Intubating airway for bronchoscopic tracheal intubations

An intubating airway intended to facilitate the guidance and insertion of an endotracheal tube using a fiber-optic scope, the intubating airway comprising:

• a first component including:
• a proximal portion extending generally linearly in a longitudinal direction, the proximal portion including at a first end thereof a flat vertical face defining at least a portion of a mouth guard of the oral airway, and
• a distal portion integral with the proximal portion and extending therefrom in a curved manner;
• and
• an articulating second component attached to the proximal portion at a hinge;
• wherein, in a closed configuration, the first and second guiding surfaces are flush with one another so that the first and second components collectively define a conduit having an interior passage that is dimensioned to direct a fiber-optic scope or an endotracheal tube extending through the interior passage for tracheal intubation;
• wherein, in an open configuration, the first and second guiding surfaces are not flush with one another so that no such conduit is formed;
• wherein no such interior passage is formed in the open configuration but the first component defines an open-ended channel dimensioned to receive therethrough an endotracheal tube, whereby the intubating airway may be removed from an endotracheal tube extending through the passage without having to pass any portion of the intubating airway over an end of the endotracheal tube.

A method for endoscopic tracheal intubation, the method comprising the steps of:

• extending a fiber-optic scope or an endotracheal tube through a conduit defined by a first component and a second articulating component of an intubating airway, the first component having a first guiding surface and the second component being attached to the first component via a hinge and having a second guiding surface, wherein the first and second components are in a closed configuration to define the conduit;
• transitioning the intubating airway into an open configuration, after an endotracheal tube has extended through the conduit for tracheal intubation, such that the first and second guiding surfaces are not flush with one another and the conduit is not formed;
• and
• removing the intubating airway from the patient's mouth without disrupting the endotracheal tube.