Patent Application
20230381396
Establishment and continuity of a respiratory airway is significant in both Basic Life Support, and Advanced Cardiac Life support. Medical treatment bays often have wall suction which can facilitate treatment of airway compromise, and mobile equipment may be transported to a treatment location. However, any environment where a compromised airway is possible and does not have immediate access to sophisticated suction systems may present a challenge for airway remediation, and such compromise can be quite common in emergency treatment environments, particularly for substance overdose cases.
In a trauma, emergency room/department (ER/ED) or similar exigent treatment environment, an emergency airway evacuation device includes a vacuum body adapted for receiving a suctioned volume, and an actuator engaged with the vacuum body for inducing a lowered pressure therein for suctioned removal of airway blockage matter. An elongated extraction tube is fluidically coupled to the vacuum body for transporting the suctioned volume from a respiratory blockage region, and includes a curved, tapered tip for insertion into the blockage region. The device is small and portable for use as an “on person” accessory suitable in cost and size for widespread distribution to medical treatment providers.
Configurations herein are based, in part, on the observation that airway obstruction, such as by disgorged or expelled gastric/stomach content, presents an exigent, life threatening situation. Airway obstruction and consequential lack of respiration and blood oxygenation can prove fatal or permanently debilitating within minutes. Unfortunately, conventional approaches to emergency lifesaving measures suffer from the shortcoming that they often require patent transport to a machine or treatment room. Mechanical suction, such as from accessible wall ports, is typically installed in patient rooms and require transport and connection of suction apparatus in order to be effective.
Accordingly, configurations herein substantially overcome the shortcomings of conventional medical devices by providing a small, portable suction and manipulation device for immediate evacuation of a patient airway to restore natural breathing. The disclosed device is small enough to be carried as personal equipment, in a pocket or utility pouch, and allows immediate response to a patient airway obstruction by suctioning out any liquidus or semi-solid material obstructing the airway.
In further detail, the configurations herein depict an emergency airway evacuation device having a vacuum body adapted for receiving a suctioned volume, and an actuator engaged with the vacuum body for inducing a lowered pressure therein. The vacuum body is adapted for engagement with an elongated extraction tube fluidically coupled to the vacuum body for transporting the suctioned volume from a respiratory trauma region.
The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of particular embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention.
Depicted below are several examples of the evacuation device; other and alternate configurations may be apparent without deviating from the core concept.
In a medical treatment facility, robust treatment bays and wheeled devices can provide sophisticated airway evacuation treatment for a resident patient, however usage in exigent situations such as during transport and emergency on-site response are not feasible for timely intervention if equipment is not immediately available. Airway compromise presents a narrow timeframe for effective treatment. The evacuation device as disclosed herein provides a small, manually powered device which may be carried by medical personnel and quickly deployed for removal of blockage material sufficient to reestablish the airway and stabilize the patient until transport to a more comprehensive treatment setting.
In the example arrangement, the vacuum body 120 includes cylindrical walls and the plunger has a diameter corresponding to the cylindrical walls, where the plunger is formed from a resilient material for defining the sealing engagement with the interior of the vacuum, similar to a syringe for providing immediate, on-site suction for removal of fluids or expelled contents from a distressed patient. A hinge 60, discussed further below, rotates an extraction tube 130 for engagement with the vacuum body 120 for suctioning airway obstructive matter by withdrawing the actuator to generate suction, also shown in further detail below.
Operation includes insertion of the evacuation tube 130 into the blockage region, typically the mouth, throat and esophageal regions, and withdrawing the actuator 50 to suction blockage material into the vacuum body 120. Repeated iterations may be performed by expelling the withdrawn contents through reverse actuation movement to free the vacuum body for successive operation.
In a particular prototype, illustrated below, the inverted portable suction device 100 achieves a deployed position 101 through a resilient engagement of an annular bushing 110 disposed in a groove 112 at an exit or suction orifice 114 of the vacuum body 120. A tapered collar 134 at a proximate end 136 of the extraction tube 130 has a sloped or tapered diameter 132 for deformable engagement with the annular bushing 110. The tapered collar includes a flat lip 116 such that the annular bushing 110 compressively engages the flat lip 116 for locking the tapered collar 134 against the annular bushing 110. The annular bushing 110 is formed from a deformable material to slidably compress against the tapered diameter 132 during insertion until an insertion depth sufficient to permit the sloped diameter to surpass the flat lip 116 and engage a ridge 117 of the annular bushing 110, shown in
This achieves a permanent or semi-permanent engagement for providing a fluidic seal and enforcement of a single usage, as the evacuated material may be of unknown origin and constitute a hazardous material and/or biohazard.
The extraction tube 130 has a proximate end 136 and a distal end 138, such that the proximate end 136 is adapted to engage a suction orifice 114 responsive to reduced pressure in the vacuum body 120. The distal end 138 is adapted for fluidic communication with the respiratory trauma region, generally the oral cavity and throat region of the afflicted patient where the harmful emesis material resides. Since the emesis material for evacuation has an unknown origin and may be of various texture and viscosity, a rake 140 is defined by a surface adjacent the distal end 138, where the surface has an area 142 adapted for manual manipulation of viscous or solid material for aiding suction or simply direct removal or “shoveling” of particulate matter. As the device is intended as an exigent treatment pending more robust care, evacuated material may be transferred to any nearby sacrificial textile surface such as the patient's or caretaker's clothing.
The rake 140 has a deformability for nonabrasive contact with tissue and a resiliency for manipulation of solids and semi-solids. This pliable, resilient texture may be provided by silicon or similar rubber and/or polymer construction. The rake 140 defines an annular surface based on a circumference of the extraction tube 130, and may follow a portion of the extraction tube circumference, such that the annular surface increases a rigidity of the rake surface.
The vacuum body 120 has a volume based on a volume of a patient oral cavity, and may undergo multiple extractions to evacuate all material. Suction may be provided by a suitable diaphragm and/or plunger arrangement for inducing low pressure, such as by a modified syringe.
Engagement of the extraction tube 130 with the vacuum body 120 may involve a cam 150 attached at the proximate end 136 of the extraction tube, where the cam 150 attaches with pins 152 in a slot 154 for providing rotational movement of the extraction tube to alignment in a parallel position with the vacuum body, and then linear movement for engaging the extraction tube 130 with the vacuum body 120 by manually pushing the extraction tube 130 towards the vacuum body 120 to slidably force the tapered diameter 132 against the annular bushing 110 past the flat lip 116.
While the system and methods defined herein have been particularly shown and described with references to embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention encompassed by the appended claims.
This patent application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent App. No. 63/347,187, filed May 31, 2022, entitled “RESPIRATORY AIRWAY EVACUATION DEVICE,” incorporated herein by reference in entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63347185 | May 2022 | US |
