Nasal and oral cannula breathing detection device

• US 7,337,780 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2004
• Issued: 03/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Salter Labs, LLC
• Original Assignee: Salter Labs
• Inventors: Salter, Peter W., Curti, James N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yu; Justine R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ali; Shumaya B.
• Application Number:
  US10/861,927
• Publication Number:
  US 20040221846A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,369 Days
• Field of Search: 425/269, 425/270, 425/275, 249/184, 128/207.13, 128/207.15, 128/207.18, 128/200.24, 128/206.11, 128/206.28, 128/DIG.26, 128/203.22, 128/203.18, 128/203.29, 128/204.12, 600/529, 600/532, 600/521, 264/219, 264/221, 264/304, 264/305, 264/327, 264/337, 264/338
• US Class Current: 128/207.18
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0672 Nasal cannula assemblies for oxygen therapy
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/085 Gas sampling
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0858 Pressure sampling ports
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0027 pressure meter
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2207/00 Methods of manufacture, assembly or production
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2207/10 Device therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2210/0618 Nose
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2210/0625 Mouth
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/432 partial CO2 pressure (P-CO2)
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/485 cores or mandrels collapsible mandrels for shaping tube ends B29C57/02; collapsible mandrels for winding and joining B29C53/824
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 41/14 Dipping a core B29C41/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 41/22 Making multilayered or multicoloured articles

Abstract

A cannula comprising a main body which defines an internal chamber therein. A first and second nasal prongs, respectively, communicate with the internal chamber to define first and second nasal prong passages. A mouthpiece has a gas passageway and a retainer passageway and a first end of the gas passageway communicates with the internal chamber while a second free end of the mouthpiece has a gas opening therein. A shape retaining member is received within the retainer passageway to facilitate retaining an adjusted position of an opening of the gas passageway with respect to a remainder of the cannula. A method of forming the cannula is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A cannula comprising:

a hollow main body having opposed first and second ends, and the main body defining an internal chamber therein;

at least a first nasal prong communicating with the internal chamber of the main body and defining a first nasal prong passage;

a mouthpiece having a gas passageway and a retainer passageway, a first end of the gas passageway communicating with the internal chamber of the main body while a second free end of the mouthpiece having a gas passageway opening therein; and

an elongate shape retaining member having a first end and a second end, the shape retaining member being received within the retainer passageway with the first end of the shape retaining member located adjacent the main body and the second end of the shape retaining member being located adjacent the second free end of the mouthpiece.

2. The cannula according to claim 1, wherein the cannula has a second nasal prong which communicates with the internal chamber of the main body and defines a second nasal prong passage.

3. The cannula according to in claim 2, wherein a septum divides the internal chamber of the main body into separate internal first and second compartments;

and the first nasal prong communicates with the first compartment and the second nasal prong communicates with the second compartment.

4. The cannula according to in claim 3, wherein the gas passageway of the mouthpiece communicates with first compartment.

5. The cannula according to in claim 2, wherein the gas passage and the retainer passageway both generally have substantially similar radii of curvature.

6. The cannula according to in claim 2, wherein the gas passageway and the retainer passageway extend substantially side by side with one another along a length of the mouthpiece from the first end to the second free end and have substantially the same radius of curvature.

7. The cannula according to in claim 2, wherein the gas passage and the retainer passageway are substantially concentric with one another and the gas passageway has a smaller radius of curvature than a radius of the retainer passageway.

8. The cannula according to in claim 2, wherein the gas passageway and the retainer passageway are concentric with one another and the retainer passageway has a smaller radius of curvature than a radius of the gas passageway.

9. The cannula according to in claim 2, wherein the main body, the first and the second nasal prongs and the mouthpiece are all formed as an integral molded structure during a first manufacturing process.

10. The cannula according to in claim 2, wherein the main body and the first and the second nasal prongs are formed as an integral molded structure, during a first manufacturing process, and the mouthpiece is formed during a separate manufacturing process, and the mouthpiece is subsequently attached to main body during a subsequent manufacturing process.

11. The cannula according to in claim 2, wherein the mouthpiece comprises a double lumen which has the gas passageway located side by side with the retainer passageway, and the gas passageway communicates with the internal chamber.

12. The cannula according to in claim 11, wherein the gas passageway has a larger internal cross sectional area than an internal cross sectional area of the retainer passageway.

13. The cannula according to in claim 3, wherein the mouthpiece comprises a triple lumen which has spaced apart first and second gas passageways and the retainer passageway is located between the first and second gas passageways, and the first gas passageway communicates with the first compartment and the second gas passageway communicates with the second separate compartment.

14. The cannula according to in claim 13, wherein the first and second gas passageways have a larger internal cross sectional area than an internal cross sectional area of the retainer passageway.

15. The cannula according to in claim 13, wherein the first and second gas passageways have a smaller internal cross sectional area than an internal cross sectional area of the retainer passageway.

16. The cannula according to in claim 2, wherein the shape retaining member comprises an elongate member made from one of copper, iron, steel, stainless steel, a ferromagnetic material, and a plastic material.

17. A method of manufacturing a nasal cannula comprising the steps of:

assembling a cannula mandrel assembly comprising separable components with the separable components including a main body forming mandrel, at least one nare forming mandrel, and a mouthpiece forming mandrel;

heating the assembled cannula mandrel assembly to a desired temperature;

applying at least one coating of an uncured cannula forming polymeric material to the cannula mandrel assembly to provide a desired material thickness of coating on the cannula mandrel assembly;

sufficiently curing the coating applied to the cannula mandrel assembly; and

disassembling the cannula mandrel assembly and withdrawing the at least one nare forming mandrel, and mouthpiece forming mandrel and the main bodyforming mandrel from the manufactured cannula.

18. The method of manufacturing the nasal cannula according to claim 17, further comprising the step of forming the main body forming mandrel as two separate components which are spaced from one another by a gap to define a septum void therebetween.

19. The method of manufacturing the nasal cannula according to claim 17, further comprising the step of providing the mouthpiece forming mandrel with both a retainer prong and a gas passage prong.

20. The method of manufacturing the nasal cannula according to claim 19, further comprising the step of forming the retainer prong and the gas passage prong concentrically with one another and the retainer prong has a larger radius of curvature than a radius of curvature the gas passage prong.

21. The method of manufacturing the nasal cannula according to claim 19, further comprising the step of forming the retainer prong and the gas passage prong concentrically with one another and the retainer prong has a smaller radius of curvature than a radius of curvature the gas passage prong.

22. The method of manufacturing the nasal cannula according to claim 19, further comprising the step of forming the retainer prong and the gas passage prong substantially parallel to one another and the retainer prong has substantially an identical radius of curvature to a radius of curvature the gas passage prong.

23. The method of manufacturing the nasal cannula according to claim 17, further comprising the step of providing the mouthpiece forming mandrel with both a stub and an extension portion for forming a receiving opening in the cannula for receiving a separate mouthpiece.

24. A cannula comprising:

a hollow main body having opposing openings at a first and second ends;

a first nasal prong and a second nasal prong defining a respective first and second nasal prong passages communicating with the hollow main body of the cannula;

a mouthpiece passage for receiving a separate mouthpiece, and the mouthpiece having an elongate shape retaining member within the passages thereto to facilitate adjustment and retention of the mouthpiece in a desired adjusted orientation.

25. The cannula according to in claim 24, further comprising a separate mouthpiece attached to the cannula via the mouthpiece passage.

26. The cannula according to in claim 24, wherein the mouthpiece includes at least a gas passage having a gas inlet communicating with the hollow main body and the shape retaining member is a dead soft material to facilitate adjustment of the gas inlet location.

27. A method of forming a nasal cannula comprising the steps of:

providing a cannula mandrel assembly, said assembly comprising separable parts including at least one nare forming mandrel, at least one mouthpiece mandrel having an extension, and a main body forming mandrel comprising two separate components defining a void therebetween;

heating the cannula mandrel assembly to a desired temperature;

providing an uncured cannula forming polymeric material in flowable state;

applying at least one coating of the material to the cannula mandrel assembly to provide a desired coating material thickness on the cannula mandrel assembly to form the cannula;

curing the material coating the cannula mandrel assembly; and

disassembling the cannula mandrel assembly and withdrawing the at least one nare forming mandrel, the at least one mouthpiece mandrel and extension and the two separate components of the main body forming mandrel from the cannula; and

attaching a separate mouthpiece to the cannula via an attachment portion formed on the cannula by the mouthpiece mandrel and extension.

28. The method of manufacturing the nasal cannula according to claim 27, further comprising the step of providing the mouthpiece with at least a gas passageway and a retaining passageway.

29. The method of manufacturing the nasal cannula according to claim 27, further comprising the mouthpiece having a separate first and a second gas passages and a single passage for receiving a dead soft material extending substantially the length of the mouthpiece.