Patent ID: 9457163
Filing Date: 2016-10-04
CPC Classification: A61M

Claim Text:
1. A method adapted for preventing ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) causing secretions from traveling into a lower respiratory tract of a patient, the method comprising: disposing a barrier in between a location of VAP-causing secretions and the lower respiratory tract of a patient, said barrier being a mouthpiece formed of an absorbent material and arranged at least partly in an oral cavity of said patient and wherein the mouthpiece comprises an upper segment formed of the absorbent material and a lower segment formed of the absorbent material; wherein disposing the barrier comprises (i) disposing the mouthpiece at least partly in said oral cavity of said patient, (ii) disposing the upper segment of the mouthpiece to cover upper dental and proximal mucosal surfaces of the oral cavity, and (iii) disposing the lower segment of the mouthpiece to cover lower dental and proximal mucosal surfaces of the oral cavity; and absorbing VAP-causing secretions with said absorbent material of said mouthpiece, wherein said VAP-causing secretions are blocked from passing said barrier into the lower respiratory tract of said patient without obstructing a center pharyngeal lumen of said patient, wherein said location of VAP-causing secretions includes at least said oral cavity.