Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090090365 | BALLOON CUFF TRACHEOSTOMY TUBE WITH GREATER EASE OF INSERTION - There is provided a balloon cuffed tracheostomy tube with a balloon designed so as to enhance the tube's anchorability without sealing the tracheal stoma and to allow for an easier insertion into the trachea than a comparable tube with a thicker balloon. The tracheostomy tube device includes a conventional hollow tube having a proximal end portion, a distal end portion, and a bend region intermediate of the end portions. The distal end portion of the tube is arranged for insertion through a patient's throat and tracheal stoma and into the tracheal lumen. The device further includes an inflatable balloon enveloping a portion of the tube. More particularly, the balloon is equal to or less than 30 microns in thickness, allowing for a greater ease of insertion and insertion through a smaller stoma opening, than a comparable tube with a balloon having a thickness greater than 30 microns. | 04-09-2009 |
20090090366 | BALLOON CUFF TRACHEOSTOMY TUBE - There is provided a balloon cuffed tracheostomy tube with a balloon designed so as to enhance the tube's anchorability without sealing the tracheal stoma. The tracheostomy tube device includes a conventional curved hollow tube. The distal end of the tube is adapted for insertion through a tracheal stoma and into the tracheal lumen of a patient's throat. The device further includes an inflatable balloon enveloping a portion of the tube. The balloon has a distal portion substantially centered about and attached to the distal end portion of the tube. The balloon also has a proximal portion attached to the bend region of the tube and positioned substantially off-center relative to the proximal portion of the tube and about the bend region below the proximal plane of the device. Upon inflation, this configuration provides for expansion of the balloon around the distal end portion of the tube and the proximal end portion of the tube below the proximal plane of the device to seal the trachea below the tracheal stoma and to avoid sealing the trachea above the tracheal stoma. This configuration of the balloon should allow secretions to exit the stoma so that they do not accumulate and become a possible source of ventilator acquired pneumonia. | 04-09-2009 |
20090099532 | Assembly for lubricating a portion of a medical device - A medical device assembly for imparting a lubricious and/or antimicrobial liquid onto a medical device is provided. The medical device is surrounded by a pouch and includes a burst package or frangible cells for storage of the liquid prior to delivery onto the surface of the medical device. This helps prevent contamination of the medical device upon removal of the medical device from its pouch, insertion of the device into a body cavity, and implantation of the device into the body cavity. | 04-16-2009 |
20090120432 | Moisture indicator for heat and moisture exchange devices - There is provided a moisture indicator for a heat and moisture exchange (HME) device that uses a pre-colorant and an activator applied to an inner surface of the HME device. The colorant undergoes a color change of Delta E (ΔE) of equal to or greater than 3 units upon exposure to moisture but not upon exposure to high humidity. The colorant is visually obvious to the unaided human eye under normal light conditions through the body of the device. The HME device with the visual indicator for moisture can indicate to the care-giver that it is time to change the HME device. | 05-14-2009 |
20090209908 | TUBULAR WORKPIECE FOR PRODUCING AN IMPROVED BALLOON CUFF TRACHEOSTOMY TUBE - There is provided a tubular workpiece for blow-molding into an inflatable balloon component. The tubular workpiece is a raw tube having a lumen and composed of a thermoplastic polymer, the tube having an asymmetric wall thickness such that when the tube is preheated in a mold to a temperature sufficient to soften the material of the tube and inflated with a gas to generally uniformly stretch the material of the tube, the tube forms a balloon component. The balloon may be non-uniform in wall thickness depending on the type of mold used. The balloon may be attached according to conventional means to a hollow tube to produce a tracheostomy device. | 08-20-2009 |
20090320833 | Method of Performing a Tracheostomy - There is provided a method for performing a tracheotomy. In this method a tracheostomy dilator has a body and a tip which are detachably attached. The tip has a proximal inner portion which is within the body while the tip is attached to the body. The dilator is inserted into the trachea and used to dilate an opening. After the trachea has been dilated, the body may be detached and removed from the tip, the tip remaining partially in the trachea. A dilator loading catheter installed within a tracheostomy tube may be mated with the tip and the tip, loading catheter and tracheostomy tube moved into the trachea. After the tracheostomy tube is installed, the tip and loading catheter may be withdrawn through the tracheostomy tube and the tracheostomy tube placed in service. | 12-31-2009 |
20090320834 | Dilator Loading Catheter - There is provided a device for removing a tracheotomy dilator. The dilator has a body and a tip which are detachably attached. After dilating the trachea, the body is removed, leaving only the tip in the tracheal opening. The dilator tip loading catheter has a distal end adapted to engage the proximal end of the dilator tip, a proximal handle, and a mid-section therebetween. The device also has a cannula therethrough. The proximal handle can detachably attach to the proximal end of the tracheostomy tube. The distal end and mid-section of the device are sized to fit into the cannula of a tracheostomy tube. The distal end and mid-section of the device may be inserted into a tracheostomy tube, the distal end then mating with the proximal end of the dilator tip. The entire assembly may be moved into the trachea. Once the trach tube is in position, the loading catheter and tip may be withdrawn through the trach tube. | 12-31-2009 |
20090320852 | Tracheostomy Tube Butterfly Flange - There is provided a novel tracheostomy tube flange. The flange is made of a flexible material and has a large open area for viewing of the underlying skin. The flange has holes for suturing the flange to the skin and slots for attachment of a strap to surround the neck and keep the flange and tube in place. The flange may swivel on the tube to allow for greater flexibility in attaching it to the skin. A stoma pad may be used with the flange to help keep the skin under the flange healthy. | 12-31-2009 |
20090320854 | Easy Grip Tapered Dilator - There is provided a device for performing a tracheotomy. The tracheostomy dilator has a body and a tip which are detachably attached. The dilator has a cannula sized to accommodate a guiding catheter. The tip has a proximal inner portion which is within the body while the tip is attached to the body. After the trachea has been dilated, the body may be detached from the tip and removed and a tracheostomy tube may be inserted over the inner portion of the tip. The tip then may serve to guide a tracheostomy tube into the trachea. After the tracheostomy tube is installed, the tip and other components may be withdrawn through the tracheostomy tube and the tracheostomy tube placed in service. | 12-31-2009 |
20100147309 | Tracheal Catheter With a Flexible Lumen for Subglottic Suctioning - There is provided a tracheal catheter designed so that a suction catheter may be used to suction out any secretions that accumulate in the zone above the balloon. There is further provided a tracheal catheter having a ventilation lumen with a flexible wall to provide a flexible lumen which takes up negligible volume when the catheter is not inserted. The suction catheter may be inserted into the flexible lumen, bending the flexible lumen wall that normally lies substantially flat against the ventilating lumen. As the suction catheter is inserted into the lumen, the lumen opens to accept it. When the catheter is removed, the wall of the flexible lumen moves back into position against the ventilating lumen wall, again taking up negligible volume. There is also provided a method of suctioning the subglottic space of an intubated patient. This involves providing a tube as described above, inserting a catheter into the flexible lumen from the proximal end, and providing suction to the proximal end of the catheter. | 06-17-2010 |
20110023884 | Subglottic Suctioning System - A subglottic suctioning system with a tracheal tube having a ventilation lumen, a cuff inflation lumen, and a suction lumen are disclosed which may help reduce the incidence of ventilator associated (or acquired) pneumonia. The suction lumen communicates with the space in the trachea above the cuff where secretions accumulate. The suction lumen has a valve on the proximal end for connection to a source of vacuum. The valve is adapted to interrupt the supply of vacuum to the suction lumen to allow for the introduction of a rinsing fluid in its place and to automatically re-establish the connection to the source of vacuum upon completion of rinsing. The rinsing fluid aids in maintaining an open suction lumen and may include medicaments and mucolytic agents to enhance or promote healing or to alter the properties of the mucus to make removal easier. The user may easily and repeatedly alternate suction and rinsing fluid through the suction lumen, i.e., the user may “pulse” the line to loosen, break up and remove secretions and deposits that may partially or completely block or clog the suction lumen. | 02-03-2011 |
20110159456 | Oral Care Suction Device With Suction Control Port Cover - An oral care suction device that includes a suction control port cover. The oral care suction device includes a body having a fluid flow passage formed therethrough. The body has a suctioning feature is located on or joined at its distal end. The body also has an attachment feature located at its proximal end. The oral care suction device also includes a suction control port located intermediate the distal end and proximal end of the body and configured to be covered by a finger or a portion of the hand of a user to alter the level of suction through the suctioning feature while allowing one hand operation of the suctioning device. The suction control port defines a channel from an exterior of the body to the fluid flow passage. A breathable fabric is positioned to cover the suction control port so that contact of the finger or portion of the hand of a user with liquids and particles drawn into and through the fluid flow passage during suctioning is minimized. | 06-30-2011 |
20110290245 | Internally Braced Radial Balloon Dilator - There is provided a device for performing a balloon dilation tracheostomy. The balloon has internal braces or “stays” extending from the center to the inside surface of the balloon, though other arrangements are possible. The braces control the ultimate expansion and final shape of the balloon when it is fully inflated, inhibiting the ability of parts of the balloon to herniate. The balloon should also expand more uniformly, allowing the practitioner to more confidently expand the tracheal stoma site and ensuring a successful dilation and tube placement. | 12-01-2011 |
20120095369 | System and Method for Sampling Device for Bodily Fluids - There is provided a device for sampling bodily fluids. Some embodiments have a handle, a lumen, and a diverter valve. The distal end of the handle is adapted to connect with a sampling device and is in fluid communication with the lumen. There is a vacuum connection on the proximal end of the handle that is also in fluid communication with the lumen. A suction valve may desirably be located in the lumen to control the application of vacuum from the vacuum connection to the sampling device. The diverter valve directs the flow through the lumen such that a sample from the patient goes into a sputum trap when the trap is connected. The device may further have a saline port in fluid communication with the lumen, located distal to the suction valve, for rinsing the tube and diluting secretions. | 04-19-2012 |
20120282681 | Rapid Identification of Organisms in Bodily Fluids - There is provided a device that retains a collected sample for on-demand testing of a small portion of the collected sample while the rest of the sample remains for optional additional analysis. The on-demand test provides relatively immediate information about aspects of the sample, e.g. presence of microbes, chemistry, nutritional condition, presence of contaminants. | 11-08-2012 |
20130220331 | Endotracheal Tubes and Other Polymer Substrates Including An Anti-Fouling Treatment - Anti-fouling treatments are applied to polymer substrates for preventing bacterial adhesion. The polymer substrate may comprise a medical device, such as a catheter. The treatment generally comprises a polymer layer graft polymerized to the surface of the polymer substrate. An anti-biofilm agent is contained in the polymer layer or applied to the surface. A polymer over-layer is then applied that encapsulates the anti-biofilm agent. The anti-biofilm agent prevents bacterial adhesion through the polymer over-layer. | 08-29-2013 |
20140088460 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SAMPLING DEVICE FOR BODILY FLUIDS - There is provided a device for sampling bodily fluids. Some embodiments have a handle, a lumen, and a diverter valve. The distal end of the handle is adapted to connect with a sampling device and is in fluid communication with the lumen. There is a vacuum connection on the proximal end of the handle that is also in fluid communication with the lumen. A suction valve may desirably be located in the lumen to control the application of vacuum from the vacuum connection to the sampling device. The diverter valve directs the flow through the lumen such that a sample from the patient goes into a sputum trap when the trap is connected. The device may further have a saline port in fluid communication with the lumen, located distal to the suction valve, for rinsing the tube and diluting secretions. | 03-27-2014 |