Medical Machines/Suction Machines

Applications
In surgery, suction is used to remove blood, saliva, other biological material and foreign detritus from an anatomical passage or from a working field. A suction-irrigator can simultaneously perfuse and collect a saline solution where washing is required.

Suction is indispensable to clear the airway of blood, mucous, vomitus or other obstructing material. Consequently, suction machines can be found in emergency rooms, ambulances, patient wards and cafeterias.

A central vacuum pump connected to a building-wide network of suction plumbing is termed a "house vacuum". This is an efficient alternative to multiple small machines distributed throughout the building. Nevertheless the individual machines are necessary for mobile use and for backup during failure of a house vacuum.

Limiting Devices
A pump will tolerate a gas phase well and a liquid phase poorly. The limiting device has the function of allowing air and vapor to pass while blocking liquid from reaching the pump. The limiting device is essential to protect the pump.

Overflow Valves
A common implementation of an overflow valve is a spherical element similar to a ping-pong ball which will block the suction channel when elevated. The ball is buoyant and is elevated by increasing level of liquid. Such a valve is below the lid of the Laerdal collection vessel. The ball is immediately above the blue dyed water. The valve must be cleaned thoroughly along with other surfaces in the vessel when it is emptied and cleaned.

Inlet Filters
Another means of blocking liquid is to pass the flow through a textile filter. The dry filter passes the gas phase. Surface tension of a liquid phase prevents flow through the textile. Therefore the filter blocks liquid flow. A contaminated and blocked filter must be discarded and replaced.

Bedside and Emergency
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