Surgery – Respiratory method or device – Respiratory gas supply means enters mouth or tracheotomy...
Patent
1988-05-31
1989-10-31
Coven, Edward M.
Surgery
Respiratory method or device
Respiratory gas supply means enters mouth or tracheotomy...
604284, A61M 1600
Patent
active
048770248
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
Field of the Invention
That application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 778,181, filed Sept. 18, 1985, now abandoned.
This invention relates to airways for insertion into the mouth to provide a passage for air or gas into the trachea.
Description of the Prior Art
Known airways for use in anaesthesia consist of a tube which is inserted into the mouth to provide a passage for air or gas and to hold down the tongue to prevent it falling into the ora-pharyngeal space.
A problem which can occur during anaesthesia arises from the fact that the anaesthetic agents used can cause the patient's jaws to be clamped together with considerable force. Clamping together of the front teeth, which have a shearing action, causes lateral force to be applied to the teeth, and the force can be sufficient to cause damage to the teeth, particularly if one or more front teeth are fitted with artificial crowns.
Object of the Invention
It is an object of this invention to provide an airway which, in addition to providing a passage for air or gas, can protect the teeth from damage due to involuntary clamping of the jaws.
Summary of the Invention
This invention consists in an airway for insertion into the mouth to provide a passage for air or anaesthetic gas into the trachea, in which the airway is adapted to hold the mouth open to prevent excessive force being exerted between the upper and lower front teeth.
Preferably, the airway has bracing portions adapted to fit between the upper and lower molar teeth on each side of the mouth to prevent engagement between the upper and lower front teeth.
In one form of the invention, the bracing portions comprise two tubes providing part of the passage for air or gas, the tubes being connected at their rear ends to a third tube shaped to extend into the ora-pharyngeal space.
The airway may be formed in one piece from plastics such as nylon. It can therefore be made inexpensively.
Brief Description of the Drawings
The invention will now be described, by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a side elevation of an airway in accordance with the invention,
FIG. 2 is an underneath plan view of the device,
FIG. 3 is a section on line III--III of FIG. 2,
FIG. 4 is a section on line IV--IV of FIG. 2,
FIG. 5 is a section on line V--V of FIG. 2,
FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic front view showing the device in position in the mouth of a patient, with the patient's mouth open, and
FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic side view of the device in position in the mouth.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments
Referring to the drawings, the airway 10 consists of a curved tube 12 joined to two bracing tubes 14.
The curved tube 12 extends along an arc of a circle through 90.degree. from its junction with the branch tubes 14. In cross-section the curved tube 12 has flat upper and lower walls 18 and 20 joined by curved side walls 22. In the illustrated embodiment the curved tube has a outside width of 19 mm, an outside depth of 10 mm and a wall thickness of 2 mm, and extends through an arc with a radius of curvature (measured at the centre line of the tube) of 46 mm.
The bracing tubes 14 extend from the junction with the curved tube 12, at an angle of about 80.degree. with one another, so that the device is generally Y-shaped in plan view. Each bracing tube 14 has a straight portion 24, generally separate in cross-section, joined to the curved tube 12 by a curved portion 26 which merges smoothly into the curved tube 12. The bore 28 in each bracing tube 14 is connected to the bore 30 in the curved tube 12. Near the mouth 32 of each bracing tube 14 a hole 34 is formed in the wall of the tube, on the side facing the other bracing tube 14. The mouth 32 of each bracing tube 14 is surmounted by an outwardly extending lip 36, having a generally elliptical shape.
In the illustrated embodiment, each bracing tube 14 has an outside width and depth of 14 mm and a length of about 50 mm.
The airway may be formed in one piece, for example by injection moulding of a rigid p
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Coven Edward M.
P K Airway Limited
Reichle K. M.
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