Ventilator safety coupling
OwnerWilliam S. Loweryinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A safety coupling is provided for use in a pulmonary pressure ventilator system to protect an intubated patient from adverse consequences of the ventilator tubing becoming disconnected from either an endotracheal tube or tracheotomy tube. The safety coupling is designed to assure continued airflow through the disconnected ventilator tubing, thereby assuring that the ventilator alarm that senses a disconnected tubing will operate properly. The safety coupling is simple in design with no moving parts. The coupling is either one or more openings formed at or near the proximal end of the ventilator tubing, and optionally may take the form of a tubular safety flange which is easily retrofitted onto existing pressure ventilators.
Claims4
In a pulmonary pressure ventilator system having a ventilator tubing, wherein said ventilator tubing has a distal end connected to said pressure ventilator system and a proximal end connected to an intubated patient through the distal end of either an endotracheal tube or tracheotomy tube, the improvement comprising:
- safety coupling means carried by said proximal end of said ventilator tubing, said safety coupling means including one or more airflow openings to allow continued airflow through said opening or openings in the event said proximal end of said ventilator tubing becomes disconnected from either said endotracheal or tracheotomy tube.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.