A medical aspirator is a small suction machine used to remove mucus

Mucus

In vertebrates, mucus is a slippery secretion produced by, and covering, mucous membranes. Mucous fluid is typically produced from mucous cells found in mucous glands. Mucous cells secrete products that are rich in glycoproteins and water. Mucous fluid may also originate from mixed glands, which...

 and other bodily fluids from a patient. These machines are often designed to be portable for use in ambulance

Ambulance

An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...

s and nursing home

Nursing home

A nursing home, convalescent home, skilled nursing unit , care home, rest home, or old people's home provides a type of care of residents: it is a place of residence for people who require constant nursing care and have significant deficiencies with activities of daily living...

s, and can run on AC/DC

AC/DC (electricity)

The description AC/DC refers to equipment designed to be operate on either alternating current or direct current . This term typically describes certain types of vacuum tube radio or television receivers. AC/DC equipment was necessary because in the early days of vacuum tubes, some regions were...

 or battery power. Major manufacturers include Allied Healthcare (under the Gomco brand) and Impact. In the past manually operated aspirators were used such as Potain's aspirator.