ENDOTRACHEAL-TUBE GUIDANCE SYSTEM WITH EPIGLOTTIS-ELEVATING FEATURE

摘要

An artificial airway device (10) to facilitate a patient's lung ventilation comprises an airway tube (14) and a laryngeal mask (11) at one end of the tube (14). The mask (11) is of generally elliptical configuration, with an inflatable peripheral cuff (12) of flexible material around the edges of the mask (11), for sealed support of the mask (11) around the inlet to the patient's larynx (27). The mask (11) has an aperture (13) through which the airway tube (14) opens into the interior of the mask (11). The mask (11) also comprises a longitudinally directed bar (20), extending across the mask aperture (13), from the central upper edge or rim (21) of the mask aperture (13), to which it has effectively a hinged attachment, to the posterior rim (21) of the mask aperture (13), at which the bar (20) is free. The hinged mounting of this bar (20) is so positioned at longitudinal offset from the distal end of the mask (11) (which locates in the upper sphincter or oesophageal inlet) that the introduction of an inserted endotracheal tube (29) will automatically engage and swing the bar (20) backward into camming engagement with the epiglottis (30), thus easily folding the epiglottis (30) backward against the wall of the laryngeal inlet and permitting undeflected insertional passage of the endotracheal tube (29) to and through the laryngeal inlet.