Cuffed oro-pharyngeal airway
US5443063A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 31, 1993 |
| Grant date | Aug 22, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 31, 2013 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61M16/0434
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A new type of airway, the cuffed oro-pharyngeal airway (COPA), is described, which may be used as a less cumbersome alternative to face mask/oral airway technique for maintenance of general anesthesia. The airway includes an elongated tube having a length such that the proximal end is adapted to be disposed adjacent to but outside the oral cavity of the patient and the distal end is adapted to be disposed in the lower pharynx of the patient, above the epiglottis. An inelastic, inflatable cuff is mounted to the tube adjacent the distal end. On inflation, the inflatable cuff displaces the soft palate against the nasopharynx to seal-off the nasal passages and defines a seal between the tube and the pharyngeal wall. The inflatable cuff also displaces the base of the patient's tongue, thereby locking the tube in the pharynx and displacing the patient's epiglottis to a more open disposition for more effective anesthesia gas delivery to the lungs.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.