Tracheal Aid With Flexible Junction For Blind Intubation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current tracheal aids for assisted ventilation are difficult to apply, especially in emergency situations, require skilled operators, and often result in apnea periods for patients due to the need for endotracheal intubation, which can be invasive and risky, and lack protection against esophageal fluid aspiration.
Innovation Solution
A tracheal aid with two inflatable cuffs and a flexible junction element allows for easy application without airway inspection, enabling transition between overglottis and endotracheal configurations without removal, protecting against esophageal fluid and minimizing apnea periods by allowing simultaneous closure of the esophagus and trachea.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If endotracheal intubation is performed through blind insertion, then the procedure can be performed quickly, but the success rate is low and there is high risk of esophageal intubation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a laryngeal mask as an intermediary device that can be inserted blindly into the pharynx and larynx without requiring visualization of the airway. This mask serves as a mediator that establishes a secure airway interface before endotracheal tube insertion, thereby enabling rapid blind insertion while maintaining high reliability through the intermediary's guiding and securing function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary action by inserting and securing the laryngeal mask before attempting endotracheal intubation. The mask is positioned in advance to occlude the larynx and establish a sealed airway interface, creating favorable conditions for subsequent tube insertion without requiring airway visualization or patient cooperation.
2Measurement precision
If laryngoscopy is used to visualize the airway, then the intubation accuracy is improved, but the procedure complexity increases and requires skilled operators
Solution Approach 1:
The laryngeal mask acts as an intermediary that eliminates the need for laryngoscopy and direct airway visualization. By securing the mask in the pharynx-larynx region through blind insertion and inflating its cuff to occlude the larynx, the system achieves accurate airway interface without requiring optical visualization equipment or expert visualization skills.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and removes the laryngoscopy step from the intubation procedure. By using the laryngeal mask as a blind-insertion intermediary, the complex visualization step is taken out of the necessary procedure sequence, simplifying the overall process while maintaining intubation accuracy through the mask's physical occlusion and sealing mechanism.
3Reliability
If the patient is kept in apnea state during intubation, then the airway can be secured, but the risk of hypoxia and further damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by inserting and securing the laryngeal mask before inducing apnea or performing intubation. The mask is positioned and its cuff inflated in advance to establish a sealed airway interface, ensuring airway security is already in place before the patient enters apnea state, thereby reducing hypoxia risk during the critical intubation period.
Solution Approach 2:
The laryngeal mask serves as a beforehand cushioning measure that protects the airway before apnea induction. By establishing the mask's occlusion and seal in advance, the system creates a protective buffer that maintains airway patency and allows for safer apnea induction and quicker resumption of ventilation, cushioning against hypoxia damage.
4Ease of operation
If overglottis aids are used for easy application, then the ease of operation is improved, but protection against esophageal fluid aspiration is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functions of overglottis aid and endotracheal tube into a single integrated system. The laryngeal mask (overglottis component) and endotracheal tube are combined such that the mask's inflated cuff occludes the larynx while the tube can be advanced into the trachea through the mask, providing both easy blind insertion and protection against esophageal fluid aspiration through the dual-function design.
Solution Approach 2:
The laryngeal mask system serves multiple functions: it acts as an overglottis aid for easy blind insertion, provides a seal to prevent aspiration, and serves as a guide for endotracheal tube placement. This multi-functional design combines the ease of overglottis aids with the protection of endotracheal intubation in a single device system.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables successful ventilation by unskilled users in emergency situations, reduces the risk of apnea and esophageal fluid aspiration, and allows for reversible transition between overglottis and endotracheal configurations without invasive procedures, providing a safer and more efficient respiratory care solution.
Implementation Method 1
This balloon, also said cuff, can be inflated from the outside, through an injection of air into a suitable duct, so as to perfectly adhere to the tracheal wall
Implementation Method 2
said junction element being flexible to allow the distal end of the first tube to be inserted on an orifice different from that in which is inserted the distal end of the second tube
Data Source
Figure 1~2
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Figure 5
AI summary
A tracheal aid (1 ) usable for the assisted respiration of a patient (P) comprising: a first tracheal tube (2) having a proximal end (3) to be arranged protruding from the mouth (B) of the patient (P) and connectable to a device for the assisted respiration, and a distal end (5) that can be inserted on an orifice (O); a first inflatable cuff (8) externally coupled to the first tube (2); a second tracheal tube (15) having the distal end (16) that can be inserted on an orifice (O); a second inflatable cuff (19) externally coupled to the second tube (15); one junction element (25) stably coupled to the first tube (2) and the second tube (15), the junction element (25) being elastically flexible to allow the distal end (5) of the first tube (2) to be inserted on the trachea (T) of the patient (P) when the distal end (16) of the second pipe (15) is inserted in the esophagus (E).