Loading patent…
AssigneesClearflow, Inc., The Cleveland Clinic Foundation
InventorsEdward M. Boyle, Jr., Nathan J. Dale, Paul C. Leonard, Alan Marc Gillinov, Sam Kiderman, William E. Cohn
Estimating the term…
A device for clearing obstructions from a medical tube, such as a chest tube, is disclosed in various embodiments. The device features a clearance member in the form of a loop. The loop desirably has a diameter that substantially corresponds to the inner diameter of the medical tube. Also desirably, the loop presents a substantially unobstructed pathway therethrough for the flow of material from a location in the medical tube distal to the loop to a location in the medical tube proximal to the loop regardless whether the clearance member is being translated or is at rest in the medical tube. Methods of utilizing such a device are also disclosed.
A method of clearing obstructions from a medical tube, comprising actuating a clearance member disposed within the medical tube by initially withdrawing the clearance member in a proximal direction from a resting position to engage and draw debris proximally, away from a distal end of the medical tube, and thereafter returning the clearance member to the resting position, wherein actuation of the clearance member does not induce a negative pressure within the medical tube or strengthen a suction drawn within a body cavity of a patient in which the medical tube has been installed, and wherein the clearance member is formed with or attached to a guide member disposed entirely within a suction passageway defined partially by the medical tube and through which the debris from the medical tube is drawn by a suction source.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.