Dual-Taper Endotracheal Intubation Device for Swollen Tissue Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current endotracheal intubation devices, such as the GlideScope®, often face difficulties in achieving first-attempt success and safe removal due to swollen tissues obstructing the view of vocal cords, leading to potential trauma and the need for risky procedures like cricothyrotomy.
Innovation Solution
A laryngoscope intubation device with dual tapers, where the proximal and distal ends are narrower than the medial portion, allowing the device to spread swollen tissue apart during insertion and removal, facilitating better visualization and reducing trauma.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional laryngoscope is used for endotracheal intubation, then the procedure can be performed with simple instrumentation, but the first-attempt success rate is low due to difficulty in visualizing vocal cords
Solution Approach 1:
The intubation device is divided into multiple functional segments: a laryngoscope body for visualization, an intubation guide for positioning, and a stylet for structural support. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while working together to improve first-attempt success rates
Solution Approach 2:
The stylet is nested within the laryngoscope body, and the intubation guide is integrated with the laryngoscope structure. This nested design reduces overall device complexity while maintaining the necessary functional capabilities for successful intubation
2Ease of operation
If the laryngoscope blade is made wider to facilitate insertion, then easier insertion is achieved, but removal becomes difficult and causes trauma to swollen tissues
Solution Approach 1:
The laryngoscope blade features asymmetric tapering with a first taper for insertion and a second taper for removal. This asymmetric design allows the blade to easily penetrate swollen tissues during insertion while minimizing trauma during removal by creating a gradual exit path
Solution Approach 2:
The first taper creates a preliminary channel through swollen tissues during insertion, which then facilitates easier removal by providing an established pathway. The dual-taper design performs preliminary tissue separation in both insertion and removal directions
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the laryngoscope blade is made narrower to reduce tissue trauma, then safer removal is achieved, but insertion becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The laryngoscope blade features asymmetric tapering with a first taper for insertion and a second taper for removal. This asymmetric design allows the blade to easily penetrate swollen tissues during insertion while minimizing trauma during removal by creating a gradual exit path
Solution Approach 2:
The first taper creates a preliminary channel through swollen tissues during insertion, which then facilitates easier removal by providing an established pathway. The dual-taper design performs preliminary tissue separation in both insertion and removal directions
4Strength
If a rigid laryngoscope structure is used to maintain structural integrity, then device strength is improved, but adaptability to curved airways is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The laryngoscope incorporates a curved blade design that can flex to adapt to the natural curvature of the airway while maintaining sufficient structural integrity. The curved geometry allows the blade to follow the contour of the throat and vocal cords, improving visualization and reducing tissue trauma
Solution Approach 2:
The laryngoscope structure transitions from rigid to flexible at specific locations, with the blade designed to be locally flexible to conform to curved airways while the handle and other structural components remaining rigid to maintain overall structural integrity
Data Source
AI summary
A system may include a laryngoscope, and an intubation device configured to guide insertion of the laryngoscope into the throat of a patient. The intubation device may have a proximal end, a distal end, and a medial portion between the proximal and distal ends. The proximal and distal ends may be narrower than the medial portion, and the intubation device may have a first taper from the medial portion to the distal end and a second taper from the medial portion to the proximal end.