Tactile Bougie Indicators for Tracheal Depth and Orientation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The traditional gum elastic bougie lacks effective methods for ensuring accurate axial orientation and depth of insertion into the trachea, particularly in challenging conditions such as obscured airways, limited neck mobility, or poor visibility, which can lead to life-threatening errors during intubation.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating flexible finger grooves and/or ridges on the bougie that provide tactile indicators for axial orientation and depth of insertion, allowing users to determine the correct placement through touch even when visibility is compromised by fluids or lighting issues, and enhancing grip to prevent slippage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If visual depth indicators are printed on the bougie, then depth of insertion can be gauged, but the indicators become difficult or impossible to see when liquids (blood) are present or lighting is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the optical measurement system (printed visual indicators) with a tactile mechanical system (raised ridges and grooves). The user can feel the depth markers through touch, allowing accurate depth measurement even when visual indicators are obscured by blood or poor lighting. This substitution of sensing modality from visual to tactile resolves the contradiction between measurement precision and information visibility.
2Ease of operation
If the distal tip is bent at an angle to assist tracheal entry, then the device can be guided into the trachea, but the distal tip orientation becomes invisible and difficult to gauge after insertion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the visual orientation indication system with a tactile feedback system. Raised ridges and grooves on the bougie shaft provide touchable reference points that allow the user to determine distal tip orientation through palpation, even after the tip is no longer visible in the airway. This maintains ease of operation while preventing loss of orientation information.
3Ease of operation
If the bougie shaft is smooth and tubular, then the device is easy to insert, but there is little or no indication of the distal tip's orientation and the device becomes slippery when contacted by liquids
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by adding raised ridges and grooves at specific locations on the bougie shaft while maintaining the overall smooth tubular structure for insertion. These localized tactile features provide orientation and grip information without compromising the general ease of insertion. The raised features create friction points that prevent slippage when the device becomes wet, resolving the contradiction between smooth insertion and reliable grip.
4Measurement precision
If users rely on feeling tracheal clicks to gauge depth, then depth can be estimated, but the method is challenging and inconsistent due to anatomical variations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-marking specific depth locations on the bougie shaft with raised ridges and grooves before insertion. These pre-established tactile markers provide consistent reference points for depth measurement, eliminating the need to rely on variable anatomical landmarks like tracheal clicks. The pre-configured tactile features ensure consistent and reliable depth gauging across different patients and operators.
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure describes systems, methods, and apparatus for intubation where indicators of a bougie's axial orientation and insertion depth into the trachea are not visible. In particular, a bougie having one or more tactile indicators of axial orientation and/or depth of insertion are disclosed. The tactile indicators can include finger grooves and/or a ridge to name two examples.