Operating Room Multifunction Cable System

Abstract

An improved multifunction cable for use in an operating room avoids the usual tangle of wires and tubes can be a significant hazard. The cable comes pre-sterilized with a number of wires and tubes pre-installed in a protective housing making it easy to conduct myriad wires and tubes from one region of the operating room to another without any possibility of tangling or violation of sterility. At the sterile end of the cable a special terminus acts as a holder to keep the various operating instrument organized. The terminus is designed to accept a special smoke evacuating monopolar electrosurgery instrument.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A multifunction cable for use in an operating room comprising:
 an elongate body of sufficient length to stretch from a non-sterile equipment region to a sterile region of the operating room;   a plurality of channels comprising electrical conductors and fluidic tubes contained within the elongate body;   a plurality of first end connectors at a first end of the elongate body for connecting the channels to one or more mechanisms disposed in the non-sterile equipment region; and   a terminus located at a second end of the elongate body and disposed in the sterile region of the operating room, the terminus comprising:
 terminus connectors for removably attaching at least one tool or instrument to the terminus; 
 flexible electrical leads and flexible fluidic tubing connecting the terminus connectors to the appropriate channels within said cable; and 
 a button operated retraction mechanism for releasing and retracting the flexible electrical connectors and flexible fluidic tubing on demand. 
   
     
     
         2 . The multifunction cable according to  claim 1 , wherein said fluidic tubing comprises suction tubing. 
     
     
         3 . The multifunction cable according to  claim 1 , wherein said electrical leads energize electrosurgery/electrocautery instruments. 
     
     
         4 . The multifunction cable according to  claim 1 , wherein an electrosurgery/electrocautery instrument is attached to both electrical leads and suction tubing which are in turn connected to the terminus. 
     
     
         5 . A monopolar electrosurgery/electrocautery instrument comprising:
 an elongate housing;   a tip disposed at a first end of said housing;   a light disposed near the tip;   a smoke evacuator disposed in proximity to the tip; and   a length of suction tubing and a length of electrical lead disposed at a second end of said housing wherein the suction tubing is in fluidic communication with the smoke evacuator.   
     
     
         6 . The monopolar electrosurgery/electrocautery instrument according to  claim 5  further comprising a manually operated switch for the light. 
     
     
         7 . The monopolar electrosurgery/electrocautery instrument according to  claim 5  further comprising a photocell for automatically controlling the light. 
     
     
         8 . The monopolar electrosurgery/electrocautery instrument according to  claim 5 , wherein the length of suction tubing and the length of electrical lead are coaxial. 
     
     
         9 . The monopolar electrosurgery/electrocautery instrument according to  claim 5 , wherein the smoke evacuator comprises a circumferential groove.