DISTAL FRONT END FOR COORDINATED POSITIONING OF AN ENDOSCOPE WITH A SUCTION DEVICE
Devices for joining an endoscope with a system for cleaning a colon or other body lumen are presented. Embodiments include variable placement of distal portions of suction components with respect to the endoscope, multiple suction tubes and/or suction portals, and devices for protecting colon walls from suction damage.
1 . A cleaning system for evacuating waste from a digestive tract lumen, comprising:
at least one evacuation channel having a distal end configured for insertion to a distal segment of said digestive tract lumen, said at least one evacuation channel being configured to transmit suction distally to an intake cross-section of the evacuation channel; and
a guard wall which extends distally from said intake cross-section; said guard wall comprising a plurality of apertures, at least one of said apertures serving as a suction relief aperture for reducing a pressure gradient.
2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said guard wall comprises an evacuation antechamber which includes an open region fluidly interconnecting said plurality of apertures proximally; said plurality of apertures positioned to allow fluid to pass therethrough to a side facing said intake cross-section while receiving suction transmitted through said evacuation channel.
3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said plurality of apertures are positioned near an open end of said guard wall which defines a suction aperture leading to said intake cross-section.
4 . The system of claim 3 , wherein a lip of said guard wall is formed to define a non-planar suction aperture.
5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said guard wall is positioned to increase a distance between a body lumen wall and a region of high pressure gradient at said intake-cross section.
6 . The system of claim 2 , wherein said evacuation antechamber defines a rounded, blunted front aspect.
7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said digestive tract lumen is a colon.
8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said guard wall tapers in a distal direction.
9 . The system of claim 1 , comprising an adaptor attachable to a distal portion of a colonoscope probe which includes said evacuation channel, wherein said adaptor comprises said guard wall.
10 . The system of claim 9 , wherein said guard wall extends distally to a limit defined by exclusion from a field of view of an imaging means comprised in the colonoscope probe.
11 . The system of claim 1 , wherein each of said plurality of apertures comprises an open area smaller than 50% of the area of said intake cross-section.
12 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said guard wall is positioned to divert suction into the intake cross-section of the evacuation channel away from the tissue of a lumenal wall.
13 . The system of claim 1 , comprising a sensor system which allows a controller to reduce and/or reverse suction strength applied through said evacuation channel upon detection of an occlusion.
14 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said evacuation channel is substantially uniform in cross-section along its body.
15 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said guard wall is rigid or semi-rigid such that it maintains its shape under at least a pressure used to normally advance an endoscope probe into the body lumen.
16 . The system of claim 2 , wherein when suction is actively applied through said evacuation channel, waste material entering said evacuation antechamber is evacuated.
17 . A method of evacuating waste from a digestive tract lumen, comprising:
inserting at least a distal portion of an evacuation channel into a distal segment of the digestive tract lumen;
applying suction to said evacuation channel, the suction transmitted via said evacuation channel to an intake-cross section at a distal end of said evacuation channel and through an open end of a guard wall which extends distally from said intake cross-section; and
relieving a pressure gradient formed across said open end of the guard wall via at least one aperture of a plurality of apertures formed in said guard wall.
18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein said guard wall comprises an evacuation antechamber which includes an open region fluidly interconnecting said plurality of apertures proximally; said plurality of apertures positioned to allow fluid to pass therethrough to a side facing said intake cross-section while receiving suction transmitted through said evacuation channel.
19 . The method of claim 17 , wherein said relieving a pressure gradient comprises reducing a pressure across said plurality of apertures to a level which is unable to grab or injure lumenal tissue.
20 . The method of claim 17 , wherein said guard wall is formed as a part of a tip adaptor, the method comprising attaching said tip adaptor to said evacuation channel distal portion.