The invention relates to a device for use in the flushing of a bodily cavity and comprising a container provided with a first connection opening for a pump/suction means and with a second connection opening for a tube connec¬ tion communicating, in a situation of use of the device, with the bodily cavity to be flushed, a tube member ex- tending inwards into the container from the second con¬ nection opening, said tube member being formed with at least one first opening through which flushing liquid is pumped by the pump/suction means and with at least one second opening through which flushing liquid is sucked out of the cavity into the interior of the container, means being provided at the second opening to allow and block flow into the container through said opening.

Such devices are used e.g. m connection with treatments where tissue pieces have been scraped or cut off from the surrounding tissue. The treatment may e.g. involve prostatic surgery in which such tissue pieces are scraped or cut off using endoscopy equipment known per se.

After scraping, the tissue pieces will be present in the bodily cavity, which, in case of prostatic surgery, is the urinary bladder and the urinary tracts,

In such cases, to remove these tissue pieces, a device of the type mentioned m the opening paragraph is mounted post-operatively on the endoscopic tube, which is still inserted m the urinary tracts. Liquid is hereby pumped inwards through the tube and into the urinary bladder and is sucked again, causing the scraped or cut tissue pieces to be flushed out.

A large number of such devices is known. However, all of these are vitiated by drawbacks to a greater or smaller degree, which make their use a time-consuming operation, and the achieved result is not always satisfactory.

The most commonly used device of this type today (the so- called Ellik evacuator) comprises a container with an opening for a pump/section means and an opening which can communicate with an endoscopic tube through a hose con¬ nection. The openings m the container are not shielded against each other, and the sucked tissue pieces are therefore collected m the container exclusively by their gravitational precipitation. This known and commonly used device involves a great risk of tissue pieces being pumped into the bodily cavity again, and also a risk of tissue pieces being sucked into the pump suction means. The necessary gravitational precipitation makes the use of this system time-consuming and inefficient. Since the sucked tissue pieces are moreover to transported to a laboratory for analysis, these must be removed from the container and be transferred to a transport container. This adds to the time consumption. The handling of the tissue pieces moreover involves a considerable risk of infection.

US Patent No. 4 880 408 discloses a device of the type defined in the opening paragraph. This device involves the risk that the sucked tissue pieces will find their way to the pump/suction means and hide there. This is of considerable importance for the further analysis of the removed tissue pieces. The device of this US patent is moreover vitiated by the same drawbacks with respect to transport as are described m connection with the above- mentioned Ellik evacuator.

Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide a device of the type mentioned m the opening paragraph which contributes to rapid and efficient flush- mg to a significantly greater degree than the known de ^¬ vices, and where the tissue pieces after flushing are present in the container itself.

Th s object is achieved according to the invention by a device of the type mentioned m the opening paragraph, which is characterized in that a filter element is ar¬ ranged between the second opening and the connection opening of the pump/suction means.

When the device is constructed m this manner, it is en¬ sured that the flushed tissue pieces do not settle m the pump/suction means itself, since these will be retained by the filter element in any event and thus be present m the container itself.

Advantageously, the device of the invention consists of a container body and a container lid, said first and second openings being provided m the container lid, said tube element forming part of the lid, and said filter element being formed by a detachable apertured plate. This re¬ sults in a simple structure in terms of manufacture, as it just consists of three parts. A one-way valve (non-re¬ turn valve) or optionally a flap element is expediently provided m connection with the closable second opening.

The first opening or openings m the tube element are ex¬ pediently provided as axially directed slots in the part of the tube element facing the filter element. This re¬ sults m a simple structure in terms of manufacture, and the provision of the slots at the end of the tube element

adjoining the filter element moreover ensures that there will just be a small dead volume the tube element.

The device may include a transport lid capable of replac- g the contamer lid. This is expedient, as the scraped tissue pieces, usually after the completion of surgery, are to be transported for further analysis at a labora¬ tory. In this connection, the contamer will usually be filled with a preservation liquid in the form of forma- lm, which is to be poured off again prior to the analy¬ sis at the laboratory. Here, the filter element again serves as a sieve, causing the scraped tissue pieces to be retained in the container when formalin liquid is poured off. Accordingly, the resulting structure, when being handled, involves a smaller risk of infection than is the case with the previously known devices.

The device of the invention is expediently made of a transparent material as far as the container body and the contamer lid are concerned. This allows monitoring of the flushing of the tissue pieces, while monitoring e.g. whether bleedings occur from the site of surgery.

The pump/suction means used in connection with the device is expediently a squeezable bulb capable of expanding agam by its own spring force. In principle, however, it is possible to use other types of pump/suction means.

The invention will be explained more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawing, m which:

figure 1 is a lateral view of a device of the mvention,

figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the device shown in figure 1,

figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of the device shown figure 1,

figure 4 is a sectional view of the filter element shown in figure 3,

figure 5 is a bottom view of the filter element shown figures 3 and 4,

figure 6 is a sectional view of the contamer associated with a device of the invention with a transport lid mounted thereon, said filter element being still present m the contamer,

figure 7 shows the contamer shown figure 6 without inserted filter element the container,

figure 8 shows the flow paths of the liquid upon compres- sion of a pump/suction means belonging to the device of the invention, and

figure 9 shows the flow paths in a device of the inven¬ tion upon expansion of the pump/suction means.

It appears from figure 1, which is a lateral view of a device of the invention, that this device comprises a container body 1 on which a lid 2 is mounted. The lid 2 comprises a tube connection 6 connecting a pump/suction means 13 in the form of a bulb with the interior of the device. An additional openmg in the lid connects a tube connection 14 having a connector 15, which parts 14, 15 are to provide the connection to e.g. an endoscopic tube inserted into the urinary tracts.

Figure 2, which is a sectional view of the device shown in figure 1, likewise shows the contamer body 1, the lid 2 with the tube connection 6 and the pump/suction means 13. It is moreover apparent that the lid is formed with a tube connection 7 which communicates with the tube 14 and the connector 15. The contamer body and the lid are mu¬ tually secured by means of cooperating threaded parts 3, 4. The container accommodates an apertured plate 5 which serves as a filter element for flushed tissue pieces. The apertured plate 5 comprises a central aperture 9 which communicates with the tube element 7 in the container lid. A plurality of smaller apertures 10 is provided around the central aperture. These apertures are shown more clearly in figures 3-5. A non-return valve 11 (NRV) is arranged in connection with the central aperture on the side facing the interior of the contamer body. This non-return valve is secured by means of two pms 12 which are heat-deformed around holes m the non-return valve.

Figures 3, 4 and 5, which are top, lateral sectional and bottom views of the filter element 5, shows the central aperture 9, the smaller apertures 10 positioned around it, and a flange part lb serving to receive the tube ele¬ ment 7. Two holes 17 are provided at the side of the cen- tral aperture 9 to receive the pms 12, which secure the non-return valve after heat deformation.

Figures 6 and 7 show a container body 1 in section, where the lid part 2 has been removed and replaced by a trans- port lid 18. Figure 6 shows the container with the trans¬ port lid, said container accommodating a filter element, and figure 7 shows the corresponding container without a filter element.

Figure 8 shows the flow paths of the liquid present the device on compression of the pump/suction bulb 13. Compression of bulb drives the liquid through the tube connection 6 and further through the slots 8 mto the tube element 7 and further through the tube connection 14 and the connector 15 into the bodily cavity to be flushed. Because of the pressure impact which propagates through the liquid through the apertures 10 in the filter element, the non-return valve will be kept closed by com- pression of the pump/suction bulb.

On expansion of the pump/suction bulb, as shown m figure 9, the liquid flow path will be through the central aper¬ ture 9 m the filter element and from there via the holes 10 in the apertured plate back to the suction pump bulb. The sucked tissue pieces will hereby be retained by the filter element 5 and thus remain the container 1. It is clear in this connection that the provision of the these flow conditions is a dimensioning of the various hole sizes with respect to each other so that a correct proportion between the flow resistances through these is achieved.