Endotracheal-tube guidance system with epiglottis-elevating feature

In a laryngeal mask airway construction, wherein an airway tube has a distal end adapted with masking structure to provide in generally a single plane a peripherally sealed engagement to the laryngeal inlet of a patient, thereby to establish a pharyngeal side of the mask structure apart from an opposite laryngeal side of the mask, and wherein the masking structure provides a single passage for airway supply to the pharyngeal side of the mask for exclusive acute-angle communication with the laryngeal side of the mask via an airway aperture in the mask, said acute-angle communication being with respect to said plane, the improvement wherein a bar to prevent epiglottis blockage of the airway aperture is integrally formed with said masking structure and is elongate in the general direction of airway passage through the mask aperture and is so hingedly connected to the laryngeal side of said mask as, in an at-rest position thereof, to diametrically span the airway aperture of the mask and thus to provide a barrier against epiglottis blockage of airflow through the mask, said hinge connection being such that said bar is compliantly deflectable in the event of instrumentation such as an endotracheal tube being inserted via the airway tube for guidance to and through the laryngeal inlet, said compliant deflection being upon advancing-displacement contact of said bar by the inserted instrumentation, and said deflection being sufficient to deflect the epiglottis while removing said bar from interference with the airway-directed guidance of said instrumentation.

In a laryngeal mask airway construction, wherein a rigid airway tube has an external manipulating handle at its proximal end and is adapted at its distal end with masking structure to provide in generally a single plane a peripherally sealed engagement to the laryngeal inlet of a patient thereby to establish a pharyngeal side the mask structure apart from an opposite laryngeal side of the mask for exclusive acute-angle communication with the laryngeal side of the mask via an airway aperture in the mask, said acute-angle communication being with respect to said plane, the improvement wherein a bar to prevent epiglottis blockage of the airway aperture is integrally formed with said masking structure and is elongate in the general direction of airway passage through the mask aperture, said bar being so hingedly connected to the laryngeal side of the mask as, in an at-rest position thereof, to diametrically span the airway aperture and thus to provide a barrier against epiglottis blockage of airflow through the mask, said hinge connection being such that said bar is compliantly deflectable in the event of an endotracheal tube or other instrument being inserted via the airway tube for guidance to and through the laryngeal inlet, and said mask including pneumatically operative ramp means operative in the path of advancing displacement of the endotracheal tube to deflect the path of advancing displacement of the endotracheal tube while also deflecting said bar as well as the epiglottis.

A laryngeal mask to facilitate ventilation of the lungs of a patient, comprising a generally elliptical ring with distally convergent segments and means for inflating/deflating the same to establish a peripheral engagement of the mask around the patient's laryngeal inlet, mask structure comprising a concave bowl wherein the concavity of the bowl extends between proximal and distal longitudinal ends and is adapted to face the laryngeal inlet, said bowl being within and peripherally connected to said ring and having a proximal-end tubular inlet-air connection adapted for externally available ventilation through an aperture in said mask structure, said aperture having an area aligned for direct passage of instrumentation inserted via said tubular inlet-air connection, a longitudinally extending central bar integrally formed with said mask structure and having compliantly yieldable hinged connection at its upper end to said mask structure via the upper end of said aperture, the hinged connection being such as to position said bar across the center of said aperture in an at-rest position and to be compliantly deflected out of said at-rest position in response to engagement by instrumentation advanced through said tubular inlet-air connection, and a skirt of pliant sheet material continuously connected to the adjacent distally convergent segments of said inflatable ring and thus defining a proximally open pocket between said skirt and the distal-end region of the concavity of said bowl.