Definition

Noun: 1. A device that uses suction to draw air, gas, or liquid from a cavity or surface: An aspirator is typically a pump or similar apparatus that creates a partial vacuum to remove substances by suction. 2. A medical or laboratory instrument for removing fluids or secretions by suction: In medical contexts, it often refers to a small, hand-operated pump used to clear airways or remove bodily fluids.

Usage Examples

• The dentist used an aspirator to remove saliva from the patient's mouth during the procedure.
• In the chemistry lab, a water-jet aspirator is commonly used to create a vacuum for filtration.
• The emergency kit included a portable aspirator for clearing a blocked airway.

Advanced Usage

• Surgical Aspirator: A specialized, often electric, medical device used in surgeries to remove blood, bodily fluids, or debris from the operative field.
  • The neurosurgeon used a high-precision surgical aspirator during the delicate operation.
• Nasal Aspirator: A small, manual device, often with a bulb, used to gently suction mucus from an infant's nose.
  • Many parents keep a bulb aspirator handy when their baby has a cold.

Variants and Related Words

• Aspirate (verb): To draw (fluid or a foreign object) into the respiratory tract by inhaling; or to remove (a fluid or gas) by suction.
  • It is dangerous to aspirate food into the lungs.
  • The doctor will aspirate the fluid from the cyst.
• Aspiration (noun): The act of breathing in or drawing something in by suction; also, a strong desire or ambition.
  • Pulmonary aspiration can cause pneumonia. (medical)
  • She has aspirations to become a director. (ambition)

Synonyms

• Suction pump
• Extractor
• Medical suction device

Related Phrases

• Vacuum Aspirator: An aspirator that uses a vacuum pump as its source of suction.
  • The laboratory's vacuum aspirator is connected to a central system.
• To be placed on an aspirator: A phrase indicating a patient requires suction support.
  • Following the surgery, the patient was placed on an aspirator to manage secretions.

Noun

1. a pump that draws air or another gas through a liquid