction pipe has at least a part of a side surface formed by an elastic member,
The gist of the invention is that the elastic member is formed with a negative pressure releasing portion that opens when the elastic member is deformed by the negative pressure of the suction pipe to release the negative pressure.

  In such a fluid ejecting apparatus of the present invention, when the object is sucked to the suction port while sucking the fluid, the elastic member is deformed by the negative pressure inside the suction pipe, thereby forming the negative pressure formed on the elastic member. Open part opens. The negative pressure release portion may be formed as a negative pressure release portion, for example, by providing a slit penetrating the elastic member in the elastic member. In addition, instead of providing the slit in the elastic member, the negative pressure release portion may be formed by using a slit at the boundary between the elastic member provided on a part of the side surface of the suction tube and the suction tube. . When the negative pressure release portion is thus opened, the negative pressure in the suction pipe is released from the negative pressure release portion.

  In this way, the sucked object can be separated from the suction port by releasing the negative pressure inside the suction tube. Moreover, since the negative pressure release portion automatically opens when an object is attracted to the suction port, it is not necessary to perform control for opening and closing the negative pressure release portion. In addition, a pressure sensor or the like is unnecessary and the structure is not complicated.

  In the fluid ejecting apparatus of the present invention, a cylindrical elastic member may be attached to the tip of the suction tube, and a slit that penetrates the side surface of the elastic member may be formed, and this slit may be used as the negative pressure release portion. It should be noted that the elastic member at the tip of the suction tube only needs to have a cylindrical shape, and thus is not limited to a complete cylindrical shape, and may be a cylindrical shape having a polygonal cross section, for example.

  If it carries out like this, a part of side surface of a suction tube can be easily formed with an elastic member only by attaching an elastic member to the front-end | tip of a suction tube. In addition, since the slit is provided at the tip of the suction tube, it is possible to suck the fluid from the slit when sucking the fluid sprayed onto the object. Furthermore, if the tip of the suction tube is formed of a relatively soft member such as an elastic member, the hit when the object is sucked can be weakened, so that the object can be prevented from being damaged.

  Further, the fluid ejection device of the present invention can selectively excise a biological tissue such as an organ without injuring a nerve or a blood vessel by ejecting a fluid from the nozzle toward the biological tissue, and the ejection is performed. When the fluid is sucked, it can be avoided that the suction port keeps sucking the biological tissue. Therefore, it can be suitably used as a medical device for excising biological tissue.

It is explanatory drawing which showed the structure of the fluid injection apparatus of a present Example. It is explanatory drawing which showed the reason which can avoid that a biological tissue obstructs excision, when a biological tissue attracts | sucks to the suction port of the fluid injection apparatus of a present Example. It is explanatory drawing which showed arrangement | positioning of the slit of the front-end | tip member of a 1st modification. It is explanatory drawing which showed the merit of setting it as the arrangement | positioning of the slit of the front-end | tip member of a 1st modification. It is explanatory drawing which showed the structure of the front-end | tip part of the suction pipe of the fluid injection apparatus of a 2nd modification. It is explanatory drawing which showed the structure of the front-end | tip part of the suction tube of the fluid injection apparatus of a 3rd modification. It is explanatory drawing which illustrated a mode that a front-end | tip member was provided by the shape different from a cylindrical shape. It is explanatory drawing which showed another example of the method by which the fluid ejecting apparatus ejects fluid.

Hereinafter, in order to clarify the contents of the present invention described above, examples will be described in the following order.
A. Structure of fluid ejection device:
B. Operation of fluid ejection device:
C. Variations:
C-1. First modification:
C-2. Second modification:
C-3. Third modification:

A. Structure of fluid ejection device:
FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing the structure of the fluid ejection device 100 of the present embodiment. FIG. 1A shows a cross-sectional view of the fluid ejecting apparatus 100, and FIG. 1B shows an external view of a tip portion of the fluid ejecting apparatus 100 from which fluid is ejected. As shown in FIG. 1A, the fluid ejecting apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment roughly includes a first case 110, a second case 120, and a fluid ejecting pipe erected from the second case 120. 130, a suction tube 140, and the like.

  The first case 110 is provided with an opening in the front (left side of the drawing), and a thin metal diaphragm 112 is provided so as to close the opening, and a peripheral portion of the diaphragm 112 is formed in the first case 110. It is glued. A piezoelectric element 114 is accommodated in the first case 110 closed by the diaphragm 112. The rear surface (the surface on the right side of the drawing) of the piezoelectric element 114 is bonded to the inner wall on the rear side of the first case 110, and the piezoelectric element 114 is interposed between the front surface (the surface on the left side of the drawing) of the piezoelectric element 114 and the diaphragm 112. A reinforcing plate 116 having a thickness corresponding to the gap between the diaphragm 112 and the diaphragm 112 is provided.

  The second case 120 is attached to the front surface (the surface on which the diaphragm 112 is provided) of the first case 110 by screwing or the like. A circular shallow recess is provided on the rear surface of the second case 120 (the surface on which the first case 110 is joined). When the second case 120 is attached to the first case 110, the fluid chamber is formed by the recess and the diaphragm 112. 122 is formed. Further, the second case 120 is provided with an inlet channel 120 i for supplying a fluid to the fluid chamber 122 from the side of the second case 120. The inlet channel 120i is connected to a fluid tank (not shown) in which a fluid to be ejected is stored via a tube, and drives a supply pump (not shown) to suck up the fluid in the fluid tank. As a result, the fluid is supplied to the fluid chamber 122. Furthermore, an outlet channel 120o through which the fluid pressurized in the fluid chamber 122 passes is provided at the center position of the recess of the second case 120.

  The fluid ejection pipe 130 is a metal member formed in a thin tubular shape, and a nozzle 132 is provided at the tip. A cylindrical convex portion is provided on the front surface of the second case 120, and an attachment hole for attaching the fluid ejection pipe 130 is provided at the center position of the convex portion. When the rear end of the fluid ejection pipe 130 is inserted into the mounting hole, the outlet flow path 120o of the second case 120 and the flow path (the ejection flow path 134) inside the fluid ejection pipe 130 are connected, so that the fluid The chamber 122 is connected to the nozzle 132 through the outlet channel 120o and the injection channel 134.

  The suction tube 140 is a tubular member that is slightly larger in diameter than the fluid ejection tube 130, and the inner diameter portion of the suction tube 140 is inserted into the convex portion of the second case 120. In this state, the suction pipe 140 is arranged on a concentric circle of the fluid ejection pipe 130, and a gap (suction channel 144) is formed between the inside of the suction pipe 140 and the outside of the fluid ejection pipe 130. The suction channel 144 is connected to a suction pump 150 (suction unit) via a tube. As will be described in detail later, in the fluid ejecting apparatus 100 of this embodiment, the ejected fluid is recovered from the tip (suction port 142) of the suction pipe 140 by driving the suction pump 150 while ejecting the fluid. It has come to be.

  In addition, the suction tube 140 of the present embodiment has a distal end portion constituted by another rubber member (tip member 146). Note that the tip member 146 of the present embodiment may be a material that is softer than the material of the other part of the suction tube 140. Therefore, the tip member 146 is not limited to rubber and may be formed of, for example, resin.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1B, the tip member 146 is provided with a plurality of cuts (slits 146s) reaching from the outer periphery to the inner wall of the tip member 146. These slits 146s have a linear shape parallel to the axial direction of the suction tube 140, and are provided so as to make one round of the outer periphery of the tip member 146 in a state where the slits 146s are arranged at equal intervals. Although the slit 146s in this embodiment is linear, the slit 146s may not be a complete straight line. For example, the slit 146s can be provided in a wave shape.

B. Operation of fluid ejection device:
The fluid ejecting apparatus 100 of this embodiment shown in FIG. 1 operates as follows. First, the fluid pump 122 is filled with fluid by driving a supply pump (not shown). Subsequently, the volume of the fluid chamber 122 is reduced by applying a positive voltage to elongate the piezoelectric element 114 and deforming the diaphragm 112. As a result, the fluid in the fluid chamber 122 is pressurized and ejected from the nozzle 132 via the outlet channel 120 o and the ejection channel 134.

  When the fluid is ejected, the voltage applied to the piezoelectric element 114 is removed. Then, the piezoelectric element 114 is restored to the original length, and accordingly, the volume of the fluid chamber 122 is restored to the original volume. Along with this movement, the fluid is supplied from the supply pump to the fluid chamber 122. As a result, the state before the piezoelectric element 114 is driven is restored. When a positive voltage is applied again to the piezoelectric element 114 from this state, the piezoelectric element 114 is deformed, and the fluid pushed out from the fluid chamber 122 is ejected from the nozzle 132. As described above, in the fluid ejecting apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the pulsed fluid is ejected from the nozzle 132 each time a positive voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element 114. Therefore, the biological tissue can be excised by the pressure of the ejected fluid.

  Further, while the biological tissue is excised by ejecting the fluid, the suction pump 150 connected to the suction pipe 140 is driven through the tube. As a result, since the inside of the suction pipe 140 (suction channel 144) becomes negative pressure, the fluid ejected from the nozzle 132 toward the biological tissue and the excised biological tissue are sucked from the suction port 142. As a result, it can be avoided that the fluid ejected from the nozzle 132 is accumulated and the field of view of the surgical site is deteriorated, or that the force of the ejected fluid is weakened by the fluid of the surgical site and the resection force is reduced. .

  Here, since the inside of the suction tube 140 has a negative pressure, if the fluid ejection device 100 is used in a state where the suction port 142 is too close to the biological tissue, the biological tissue is sucked to the suction port 142. There is. However, in the fluid ejecting apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, even if the biological tissue is sucked into the suction port 142, the biological tissue does not interfere with the excision. This point will be described below.

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the reason why it is possible to avoid the biological tissue from obstructing the excision when the biological tissue is attracted to the suction port 142 of the fluid ejecting apparatus 100 of the present embodiment. As described above, during the excision of the biological tissue by ejecting the fluid, the suction channel 142 of the suction pipe 140 has a negative pressure in order to suck the ejected fluid. When approaching too much, the biological tissue is sucked into the suction port 142 as shown in FIG.

  When the biological tissue is sucked in this way, the suction pump 150 continues to be driven in a state where the suction port 142 is sealed by the biological tissue, thereby increasing the negative pressure inside the suction pipe 140. Here, the suction tube 140 of the present embodiment has a distal end portion made of a rubber-made distal end member 146. For this reason, when the negative pressure in the suction pipe 140 becomes larger than a predetermined value, the tip member 146 is deformed so as to be drawn toward the inner side of the suction pipe 140 due to the negative pressure. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2B, the slit 146s opens and the atmosphere is introduced into the suction tube 140, so the negative pressure in the suction tube 140 is reduced. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 2C, the biological tissue is separated from the suction port 142. When the sealed state of the suction port 142 is released, the tip member 146 returns to its original shape.

  As described above, in the fluid ejection device according to the present embodiment, when the biological tissue is sucked into the suction port 142 and the negative pressure inside the suction pipe 140 rises to a predetermined value, the tip member 146 is deformed by the negative pressure, and the slit is formed. By opening 146s, the negative pressure in the suction pipe 140 can be reduced. Therefore, since the negative pressure in the suction tube 140 can be prevented from increasing, it is possible to avoid the biological tissue sucked on the suction port 142 from interfering with the excision.

  Further, according to the fluid ejecting apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the negative pressure inside the suction tube 140 is higher than a predetermined value only by configuring the distal end portion of the suction tube 140 with the distal end member 146 provided with the slit 146s. The negative pressure can be lowered automatically when it becomes larger. Therefore, while it is possible to avoid the biological tissue that has been sucked in from interfering with the excision, it is possible to prevent the control of the fluid ejecting apparatus 100 from becoming complicated.

  Furthermore, in the fluid ejecting apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the distal end portion (the distal end member 146) of the suction tube 140 is formed of a soft material (in this embodiment, rubber). Therefore, it is possible to prevent the biological tissue from being damaged by the contact of the tip member 146 before the sucked biological tissue is separated from the tip member 146. In addition, since the slit 146s is provided at the distal end portion of the suction tube 140, it is possible to suck fluid from the surgical site from the slit 146s.

  In addition, in the fluid ejection device 100 according to the present embodiment, the fluid ejection pipe 130 is provided inside the suction pipe 140, and the fluid ejection pipe 130 extends to the vicinity of the suction port 142. Therefore, even if the biological tissue sucked into the suction port 142 tries to enter the depth of the suction pipe 140, the fluid ejection pipe 130 can be prevented from entering as an obstacle.

C. Modified example:
Several modifications can be considered in the embodiment described above. Hereinafter, these modified examples will be briefly described. Note that, in the modification described below, the same components as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the embodiment, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

C-1. First modification:
In the embodiment described above, the fluid ejection pipe 130 is provided at the center position of the suction pipe 140, and the plurality of slits 146s of the tip member 146 are provided at regular intervals around the outer periphery of the tip member 146. explained. Here, the fluid ejection pipe 130 may be provided eccentrically with respect to the center position of the suction pipe 140. In this case, the slit 146s of the tip member 146 may be arranged as follows.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing the arrangement of the slits 146s of the tip member 146 of the first modification. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the tip member 146 is viewed from the side from which the fluid is ejected. As shown in the drawing, in the fluid ejecting apparatus 100 of the first modified example, the fluid ejecting pipe 130 is provided slightly eccentric with respect to the central position of the suction pipe 140, and thereby the lower side of the fluid ejecting pipe 130. The cross-sectional area of the suction channel 144 is increased. Therefore, even when the excised biological tissue is relatively large, the tissue can be sucked without clogging the suction channel 144. In the tip member 146 of the fluid ejecting apparatus 100, the distance between the slits 146s is sparse (the number of slits 146s is small) on the side where the fluid ejecting pipe 130 is eccentric with respect to the suction pipe 140. On the side opposite to the side where the fluid ejection pipe 130 is eccentric, the interval between the slits 146s is dense (the number of slits 146s is large).

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing the merit of arranging the slits 146s of the tip member 146 of the first modification. FIG. 4A shows a state in which the tip member 146 is deformed when the fluid ejection device 100 of the first modification sucks the biological tissue, and FIG. For reference, in the fluid ejecting apparatus 100 in which the fluid ejecting pipe 130 is provided eccentrically with respect to the suction pipe 140, the state in which the tip member 146 is deformed when the slits 146s of the tip member 146 are provided at equal intervals is shown. ing.

  When the tip member 146 of the first modification shown in FIG. 4A sucks a biological tissue, the amount of deformation of the tip member 146 is small on the side where the fluid ejection tube 130 is eccentric to the suction tube 140, The amount of deformation increases on the side opposite to the side where the fluid ejection pipe 130 is eccentric. This is due to the following reason. That is, the distance between the slits 146s and 146s is wide on the side where the number of slits 146s is small, and the distance between the slits 146s and 146s is narrow on the side where the number of slits 146s is large. Of course, a wider interval is less likely to deform than a narrower one. For this reason, when a biological tissue is attracted to the suction port 142, the side opposite to the side where the fluid ejection pipe 130 is eccentric is deformed more greatly than the side where the fluid ejection pipe 130 is eccentric.

  In the fluid ejecting apparatus 100 according to the first modified example, the tip of the fluid ejecting pipe 130 is eccentric by the tip member 146 by reducing the deformation amount of the tip member 146 on the side where the fluid ejecting pipe 130 is eccentric. Can suppress the fluid ejection pipe 130 from being pushed to the opposite side. Further, by increasing the deformation amount of the tip member 146 on the opposite side to the side where the fluid ejection pipe 130 is eccentric, the fluid ejection pipe 130 can be supported by the tip member 146 from the side opposite to the eccentric side. Therefore, as in the case where the slits 146s of the tip member 146 are provided at equal intervals (see FIG. 4B), the deformation amount of the tip member 146 on the side where the fluid ejection pipe 130 is eccentric and on the opposite side. Are not the same. As a result, even if the fluid ejection tube 130 is provided eccentric to the suction tube 140, it is possible to avoid the fluid ejection tube 130 from being bent by being pushed by the tip member 146.

C-2. Second modification:
In the above-described embodiment and the first modification, it has been described that the slit 146s of the tip member 146 is provided in parallel with the axial direction of the suction tube 140. However, the slit 146s may be provided in any direction. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 5A, the slit 146s is provided in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the suction tube 140. Also good. Even when the slit 146s is provided in this manner, when the negative pressure in the suction tube 140 increases, the tip member 146 is deformed and the slit 146s opens greatly as shown in FIG. The negative pressure in the tube 140 can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the sucked biological tissue from interfering with the excision as in the fluid ejecting apparatus 100 of the above-described embodiment and modification.

C-3. Third modification:
In the second modification described above, it has been described that the slit 146 s of the tip member 146 is provided in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the suction tube 140. Here, when the slit 146s is provided in this direction, a hard holding member may be provided at the front end of the tip member 146.

  FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing the structure of the distal end portion of the suction tube 140 of the fluid ejection device 100 of the third modification. As shown in FIG. 6A, in the fluid ejection device 100 of the third modified example, the slit 146s is provided in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the suction tube 140, and the tip member 146 is provided at the front end of the tip member 146. A ring-shaped holding member 148 having a diameter substantially the same as that of is attached. Although the holding member 148 of the third modification is described as being formed of metal, the holding member 148 may be formed of a material harder than the tip member 146, and thus, for example, a hard resin or the like. It is good also as forming by.

  When the holding member 148 is provided on the tip member 146 in this way, the front end of the tip member 146 is held at the position of the holding member 148. Therefore, when the tip member 146 is deformed by the negative pressure in the suction tube 140, the tip member 146 can be prevented from being deformed so as to contract in the axial direction of the suction tube 140. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6B, the amount of displacement of the front end member 146 before and after the slit 146s can be increased, and therefore, such a holding member 148 is not provided (see FIG. 6C). As compared with the case, the slit 146s near the front end of the tip member 146 can be opened larger. Thereby, more atmospheric air can be taken in from the opening and the negative pressure in the suction pipe 140 can be quickly reduced, so that the biological tissue sucked to the suction port 142 can be quickly released.

  Although the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the present embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to all the embodiments and modifications described above, and can be implemented in various modes without departing from the gist thereof. . For example, in the above-described embodiments and modifications, it has been described that the tip member 146 is formed in a cylindrical shape. However, the tip member 146 does not necessarily have a cylindrical shape as long as it is deformed by the negative pressure in the suction tube 140 and the slit 146s opens. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 7A, a part of the side surface of the suction tube 140 may be constituted by a tip member 146 in which a slit is formed. The slit 146s may be opened as long as the tip member 146 is deformed. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 7A, not only the slit 146s is provided in the tip member 146 but also a part of the side surface of the suction tube 140 as shown in FIG. 7B. It is also possible to form a slit 146s at a part of the boundary between the tip member 146 and the suction tube 140 (in the drawing, above and below the tip member 146).

  Further, in the above-described embodiments and modifications, it has been described that the fluid is ejected from the nozzle 132 by driving the piezoelectric element 114 to increase or decrease the volume of the fluid chamber 122. It is good also as performing by. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 8A, an optical fiber 252 connected to the laser oscillator 250 is inserted into the fluid ejection tube 230, and the fluid near the tip of the optical fiber 252 is irradiated with a laser to generate fluid. It is good also as ejecting a fluid from the nozzle 232 by the pressure rise when vaporizing. Further, as shown in FIG. 8B, an electric heater 354 connected to a power source 350 is provided in the middle of the flow path to the fluid ejection pipe 330, and the fluid in the flow path is supplied by the electric heater 354. It is good also as ejecting a fluid from nozzle 232 by making it vaporize. Further, as shown in FIG. 8C, a part of the side surface near the tip of the fluid ejection pipe 430 is constituted by a diaphragm 412, and the diaphragm 412 is connected to the piezoelectric element 414 from the outside of the fluid ejection pipe 430. The fluid in the fluid ejection pipe 430 may be pressurized by being deformed by being used and ejected from the nozzle 432.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Fluid injection apparatus, 110 ... 1st case, 112 ... Diaphragm,
114 ... piezoelectric element 116 ... reinforcing plate 120 ... second case,
120i ... Inlet channel, 120o ... Outlet channel, 122 ... Fluid chamber,
130 ... Fluid injection pipe, 132 ... Nozzle, 134 ... Injection flow path,
140 ... suction pipe, 142 ... suction port, 144 ... suction channel,
146 ... tip member, 146s ... slit, 148 ... holding member,
150 ... Suction pump

Claims (5)

A fluid ejection pipe having a nozzle for ejecting fluid;
A suction port for sucking the ejected fluid; and an elastic member provided with the suction port; and a suction tube provided inside the fluid ejection tube ,
The fluid ejection pipe is provided eccentric to the suction pipe,
The elastic member is provided with a plurality of opening and closing parts that can be opened and closed according to deformation of the elastic member ,
In the elastic member, the flow path pipe has a larger number of open / close portions on the side opposite to the side on which the fluid ejection pipe is eccentric than on the side on which the fluid ejection pipe is eccentric . It is a channel pipe according to claim 1, Comprising:
The elastic member, when the suction port is closed, is deformable in response to a pressure differential between the outside of the inner and the elastic member of the elastic member, the flow pipe. The flow channel pipe according to claim 1 or 2,
The opening / closing portion is a flow channel tube , which is a slit penetrating a side surface of the elastic member. A suction tube according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
A first portion harder than the elastic member;
A flow path pipe in which the first portion is provided at the tip of the elastic member . A flow channel pipe according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
A drive unit for ejecting the fluid from the nozzle;
A fluid ejecting apparatus comprising: suction means for making the inside of the suction pipe have a negative pressure.

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