Infection-suppressing medical device for respirator

Abstract

The present invention relates to an infection-suppressing medical device for a respirator. The infection-suppressing medical device for a respirator, according to the present invention, is provided on an air flow line having one side connected to the mouth of a patient and the other side connected to an air tank of a respirator, the air flow line including an air tube connected to the air tank and an endotracheal tube connected to the mouth of the patient, and comprises: a tubular case which is disposed between the air tube and the endotracheal tube, and which has one side connected to the air tube and the other side connected to the endotracheal tube and has, therein, communication space communicating with the air tube and the endotracheal tube; and a sterilization unit for emitting ultraviolet rays at the air flowing in the communication space of the case.

Description

Infection control medical devices for ventilators

[0001] The present invention relates to an infection-suppressing medical device for a ventilator, and more particularly, to an infection-suppressing medical device for a ventilator with an improved structure that can prevent infection caused by viruses in the ventilator.

[0002] In the intensive care unit, patients with hypoxia due to lung diseases such as pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer are put on ventilators.

[0003] When patients with conditions other than lung disease use ventilators for extended periods (more than seven days), the bacteria present on the ventilator develop antibiotic resistance, leading to pneumonia caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria. Similarly, hospital-acquired bacteria are highly resistant to antibiotics and other chemical agents (chemotherapy), making infection prevention difficult.

[0004] Unlike common pneumococci, bacteria that cause hospital-acquired VAP (Ventilator associate pneumonia) (klebsiella, pseudomonas, Acieneobacter) are difficult to treat with antibiotics, and in most cases, there is no solution other than increasing oxygen intake or using treatments such as steroids and immunoglobulins.

[0005] To solve this problem, as shown in Fig. 1, an antibacterial filter (F) is installed on the path from the ventilator (R) side to the patient's mouth (M), and a product that prevents infection is being used. However, this conventional technology has a problem in that, because air must pass through the filter, flow resistance occurs, preventing air from smoothly entering the patient's mouth.

[0006] - Prior art literature

[0007] Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2023-0130966

[0008] The present invention has been devised to solve the above problems, and the purpose of the present invention is to provide an infection-suppressing medical device for a ventilator that can prevent infection caused by a virus in a ventilator and smoothly supply ventilation air to a patient without flow resistance.

[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide an infection-suppressing medical device for a ventilator that can suppress side effects caused by antibiotic resistance of respirator-resident bacteria even with a simple configuration without significantly changing the structure of the ventilator.

[0010] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an infection-preventing medical device for a ventilator, which is installed on an air flow line having one end connected to a patient's mouth and the other end connected to an air tank of the ventilator, wherein the air flow line includes an air tube connected to the air tank side and an endotracheal intubation tube connected to the patient's mouth, and a case having a tubular structure, which is disposed between the air tube and the endotracheal intubation tube, one end connected to the air tube and the other end connected to the endotracheal intubation tube, and a communication space formed inside that communicates with the air tube and the endotracheal intubation tube; and a sterilizing unit that irradiates ultraviolet rays to air flowing in the communication space of the case.

[0011] It is preferable that the above sterilizing unit include a circuit board coupled to the inner surface of the case and a UV lamp mounted on the circuit board to irradiate ultraviolet rays toward the center of the case.

[0012] The present invention can be achieved by including an air dispersing core member that is arranged along the central axis of the case so as to disperse and flow air introduced into the communication space of the case into a ring-shaped space (annular space).

[0013] Among the ends of the core member, the end that faces the air tube closely may have a closed structure to allow air to be dispersedly introduced into the annular space, and conversely, the end that faces the endotracheal intubation tube may have an open structure. The present invention may further include a path forming block including a pipe part that is inserted into the inside of the core member through the open end of the core member, the outer surface of which forms a flow space between the inner surface of the core member, and the inner space of which communicates with the air outlet of the case (connected to the endotracheal intubation tube), and a path bypass partition part that extends radially outward from the outer surface of one end of the pipe part (the portion arranged close to the air outlet) and contacts the inner surface of the case to close the two elements so that direct communication between the annular space and the air outlet is prevented.

[0014] The infection-suppressing medical device for a ventilator according to the present invention having the configuration described above has the advantage of being able to suppress the occurrence of infection due to the occurrence of bacteria or viruses by placing a case having a built-in sterilization unit for infection prevention on the air flow path between the air tube for transferring the air of the ventilator to the oral cavity of the patient and the endotracheal intubation tube, and the advantage of being able to suppress side effects caused by antibiotic resistance of the ventilator's resident bacteria with a simple configuration without significantly changing the structure of the existing ventilator by forming the case having a built-in sterilization unit in a tube structure like the air tube and the endotracheal intubation tube, and the advantage of being able to smoothly and accurately introduce the air stored in the storage tank of the ventilator into the patient's oral cavity without the flow resistance caused by the filter employed in the prior art.

[0015] Figure 1 is a drawing for explaining the structure and problems of an infection suppression device for a respirator according to the prior art.

[0016] Figure 2 is a perspective view of an infection-suppressing medical device for a respirator according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state of use of one embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of an infection-suppressing medical device for a ventilator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of an infection-suppressing medical device for a ventilator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of an infection-suppressing medical device for a ventilator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII of Figure 6.

[0022] To ensure a clear understanding of the present invention, descriptions of known techniques related to the features of the present invention will be omitted in the following description. The following examples are provided as detailed descriptions to aid understanding of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. Therefore, equivalent inventions that perform the same functions as the present invention will also fall within the scope of the invention.

[0023] In the following description, identical identifiers denote identical configurations, and unnecessary redundant descriptions and descriptions of known technologies will be omitted. Furthermore, descriptions of each embodiment of the present invention below that overlap with the description of the technology underlying the invention will also be omitted.

[0024] Hereinafter, an infection-suppressing medical device for an artificial respirator according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0025] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an infection-suppressing medical device for an artificial respirator according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state of use of one embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] As shown in these drawings, an infection-suppressing medical device for a respirator according to one embodiment of the present invention is installed on an air flow line, one end of which is connected to a patient's mouth and the other end is connected to an air tank of the respirator, and comprises a case (1) and a sterilization unit (2).

[0027] The above air flow line includes an air tube (S1) and an endotracheal intubation tube (S2), and serves to inject air stored in an air tank provided on the ventilator side into the patient's oral cavity through both elements.

[0028] The above case (1) is formed as a tube structure that is placed between the air tube and the endotracheal intubation tube (S2) and has a communication space that communicates with both elements, one side of which is connected to the air tube (S1) and the other side of which is connected to the endotracheal intubation tube (S2).

[0029] The above sterilization unit (2) irradiates the air flowing in the communication space of the case (1) with ultraviolet rays, such as UV-C, to sterilize bacteria or viruses contained in the air. Here, the ultraviolet rays are not limited to UV-C, and may be light sources with various wavelengths that exhibit a sterilizing function, and the air includes air supplied from the respirator or air generated through the user's breathing.

[0030] According to an embodiment of the present invention, an infection-suppressing medical device for a respirator having a configuration as described above is configured to suppress the occurrence of infection due to the occurrence of bacteria or viruses by arranging a case (1) having a built-in sterilization unit (2) for preventing infection on an air flow path between an air tube (S1) for transferring air of the respirator to the oral cavity of a patient and an endotracheal intubation tube (S2), and forming the case (1) into a tube structure like the air tube (S1) and the endotracheal intubation tube, thereby suppressing side effects caused by antibiotic resistance of respirator-resident bacteria with a simple configuration without significantly changing the structure of the existing respirator, and allowing air stored in a storage tank of the respirator to be smoothly and accurately introduced into the oral cavity of a patient without flow resistance caused by a filter employed in the prior art.

[0031] The sterilization unit (2) employed in this embodiment comprises, as shown in the enlarged portion of Fig. 3, a circuit board (21) coupled to the inner surface of the case (1) and a UV lamp (22) mounted on the circuit board (21) to irradiate ultraviolet rays toward the center of the case (1).

[0032] This embodiment having such a configuration has the advantage of being able to provide precise artificial respiration to the patient by combining a circuit board (21) having a UV lamp (22) mounted on the inner surface of the case (1) without obstructing the flow of air from the ventilator toward the patient.

[0033] It is preferable that the above UV lamps (22) are arranged at intervals along the longitudinal axis of the circuit board (21), and it is preferable that a plurality of them are arranged at intervals along the circumferential direction.

[0034] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of an infection-suppressing medical device for a ventilator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] This embodiment is formed by further including a core member for air distribution in addition to the configuration of the embodiment described above.

[0036] The above air dispersing core member (3) is arranged lengthwise along the central axis of the case (4), so that the air introduced into the communication space of the case (4) is dispersed and flows into a ring-shaped space (ring-shaped space; 30).

[0037] This embodiment having this configuration allows air to remain within the annular space (30) for a relatively long time, thereby further enhancing the sterilizing effect.

[0038] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of an infection-suppressing medical device for a ventilator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] This embodiment employs a means to reduce air flow resistance compared to the prior art in which a filter structure is employed, while simultaneously maximizing the sterilizing effect.

[0040] That is, the present embodiment includes a core member (5) arranged at the center of the case (7), and the end of the core member (5) that faces the air tube closely has a closed structure so that air is dispersed and introduced into the annular space, while the end that faces the endotracheal intubation tube closely has an open structure.

[0041] In addition, the present embodiment comprises a path forming block (6) having a pipe section (61) and a path bypass partition section (62) in addition to the configuration of the core member (5).

[0042] The pipe (61) of the above path forming block (6) is inserted into the inside of the core member (5) through the open end of the core member (5), and a fluid space is formed between the outer surface and the inner surface of the core member (5), and the inner space communicates with the outlet (71) of the case (7) (connected to the endotracheal intubation tube).

[0043] The above-mentioned path bypass bulkhead (62) is intended to close the two elements to prevent direct communication between the annular space and the discharge port (71), and is formed to extend radially outward from the outer surface of one end of the pipe (61) (the portion arranged close to the discharge port (71)) and contact the inner surface of the case (7).

[0044] This embodiment having such a configuration forms a zigzag-structured air flow path using a core member (5) and a path-forming block (6), thereby allowing air to remain in the case (7) for a long time and undergo a sterilizing action by a UV lamp (81) employed in a sterilizing unit (8), and has the advantage of allowing air to smoothly flow into the patient's oral cavity, compared to the prior art in which a filter structure that blocks the air flow path is applied.

[0045] Meanwhile, the unexplained reference numeral 82 in the drawing is a circuit board on which the UV lamp (81) is mounted.

[0046] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an infection-suppressing medical device for a respirator according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line Ⅶ-Ⅶ of FIG. 6.

[0047] As shown in these drawings, the present embodiment is configured such that a circuit board (93) having a UV lamp (931) mounted on each of a pair of stepped portions (94) defining an air inlet (92) and an air outlet (91) of a case (9) is positioned facing each other, thereby enabling ultraviolet rays to be irradiated to both ends through which air passes, thereby further improving the sterilization efficiency.

[0048] Although various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments and the drawings attached to the present specification only clearly show a part of the technical idea included in the present invention, and it will be obvious that all modified examples and specific embodiments that can be easily inferred by a person skilled in the art within the scope of the technical idea included in the specification and drawings of the present invention are included in the scope of the rights of the present invention.

Claims

1. It is installed on an air flow line where one side is connected to the patient's mouth and the other side is connected to the air tank of the respirator. The above air flow line includes an air tube connected to the air tank side and an endotracheal intubation tube connected to the patient's mouth, A case having a tube structure that is placed between the air tube and the endotracheal intubation tube, one end of which is connected to the air tube and the other end of which is connected to the endotracheal intubation tube, and a communication space formed on the inside that communicates with the air tube and the endotracheal intubation tube; An infection-suppressing medical device for an artificial respirator, characterized by including a sterilizing unit that irradiates ultraviolet rays to air flowing in a communication space of the above case.

2. In paragraph 1, An infection-suppressing medical device for an artificial respirator, characterized in that the sterilizing unit includes a circuit board coupled to the inner surface of the case and a UV lamp mounted on the circuit board to irradiate ultraviolet rays toward the center of the case.

3. In paragraph 2, An infection-suppressing medical device for an artificial respirator, characterized in that it includes an air-dispersing core member arranged long along the central axis of the case so as to disperse and flow air introduced into the communication space of the case into a ring-shaped space (annular space).

4. In paragraph 2, Among the two ends of the core member, the end that faces the air tube closely has a closed structure so that air is dispersed and introduced into the annular space, and conversely, the end that faces the endotracheal intubation tube has an open structure. A medical device for suppressing infection for a respirator, characterized in that it further comprises a path forming block including a tube portion inserted into the inside of the core portion through the open end of the core portion, the outer surface of which forms a flow space between the inner surface of the core portion and the inner surface of the core portion, and the inner space of which communicates with the air outlet of the case (connected to the tracheal intubation tube), and a path bypass partition portion formed to extend radially outward from the outer surface of one end of the tube portion (a portion arranged close to the air outlet) and contact the inner surface of the case to prevent direct communication between the two elements.

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