Endotracheal tube and method of use

Abstract

This disclosure provides an endotracheal tube with a tip suitable for traversing the laryngeal inlet and with a guiding channel having a proximal opening adjacent a proximal end portion and a distal opening adjacent to a tip, wherein the guiding channel is adjacent a sidewall of the main lumen of the tube, which allows more accurate wire-guided intubation of a patient, a method and a kit relating to the same.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a national phase entry under 35 U.S.C. §371 of International Patent Application PCT / AU2014 / 000784, filed Aug. 5, 2014, designating the United States of America and published in English as International Patent Publication WO 2015 / 039164 A1 on Mar. 26, 2015, which claims the benefit under Article 8 of the Patent Cooperation Treaty to Australian Patent Application Serial No. 2014901331, filed Apr. 11, 2014, and to Australian Patent Application Serial No. 2013903646, filed Sep. 23, 2013.TECHNICAL FIELD[0002]This disclosure relates to equipment for use in, and methods of, performing anterograde or retrograde wire-guided endotracheal intubation.BACKGROUND[0003]An endotracheal tube (ETT) is normally passed into the trachea of a patient to maintain a patent airway and allow the delivery of oxygen / air / anesthetic gases and vapors to the patient. It may also be used to separate the lungs from the aero-digestive tract and protect ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0022]This disclosure aims to provide a simple easy to follow a system using a single piece of equipment and a single step for wire-guided endotracheal intubation (i.e., once the guide wire is placed, only a single piece of equipment is used). The simple system provides the opportunity to deliver oxygen throughout the procedure and to monitor ETCO2 to indicate the progress and correct placement of the tube. This offers unprecedented safety for management of difficult airways using wire-guided tracheal intubation techniques.

[0031]The term “follow the guide” refers to the tube following the path or the route that the guide has taken through the anatomical spaces or structures; for example, through the center of the mouth negotiating various degrees of angular bends between the pharynx, the larynx and into the trachea, ideally without straying off course or snagging on airway structures.

[0039]The improvement resides in the fact that once the guide is in place, the design of the ETT allows it to be positioned in a single step. This saves time compared to the existing practice, especially where in current retrograde procedures, the retrograde guide is withdrawn while either pressure is exerted on the ETT to keep it in place or the guide catheter is removed from the retrograde guide and re-introduced into the lumen of the tracheal tube, all to prevent unintended displacement of the tube from the larynx. Thus, the method of this disclosure involves fewer pieces of equipment than existing methods, resulting in less potential confusion and lower costs. As the method involves fewer steps, this saves crucial time in achieving intubation. In addition, the method of the disclosure avoids certain undesirable effects of maneuvers required by current methods.

[0045]A marker for completion of a step before proceeding to the next step provides a very important opportunity to correct a failed step immediately, thereby saving time that is crucial in preventing hypoxia or the need for an emergency surgical airway. It will be appreciated that markers of completion of steps are important in a multi-step blind procedure. For example, incorrect placement of tube is only diagnosed after guiding implements are withdrawn (except when FOS is used as guide).

Problems solved by technology

While the above prior proposals may have merit, the equipment used may be complex or expensive to manufacture and / or the steps involved in carrying out the medical procedure may be time consuming or difficult.

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