Intubation Assembly Bougie Guide Device Interference
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing intubation methods face challenges in unstable, austere, or complex care environments, such as battlefield or disaster areas, due to bulky devices, difficulty handling bougies in bloody conditions, and lack of adjustability, which hinder rapid and precise airway access and tube placement.
Innovation Solution
A compact intubation assembly with a bougie and guide device that allows for adjustable positioning, tactile confirmation, and easy removal, featuring a removable and adjustable guide device with depth and centerline indicators, and a packaging system for single-use, portable use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a bougie or positioning member is used to guide tube placement, then tactile feedback for identifying the trachea is improved, but the proximal end of the bougie interferes with the procedure and visual feedback
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the interfering proximal end of the bougie from the procedural field by routing it through a dedicated pathway in the guide device. The guide device creates a controlled exit point that directs the bougie's proximal end away from the provider's view and hand, eliminating interference while preserving the tactile feedback function at the distal end.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide device serves as an intermediary structure that mediates between the bougie and the provider. It provides a controlled interface where the bougie can be inserted and positioned, while its structure manages the proximal end to prevent interference. The guide device acts as a buffer that separates the functional distal end from the problematic proximal end.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the bougie is made longer to reach the trachea in obese or traumatically altered anatomy, then identification of the trachea is improved, but the excess proximal end interferes with the procedure
Solution Approach 1:
The guide device extracts the excess length problem by providing a structured pathway that accommodates the full length of the bougie. The proximal end is directed through a controlled route that removes it from the interfering environment, allowing the bougie to be as long as needed for difficult anatomy without creating handling problems.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide device provides dynamic adjustability in positioning the bougie's proximal end. The structure allows the provider to adjust where the proximal end exits or is secured, enabling adaptation to different bougie lengths and different patient anatomies while maintaining ease of operation.
3Reliability
If the bougie is used in bloody conditions, then airway access is achieved, but the bougie becomes slippery and difficult to grip
Solution Approach 1:
The guide device acts as an intermediary grip surface that replaces direct contact with the slippery bougie. The provider grips the guide device structure, which has sufficient friction and structural integrity even in bloody conditions. The guide device mediates the force transmission to the bougie while maintaining reliable grip.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes the direct mechanical grip on the bougie with a grip on the guide device structure. This replacement mechanical interface provides reliable friction and grip surfaces that are not compromised by blood or bodily fluids, while still enabling effective manipulation of the bougie through the guide device's structure.
4Quantity of substance
If bulky packaging is used for the intubation assembly, then all necessary components are included, but the device is not suitable for austere or combat environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple components (guide device, bougie, tube, and packaging) into a single integrated assembly. The guide device structurally incorporates the bougie and tube, eliminating the need for separate packaging of individual components. This consolidation achieves complete functionality in a compact form factor suitable for austere environments.
Solution Approach 2:
The assembly employs a nested structure where the bougie is inserted into the tube, and both are contained within or integrated with the guide device structure. This nesting arrangement minimizes the overall footprint and volume of the packaged device while ensuring all necessary components are included and properly positioned for use.
Data Source
AI summary
An assembly for intubation, as provided herein, may include a cricothyroidotomy tube that can receive a malleable bougie allowing the cricothyroidotomy tube to take the shape of the bougie so that the cricothyroidotomy tube can be placed in a patient. A guide device can receive the bougie so that the bougie can be manipulated with the guide device to assist with insertion of the cricothyroidotomy tube in the patient. A bougie opening can be defined in the guide device for receiving a proximal end of the bougie to position the proximal end out of the way of a care giver to reduce interference that can be caused by the proximal end. Markings on the bougie can illustrate where to position the bougie to allow a predetermined amount of the bougie to extend from the cricothyroidotomy tube.