Patent Application
20160206846
The present disclosure relates to a heat and moisture exchange and hands free tracheostoma valve and more particularly to a magnetic attachment method and apparatus for a tracheostoma valve.
Tracheostoma devices such as heat and moisture exchangers (hereinafter sometimes HMEs) and hands-free tracheostoma valves, and uses thereof, are known. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,582,058; 7,025,784; and 7,370,654 and references cited therein. The disclosures of these references are hereby incorporated herein by reference. This listing is not intended as a representation that a complete search of all relevant prior art has been conducted, or that no better references than those listed exist.
Many patients who wear such tracheostoma devices have relatively more limited dexterity, and relatively less strength in their hands. This makes it more difficult for such a patient to snap the HME and/or hands-free valve into a laryngectomy tube or neck-mounted housing (sometimes called a tape or adhesive housing) worn by the patient. Such snap mountings are typically rib-and-groove engagements between the tracheostoma device housing on the one hand, and the outer end of the tracheostoma base such as a laryngectomy tube, button or an adhesive housing on the other.
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a combination includes a tracheostoma device having a cup constructed from, or containing a suitable amount of, a ferromagnetic material for positioning around the inner end of a heat and moisture exchanger (HME) or a hands-free tracheostoma valve for mounting on the end of a tracheostoma base such as a laryngectomy tube or neck-mounted housing and a magnet on the outermost region of the laryngectomy tube or neck-mounted housing for attracting the cup to attach the tracheostoma device to the end of the tracheostoma base.
Illustratively according to this aspect, the tracheostoma base in the form of a laryngectomy tube or neck-mounted housing includes a central passageway for the flow of air and respiration products through the tracheostoma device in the form of a HME or hands-free tracheostoma valve. The magnet surrounds at least a portion of the central passageway.
Illustratively according to this aspect, the magnet is molded into or attached by a suitable, relatively permanent adhesive to the outermost region of the tracheostoma base laryngectomy tube or neck-mounted housing.
According to another aspect, a combination includes a cup containing a ferromagnetic material for positioning around the inner end of a hands-free tracheostoma valve for mounting on the end of a tracheostoma base in the form of a laryngectomy tube or neck-mounted housing and a magnet on the outermost region of the laryngectomy tube or neck-mounted housing for attracting the cup to attach the hands-free tracheostoma valve to the end of the laryngectomy tube or neck-mounted housing.
Illustratively according to this aspect, the laryngectomy tube or neck-mounted housing includes a central passageway for the flow of air and respiration products through the hands-free tracheostoma valve. The magnet surrounds at least a portion of the central passageway.
Illustratively according to this aspect, the magnet is molded into or attached by a suitable, relatively permanent adhesive to the outermost region of the laryngectomy tube or neck-mounted housing.
According to another aspect, a combination includes a cup containing a ferromagnetic material for positioning around the inner end of a heat and moisture exchanger (HME) for mounting on the end of a tracheostoma base in the form of a laryngectomy tube or neck-mounted housing and a magnet on the outermost region of the tracheostoma base for attracting the cup to attach the HME to the end of the tracheostoma base.
Illustratively according to this aspect, the tracheostoma base includes a central passageway for the flow of air and respiration products through the HME, the magnet surrounding at least a portion of the central passageway.
Illustratively according to this aspect, the magnet is molded into or attached by a suitable, relatively permanent adhesive to the outermost region of the laryngectomy tube or neck-mounted housing.
The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. The detailed description particularly refers to the following figures, in which:
While the concepts of the present disclosure are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific exemplary embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intent to limit the concepts of the present disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
Referring now to
The HME device 20 includes a heat and moisture exchanger 36 and a housing structure that can include a mounting collar 40 that is secured to the HME 36. One example of an HME device 20 is the Blom-Singer HME, which is commercially available from Inhealth Technologies. As illustrated in
The mounting collar 40 can be constructed from, or contain, a ferromagnetic material to permit the collar 40 to be secured to the laryngectomy tube 26. In the illustrative embodiment, the ferromagnetic material takes the form of a metallic ring 50 positioned in the collar 40 at the end of the passageway 44 opposite the annular rim 48. The ring 50 includes a central opening 52 through which air and respiration products flowing through the device 20 or 26 may pass. Although the metallic ring is shown as a ring, other shapes or arrangements of one or more metallic segments can be used. The metallic component 50 can also be magnetic.
Returning to
The devices 20 or 22 may readily be attached to laryngectomy tube 26 by bringing the device 20 or 22 into close proximity to the magnet 30 on the tube end 24. The configurations of magnet 30 and mounting cup 40 insure that device 20 or 26 will be appropriately oriented on laryngectomy tube 26 to support the flow of air and respiration products through the device 20 or 22 according to device 20's or 22's design parameters. For example, as illustrated in
Referring now to
The devices 20 or 22 may readily be attached to tracheostoma button 62 by bringing the device 20 or 22 into close proximity to the magnet 30 on the button end 60. The configurations of magnet 30 and mounting cup 40 insure that device 20 or 26 will be appropriately oriented on tracheostoma button 62 to support the flow of air and respiration products through the device 20 or 22 according to device 20's or 22's design parameters. For example, the HME device 20 snaps onto the button 62 such that the passageway 70 of the button 62 is aligned with the central opening 52 of the cup 40 so that air and respiration products may flow through the passageway 70, the central opening 52 and the HME 20. While the ferromagnetic connection between the cup 40 and the magnet 30 is sufficiently robust to maintain the device 20 or 22 on the button 62 during normal wear, the device 20 or 22 is not held on so tightly that it cannot be snapped off the button 62 or with a little effort by the sometimes impaired strength- and/or dexterity wearer.
Referring now to
The devices 20 or 22 may readily be attached to adhesive housing 82 by bringing the device 20 or 22 into close proximity to the magnet 30 on the housing end 80. The configurations of magnet 30 and mounting collar 40 insure that device 20 or 26 will be appropriately oriented on adhesive housing 82 to support the flow of air and respiration products through the device 20 or 22 according to device 20's or 22's design parameters. For example, the HME device 20 is mounted to the adhesive housing 82 such that the passageway 90 of the housing 82 is aligned with the central opening 52 of the collar 40 so that air and respiration products may flow through the passageway 90, the central opening 52 and the HME 20. While the ferromagnetic connection between the cup 40 and the magnet 30 is sufficiently robust to maintain the device 20 or 22 on the adhesive housing 82 during normal wear, the device 20 or 22 is not held on so tightly that it cannot be snapped off the adhesive housing 82 with a little effort by the sometimes impaired strength- and/or dexterity wearer.
While the disclosure has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, such an illustration and description is to be considered as exemplary and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only illustrative embodiments have been illustrated and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the disclosure are desired to be protected. It should be understood that although the magnet 30 has been disclosed as part of the tracheostoma base in the form of a tracheostoma tube 26, button 62 or the adhesive housing 82 and the metallic ring 50 has been disclosed as being on the tracheostoma device 20, 22, the locations of the magnetic ring 30 and metallic ring 50 could be reversed. In addition, the metallic ring 50 can also be magnetized so that a magnetic ring can be used on both the tracheostoma device 20, 22 and the tracheostoma base 26, 62, 82.
In the HME device 20 and the tracheostoma valve device 22 described above, the metallic or magnetic ring 3050 is shown contained within the housing structure. With reference to
There is a plurality of advantages of the present disclosure arising from the various features of the method, apparatus, and system described herein. It will be noted that alternative embodiments of the method, apparatus, and system of the present disclosure may not include all of the features described yet still benefit from at least some of the advantages of such features. Those of ordinary skill in the art may readily devise their own implementations of the method, apparatus, and system that incorporate one or more of the features of the present invention and fall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/103,849, filed on Jan. 15, 2015. The entire disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62103849 | Jan 2015 | US |
