Development of the Insufflator for Endoscopic Surgery using the Fluidic System in Printed Circuit Board

The insufflators in endoscopic surgery supply carbon dioxide to make the air-filled cavity in the abdomen. It contains many kinds of pneumatic and electronic parts and they are connected with the air tubes and electrical wires. The printed circuit boards (PCB) perform wiring, holding and cooling tasks in electronic systems. In this study, the PCB is used as the air channel for insufflators to decrease the cost, volume, and the malfunction according to aging of the device. Three layers of PCB made of FR4 are combined with prepreg as adhesive which has the internal airway channel according to the design. By mounting the pressure sensors and valves, the PCB based fluidic system is implemented. After calibration of flow sensor, the flow rate of the gas also can be measured. The climate test, temperature test, and biocompatibility test showed this idea can be used in insufflators for laparoscopic surgery.