Airway device with tongue-engaging member
AssigneeApnicure, Inc.
InventorsJonathan L. Podmore, Matthias Vaska, John E. Crowe, Sean Christopher Daniel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An oral device for improving airway patency having a base adapted to be held between a patient's upper and lower teeth and a tongue-engaging member. The tongue-engaging member engages the tongue and displaces the tongue anteriorly when the base is held between the patient's teeth. A vacuum is applied through the base and the tongue-engaging member in order to draw the soft palate against a posterior region of the tongue in order to stabilize the soft palate and open or clear the patient's airway.
Claims15
An oral device for temporary placement in a patient's oral cavity, said device comprising;
- a base adapted to be held between a patient's upper and lower teeth;
- a vacuum conduit;
- a lip seal coupled to the base and passing the vacuum conduit into the oral cavity;
- and
- a tongue-engaging member coupled to the base and having an integral plenum connected to the vacuum conduit, wherein the member has (1) an anterior surface and a posterior surface where the anterior surface is inclined forwardly relative to a plane of the base and is disposed to engage a medial region of the tongue when the base is positioned between the patient's upper and lower teeth, and (2) at least one port on the posterior surface of the tongue-engaging member and open to the plenum:
- wherein the tongue-engaging member has an angle of inclination to create a clear region above a medial region of the tongue when the base is positioned between the patient's upper and lower teeth.
A method for stabilizing a soft palate in a patient's oral cavity, said method comprising:
- engaging an anterior surface of a member against a medial region of a tongue, wherein the anterior surface is inclined forwardly relative to a plane of a base when the base is held between a upper and lower teeth to displace the medial region of the tongue in an anterior direction relative to the soft palate to provide a clearance therebetween,
- wherein a region above a medial region of the tongue remains clear;
- and
- applying a vacuum within the clearance through a posterior surface of the member to draw together the soft palate and a posterior region of the tongue.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.