Side Loading Articulating Laryngeal Blade for Intubation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical intubation devices face challenges such as anatomical incompatibility, prolonged setup time, limited field of view, and increased risk of injury due to rigid laryngeal blades and separate insertion procedures, which can be hazardous in emergent situations.
Innovation Solution
A side-loading articulating laryngeal access system with a flexible laryngeal blade and an articulating member that can be adjusted via an actuator, incorporating an imaging device and sensors, allowing for improved anatomical fit, quicker assembly, enhanced user control, and increased field of view.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid laryngeal blade is used for intubation, then the blade can maintain its pre-shaped curvature corresponding to the curvature of a person's airway passage anatomy, but it cannot be easily adjusted to fit the anatomy of different types of patients, particularly at the distal end of the blade
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by transforming the rigid, fixed-shape blade into an articulating blade with multiple segments that can be dynamically adjusted. The blade includes a proximal segment and a distal segment that can be articulated relative to each other, allowing the distal end to be positioned at different angles to accommodate varying patient anatomies while maintaining overall structural stability during the procedure
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the blade into multiple articulating segments rather than using a single rigid structure. This allows independent adjustment of each segment's position and angle, enabling customization of the blade's overall shape to match different airway anatomies while maintaining the stability needed for safe intubation
2Ease of manufacture
If separate insertion of the laryngeal blade and endotracheal tube is required, then the components can be inserted individually, but it requires significant time to set up and insert into the patient, which could be hazardous in emergent situations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the merging principle by integrating the endotracheal tube insertion pathway directly into the laryngeal blade structure. The blade is designed with an opening that receives the tube, allowing the tube to be inserted through the blade in a single combined motion rather than as separate steps, significantly reducing setup and insertion time while maintaining the simplicity of individual components
3Device complexity
If the imaging device is positioned at a distal tip of the device body, then the device structure is simplified, but it only provides a limited view of the surrounding tissue even if the distal tip is capable of being angled to a certain degree
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the imaging device articulating rather than fixed. The imaging device can be articulated to different angles independently of the blade segments, allowing it to dynamically adjust its viewing angle to provide a broader field of view of the surrounding tissue while maintaining a relatively simple device structure through the use of articulated joints
Data Source
AI summary
A laryngeal access system includes a laryngeal blade with a proximal portion and a distal portion, an inner channel extending longitudinally through the laryngeal blade, wherein an outer wall of the laryngeal blade has an opening therethrough extending from the proximal portion to the distal portion of the blade through which an object can pass through the outer wall into the inner channel, an articulating member provided at the distal portion of the blade, and an actuator provided at the proximal portion of the blade and coupled to the articulating member, wherein the actuator moves the articulating member from a first position, in which the articulating member has a first longitudinal axis, to a second position, in which the articulating member extends at an angle relative to the first longitudinal axis.