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

Claim 5:
6. A tracheal sampling device, comprising:
an elongated shaft comprising a flexible material and being hollow from a first end of the shaft to a second end of the shaft;
and a collection tip at a distal end of the elongated shaft,
said collection tip being hydrophilic and comprising a hollow member and comprising a plurality of channels or slots around a periphery of the collection tip at a distal end thereof;
and wherein said plurality of channels or slots comprises a crenellated pattern
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 a 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.