fig1 shows a conventional phacoemulsification instrument 10 being inserted into an eye 11 containing a cataract which is to be removed . the vibrating hollow needle includes a cataract fracturing tip as is known . fig2 shows an infusion sleeve 12 which is circular in cross - section and is concentric with the vibrating hollow needle 14 . normally , infusion fluid is infused into the eye through sleeve 12 and is aspirated from the eye together with the fractured cataract through the interior of the vibrating hollow needle 14 . as can be seen in fig2 infusion sleeve 12 is circular in cross - section and shown in phantom lines is the ellipsoidal shape 16 of the wound incision caused by the insertion of a conventional phacoemulsification instrument in the eye of the person who is being operated upon . thus , gaps exist that are not filled by the infusion sleeve 12 . to rectify this situation , fig3 shows a conventional phacoemulsification instrument in fig3 from the teaching of u . s . pat . no . 5 , 084 , 009 whose infusion sleeve 18 is of a ellipsoidal cross - section . as a consequence of the ellipsoidal shape , there is no wound leakage , pressure in the eye is maintained and the problems associated with wound leakage are avoided . in addition , the infusion sleeve 18 is made of a soft , pliable material . a rigid , noncompressible sleeve 20 is surrounded by this infusion sleeve 18 and acts as a barrier between the infusion sleeve 18 and the needle 14 in the event the infusion sleeve collapses , thereby preventing undesirable rubbing contact . fig4 shows the conventional use of the surgical instrument of fig1 and 3 . here , the concentric relationship between the needle 14 , the rigid , noncompressible sleeve 20 and the infusion sleeve 18 is shown with the forward end of the infusion sleeve tapered . ports 22 are provided in this tapered portion . fig5 shows a conventional set - up for irrigating fluid into the eye and aspirating fluid and tissue from the eye 30 continuously throughout an eye surgery operation . a conventional handpiece 32 is shown , which is constructed in any conventional manner such as that of the conventional phacoemulsification handpiece 10 of fig1 . there is a vibratory drive v for vibrating the hollow needle 14 . an infusion sleeve 12 is provided that defines a chamber between its inner wall and the outside of the vibrating hollow needle 14 . as indicated by the flow arrows , irrigation into the eye is provided normally through this chamber and aspiration from the eye is through the needle 14 . the internal construction of the handpiece , such as seals and connecting linkage with the vibratory drive v have been omitted for the sake of brevity and further since such is conventional . the irrigation is provided from a gravity fed fluid supply 34 and through an infusion tube 36 to the handpiece 32 . aspiration is provided through a discharge tube 38 from the handpiece 32 to a drain receptacle 40 . in a known manner , a gate valve 42 is provided to permit flow through the infusion tube to occur . the fluid supply 34 is at a higher elevation than the eye 30 . a pumping mechanism 43 is present and , when activated , suctions fluid from the eye 30 and through discharge tube 38 . the tubes 36 , 38 may be susceptible to unintentional kinking by medical personnel unless they are made from an incompressible material . if the kinking arises in the discharge tube 38 , the procedure stops but the eye remains inflated under pressure . if the kinking arises in the infusion tube 36 , however , a pressure drop in the eye ensues that leads to its collapse . such a collapse causes unwanted contact of eye tissue . it may be desirable to form at least the infusion tube 36 of a soft , elastic , expandable material such as silicone to counteract the momentary flow surge that eventually results if the outflow through the discharge tube 38 becomes blocked , e . g ., by tissue fragments . when such blockage arises , pressure decreases downstream to the blockage so that when the blockage is removed , there is a momentary surge in the outflow . such a sudden event release tends to deflate the eye . to counter this deflation , the infusion tube 36 could be made to expand under a build - up of pressure , as takes place during blockage of the outflow through the discharge tube 38 . when the blockage is removed , the infusion tube 36 would elastically compress back to its unexpanded state and thereby offset the momentary surge in the outflow . the present invention , therefore , is directed at preventing kinking in the infusion tube 36 where the tube is constructed of a soft , elastic and expandable material such as silicone . this is done through reinforcement of the infusion tube itself as provided by a support running along the length of the tube . fig6 - 7 show a support in the form of a rod 50 extending to the distal end 52 of the tube 36 and adhered to the interior surface 54 of the tube 36 . fig8 - 9 show a support in the form of a rod 50 embedded within the wall 56 of the tube 36 and extending to the distal end 52 of the tube 36 . fig1 - 11 show a support in the form of a rod 50 . the tube 36 is split longitudinally to form a slit and the rod 50 is fitted in the slat to close the slat by being heat sealed to the tube 36 in a leak tight manner . the rod 50 extends to the distal end 52 of the tube . fig1 - 13 show a support in the form of a coil 58 adhered to the external surface of the tube 36 and running to the distal end of the tube 36 . as an alternative , the coal 58 could be fitted over the tube 36 without affixing it since it will not fall off the tube 36 . fig1 - 15 show the support in the form of a ware 60 that is loose within the lumen 62 of the tube 36 . fig1 - 17 show a support in the form of a rod 64 adhered to the exterior surface 66 of the tube 36 and running to the distal end 52 of the tube 36 . the wire , rod or coil is made of a noncompressible material , preferably rigid , such as metal or teflon . the material of the remainder of the tube , apart from the rod or coil , is made of a soft , elastic material such as silicone or a silicone - like material . the rod , wire or coil , therefore , is less soft and pliable than the tube . the cross - sectional shape of the rod , wire or coil may be any geometric shape , such as circular , rectangular , convexly curved , concavely curved , triangular , etc . while using an adhesive is one way to keep the tube and support together where the support is external of the tube , no adhesive is necessary where the support is embedded in the wall of the tube , confined within the lumen of the tube , or coiled about the exterior of the tube . other conventional ways of securing the support to the tube wall other than with an adhesive may be used . for instance , the support and tube could be heat sealed together or integrally formed together . the wire 60 , rod 50 , 64 or coil 58 of the present invention provides rigidity along the infusion tube 36 to prevent it from collapsing due to kinking . the wire , rod or coil may run the entire length of the infusion tube , or only a portion of the full length and need not run all the way to the distal end 52 . preferably , the outside diameter or cross - section of the wire , rod or coil is smaller than the interior diameter of the infusion tube . in accordance with each of the embodiments of the invention , the soft , elastic material of the infusion tube 36 is reinforced by the support , preferably in the form of a single rigid strip sufficient to prevent kinking , but does not adversely compromise the pliability of the wall of the infusion tube . in addition , the support may be bendable to permit the tube 36 to bend where necessary between the handpiece 32 and the fluid supply 34 . the support may be provided in the discharge tube 38 in the same manner as described with respect to the infusion tube 36 . while the preferred embodiment has application to ophthalmological surgical techniques such as phacoemulsification , handpieces are utilized in the performance of other surgical operations , such as orthopedic and cardiovascular surgery and the invention has application to those handpieces as well to prevent kinking of the infusion tube or discharge tube . while the foregoing description and drawings represent the preferred embodiments of the present invention , it will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention .
a support for reinforcing a fluid infusion tube to prevent it from kinking during a surgical operation . the support runs to the distal end of the tube and is either embedded in the wall of the tube , adhered or heat sealed to the tube either on the tube &# 39 ; s interior surface or on the exterior surface , or loosely retained within the lumen . the support may be coiled about the exterior or interior of the tube to provide the desired rigidity to prevent kinking .