A snap-fit ​​artificial airway positioning guide clip

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of endotracheal intubation technology. The aim is to provide a snap-fit ​​artificial airway positioning and guiding clip, comprising a laterally extending support plate for attaching to one side of a patient's face. One end of the support plate has a snap-fit ​​groove extending in a front-back direction, with the opening of the groove facing the side edge of the support plate. A section of the snap-fit ​​groove on the rear side of the support plate forms a toothed support section, and a section of the snap-fit ​​groove on the front side of the support plate forms an installation section. Both the top and bottom surfaces of the installation section have laterally extending strip-shaped openings. A guide cylinder is disposed within the installation section, and square insertion rods matching the width of the strip-shaped openings are fixedly mounted on both the upper and lower sides of the guide cylinder. This invention uses the guide cylinder to limit and guide the outer end of the inserted tube, improving the stability of the tube during insertion and enhancing the smoothness of intubation. After insertion, the support plate serves as a base to lock the guide cylinder, ensuring its secure fixation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of endotracheal intubation technology, and specifically to a snap-fit ​​artificial airway positioning and guiding clip. Background Technology

[0002] Endotracheal intubation includes open endotracheal intubation and oral-nasal endotracheal intubation. The former involves inserting the tube through an incision made in the front of the patient's neck, while the latter involves inserting the tube into the patient's trachea through the mouth, nose, or pharynx, with oral intubation being the most common. During oral endotracheal intubation, the operator first inserts a laryngoscope into the patient's pharynx, presses and opens the tongue to expose the glottis, and then inserts the tube into the patient's trachea through the glottis. After insertion, the bag is inflated to close the airway, and the outer end of the tube is connected to the ventilator for ventilation.

[0003] In our clinical practice, we have found that during endotracheal intubation in patients with glottic stenosis, even with visual assistance using a video laryngoscope, a high level of operator skill is required, often making successful insertion on the first attempt difficult. This is because current intubation methods rely entirely on the operator manually holding the tube. First, the tube is inserted near the glottis, and the operator manipulates or rotates the outer end of the tube within a plane to align the inner end with the glottis. Then, the tube is pushed vertically inward to guide the inner end into the glottis. However, due to glottic stenosis, the lack of effective restraint and guidance during vertical pushing allows for some swaying of the outer end within a plane. This swaying often causes the tube to detach from the glottic region during pushing, which is especially problematic for patients with glottic stenosis, easily leading to intubation failure. Therefore, a high level of operator skill is essential.

[0004] In addition, after intubation, existing technologies can only use medical tape to bind and fix the tube, resulting in poor stability of the inserted tube. This not only poses a risk of dislodgement, but also, due to the swinging and pulling of the tube, it can easily damage the tracheal mucosa when the balloon is inflated. Therefore, how to improve the stability and convenience of tube fixation while also taking into account the operability of intubation has always been a challenging problem in this field. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a snap-fit ​​artificial airway positioning guide clip that can improve intubation stability and facilitate fixation.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the technical solution adopted in this invention is a snap-fit ​​artificial airway positioning guide clip, comprising a tray extending laterally for attaching to one side of a patient's face. One end of the tray is provided with a snap-fit ​​groove extending in a front-back direction, the opening of which faces the side edge of the tray. A section of the snap-fit ​​groove located on the rear side of the tray constitutes a toothed support section, and a section of the snap-fit ​​groove located on the front side of the tray constitutes an installation section. The top and bottom surfaces of the installation section are provided with strip-shaped openings extending laterally.

[0007] The installation section is equipped with a guide cylinder, and square plug rods that match the width of the strip hole are fixedly installed on both the upper and lower sides of the guide cylinder. The plug rods and the strip hole form a damped sliding fit, and the plug rods are locked to the installation section through a fixing component.

[0008] Preferably, the outer surface of the plug rod is provided with a rubber coating, and the rubber coating forms a damped sliding fit with the strip opening.

[0009] Preferably, the outer end of the plug rod is provided with a threaded post, and a locking cap that forms a threaded engagement with the threaded post is adapted on the threaded post. The end of the locking cap facing the snap-fit ​​groove is provided with a rubber contact layer.

[0010] Preferably, the guide cylinder includes a stepped cylinder and an adjusting cylinder, wherein the small end of the stepped cylinder faces forward and the large end faces backward, and the adjusting cylinder is sleeved outside the small end of the stepped cylinder and forms a threaded connection with the small end.

[0011] Multiple spoon-shaped elastic support bars are centrally symmetrically arranged around the axis of the stepped cylinder at the large end. One end of each elastic support bar is connected to the inner wall of the large end of the stepped cylinder, and the other end is provided with a hook. A contact ball is provided inside the hook. One side of the contact ball passes through the notch on the hook and protrudes outside the hook.

[0012] The stepped cylinder has an arc-shaped opening that penetrates the stepped surface, and the end of the adjusting cylinder facing the stepped surface is provided with a pushing block; when the adjusting cylinder rotates, it can drive the pushing block to insert between the hook and the inner side of the large end of the stepped cylinder, so as to form an inward squeezing of the hook of the elastic support bar and to clamp the contact ball inside the hook.

[0013] Preferably, the two ends of the extrusion block are protruding arc-shaped, and the extrusion block is connected to the adjusting cylinder through a short connecting rod inserted into the arc-shaped opening.

[0014] Preferably, the cross-section of the snap-fit ​​groove is U-shaped.

[0015] Preferably, the pallet is curved backward in the longitudinal direction.

[0016] Preferably, it also includes an elastic fixing strap, the two ends of which are fixedly connected to the two ends of the support plate.

[0017] Preferably, the surface of the tooth support segment is provided with a groove, which gradually widens from the opening side of the tooth support segment to the other side, and a flexible pad is embedded in the groove.

[0018] The beneficial effects of this invention are mainly reflected in the following aspects: by using the guide tube to limit and guide the outer end of the inserted tube, the stability of the tube during the insertion process can be improved, and the insertion smoothness can be enhanced; after the insertion is completed, the guide tube can be locked with the support plate as a base to ensure its fixed effect after locking. Specifically, in the use of this invention, the patient's mouth is first opened using a laryngoscope through conventional procedures. Then, the rear section of the locking groove is inserted into one side of the patient's mouth, and the upper and lower teeth bite down on the tooth support section, with the support plate placed against the patient's face. Next, the endotracheal tube is passed through the guide tube, with the inner end of the tube extended to the vicinity of the glottis. Then, the outer end of the tube can be moved to align the inner end of the tube with the patient's glottis. During the movement of the outer end of the tube, the present invention provides better stability and is less prone to displacement due to the support of the guide tube, making it easier to align with the glottis. Next, the outer end of the tube is pushed for insertion. Since the outer end is always guided by the guide tube during insertion, the force is better transmitted along the length of the tube, allowing the tube to be inserted more accurately towards the glottis in the predetermined direction. After insertion, the occlusion cuff is inflated according to conventional procedures, and the outer end of the tube is connected to the ventilator to complete the artificial airway and achieve ventilation. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a top view of the structure of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A bottom view;

[0021] Figure 3 for Figure 1 Top view;

[0022] Figure 4 for Figure 2 Enlarged view of section A in the middle;

[0023] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the guide tube structure;

[0024] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the extrusion block structure;

[0025] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the locking cap. Detailed Implementation

[0026] like Figure 1-7 As shown, a snap-fit ​​artificial airway positioning guide clip is mainly used in endotracheal intubation to guide and position the endotracheal tube body, ensuring its smooth insertion into the glottis and trachea, and to assist in fixing the tube body after intubation to ensure its stability and prevent it from dislodging.

[0027] like Figure 1 As shown, the present invention includes a laterally extending support plate 1 for attaching to one side of a patient's face, with a snap-fit ​​groove 2 extending in a front-back direction at one end of the support plate 1. During use, the present invention is placed on one side of the patient's mouth. The support plate 1 increases the contact area with the patient's face, ensuring the overall stability of the installation of the present invention. Figure 1 As shown, the tray 1 is generally arc-shaped, curving backwards along its length to ensure a tight fit to the sides of the face. Medical adhesive tape is then used to bond and fix the tray 1 to the face, providing excellent stability. The snap-fit ​​groove 2 is located at one end of the tray 1, as shown in the figure, on the right end of the tray 1. It can also be on the left end (when the invention is inverted, it is actually on the left end). The groove extends along the front-back direction, and its cross-section can be U-shaped, square, C-shaped, etc. Figure 2 As shown, the U-shape is the most common, with the opening of the snap-fit ​​groove 2 facing the side edge of the tray 1.

[0028] The snap-fit ​​groove 2 of the present invention comprises a tooth support section 3 on the rear side of the tray 1 and an installation section 4 on the front side of the tray 1. As the names suggest, the tooth support section 3 is used for patient tooth biting, providing support for the upper and lower teeth, thereby forming support for the oral cavity. The installation section 4 is used to install a guide assembly, specifically the guide cylinder 6 described below. Both the top and bottom surfaces of the installation section 4 are provided with transversely extending slots 5, which are used for connecting the snap-fit ​​groove 2 and the guide cylinder 6.

[0029] The installation section 4 of this invention is provided with a guide cylinder 6, which is cylindrical and extends along the front-to-back direction. Figure 2 and 3 As shown, square insertion rods 7, matching the width of the slot, are fixedly installed on both the upper and lower sides of the guide cylinder 6. The insertion rods 7 and the slot 5 form a damped sliding fit. The insertion rods 7 are locked to the mounting section 4 via a fixing assembly. The fixing assembly can take many forms; its function is to lock the position of the insertion rods 7 within the slot 5 after insertion, thereby locking the guide cylinder 6 relative to the locking groove 2. The specific locking method can be combined with… Figure 3 and 7As shown, the outer end of the plug-in rod 7 of the present invention is provided with a threaded post 8. A locking cap 9 is adapted on the threaded post 8 to form a threaded engagement with the threaded post 8. It can also be regarded as the main body of the plug-in rod 7 being a square rod segment, and the end having a threaded segment, with the locking cap 9 sleeved on the threaded segment. By tightening the locking caps 9 on the two plug-in rods 7, they can be clamped together in the locking groove 2, thereby locking the position of the guide cylinder 6. In order to further improve the locking stability, the present invention can also provide a rubber contact layer 10 at the end of the locking cap 9 facing the locking groove 2, using the rubber contact layer 10 to increase the friction between the rubber contact layer 10 and the outer surface of the locking groove 2.

[0030] In other words, the guide cylinder 6 of this invention is installed inside the slot 5 via the insertion rod 7. It can move left and right, and up and down along the slot 5 to meet the adjustment requirements of the tube position during insertion. Of course, since the insertion rod 7 needs to slide within the slot 5 to meet the adjustment requirements, the sliding cannot be too loose; otherwise, the positioning stability will be completely lost in the unlocked state. Therefore, the insertion rod 7 and the slot 5 of this invention form a damped sliding fit. That is, a certain force is required to push it to slide. To form damping, this invention can adopt the form of a rubber coating on the outer surface of the insertion rod 7, forming a damped sliding fit with the slot 5 through the rubber coating. Of course, it is also feasible to set the rubber coating on the edge of the slot 5. The rubber coating can effectively increase the frictional resistance between the insertion rod 7 and the slot 5, thereby achieving damped sliding.

[0031] In the process of using this invention, the patient's mouth is first opened using a laryngoscope through conventional operation. Then, the rear section of the locking groove 2 (i.e., the tooth support section 3) is inserted into one side of the patient's mouth. The patient bites down on the tooth support section 3 with their upper and lower teeth, and the support plate 1 is placed against the patient's face. To ensure the stability of the tooth support section 3 when bitten, and to reduce the hardness of the biting position to provide some protection for the teeth, the surface of the tooth support section 3 is provided with a occlusal groove 20, and a flexible pad 21 is embedded in the occlusal groove 20. The occlusal groove 20 gradually widens from the opening side of the tooth support section 3 to the other side to accommodate the arc-shaped arrangement of the teeth.

[0032] After the support plate 1 is in place, the endotracheal tube is passed through the guide tube 6, and the inner end of the tube is extended to the vicinity of the glottis. Then, the outer end of the tube can be moved to align the inner end of the tube with the patient's glottis. During the movement of the outer end of the tube, the tube is supported by the guide tube 6, which makes it more stable and less prone to displacement, and easier to align with the glottis. Next, the outer end of the tube is pushed for insertion. Since the outer end is always guided by the guide tube 6 during the insertion process, the force can be better transmitted along the length of the tube, allowing the tube to be inserted more accurately towards the glottis in the predetermined direction. After insertion, the occlusion cuff is inflated according to the standard procedure, and the outer end of the tube is connected to the ventilator to complete the artificial airway and realize ventilation.

[0033] Since the guide cylinder 6 needs to guide the tube body, the size of its inner cavity should be roughly equivalent to the outer diameter of the tube body to ensure guiding stability. However, since the insertion tube body is generally a plastic tube, if the inner cavity of the guide cylinder 6 perfectly matches the tube body, it will lead to increased frictional resistance during insertion, which is not conducive to insertion. Therefore, another key point of this invention lies in the contact structure between the guide cylinder 6 and the tube body. Figure 2 and 4 As shown, the guide cylinder 6 includes two layers, one of which is a stepped cylinder 11, and the other is an adjusting cylinder 12 sleeved outside the small end of the stepped cylinder. The small end of the stepped cylinder 11 faces forward and the large end faces backward, and it forms a threaded connection with the small end. There are 1-2 turns of thread between the two.

[0034] When the guide cylinder 6 comes into contact with the pipe body, it does not make direct contact with the pipe body through its own inner surface, but rather... Figure 2 and 4 As shown, multiple spoon-shaped elastic support bars 13 are centrally symmetrically arranged inside the large end of the stepped cylinder 11 around the axis of the stepped cylinder 11. Figure 2 Four elastic support bars 13 are provided, but there can actually be more. One end of each elastic support bar 13 is connected to the inner wall of the larger end of the stepped tube 11, and the other end is provided with a hook 14. The hook 14 forms a cavity to hold the contact ball 15, and a notch is provided on the inward-facing surface of the hook 14. The contact ball 15 is provided inside the hook 14, and one side of the contact ball 15 passes through the notch on the hook 14 and protrudes outside the hook 14. During the guiding process, the tube body directly contacts the contact ball 15. During the movement, because the contact ball 15 can rotate freely, the contact friction of the tube body during the guiding process can be greatly reduced, which ensures both the accuracy of the guiding and the smoothness of tube insertion and adjustment of the tube body angle.

[0035] After insertion, in order to lock the tube inside the guide tube 6, such as... Figure 4As shown in the figure, the stepped cylinder 11 of the present invention has an arc-shaped opening 16 penetrating the stepped surface, and the adjusting cylinder 12 has a pushing block 17 at one end facing the stepped surface. The structure of the pushing block 17 is as follows: Figure 6 As shown, the two ends of the extrusion block 17 are protruding arc-shaped. The extrusion block 17 is connected to the adjusting cylinder 12 via a short rod 18 passing through the arc-shaped opening 16. When locking is required, the adjusting cylinder 12, when rotating, can drive the extrusion block 17 to insert between the hook part 14 and the inner side of the large end of the stepped cylinder 11, thereby causing the hook part 14 to deflect and bend inward, forming an inward squeeze on the hook part 14 of the elastic support bar 13, thus clamping the tube body. At the same time, as the hook part 14 is squeezed, the contact ball 15 inside it is also clamped in the cavity of the hook part 14 and cannot rotate anymore, thereby ensuring effective clamping of the tube body.

[0036] In the overall installation process, in addition to fixing the tray 1 with medical tape, the present invention may also include an elastic fixing strap 19. The two ends of the elastic fixing strap 19 are fixedly connected to the two ends of the tray 1. The elastic fixing strap 19 can be used to better fix the present invention to the patient's head. The vertical distribution of the elastic fixing strap 19 can avoid the patient's mouth and avoid interfering with other operations.

Claims

1. A snap-fit ​​artificial airway positioning guide clip, characterized in that: Includes a tray (1) for attaching to one side of a patient's face, extending laterally. One end of the tray (1) is provided with a snap-fit ​​groove (2) extending in the front-back direction, with the opening of the snap-fit ​​groove (2) facing the side edge of the tray (1). A section of the snap-fit ​​groove (2) located on the rear side of the tray (1) forms a toothed support section (3), and a section of the snap-fit ​​groove (2) located on the front side of the tray (1) forms an installation section (4). The top and bottom surfaces of the installation section (4) are provided with strip-shaped openings (5) extending laterally. The installation section (4) is provided with a guide cylinder (6), and square plug rods (7) that match the width of the strip hole are fixedly provided on both the upper and lower sides of the guide cylinder (6). The plug rods (7) and the strip hole (5) form a damped sliding fit. The plug rods (7) are locked to the installation section (4) through the fixing components. The guide cylinder (6) includes a stepped cylinder (11) and an adjusting cylinder (12). The small end of the stepped cylinder (11) faces forward and the large end faces backward. The adjusting cylinder (12) is sleeved on the small end of the stepped cylinder (11) and forms a threaded connection with the small end. Multiple spoon-shaped elastic support bars (13) are arranged symmetrically around the axis of the stepped cylinder (11) at the large end. One end of the elastic support bar (13) is connected to the inner wall of the large end of the stepped cylinder (11), and the other end is provided with a hook (14). A contact ball (15) is provided in the hook (14). One side of the contact ball (15) passes through the notch on the hook (14) and protrudes outside the hook (14). The stepped surface of the stepped cylinder (11) is provided with an arc-shaped opening (16) that penetrates the stepped surface. The end of the adjusting cylinder (12) facing the stepped surface is provided with a squeezing block (17). When the adjusting cylinder (12) rotates, it can drive the squeezing block (17) to insert between the hook (14) and the inner side of the large end of the stepped cylinder (11) to form an inward squeezing of the hook (14) of the elastic support bar (13) and to achieve clamping of the contact ball (15) inside the hook (14).

2. The snap-fit ​​artificial airway positioning guide clip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer surface of the plug rod (7) is provided with a rubber coating, and the rubber coating forms a damped sliding fit with the strip opening (5).

3. The snap-fit ​​artificial airway positioning guide clip according to claim 2, characterized in that: The outer end of the plug rod (7) is provided with a threaded post (8), and a locking cap (9) is adapted to form a threaded engagement with the threaded post (8). A rubber contact layer (10) is provided on the end of the locking cap (9) facing the snap-fit ​​groove (2).

4. The snap-fit ​​artificial airway positioning guide clip according to claim 3, characterized in that: The two ends of the extrusion block (17) are protruding arcs, and the extrusion block (17) is connected to the adjusting cylinder (12) through a short rod (18) inserted in the arc-shaped opening (16).

5. The snap-fit ​​artificial airway positioning guide clip according to claim 4, characterized in that: The cross-section of the snap-fit ​​groove (2) is U-shaped.

6. The snap-fit ​​artificial airway positioning guide clip according to claim 5, characterized in that: The tray (1) is curved backward in the length direction.

7. The snap-fit ​​artificial airway positioning guide clip according to claim 6, characterized in that: It also includes an elastic fixing band (19), the two ends of which are fixedly connected to the two ends of the support plate (1).

8. The snap-fit ​​artificial airway positioning guide clip according to claim 7, characterized in that: The surface of the tooth support section (3) is provided with a groove (20), which gradually widens from the opening side of the tooth support section (3) to the other side, and a flexible pad (21) is embedded in the groove (20).

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