A cuff pressure stabilizer for use in contact with the atmosphere of the Earth and for use with a catheter having an inflatable cuff, an inflation lumen, and an inflation lumen proximal port, the cuff pressure stabilizer comprising:
- two or more columnar units;
- one or more seals, wherein the cuff pressure stabilizer is configured to be in (a) a sealed state when the one or more seals block fluid communication between at least one adjacent pair of the columnar units, and (b) a non-sealed state when the one or more seals do not block the fluid communication between the at least one adjacent pair of the columnar units, wherein the columnar units:
- comprise (a) respective input columns and (b) respective output columns, wherein the respective output columns (i) are disposed at least partially alongside the respective input columns, and (ii) are configured to be in fluid communication with the respective input columns when the cuff pressure stabilizer is in the non-sealed state, and
- include (a) an upstream-most columnar unit and (b) a downstream-most columnar unit;
- a liquid;
- and
- a gas,
- wherein the input column of the upstream-most columnar unit is shaped so as to define an upstream-most input port, which is coupleable in fluid communication with the inflation lumen proximal port of the catheter,
- wherein the output column of the downstream-most columnar unit is shaped so as to define an atmosphere port that is configured to be open to the atmosphere when the cuff pressure stabilizer is in the non-sealed state,
- wherein the output column of the upstream-most columnar unit is disposed at least partially alongside the output column of the downstream-most columnar unit,
- wherein the two or more columnar units are arranged, when the cuff pressure stabilizer is in the non-sealed state, so as to define a fluid communication path from the upstream-most input port, to the input column of the upstream-most columnar unit, to the output column of the upstream-most columnar unit, to the input column of the downstream-most columnar unit, to the output column of the downstream-most columnar unit, and to the atmosphere port,
- wherein one of the columnar units is configured as a measurement columnar unit, which comprises a plurality of pressure indicia markings distributed along the measurement columnar unit,
- wherein the cuff pressure stabilizer is configured such that when the cuff pressure stabilizer is in the non-sealed state and is oriented in an aligned orientation in which the pressure indicia markings reflect, to within 1 cm H2O, respective pressures of gas at the upstream-most input port at least in a target-pressure range of 23 to 27 cm H2O:
- all of the output columns have respective average target-pressure inner cross-sectional areas, each of the average target-pressure inner cross-sectional areas measured in a horizontal plane at all axial locations along the respective output column that correspond to the respective pressures of the gas at the upstream-most input port in the target-pressure range, and
- each of the average target-pressure inner cross-sectional areas is between 0.5 and 4 cm2, and
- wherein the cuff pressure stabilizer is configured such that when the cuff pressure stabilizer is in the non-sealed state and is oriented in the aligned orientation and the pressure of the gas at the upstream-most input port falls in the target-pressure range:
- the liquid is contained at least partially in all of the output columns, and
- the gas is contained at least partially in the input column of the downstream-most columnar unit and at least partially in the output column of the upstream-most columnar unit.