Secretion clearing patient airway management system

Abstract

A pulmonary secretion clearing airway structure and related airway management system is disclosed that has a double lumen portion which each lumen of the double lumen portion operably secured to an airway management system so that inspiratory fluid (air/oxygen mixtures, with or without added water vapor) is delivered to the distal end of the ventilation catheter through one of the two lumens and expired inspiratory fluid, pulmonary secretions, and pulmonary fluids are removed from the patient through the other lumen. The expiratory fluid pathway preferably includes a secretion collection system for removing the pulmonary secretions and the like from the pathway, thereby improving operation and safety of the system. The airway structure can be a ventilation catheter or a supraglottic airway system such as laryngeal mask and the like.

Description

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. utility patent application Ser. No. 11 / 285,743, filed on Nov. 21, 2005, and it also claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application No. 60 / 752,108, filed on Dec. 21, 2005 and U.S. provisional patent application No. 60 / 629,074, filed on Nov. 19, 2004, the disclosures all of which are hereby incorporated by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]This invention relates to patient airway management systems such as ventilation catheters, which are commonly known as endotracheal tubes, and supraglottic airway systems such as laryngeal masks and the like.BACKGROUND[0003]The traditional field of airway management includes a process of controlled ventilation that usually uses a mechanical ventilating machine to deliver a predetermined amount of inspiratory fluid, which is usually an air / oxygen gas mixture, with or without added water vapor, to the lungs of a patient on a predetermined cycle. Usual...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0015]Accordingly, despite the benefits offered by known patient airway management systems such as ventilation catheters, laryngeal masks, and the like, there is still a need for a compact airway management system that can be easily inserted

Problems solved by technology

While the seal offered by these cuffs reduces the likelihood of a patient's airway being inadvertently contaminated with gastric and pharyngeal fluids, they also seal within a patient's lungs pulmonary secretions and fluids.

Such periodic suctioning increases the risk of damaging

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