Endotracheal Tubes

The present disclosure is directed to an apparatus of the endotracheal type to facilitate rapid intubation of the trachea with an endotracheal tube, with or without a laryngoscope in an operating room or under emergency field conditions where the insert end of an endotracheal tube may be selectively curled to accommodate varying physical conditions of the person to be intubated. The amount of curl imparted to the leading insert end of the endotracheal tube is controlled externally by the person intubating the patient by pulling on a ring attached to a cord within a tunnel on the outside of the tube, the end of the cord remote from the ring being attached to the tube in area above the balloon on the insert end of the tube.
Numerous apparatus have been proposed for intubation of a patient with an endotracheal tube such as the Joseph F. Smiddy U.S. Pat. No. 3,776,222 which employs fiber optics and is introduced by way of the nasopharynx. The endotracheal tube may in some instances be passed alongside the metal laryngoscope where one is available and in use but such conditions are not always available as by way of example at the scene of an auto accident.

The major difference with the present invention over the prior art endotracheal tube is that the balloon end of the tube can be manually curled to meet the natural oral-tracheal curvatures of the human anatomy. This improvement creates a greater safety margin by facilitating the act of intubation. As set forth hereinabove the practice now being employed is either the placement of a stylet into the endotracheal tube or by applying pressure to the throat. Any degree of tube curl can be obtained or changed during the actual act of intubation with the present invention. This is accomplished manually with minimal amount of dexterity and without removing the tube from the mouth. Therefore guess work is eliminated.

The tube of the present invention is similar in appearance to a regular inflatable endotraceal tube, except for a few functional differences. My tube is designed with a small removable ring and a pull cord attached to the tube. The ring is an incompleted circular shape allowing a gap of approximately five millimeters for removing. The ring is attached to the cord loose enough so that it can be easily and quickly removed. With the intubation has been completed, the ring is rotated counterclockwise so that the anchoring point of the cord to the ring is shifted towards the gap in the ring. When the cord reaches the gap, the ring is released and freed from the tube. The cord can slide freely in and out without being obstructed by the walls of the tunnel. Besides the tunnel giving ample room for the cord, it also serves as a cover for the cord so that nothing interfers with the intubation process.

Originally published here.