Automatic mucus removal device

Details Automatic mucus removal device Automatic mucus removal device

2000-09-05

2003-07-22

Ruhl, Dennis (Department: 3761)

Surgery

Means for introducing or removing material from body for...

Treating material introduced into or removed from body...

C604S035000, C604S315000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06595949

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus which aspirates and removes mucus from nasal and sinus cavities, and, more particularly, to a portable mucus removal device having a disposable mucus trap connected to a continuously operated vacuum to withdraw mucus and other material from nasal and sinus cavities in a hygienic manner.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
During infancy, most children experience some degree of an allergic condition or upper-respiratory infection that is accompanied by nasal mucus drainage. The degree of nasal mucus drainage varies from slight to chronic depending on the severity of the infection or the allergic reaction. In all cases of infant nasal mucus drainage, however, it is commonly known among pediatric specialists and parents that the best interest of the child is maintained by keeping the child's nasal passages clear of the mucus. Clearing the nasal passages will potentially minimize infectious growth within the sinuses and nasal passages, and some pediatric specialists posit that a more severe upper-respiratory infection may be avoided or minimized if nasal mucus drainage can be promoted during the early stages of a cold or allergic episode. Clearing nasal passages further provides comfort to the child by easing the respiration of the child. Blocked nasal passages make it difficult for children to eat, drink, and, more importantly, sleep during the night.
There are many means through which to help children having nasal mucus drainage. For example, a variety of internally taken drugs are available to control nasal drainage, including prescription and over-the-counter decongestants, nasal drops, and sprays. However, most of these medications for controlling nasal mucus drainage create undesirable side effects when ingested by the child. Additionally, many mechanical devices have been developed that attempt to expel mucus from the nasal passages. However, none of these devices satisfies the hygienic needs of both the user and the child.
One commonly known mucus removing apparatus is a simple hand-operated device that is illustrated in FIG.
1
. This simple device consists of a nasal tip
100
attached to a vacuum bulb
102
. In operation, the user squeezes the vacuum bulb
102
and then inserts the nasal tip
100
into a nasal cavity of the child. Once the nasal tip
100
is in the nasal cavity, the user releases the vacuum bulb
102
, which creates a limited suction in the nasal cavity to draw mucus from the nasal cavity into the nasal tip
100
and vacuum bulb
102
. Several problems are encountered by this configuration. First, the suction generated is limited to the volume and strength of the vacuum bulb
102
, and therefore the user is required to repeatedly proceed through the cycle of operation to provide adequate suction, which includes the steps of: squeezing the vacuum bulb
102
, inserting the nasal tip
100
into the child's nasal cavity, and then releasing the vacuum bulb
102
to create the suction necessary. The user must proceed through this cycle numerous times in order to remove even a small portion of the mucus. This problem is magnified in that most infants do not cooperate with this start-stop technique and will often struggle with the user during the process. Moreover, it is greatly desired that the mucus be discharged from the nasal tip
100
between each cycle of operation of the device. This added step further prolongs the time required to remove the undesired matter, and thus increases potential struggle between the child and the user. Additionally, because the child frequently meets this process with great opposition, the child will usually begin to cry during the struggle, which will correspondingly increase the volume and rate of respiration of the child. This further complicates mucus removal due to the fact that when the mucus is vacuumed close to the nasal opening, the user is required to take the device away to re-squeeze the vacuum bulb
102
. During this time, the infant will often inhale vigorously, pulling the mucus from the opening of the nasal passage farther back into the nasal passages, which increases the amount of time taken to complete the task of mucus removal. An additional problem may arise in that the user, depending on the user's hand strength, may experience fatigue during the application of a manual mucus removing device, making the usage of such a device undesirable. Moreover, the user may inadvertently pressurize the vacuum bulb
102
by squeezing the vacuum bulb
102
prematurely prior to removing from the nasal passage, which can push mucus and any other material contained in the device back into the nasal passage instead of removing the mucus.
Another mechanical device that is used to remove mucus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,611 to Babbitt, et al. The design described in this patent includes a bulky housing which encloses a vacuum, a mucus-collecting compartment, a sterilizing compartment, and a storage compartment. A pair of catheters is attached to the mucus-collecting compartment, such that when the vacuum is operating, the mucus will be pulled through the catheter to the mucus-collecting compartment. The mucus is then contained in the mucus-collecting compartment where it can later be discharged through a coupling connection. The operation of this device presents a series of problems for the user, however. First, while the design provides a means for cleaning the catheter members and for discharging collected mucus by placing them in a cleaning solution in the sterilization compartment, the user must nonetheless physically touch the contaminated area surrounding the catheter members or the coupling connection before cleaning these items. Therefore, this design continues to provide an unclean environment for the user. Additionally, while the design described in the Babbitt patent may be transported by the user, the bulky size of the housing is not easily portable for the user, nor is it easy to use with small children.
A drawback to both of the designs described above, as well as other related embodiments, is that the user is frequently required to touch, at least in some manner, the mucus that was withdrawn by the device. As is commonly known, colds and other infectious pathogens can be spread by a person's contact with nasal mucus that contains the pathogens. Therefore, these devices promote the transfer of colds when the user's hands make contact with the infectious matter and then touch their own various mucus membranes. With the prior art mucus removing devices, there is no mechanism provided to collect and separately contain the removed mucus where it can be disposed of without personal contact. At a minimum, current designs require that the user rinse the infected apparatus in some type of sanitizing solution or boil the entire device to sterilize the system, which means that the user is required to make contact with the device before the device may be sanitized.
What is needed, then, and not found in the prior art, is a device for removing mucus from a person's nasal cavity that provides a consistent suction for eradicating the mucus and that provides a means for disposing of the collected mucus without requiring physical contact by the user.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for removing mucus from a person's nasal cavity.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for removing mucus from a person's nasal cavity that provides a substantially steady and consistent suction to remove mucus from a person's nasal cavity.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for removing mucus from a person's nasal cavity that provides a mucus trap member for collecting the mucus drained via the suction.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for removing mucus from a person's nasal cavity that includes ejection means for expelling the mucus trap member away from t

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