Patent ID: 11878116
Assignee: IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH FOUNDATION, INC.
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 0:
1. A tracheal sampling device, comprising:
a flexible, elongated shaft;
and a collection member at an end of the flexible, elongated shaft,
the collection member comprising a hollow member having an open interior from a first end of the collection member to a second end of the collection member in a longitudinal direction
and comprising a plurality of circumferentially-spaced slots around a periphery of the collection member at a distal end of the collection member,
wherein said plurality of slots are configured to aid in collecting a tissue sample;
wherein said plurality of circumferentially-spaced slots comprise a crenellation;
wherein the collection member and the plurality of slots form a crenellated cap on the sampling device,
the crenellated cap forming a distalmost extent of the sampling deice such that, via a position of the hollow member, the collection member is configured to only collect the tissue sample around the periphery, the periphery being only on a distally oriented circumferential edge of the collection member;
and where, via the position of the hollow member, an entirety of an interior central volume of the shaft and of the collection member from a proximal-most extent of the device to the distalmost extent of the device is hollow such that the sampling device is configured to collect the tissue sample while simultaneously permitting air flow through an entire length of the sampling device such that a subject is able to breathe through the sampling device while the sampling device samples the subject.