Artificial airway tube device intubated into airway without obstruction by using flexible bronchoscope

Abstract

The present invention relates to an artificial airway tube device which is intubated into the airway without obstruction by using a flexible bronchoscope, which enables easy intubation of an artificial airway tube into the airway without laryngeal obstruction or resistance by using a flexible bronchoscope even when the operator's skill level is not high. The artificial airway tube device comprises: an artificial airway tube which allows a flexible bronchoscope to penetrate through the inner side thereof, along the inner lower portion thereof; and a balloon which is mounted on an upper side of the bronchoscope inside the front end portion of the tube and which, when inflated with air, lifts the lower portion of the front end portion of the tube sagging downward to the upper side opposite to the gravity direction so as to bring same into close contact with the lower portion of the bronchoscope, thereby temporarily integrating the tube and the bronchoscope, wherein when intubation of the tube into the airway is attempted, the lower portion of the front end portion of the tube can pass without resistance along the bronchoscope, without being caught by the arytenoid of the larynx.

Description

An artificial airway tube device that can be inserted into the airway without obstruction using a flexible bronchoscope

[0001] The present invention relates to an artificial airway tube device for securing an airway, and more particularly, to an artificial airway tube device that enables the artificial airway tube to be easily inserted into the airway without obstruction or resistance in the larynx using a flexible bronchoscope even if the operator's skill level is not high.

[0002] Intubation is a common medical procedure that involves inserting a tube into the trachea to maintain an airway in patients who require airway maintenance or mechanical ventilation.

[0003] Conventional intubation techniques using direct laryngoscopy or video laryngoscopy are difficult in conscious patients and often require the neck to be tilted backwards, leading to limitations. Furthermore, these techniques can cause discomfort and high levels of stress, especially in conscious patients.

[0004] Airway intubation using a flexible bronchoscope has emerged as a next-generation technology aimed at overcoming these challenges. This technology utilizes a flexible endoscope, enabling intubation more tailored to the patient's physiological characteristics. The flexible endoscope is advanced into the patient's trachea, and using this as a guide, a tube is launched from the distal end of the bronchoscope, sliding past the vocal cords and into the patient's trachea. This technique can be performed on conscious patients without any discomfort and offers the advantage of safe tube insertion without lifting the patient's lower jaw or tongue root.

[0005] However, securing an airway using a flexible bronchoscope had the disadvantage that only very skilled surgeons could do it. When intubating an artificial airway tube using a flexible bronchoscope, the bronchoscope was used as a guide to start the artificial airway tube from the rear end of the bronchoscope located outside the patient's oral cavity and slide it past the vocal cords into the patient's trachea. In particular, when the inner diameter of the artificial airway tube (20) and the outer diameter of the flexible bronchoscope (10) used as a guide were different, as shown in FIG. 1, the lower part of the distal end of the artificial airway tube (20) would get caught on the arytenoid cartilage (S) of the patient's larynx, making it impossible to proceed with intubation any further. In some cases, only scars would remain on the arytenoid cartilage (S) of the larynx and its surroundings.

[0006] Accordingly, the present invention has been proposed to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and the purpose of the present invention is to provide an artificial airway tube device that can easily insert an artificial airway tube into the airway without obstruction or resistance in the larynx using a flexible bronchoscope even if the skill of the operator is not high.

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the technical idea of ​​the present invention provides an artificial airway tube device, comprising: an artificial airway tube that penetrates a curved bronchoscope inwardly along the inner lower portion; a balloon that is mounted on the inner side of the distal end of the tube to the upper side of the bronchoscope, and when air is injected and inflated, pulls up the lower distal end of the tube, which has been sagging downward, in the direction opposite to the direction of gravity, and adheres it to the lower part of the bronchoscope, thereby temporarily integrating the tube and the bronchoscope; and is characterized in that, when attempting to intubate the tube into the airway, the lower distal end of the tube does not get caught on the arytenoid cartilage of the larynx and can pass along the bronchoscope without resistance.

[0008] Here, a cone-shaped member having a shape that becomes increasingly sharper as it goes forward is mounted to the tip of the tube, so that even when the vocal cords contract and the airway entrance becomes narrow during the tube's endotracheal intubation, the cone-shaped member opens the vocal cords, thereby facilitating the tube's endotracheal intubation.

[0009] Additionally, the lower portion of the cone-shaped member may be characterized by having a through hole formed through which a bronchoscope passes.

[0010] In addition, the through hole may be formed so as to be offset from the lower end of the cone-shaped member, and the lower end may be opened so that the lower part of the bronchoscope penetrating the through hole can be in close contact with the lower part of the tube.

[0011] In addition, it may be characterized in that it further includes a catch member that is mounted in a state of hanging over the rear end of the tube, and a linear connecting member that connects the catch member and the cone-shaped member through the inside of the tube to hold the cone-shaped member so that it does not come off from the front end of the tube, thereby preventing the cone-shaped member from coming off and enabling the cone-shaped member to be recovered when the endotracheal intubation is completed.

[0012] In addition, the cone-shaped member may be characterized in that its rear end is mounted with its rear end inserted into the inside of the front end of the tube so as to facilitate rearward recovery through the inside of the tube.

[0013] In addition, the connecting member may be characterized by connecting the cone-shaped member and the hooking member while passing through the interior of the long balloon.

[0014] In addition, the connecting member may be characterized in that it is formed as a hollow body with a flow path formed inside to supply air for expansion of the balloon, and an air discharge hole is formed at a point on the outer surface of the part passing through the balloon to discharge the air transported through the flow path.

[0015] The tube further includes a linear connecting member that is inserted into the inside of the tube through the rear end of the tube and then extends to the upper part of the front end of the tube to support the balloon by passing through it, and the connecting member is characterized in that it is formed as a hollow body with a flow path formed inside so as to supply air for inflating the balloon, and an air discharge hole is formed at a point on the outer surface of the portion passing through the balloon to discharge the air transported through the flow path.

[0016] Additionally, the tube may be characterized by being made of a transparent material so that external photography is possible even when the camera of the bronchoscope is positioned inside it.

[0017] In addition, the balloon may be characterized by comprising an insertion portion that, when inserted into the inside of the tube and inflated by air injection, pulls the lower portion of the tip of the tube, which was sagging downward, upward in a direction opposite to the direction of gravity, and places it in contact with the bronchoscope, and a cone-shaped portion that extends forward from the insertion portion and is positioned on the outside of the tip of the tube and has a shape that becomes increasingly sharper as it goes forward, thereby guiding the larynx to move out of the way without getting caught on the tip of the tube when the tube is inserted into the airway.

[0018] In addition, the bronchoscope, balloon, connecting member, cone-shaped member, and catch member may be modularized as a single unit, so that when the tube is intubated into the airway, the remaining modularized bronchoscope, balloon, connecting member, cone-shaped member, and catch member, excluding the tube, can be taken out and removed from the airway.

[0019] Meanwhile, the artificial airway system of the present invention is characterized in its technical configuration by including a bronchoscope; and the aforementioned artificial airway tube device.

[0020] Here, it may be characterized by further including a display that outputs an image captured by the camera of the bronchoscope to a screen.

[0021] The artificial airway tube device according to the present invention can easily insert the artificial airway tube into the trachea without obstruction or resistance in the larynx using a flexible bronchoscope even if the surgeon's skill level is not high.

[0022] Figure 1 is a reference diagram for explaining the prior art.

[0023] Figure 2 is a side view of an artificial airway tube device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 3 is a front view of an artificial airway tube device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 4 is a side view of the balloon inflated in the artificial airway tube device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing that the lower part of the tip of the artificial airway tube in the artificial airway tube device according to an embodiment of the present invention can pass over the laryngeal cartilage without getting caught.

[0027] Figure 6 is a side view of an artificial airway tube device according to a modified embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] <Explanation of symbols>

[0029] 110: Artificial airway tube 120: Long balloon

[0030] 130: connecting member 140: cone-shaped member

[0031] 150: Hook member 10: Bronchoscope

[0032] Hereinafter, an artificial airway tube device according to embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. The present invention may be modified in various ways and may take various forms, and specific embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the text. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to a specific disclosed form, but it should be understood that the invention includes all modifications, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention. In describing each drawing, similar reference numerals are used to indicate similar components. In the attached drawings, the dimensions of structures are illustrated in an enlarged form for clarity of the present invention or in a reduced form for understanding the schematic configuration.

[0033] Furthermore, while terms such as first and second may be used to describe various components, these components should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used solely to distinguish one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be referred to as the second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as the first component. Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning they have in the context of the relevant technology, and shall not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined in this application.

[0034] <Example>

[0035] Fig. 2 is a side view of an artificial airway tube device according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 3 is a front view of an artificial airway tube device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 4 is a side view of an artificial airway tube device according to an embodiment of the present invention in a state where a balloon is inflated. And Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a lower portion of a distal end of an artificial airway tube in an artificial airway tube device according to an embodiment of the present invention can pass over the laryngeal cartilage without getting caught.

[0036] As illustrated, the artificial airway tube device according to the embodiment of the present invention includes an artificial airway tube (110), a balloon (120), a connecting member (130), a cone-shaped member (140), and a catch member (150) as main components, and is configured so that even when a surgeon does not have a high skill level and attempts to intubate the tube (110) into the airway using a flexible bronchoscope (10), the lower part of the front end of the tube (110) is not caught on the arytenoid cartilage (S) of the larynx, but is temporarily integrated with the bronchoscope (10) in a close state so that it can pass without resistance.

[0037] Hereinafter, a tube device for artificial airway according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail, focusing on each of the above components.

[0038] The above tube (110) functions as an artificial airway by connecting the oral cavity and the trachea through endotracheal intubation, and is provided in a form in which a flexible bronchoscope (10) is passed through the inside, but is passed through along the inner lower part. A balloon (120) is positioned on the inside of the tip of the tube (110), and it is preferable that the tube (110) be made of a transparent material so that external photography is possible even if the camera of the bronchoscope (10) is positioned on the inside.

[0039] The above balloon (120) is installed in a long state inserted along the length of the tube (110) from the inside of the tip of the tube (110). A very important point here is that the balloon (120) should be installed upward (toward the patient's stomach) in the opposite direction to the direction of gravity of the bronchoscope (10) based on the state where the patient is lying down looking up. With this simple but important configuration, when the balloon (120) is inflated by air injection, the lower part of the tip of the tube (110), which was drooping downward in the direction of gravity as shown in FIG. 2, is pulled upward in the opposite direction to the direction of gravity as shown in the enlarged part of FIG. 4, and is brought into close contact with the lower part of the bronchoscope (10). In this way, when attempting to intubate a tube (110) into the airway, the lower part of the tip of the tube (110) does not hang down from the bronchoscope (10) but is in close contact with it, so that it can pass along the bronchoscope (10) without resistance without getting caught on the arytenoid cartilage (S) of the larynx. Here, instead of the balloon (120), a balloon that is relatively short in length can be used. However, if the balloon (120) is used, the range of action at the tip of the tube (110) becomes sufficient, so that intubation into the airway is performed more stably.

[0040] The cone-shaped member (140) above serves to facilitate endotracheal intubation at the tip of the tube (110). To this end, the cone-shaped member (140) has a shape that becomes increasingly sharper as it goes forward and is mounted on the tip of the tube (110). However, it is preferable that the tip end (140a) of the cone-shaped member (140) be rounded so as not to cause a sensitive wound in the patient's oral cavity, as illustrated in FIG. 3. When the cone-shaped member (140) is mounted on the tip of the tube (110), even when the vocal cords contract and the airway entrance becomes narrow during endotracheal intubation of the tube (110), the cone-shaped member (140) opens the vocal cords, facilitating endotracheal intubation of the tube (110). A through hole (141) through which a bronchoscope (10) passes is formed at the lower portion of the cone-shaped member (140). By forming the above through hole (141), the bronchoscope (10) and the cone-shaped member (140) can be positioned together without interference with each other even in a narrow cross-sectional area permitted at the tip of the tube (110). Here, the through hole (141) is formed so as to be completely offset from the lower end of the cone-shaped member (140) to the extent that it comes into contact with the tube (110), as illustrated in FIG. 3, and it is preferable that the lower end be open. This allows the lower portion of the bronchoscope (10) to be in maximum contact with the lower portion of the tube (110) behind the through hole (141) of the cone-shaped member (140).

[0041] The above-described hooking member (150) and connecting member (130) serve to prevent the cone-shaped member (140) from detaching and to recover the cone-shaped member (140) after intubation is completed. To this end, the hooking member (150) is mounted in a state where it hangs over the rear end of the tube (110). Although not shown, the hooking member (150) has a through hole (141) for the bronchoscope (10) to pass through, similar to the through hole (141) of the cone-shaped member (140).

[0042] The above connecting member (130) is provided as a linear member and connects the catching member (150) and the cone-shaped member (140) while passing through the balloon (120) through the inside of the tube (110). According to this configuration, the balloon (120) is stably positioned on the inner upper part of the tube (110) corresponding to the upper side of the bronchoscope (10). In addition, during the intubation process, the catching member (150) safely supports the cone-shaped member (140) by holding it by the connecting member (130) so that it does not come off to the front of the tube (110). The cone-shaped member (140) is simply retrieved by pulling the connecting member (130) and the catching member (150) backward when the endotracheal intubation is completed. In order to smoothly retrieve the cone-shaped member (140) backward through the inside of the tube (110), it is preferable that a portion of the rear end of the cone-shaped member (140) be installed with the front end of the tube (110) inserted into the inside, as shown in the enlarged left part of FIG. 2.

[0043] It is preferable that the above-mentioned connecting member (130) also serves as an air supply hose that supplies air for the expansion of the balloon (120). To this end, the connecting member (130) is installed in a form that passes through the interior of the balloon (120) from the inside of the tube (110), and is formed as a hollow body in which a flow path is formed. In addition, an air discharge hole (130a) that communicates with the internal flow path and discharges air is formed at a point on the outer circumference of the portion passing through the interior of the balloon (120). In this way, if the connecting member (130) also serves as an air supply hose, there is no need to provide a separate air supply hose, and thus the overall configuration becomes simpler.

[0044] Meanwhile, the connecting member (130) may be installed independently, regardless of the cone-shaped member (140) or the catch member (150). To this end, the connecting member (130) is installed in a form in which it is inserted into the inside of the tube (110) through the rear end of the tube (110) and then extends to the upper part of the front end of the tube (110) to pass through and pass through the balloon (120). In this state, the balloon (120) is supported so as to be positioned above the bronchoscope (10) from the inside of the tube (110). At this time, the connecting member (130), as described above, is formed as a hollow body with a path formed therein so as to supply air for inflation of the balloon (120), and is provided with an air discharge hole (130a) so as to also function as an air supply hose.

[0045] Here, the bronchoscope (10) may be provided as a disposable device only for tracheal intubation, and in this case, the disposable bronchoscope (10), balloon (120), connecting member (130), cone-shaped member (140), and catch member (150) are modularized into one unit, and when the tube (110) is intubated into the trachea, the remaining modularized bronchoscope (10), balloon (120), connecting member (130), cone-shaped member (140), and catch member (150), excluding the tube (110), can be simply taken out and removed from the trachea. According to the configuration in which the disposable bronchoscope (10), balloon (120), connecting member (130), cone-shaped member (140), and hooking member (150) are modularized in this way, when the tube (110) is intubated into the airway, it is helpful to simply remove the remaining members except for the tube (110).

[0046] Figure 6 is a side view of an artificial airway tube device according to a modified embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] As illustrated, in the modified embodiment of the present invention, the balloon (120) is characterized by being formed in a form that integrates the cone-shaped member (140) included in the embodiment before the modification. To this end, the balloon (120) is formed with an insertion portion (120a) that is inserted into the inside of the tube (110) and, when air is injected and inflated, pulls up the lower portion of the tip of the tube (110), which has been sagging downward, in the direction opposite to the direction of gravity, and adheres it to the bronchoscope (10), and a cone-shaped portion (120b) that extends forward from the insertion portion, is positioned on the outside of the tip of the tube (110), and has a cone shape that becomes increasingly pointed as it goes forward, thereby opening the vocal cords and facilitating the intubation of the tube (110) into the airway even when the vocal cords contract and the airway entrance is narrowed during intubation of the tube (110).

[0048] This modified embodiment performs almost the same function as the previous modified embodiment, but does not require a separate cone-shaped member (140), and even the connecting member (130) and the catch member (150) connected thereto can be removed, which helps to realize a simpler configuration. However, in the drawing, the connecting member (130) and the catch member (150) are not shown removed in order to support and inject air into the modified balloon (120).

[0049] While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is susceptible to various modifications, variations, and equivalents. It is clear that the present invention can be applied in the same manner by appropriately modifying the above embodiments. Therefore, the above description does not limit the scope of the present invention, which is defined by the limitations of the following claims.

Claims

1. An artificial airway tube that penetrates the inner side of a flexible bronchoscope and passes along the inner lower side; A balloon which is mounted on the upper side of the bronchoscope from the inside of the tip of the tube, and when air is injected and inflated, pulls up the lower side of the tip of the tube, which was hanging down, in the direction opposite to the direction of gravity, and attaches it to the lower side of the bronchoscope, thereby temporarily integrating the tube and the bronchoscope; An artificial airway tube device characterized in that, when attempting to intubate the tube into the airway, the lower part of the distal end of the tube is not caught on the arytenoid cartilage of the larynx and can pass along the bronchoscope without resistance.

2. In paragraph 1, An artificial airway tube device characterized in that the above balloon is provided as a long balloon inserted in a long shape along the length of the tube.

3. In paragraph 2, An artificial airway tube device characterized in that a cone-shaped member having an increasingly sharp shape toward the front is mounted at the tip of the tube, so that even when the vocal cords contract and the airway entrance becomes narrow during the tube's insertion into the airway, the cone-shaped member opens the vocal cords, thereby facilitating the tube's insertion into the airway.

4. In paragraph 3, An artificial airway tube device characterized in that a through hole through which a bronchoscope passes is formed in the lower part of the cone-shaped member.

5. In paragraph 4, An artificial airway tube device characterized in that the above through hole is formed so as to be offset from the lower end of the cone-shaped member, and the lower end is opened so that the lower part of the bronchoscope penetrating the through hole can be in close contact with the lower part of the tube.

6. In paragraph 4, An artificial airway tube device characterized in that it further comprises a catch member that is mounted in a state of hanging over the rear end of the tube, and a linear connecting member that connects the catch member and the cone-shaped member through the inside of the tube to hold the cone-shaped member so that it does not come off from the front end of the tube, thereby preventing the cone-shaped member from coming off and enabling the cone-shaped member to be recovered when the endotracheal intubation is completed.

7. In paragraph 6, An artificial airway tube device characterized in that the cone-shaped member is mounted with its rear end inserted into the inside of the front end of the tube so as to facilitate rearward recovery through the inside of the tube.

8. In paragraph 6, An artificial airway tube device characterized in that the above connecting member connects the cone-shaped member and the hooking member while passing through the interior of the above long balloon.

9. In paragraph 8, An artificial airway tube device characterized in that the above connecting member is formed as a hollow body having a flow path formed inside to supply air for the expansion of the balloon, and an air discharge hole is formed at a point on the outer surface of the portion passing through the balloon to discharge the air transported through the flow path.

10. In paragraph 1, An artificial airway tube device further comprising a linear connecting member that is inserted into the inside of the tube through the rear end of the tube and then extends to the upper part of the front end of the tube to support the balloon by passing through it, wherein the connecting member is formed as a hollow body having a flow path formed inside so as to supply air for inflating the balloon, and an air discharge hole is formed at a point on the outer surface of the portion passing through the balloon to discharge the air transported through the flow path.

11. In paragraph 1, An artificial airway tube device characterized in that the above tube is made of a transparent material so that external photography is possible even when a bronchoscope camera is positioned inside the tube.

12. In paragraph 2, The above balloon is an artificial airway tube device characterized in that it comprises an insertion part that, when inserted into the inside of the tube and inflated by air injection, pulls the lower part of the tip of the tube, which has been sagging downward, upward in a direction opposite to the direction of gravity, and places it in close contact with the bronchoscope, and a cone-shaped part that extends forward from the insertion part and is located on the outside of the tip of the tube and has a shape that becomes increasingly sharp as it goes forward, thereby opening the vocal cords and facilitating the intubation of the tube into the airway even when the vocal cords contract and the entrance to the airway is narrowed during intubation of the tube into the airway.

13. In paragraph 6, An artificial airway tube device characterized in that the bronchoscope, balloon, connecting member, cone-shaped member, and catch member are modularized as a single unit, so that when the tube is intubated into the airway, the remaining modularized bronchoscope, balloon, connecting member, cone-shaped member, and catch member, excluding the tube, can be taken out and removed from the airway all at once.

14. Bronchoscopy; and Artificial airway tube device of paragraph 1; An artificial airway system characterized by including:

15. In paragraph 14, An artificial airway system further comprising a display that outputs images captured by a camera of the bronchoscope to a screen.

Images