US 2,019,201,594 · Filed 2018-12-04

The Smart Surgical Vacuum That Watches Its Own Performance

During surgery, there's a lot of smoke and fluid that needs to be sucked away so the surgeon can see what they're doing. This patent describes a surgical vacuum that has sensors to detect what's actually being sucked up, then automatically adjusts its suction power and reports back to a control hub about what it's sensing — basically a self-aware surgical vacuum.

Curated and verified by the IsItPatented Editorial team

The plain-English version

What it protects

The claim covers a surgical evacuation system that combines smoke and particulate sensing with real-time pump speed adjustment and data reporting. What's protected here is the specific method of detecting properties of the evacuated material (smoke, fluid, particulates), using that sensed data to automatically modify the pump's suction speed, and then communicating those operational parameters back to a central control hub. The patent locks down this feedback loop between sensor, pump controller, and hub.

Why it matters

In surgery, visibility is critical — smoke and blood obscure the surgeon's view and can delay procedures or lead to complications. A surgical evacuation system that intelligently adjusts its own performance based on real-time sensing could improve both efficiency and safety. By automating speed adjustments rather than requiring manual control, the system reduces cognitive load on surgical staff and ensures consistent evacuation performance throughout the procedure. Ethicon (a major surgical device maker) patenting this method prevents competitors from using the same intelligent feedback approach.

Real-world use

During a laparoscopic surgery, as the evacuation system sucks away smoke and blood, its built-in sensors detect the density and type of particulate matter, automatically boost suction when needed, and relay performance data to the surgical team's control panel in real time.

Original USPTO abstract

Surgical systems are disclosed. Surgical systems can include evacuation systems for evacuating smoke, fluid, and/or particulates from a surgical site. A surgical evacuation system can be intelligent and may include one or more sensors for detecting one or more properties of the surgical system, evacuation system, surgical procedure, surgical site, and/or patient tissue, for example.

Patent details

Publication number: US 2,019,201,594
Filing date: 2018-12-04
Grant date: Application — not yet granted
Assignee: Ethicon Llc
Inventor(s): SHELTON, IV, FREDERICK E., YATES, DAVID C., HARRIS, JASON L., HORNER, SHAWN K., GREEP, DARCY W.
CPC class: A61B1/015

View original record on Google Patents →

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