Patent ID: 9597263
Date: 2017-03-21
CPC Classifications: A61J,A61M

Claim:
1. A fluid delivery device of sufficient length for insertion into an esophagus of a subject via an upper airway, the fluid delivery device consisting essentially of: a single lumen tube having a distal portion, a middle portion and a proximal portion, an inner surface and an outer surface forming a wall of the fluid delivery device, wherein the wall has a thickness and defines the single lumen of a geometry that is variable when conforming to external tissue pressure or function as it traverses the upper airway and esophagus in vivo, the single lumen having an opening at a distal end of the fluid delivery device for positioning beyond the esophagus into the stomach of the subject and an opening at the proximal end of the fluid delivery device for positioning outside of the upper airway of the subject wherein the single lumen extends longitudinally through the fluid delivery device connecting the opening at the distal end of the fluid delivery device and the opening at the proximal end of the fluid delivery device; the single lumen circumscribes all open area within the fluid delivery device and the geometry of the single lumen is uniform through its longitudinal axis ex-vivo which has a transverse major axis and a transverse minor axis that are perpendicular and wherein a portion of the inner surface of the wall of the fluid delivery device along the transverse major axis comprises two ribs that protrude into an open area of the single lumen and thickens the portion of the inner surface of the wall of the single lumen as compared to the wall of the fluid delivery device adjacent to the two ribs and wherein the wall of the fluid delivery device along the transverse minor axis is shaped with an outward curve as compared to the wall of the fluid delivery device along the transverse major axis wherein the outward curve acts as a hinge to permit the fluid delivery device to partially collapse along the transverse minor axis of the fluid delivery device when pressure due to swallowing is applied to the outer surface of the fluid delivery device by the esophagus or upper airway passage to i) increase an area of the fluid delivery device along the major transverse axis in contact with the esophagus or upper airway passages and ii) decrease an area of the fluid delivery device along the minor transverse axis in contact with the esophagus or upper airway passages; and the two ribs prevent the fluid delivery device from fully collapsing to prevent total occlusion while allowing partial collapse of the single lumen when the fluid delivery device is in use under normal conditions.