Surgery – Respiratory method or device – Respiratory gas supply means enters mouth or tracheotomy...
Patent
1992-05-29
1993-12-28
Burr, Edgar S.
Surgery
Respiratory method or device
Respiratory gas supply means enters mouth or tracheotomy...
12820718, 12820026, 12820024, 12820312, 12820418, A61M 1600
Patent
active
052730328
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to medical appliances, which are either used to keep a patient's mouth open for lengthy periods during some medical or surgical procedure, or, if used for some other purpose during such a procedure, necessarily have that effect. More particularly the invention relates to such appliances of an annular or tubular nature, intended to permit the patient to breathe through the mouth while fitted with the appliance.
BACKGROUND ART
One oral medical appliance which is typical of the kind to which the invention relates is the endoscopic mouth guard. This is essentially a short, right tube with somewhat flared or flanged ends, which is placed between the patient's lips and front teeth during gastroscopy to provide a safe and unobstructed passage for the endoscope. One such guard, characterised by its soft outer surface, is described and illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,640,273 to F. R. Greene et al.
Another typical appliance of the kind in question is the so-called Guedel airway, which is used during recovery from anaesthesia, and comprises a curved tube adapted to be inserted partly into the mouth, through which the patient may breathe, and which is shaped to prevent the patient's tongue from falling into and blocking his or her windpipe.
It has been known for some time that patients who undergo endoscopic or other procedures requiring sedation frequently undergo hypoxia, that is to say an undesirable fall in the oxygen saturation level of the blood. The level of hypoxia may be minor and, although undesirable, deemed to be tolerable. On the other hand it may be quite profound. Indeed, in elderly patients or those with compromised circulatory or pulmonary systems, the hypoxia induced by sedation and the physical presence in the windpipe of an endoscope can precipitate cardiac or respiratory arrest. Likewise the blood oxygen level may fall unduly during recovery from anaesthesia.
Thus, even though oral medical appliances of the kind in question are normally annular or tubular so that the patient may breathe through the open mouth, there is sometimes a need to administer oxygen to a patient fitted with such an appliance.
Presently used apparatus for supplying oxygen to a patient to lift the blood oxygen level comprise face masks, which cover the mouth and nose, and nasal prongs. The use of a mask is often quite impracticable when, for example during gastroscopy, the procedure requiring use of the appliance also requires unhindered access to the oral cavity. Furthermore, most conscious patients, even if sedated, find nasal prongs uncomfortable or otherwise objectionable and their use sometimes causes internal bruising or abrasion.
Therefore, conventional means for administering oxygen to a patient fitted with an oral appliance are often unsatisfactory or inconvenient.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to overcome the above indicated disabilities of the prior art by very simple means.
The invention achieves that object by the provision in an oral appliance of the kind in question of unobtrusive duct means for directing at least one supplementary stream of gas into the patient's airway. In use, that gas is usually oxygen, but of course may be an oxygen rich, breathable gas mixture if need be. The supplementary stream may be directed by the appliance into the mouth or into or towards the nostrils, but, for preference there are a plurality of streams respectively directed into the mouth and towards both nostrils simultaneously.
Therefore, the invention consists in an oral medical appliance of the kind comprising an annular or tubular body adapted to be inserted into a patient's mouth and which then defines a passage extending through the appliance into the patient's oral cavity, characterised by supplementary gas delivery means integral with said appliance and comprising an inlet port adapted for connection to a gas supply tube, at least one outlet opening positioned such that, in use, gas issuing from that outlet opening is entrained with the air inha
REFERENCES:
patent: 146730 (1874-01-01), Vickers
patent: 2127215 (1938-08-01), Gwathmey
patent: 2705959 (1955-04-01), Elmore
patent: 3756244 (1973-09-01), Kinnear
patent: 4231364 (1980-11-01), Speshyock
patent: 4270531 (1981-06-01), Blachly
patent: 4881542 (1989-11-01), Schmidt
Burr Edgar S.
Gastro Services Pty Ltd.
Raciti Eric P.
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