High Flow Insufflation

Various manufacturers are increasingly advertising flow rates of 40 l/min and above. However, such high flow rates are very rarely achieved during procedures. This is the case because of the additional resistance associated with the connected components (filter, tubing with LUER Lock, trocar and telescope).

In many of the filters available on the market, the resistance values alone already reduce the flow rates to 15 l/min. In addition, the filters often do not feature the necessary hydrophobicity. The insufflation tube with LUER Lock is another component to limit the maximum flow rate. Further, the connected instruments may also reduce the flow significantly.

The table below shows the maximum flow rates achievable with the THERMOFLATOR® when combined with various KARL STORZ accessories:

Insufflator	Trocar	Telescope / instrument	Max. flow
ENDOFLATOR® / THERMOFLATOR®	Veress needle	-	2 l/min
ENDOFLATOR® / THERMOFLATOR®	Trocar 6 mm	Telescope, diameter 5 mm / instrument, diameter 5 mm	11 l/min
ENDOFLATOR® / THERMOFLATOR®	Trocar 11 mm (with LUER-Lock)	Telescope, diameter 10 mm	18 l/min
THERMOFLATOR®	HICAP® Trocar 11 mm	Telescope, diameter 10 mm	25 l/min
THERMOFLATOR®	HICAP® Trocar 11 mm (new)	Telescope, diameter 10 mm	30 l/min

The table illustrates that the maximum flow is limited not only by the insufflator, but also to a large degree by the connected accessories. Many insufflator manufacturers advertise the maximum flow without connected accessories.

To achieve the maximum flow of 30 l/min with trocar and telescope, KARL STORZ recommends using the THERMOFLATOR® combined with the accessories especially optimized for high flow insufflation.

What's new online

Your opinion?

Contact to technical consultant