Segmented Endotracheal Tube Resisting Bite Forces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Endotracheal tubes face issues with flexibility, leading to potential displacement during patient movement, and biting damage, especially in the proximal portion, which can result in loss of ventilation control and tissue damage.
Innovation Solution
The airway tube is designed with a flexible distal portion and a stiffer proximal portion, achieved through varying wall thickness or the addition of a sleeve, to maintain placement and resist biting, allowing for secure attachment without external flanges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the endotracheal tube is made very flexible to follow the airway pathway, then the tube can navigate curved pathways without causing excessive pressure or frictional damage to tissues, but the tube can curve and the distal tip can pull back from the trachea and even be completely removed thereby losing control of ventilation
Solution Approach 1:
The tube is divided into multiple sections with different flexibility characteristics. The proximal portion (first section) has different mechanical properties than the distal portion (second section), allowing each segment to serve its specific function: the proximal segment provides stability while the distal segment provides flexibility for navigation.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the tube are given different local properties. The proximal portion is made relatively more resistant to bending to provide stability, while the distal portion is made more flexible to navigate curved pathways. This localized differentiation of mechanical properties resolves the contradiction between overall flexibility and placement stability.
2Strength
If the proximal portion of the tube is hardened to resist biting, then the lumens are protected from damage or compression, but the tube becomes less flexible in the oral cavity and pharyngeal space
Solution Approach 1:
The tube is segmented into proximal and distal portions with different mechanical properties. The proximal portion is hardened to resist biting forces, while the distal portion remains flexible for navigation, resolving the contradiction between bite resistance and flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The proximal portion of the tube wall is given different local quality (harder, more resistant to bending) compared to the distal portion. This localized modification provides bite resistance exactly where needed (at the mouth) without compromising the flexibility required in the distal airway portions.
3Adaptability or versatility
If additional lumens for suction or irrigation are added to the tube, then the tube has enhanced functionality, but the rigidity of the tube is affected
Solution Approach 1:
The tube structure is modified locally in the proximal portion to compensate for the rigidity changes introduced by additional lumens. By adjusting the wall thickness or material properties in specific regions, the tube maintains appropriate flexibility despite the presence of multiple lumens.
Data Source
AI summary
An airway tube (2), an artificial airway device (1) for use in establishing an airway in a patient, and a method of manufacture are provided. The artificial airway device includes the airway tube for introduction into the patient's trachea for passage of gases to and from the patient's lungs. The airway tube defines a longitudinal axis, includes a flexible tube wall (3), and is capable of bending so as to fit into a patient's airway. The airway tube includes a distal portion (4) and a proximal portion (5), and is adapted such that all or a part of the proximal portion is relatively more resistant to bending out of the longitudinal axis than all or a part of the distal portion.