Laryngeal mask airway with positioning and temperature sensors
AssigneeRuskid LLC
InventorRichard Unger
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Embodiments disclosed herein are directed to an improved LMA with a positioning sensor and a temperature sensor at the posterior dome of the mask of the LMA. The positioning sensor provides positioning measurements for the clinician to determine that the LMA is correctly positioned with the posterior dome in contact with the hypopharyngeal wall. With this correct positioning of the LMA, a temperature sensor—either on the same chip as the positioning sensor or nearby the positioning sensor—has a stable mucosal contact with the hypopharyngeal wall to measure the patient's core temperature. Therefore, the improved LMA provide at least the twin benefits: ensuring that the LMA is correctly positioned and ensuring that the measured core temperature is valid.
Claims19
A laryngeal mask airway comprising:
- a mask with a posterior dome configured to contact a hypopharyngeal wall of a patient at a supraglottic position;
- a temperature sensor at the posterior dome, the temperature sensor configured to measure a core temperature of the patient at the hypopharyngeal wall;
- and
- a positioning sensor at the posterior dome and co-located with the temperature sensor, the positioning sensor configured to provide a binary positioning measurement that can be used to determine whether the posterior dome has contacted or not contacted the hypopharyngeal wall at the supraglottic position, wherein the determination of the posterior dome being contact with the hypopharyngeal wall based on the binary positioning measurement is used to validate the core temperature measurement from the temperature sensor.
A method of positioning laryngeal mask airway and measuring a patient's core temperature, the method comprising:
- maneuvering the laryngeal mask airway, having a mask with posterior dome, down the mouth cavity of the patient until a positioning sensor at the posterior dome provides a binary positioning measurement indicating that the posterior dome has contacted a hypopharyngeal wall at a supraglottic position;
- and
- in response to determining that the posterior dome has contacted the hypopharyngeal wall at the supraglottic position based on the positioning measurement of the positioning sensor, validating a core temperature measured by a temperature sensor co-located with the temperature sensor at the posterior dome.
An airway system comprising:
- a mask with a posterior dome configured to contact a hypopharyngeal wall of a patient;
- a temperature sensor at the posterior dome, the temperature sensor configured to measure a core temperature of the patient at the hypopharyngeal wall at a supraglottic position;
- a positioning sensor at the posterior dome and co-located with the temperature sensor, the positioning sensor configured to provide a binary positioning measurement that can be used to determine whether the posterior dome has contacted or not contacted the hypopharyngeal wall at the supraglottic position, wherein the determination of the posterior dome being contact with the hypopharyngeal wall based on the binary positioning measurement is used to validate the core temperature measurement from the temperature sensor;
- and
- a computing device configured to wirelessly receive the measured core temperature and the positioning measurement.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.