Lavage apparatus

Claim 1

A lavage apparatus comprised of: a means for causing material flow for alternatively instilling and aspirating material; a tube member having a proximate end in flow connection with said flow causing means, said tube member further including a body receivable distal end portion with a tip member, said distal end portion further including a distal end of the tube mounted on said tip member, said tube member further defining a primary lumen communicating between said proximate end and said distal end portion and a distal secondary lumen next said distal end portion, said distal secondary lumen extending through the tube member wall and intersecting said primary lumen for flow communication therewith, as well as abutting the proximal end of the tip member, a tip member somewhat flexible and radiopaque and having a proximal lesser diameter mounting portion and a guide portion, said mounting portion extending into said tube primary lumen at said distal end thereof, whereby a length of said distal end of said tube member overlies and encloses said top member mounting portion in frictional engaging fashion, said tip member receiving said distal end tube length end on a proximal, exterior, annular distally beveled shoulder in compressive engagement thus presenting a smooth, continuous and cavity-free distal end exterior surface of tube and tip and said beveled shoulder being distally beveled at an acute angle B with respect to said distal termination of said tip member mounting portion so as to form a frusto-conical tube member tip engagement surface, there being a plurality of secondary lumens in the wall of said tube member, each additional secondary lumen being spaced proximally away from said first distal secondary lumen located at the tip member, whereby there are two rows of secondary lumens in the wall of said tube member adjacent said tip member, but each successive lumen spaced successively away therefrom and sequentially opposed to one another in the tube member wall, the interior diameter of each secondary lumen being substantially the same as the interior diameter of the tube member, said secondary lumens being slightly oval in form with the long portion of the oval essentially aligned with the internal axis of the tube, the distal guide portion of said tip member further including a hemispherical distal endmost portion and a frusto-conical outer surface, said frusto-conical surface having a relatively small diameter adjoining said hemispherical distal end surface and a relatively larger diameter of said tube adjacent said beveled shoulder therein.