Abstract: A hand-held pulsating jet lavage is shown having a hand-held housing that may be separately sterilized from a disposable pump cartridge which has been sterilized prior to use by gamma radiation or ethylene oxide gas light. The disposable pump may be easily inserted into a pump chamber where a pump flange is positively engaged by a notch on the end of the housing motor. Closure of the chamber locks the pump into its desired position. A rigid tube extends from the pump to its nozzle to assure that a stream of sterile irrigation fluid is delivered to a surgical site with a pulse stream that has a sharp turn on, cut off interface between pulses.