Endotracheal tube with oximetry means
First Claim
1. In an endotracheal tube for insertion within a surgical patient'"'"'s trachea for assisting breathing during surgical and like procedures, the improvement comprising means for transmitting light outwardly from a predetermined location on said tube which resides within the patient'"'"'s trachea during use, means for detecting light transmitted by said transmitting means, said detecting means being manipulable outside the patient'"'"'s body for selective positioning on the patient'"'"'s neck in disposition for receiving light transmitted by said transmitting means, and means for operatively connecting said transmitting means and said detecting means with an oximeter for measuring oxygen saturation in the patient'"'"'s arterial blood as a function of the transmitted light received by said detecting means.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An endotracheal breathing tube for use in surgical operations is equipped with a light emitting device adjacent its distal end to reside within the patient'"'"'s trachea during use and with a compatible photosensitive detector positionable outside the patient'"'"'s body in contact with the neck to intercept light transmitted from the light emitting device for performing accurate oximetry measurements and calculations of the patients'"'"'s arterial blood oxygen saturation. In one embodiment, a light emitting diode is affixed to the distal portion of the tube body. In another embodiment, an optical fiber extends from a light emitting diode outside the patient'"'"'s body through the tube to a fiber terminus at the distal location on the tube body.
79 Citations
7 Claims
- 1. In an endotracheal tube for insertion within a surgical patient'"'"'s trachea for assisting breathing during surgical and like procedures, the improvement comprising means for transmitting light outwardly from a predetermined location on said tube which resides within the patient'"'"'s trachea during use, means for detecting light transmitted by said transmitting means, said detecting means being manipulable outside the patient'"'"'s body for selective positioning on the patient'"'"'s neck in disposition for receiving light transmitted by said transmitting means, and means for operatively connecting said transmitting means and said detecting means with an oximeter for measuring oxygen saturation in the patient'"'"'s arterial blood as a function of the transmitted light received by said detecting means.
Specification