US 5,329,921 A · Endotracheal tube

Abstract

An improved endotracheal tube and an adapter for a standard endotracheal tube allow the performance of various medical procedures while maintaining continuity of respiration and protecting the care-provider from contact with potentially hazardous body fluids. The adapter comprises a rigid plastic Y-tube having a very large bore stopcock in one arm. In a preferred embodiment the endotracheal tube adapter further comprises a puncturable, resealing membrane having a first face in fluid communication with the interior of the adapter and a second face accessible to the exterior of the adapter. The adapter may additionally include an inflatable cuff circumferentially disposed within a bore of one of the tubes so as to allow axial engagement of a cylindrical object disposed within the bore of the tube. A single unit endotracheal tube assembly comprising the adapter and a conventional endotracheal tube is also disclosed.

Claims18

Dependent claims

An endotracheal tube adapter for mounting on an end of an endotracheal tube external to a patient comprising:

(a) an elongated rigid plastic first tube having first and second ends, said first end being adapted to provide a substantially air-tight seal when fitted with an endotracheal tube;
said second end being adapted to provide a substantially air-tight seal when fitted with a device for ventilating a patient;
(b) a second tube having first and second ends, said first end of said second tube attached to said first tube between said first tube and second ends so as to provide substantially air-tight communication between the bore of said first and said second tubes thereby forming a common interior;
(c) a stopcock positioned in said second tube so as to divide said second tube into two segments, said stopcock controllable between two positions, a closed position wherein fluid communication between said segments of said second tube is prevented and an open position wherein fluid communication between said segments of said second tube is substantially unimpeded, said stopcock having a bore which is between 50% and 110% of the bore of said second tube.

1 more element

An endotracheal tube assembly comprising:

(a) a long, hollow, pliable tube having an inside diameter from about 2 mm to about 10 mm and a length from about 10 cm to about 40 cm;
(b) An elongated first rigid tube having first and second ends, said first end being contiguous with said pliable tube, said second end being adapted to provide a substantially air-tight seal when fitted with a device for ventilating a patient;
(c) a second rigid tube having first and second ends, said first end of said second rigid tube attached to said first rigid tube between said first rigid tube first and second ends so as to provide substantially air-tight communication between the base of said first and said second rigid tubes thereby forming a common interior;
(d) a stopcock positioned in said second rigid tube, so as to divide said second tube into two segments said stopcock controllable between two positions, a closed position wherein fluid communication between said segments of said second tube is prevented and an open position wherein fluid communication between said segments of said second tube is substantially unimpeded, said stopcock having a bore which is between 50% and 110% of the bore of said second tube.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Endotracheal tube

Life of this patent

Endotracheal tube

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18