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Laryngeal mask airway with concentric drainage of oesophagus discharge

  • US 5,241,956 A
  • Filed: 09/28/1992
  • Issued: 09/07/1993
  • Est. Priority Date: 05/21/1992
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. An artificial airway device to facilitate a patient'"'"'s lung ventilation, comprising an airway tube, an evacuation tube, and a laryngeal mask at one end of said tubes, said mask including a first inflatable-cuff formation of flexible material in a generally elliptical configuration having from a proximal end to a distal end and in generally a single plane which is inclined to the axis of the airway tube at the distal end of the airway tube, a second inflatable-cuff formation carried by said mask on the posterior side of said plane, said mask being configured upon inflation of said cuff formations (1) to form a seal of said airway tube solely around the circumference of the laryngeal inlet and (2) to establish a cushioning action via said second cuff formation between the posterior side of said mask and the posterior wall of the pharynx, the distal end of said cuff formation being configured for entry into and insertional location of said device by engagement with the oesophagus at the upper sphinctral region of the oesophagus when the mask is positioned for sealing the airway tube to the laryngeal inlet, said evacuation tube having an open distal end centrally within and axially short of the distal end of said first cuff formation, inflation-passage means communicating with both said inflatable cuff formations for selective inflation/deflation operation of said cuff formations, whereby (1) to seal said airway tube for communication solely with the laryngeal inlet, (2) to cushion the reference of said mask to the posterior wall of the pharynx, and (3) to seal said evacuation tube solely to the sphinctral region, so that upon evacuation of said evacuation tube after inflation into sealed relation with the sphinctral region of the oesophagus adjacent oesophagus tissue will be induced to locally displace into enhanced sealing engagement with the inflated distal cuff formation, whereby gastric-discharge products can pass only by way of said evacuation tube, thus reducing any chance of gastric leakage into the laryngeal inlet.

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