Middle ear ventilating tube and method
First Claim
1. A ventilating tube for the middle ear comprising in combination a tube having an axial lumen, an inner circular flange secured to said tube, an outer circular flanges secured to said tube, said inner and outer flanges being substantially parallel and spaced apart a distance sufficient to span the wall thickness of a tissue defining the area to be ventilated, and a biocompatable membrane selectively permeable to gases, particularly oxygen and comparable in permeability to membranes used in membrane blood oxygenators and adapted to maintain a normal middle ear pressure and a substantial partial pressure of oxygen within the inner ear, closing the tube lumen.
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Abstract
A ventilating tube and method are provided for maintaining a desired gaseous partial pressure in the middle ear comprising in combination a tube having an axial lumen, means on the tube holding the tube in place in a wall of the inner ear and a selective permeability membrane closing the tube lumen.
161 Citations
7 Claims
- 1. A ventilating tube for the middle ear comprising in combination a tube having an axial lumen, an inner circular flange secured to said tube, an outer circular flanges secured to said tube, said inner and outer flanges being substantially parallel and spaced apart a distance sufficient to span the wall thickness of a tissue defining the area to be ventilated, and a biocompatable membrane selectively permeable to gases, particularly oxygen and comparable in permeability to membranes used in membrane blood oxygenators and adapted to maintain a normal middle ear pressure and a substantial partial pressure of oxygen within the inner ear, closing the tube lumen.
Specification