Cannula for the separation of inhaled and exhaled gases

摘要

An improved nasal cannula for isolating, monitoring and measuring the content of a patients exhaled gases. The cannula includes an integral connector that is attached to the wall of a hollow nare to create a gas-tight interface. The other end of the connector is attached to tubing that forms an integral seal with the cannula port to create a continuous, gas-tight flow channel that is separated from the hollow cannula body. The integral connector provides a direct, isolated flow channel that eliminates the undesirable dead space in which exhaled gases from a patient can be entrapped and stagnate, resulting in cross contamination.