Artificial Airway Apparatus

• US 20080283052A1
• Filed: 05/25/2005
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Indian Ocean Medical Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Patents, Inc.
• Inventors: Young, Peter J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,176,920 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 128/200.26
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/04 Tracheal tubes catheters in general A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0409 with mean for closing the oesophagus
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0431 with a cross-sectional shape other than circular
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0434 Cuffs
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0443 Special cuff-wall materials A61M16/0481, A61M16/0422 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0479 above the cuff, e.g. giving access to the upper trachea
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0486 Multi-lumen tracheal tubes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0488 Mouthpieces; Means for guiding, securing or introducing the tubes guiding or introducing with laryngoscopes A61B1/267; holding devices on the body A61M25/02

Abstract

The invention relates to apparatus (19) for use in establishing an artificial airway in a patient, the apparatus comprising a tube (19a) for introduction into the patient'"'"'s trachea for passage of gases to and from the patient'"'"'s lungs, an inflatable seal (20) disposed upon the tube (19a) to provide, on inflation, a seal between the tube and the trachea of the patient, the seal (20) thereby defining a lung-side portion (19c) of the apparatus and a mouth-side portion (19d) of the apparatus, the apparatus further comprising means (19e) to facilitate removal of fluid from at or adjacent the said mouth-side portion (19d) of the apparatus (19).

Claims

1. Apparatus for use in establishing an artificial airway in a patient, the apparatus comprising a tube for introduction into the patient'"'"'s trachea for passage of gases to and from the patient'"'"'s lungs, an inflatable seal disposed on the tube to provide, when inflated, a seal between the tube and the trachea of the patient when the device is in use, the seal thereby defining a lung-side portion of the apparatus and a mouth-side portion of the apparatus, the apparatus further comprising means to facilitate removal of fluid from the mouth-side portion of the apparatus.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, the fluid removal means comprising a plurality of ports in a wall of the tube on the mouth-side portion, each port opening into a conduit, the conduit being in fluid communication with an aperture located outside of the patient when the apparatus is in use, the arrangement being such that suction applied to the aperture causes fluid to pass into each port, along the conduit and out of the aperture.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the ports are circumferentially spaced around the tube.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the ports are longitudinally spaced on the tube.

5. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein each conduit is formed integrally in the wall of the tube.

6. Apparatus according to claim 3, there being a single aperture in fluid communication with every port via a single conduit.

7. Apparatus according to claim 3, there being two apertures, a first aperture communicating with a first group of ports via a first conduit, and a second aperture communicating with a second group of ports via a second conduit.

8. Apparatus according claim 2, each conduit including on its inner surface a material adapted to reduce friction, reduce adhesion of material passing through the conduit, and reduce or inhibit microbiological growth.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said materials are selected from the set consisting of parylene and hydrogel-derived materials.

10. Apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising valve means disposed to limit fluid flow direction in the or each conduit.

11. Apparatus according to claim 2, each port having means to substantially prevent blockage by ingress of tissue.

12. Apparatus according to claim 11, the blockage prevention means comprising one or more protrusions from said tube wall adjacent each port.

13. Apparatus according to claim 1, the tube defining a first zone and a second zone, at least a portion of the first zone having a first outer diameter, the second zone having a second outer diameter, the first outer diameter being smaller than the second outer diameter, the first zone being adjacent to the second zone and the first and second zones being configured for insertion into the patient'"'"'s trachea, the inflatable seal comprising a cuff attached to the tube such as to extend over at least a portion of the first zone.

14. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the cuff is characterized by an unstretched diameter smaller than the first outer diameter.

15. Apparatus according to claim 13, the cuff and/or the tube comprising silicone.

16. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tube comprises an endotracheal tube.

17. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tube comprises a tracheostomy.

18. A method of providing an artificial airway in a patient, the method comprising:

introducing a tube into an inserted location of the patient'"'"'s trachea for passage of gases to and from the patient'"'"'s lungs, an inflatable seal being disposed on an outer surface of the tube;

inflating the seal to provide a seal between the tube and the trachea of the patient when the tube is at the inserted location, the seal thereby defining a lung-side portion of tube and a mouth-side portion of the tube; and

removing fluid from the mouth-side portion of the tube using fluid removal means provided by the tube.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein the fluid removal means comprises a plurality of ports in a wall of the tube on the mouth-side portion, each port opening into a conduit, the conduit being in fluid communication with an aperture located outside the patient when the tube is in use, and removing fluid involves applying suction to an aperture of the apparatus to remove fluid from the mouth-side of the apparatus via the ports and conduit.

20. A method according to claim 19, wherein the tube has a first aperture communicating with a first group of ports via a first conduit, and a second aperture communicating with a second group of ports via a second conduit, further including the step of passing a fluid into the tube via the first aperture and removing the fluid and entrained matter via the second aperture.