ARTIFICIAL RESPIRATION DEVICE

Abstract: The invention relates to an artificial respiration device (1) for giving artificial respiration to a human being or mammal, comprising a tube (2) designed for passing through the mouth and the pharynx towards the entrance of the trachea (21) until beyond the vocal chords (20). The far end of the tube (2) for passing towards the trachea (21) opens out into a flexible hose (3) with a greater diameter than the tube (2), said hose (3) being made of a material or materials with a certain memory. The artificial respiration device (1) also comprises means for exerting a pulling force on the end of the hose (3), in order to make the hose (3) constrict, in such a way that after the hose (3) has been constricted, memory action causes it to assume substantially its original shape after the removal of said pulling force. This reduces the risk of damage to the mucous membrane (23), since the hose (3) presses with relatively little force against the mucous membrane (23) in the trachea (21). Furthermore, the design reduces the risk of damage to the upper air passages and to the vocal chords (20).

Description: Title: Artificial respiration device he invention relates to an artificial respiration device for giving artificial respiration to a human being or mammal, comprising a tube designed for passing through the mouth and the pharynx towards the entrance of the trachea until beyond the vocal chords. Artificial respiration devices designed for passing beyond the vocal chords are generally known in medical practice. They are used in numerous operations and in intensive care, in order to guarantee a good air passage between the lips and the windpipe, or trachea. At the same time, the artificial respiration devices ensure that no moisture, for example from the gullet, can pass into the trachea. An artificial respiration device generally comprises a flexible plastic tube which is inserted through the mouth and the pharynx into the trachea. In order to facilitate its insertion, the tube has a certain curvature. A balloon is fixed around the far end of the tube to be moved towards the lungs, near the end. The tube is inserted into the trachea so far that said balloon has passed the vocal chords in its entirety. After placing of the tube, the balloon is inflated by means of a hose, so that the space between the outside wall of the tube and the walls of the trachea is shut off in an airtight manner. Thereafter, air pressure can be built up by artificial respiration means in the trachea and in the lungs lower down. Artificial respiration devices designed for passing beyond the vocal chords generally guarantee great operational reliability. These artificial respiration devices are therefore employed when a patient has to be given artificial respiration for a long time, or when the artificial respiration device itself is difficult to reach during the artificial respiration. This is the case, for example, when a patient is lying on his stomach during an operation. The use of artificial respiration devices according to the prior art designed for passing through the mouth and the pharynx towards the entrance of the trachea until beyond the vocal chords have a major disadvantage. The balloon on the end of the tube has to be inflated at a relatively high pressure, in order to guarantee that the trachea is adequately shut off. That pressure is of the order of 20 - 30 cm water (approx. 2000 - 3000 Pa) . This high pressure at which the balloon is pressed against the mucous membrane on the inside of the trachea can press the blood vessels shut, which impedes the supply of blood to the mucous membrane. As a result of this, if an endotracheal tube is used for a long period, the mucous membrane can die off, ulcers can form on the mucous membrane and subsequently holes may even appear in the wall of the trachea. Another disadvantage of the artificial respiration devices according to the prior art designed for passing beyond the vocal chords is that these tubes can damage the vocal chords during insertion. For the tubes to work, the far end of the tube with the balloon around it has to be inserted between the vocal chords. That means that a relatively large volume has to be forced through between the very fragile vocal chords. If the vocal chords are damaged by the tube, this can lead to infections, the formation of scar tissue, blockage of the trachea or permanent hoarseness for the patient. The object of the present invention is to make an artificial respiration device which does not have the disadvantages of the known artificial respiration devices according to the prior art designed for passing beyond the vocal chords. The invention aims in particular to make an artificial respiration device which shuts off the trachea well and can be inserted in a simple manner, without running the risk of the tube damaging the larynx or the upper air passages. That object is achieved by the fact that the far end of the tube to be passed towards the trachea opens out into a flexible hose with a greater diameter than the tube, said hose being made of a material or materials with a certain memory, and means being added to the tube for exerting a pulling force on the end of the hose, in order to make the hose constrict, in such a way that after the hose has been constricted, memory action causes it to assume substantially its original shape after the removal of said pulling force. During the insertion of the artificial respiration device according to the present invention, the hose can be constricted by means of a pulling force. That means that the hose fixed on the far end of the tube can pass the vocal chords with a relatively small diameter. The risk of damage to the vocal chords is consequently reduced. After the hose has passed the vocal chords with a relatively small diameter, the pulling force on the hose is removed. The memory action of the material of the hose causes the hose subsequently to assume substantially its original shape. With the outside wall, the hose then nestles against the mucous membrane on the inside wall of the trachea. The sealing of the trachea is therefore not - as in the artificial respiration devices according to the prior art - ensured by an inflatable element on which high pressure is exerted, but by the hose pressing with a relatively low force against the mucous membrane on the inside wall of the trachea. A pressure of approx. 5 cm water (approx. 500 Pa) is sufficient to guarantee that the trachea is shut off. At such a low pressure the blood circulation of the mucous membrane will not be endangered. Since only the hose on the end of the tube, and not the tube itself, is passed through the vocal chords, an additional advantage of the artificial respiration device according to the present invention is that the inside diameter of the tube is selected to be just about the same as the outside diameter of artificial respiration devices according to the prior art. The resistance to the air flow through the artificial respiration device according to the present invention will be relatively low, compared with the resistance to the air flow through artificial respiration devices according to the prior art. It is advantageous to construct the hose from a reticulated base, covered with a thin flexible film. The reticulated base, for example of an elastomer, provides the memory action of the tube on which the present invention is based. The thin flexible film, for example of an elastomer, then provides an airtight closure of the hose. The memory action of the hose is reinforced if the far end of the tube to be passed towards the trachea is provided with flaps. The flaps, which are moved towards each other with a certain resilience during the insertion, with their resilience help the hose to assume its original shape after the pulling force on the hose has been removed. For the insertion of the artificial respiration device according to the present invention into a person, it is advantageous to add an insertion element to the tube, which insertion element can act upon the far end of the hose to be passed towards the trachea, in order to subject the hose to a pulling force. This has the advantage that applying a longitudinal force to the hose and removing the longitudinal force from the opening of the tube at the mouth side can be regulated. The use of the artificial respiration device according to the present invention is improved if the far end of the hose to be passed towards the trachea comprises openings. The insertion element can engage in the openings on the hose. This has the advantage that the longitudinal force on the hose, which is necessary for constricting the hose, can be transmitted to the hose by means of the insertion element. It is also advantageous for the insertion of the artificial respiration device if at the end to be passed towards the trachea said insertion element ends in a substantially spherical part. That has the advantage that during the positioning of the artificial respiration device according to the present invention the end facing the lungs is formed by a substantially spherical part, with a relatively small diameter. The risk of damage to the upper air passages and vocal chords is consequently minimal. Furthermore, it is advantageous if said spherical part is provided with fixing elements for the hose. The end of the hose can be fixed thereto, in order to exert a pulling force thereon by means of the insertion element. Said fixing elements preferably consist of hooks which can project through the openings of the hose. Every effort is made to ensure that the insertion element is made of aluminium covered with a plastic. That has the advantage that the aluminium is easily deformed by hand. By means of the insertion element which can be deformed by hand, the artificial respiration device according to the present invention can be given a certain curvature, which can facilitate the positioning of the tube. The operation and use of the artificial respiration device according to the present invention is explained with reference to the following figures, which show an exemplary embodiment. Figure 1 is a sketch of the artificial respiration device according to the present invention, with the hose in the constricted position. Figure 2 is a sketch of the artificial respiration device according to the present invention, with the hose in the unconstricted position. Figure 3 is a cross-section of the artificial respiration device at the level of the flaps. Figure 4 is a sketch of the artificial respiration device according to the present invention introduced into a human being. Figure 1 shows the far end of the artificial respiration device 1 to be moved towards the lungs. The end of the tube 2 opens out into a hose 3- The end of the tube 2 is provided with a number of flaps 7- The hose 3 is composed of a reticulated material 4 with a thin film thereon. At the end of the hose 3 openings 6 are made in the film 5. A pulling force can be exerted upon the hose 3 by means of an insertion element 8. The insertion element 8 ends in a spherical part and is provided with a number of fixing elements 10, for example hooks. The end of the hose 3 can be hooked onto the fixing elements 10. By pushing the insertion element 8 out of the far end to be moved towards the lungs, a pulling force is exerted upon the hose 3 end constricts the hose 3- It can be seen in Figure 1 that the diameter of the constricted hose 3 is smaller than the diameter of the tube 2. By subsequently moving the insertion element 8 in the other direction, the fixing elements 10 are detached from the hose, and the hose 3 can resume substantially its original shape as a result of memory action. Figure 2 is a sketch of the artificial respiration device 1 in the situation where no pulling force is exerted upon the hose 3- The diameter of the unconstricted hose 3 is now greater than that of the tube 2. The flaps 7. fixed on the end of the tube 2, are folded out, as can be seen in Figure 2. When a pulling force is exerted on the hose 3 t as shown in Figure 1 , the flaps 7 are moved towards each other and build up a certain resilience. When the pulling force on the hose 3 is removed, as shown in Figure 2, the flaps 7 with their resilience help the hose 3 to assume its original shape. Since the flaps 7 fold out after the removal of the pulling force, the insertion element 8 with the spherical end 9 and the fixing elements 10 thereon can easily be pulled out of the hose 3 and further through the tube 2. Figure 3 is a cross-section of the artificial respiration device 1 at the level of the flaps 7> The figure shows the situation where the flaps 7 have been folded towards each other. The figure shows the situation where six flaps 7 together form a circular section. Of course, it is also possible to make a circular section with another number of flaps, for example 4, 5 or 8. Figure 4 is a sketch of the artificial respiration device 1 inserted into a person. The tube 2 is inserted through the mouth and the pharynx so far in the direction of the trachea 21 that the flaps 7 are situated between the vocal chords 20. The resilience stored in the flaps 7 guarantees a free air passage at the level of the vocal chords 20 at all times. The hose 3 is situated substantially in the entrance of the trachea 23 at the lung side of the vocal chords 20. Figure 4 shows the situation where the end of the hose 3 is detached from the insertion element 8. The hose 3 has assumed substantially its original shape and thus rests against the mucous membrane 23 on the wall of the trachea 21. Although the force exerted by the hose 3 on the mucous membrane 23 of the trachea 21 (approx. 5 cm water) is relatively small, the hose 3 shuts off the trachea 21 sufficiently. Air pressure can be built up below the artificial respiration device 1 in the trachea 21. The hose 3 also protects the trachea 21 from the penetration of moisture, for example from the gullet 22. The embodiment of the artificial respiration device 1 discussed and illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 is only an example. Numerous other embodiments are possible within the idea of the present invention.

Claims: Claims 1. Artificial respiration device for giving artificial respiration to a human being or mammal, comprising a tube designed for passing through the mouth and the pharynx towards the entrance of the trachea until beyond the vocal chords, comprising a tube, characterized in that the far end of the tube (2) for passing towards the trachea opens out into a flexible hose (3) with a greater diameter than the tube (2) , said hose (3) being made of a material or materials with a certain memory, and means are added to the tube for exerting a pulling force on the end of the hose (3) in order to make the hose (3) constrict, in such a way that after the hose (3) has been constricted, memory action causes it to assume substantially its original shape after the removal of said pulling force. 2. Artificial respiration device according to Claim 1, characterized in that the hose (3) has a reticulated base (4), covered with a thin flexible film (5). 3. Artificial respiration device according to Claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the far end of the tube (2) to be passed towards the trachea is provided with flaps (7). 4. Artificial respiration device according to Claims 1, 2, 3 or 4, characterized in that an insertion element (8) which can act upon the far end of said hose (3) to be passed towards the trachea, in order to subject said hose (3) to a pulling force, is added to the tube (2). 5. Artificial respiration device according to Claims 1, 2 or 3. characterized in that the far end of said hose (3) to be passed towards the trachea comprises openings (6). 6. Insertion element according to Claim 5. characterized in that at the end to be passed towards the trachea said insertion element (8) ends in a substantially spherical part (9) • 7- Insertion element according to Claim 5 or 6, characterized in that said spherical part (9) is provided with fixing elements (10) for the hose (3) . 8. Insertion element according to Claim 7. characterized in that said fixing elements (10) consist of hooks which can project through the openings (6) of the hose (3). 9. Insertion element according to Claim t 6, 7 or 8, characterized in that said insertion element (8) is made of aluminium covered with a plastic.

Inventors: VAN DEN BERG PAULUS CORNELIS M, VAN DEN BERG, PAULUS, CORNELIS, MARIA
Applicants: DEN BERG PAULUS CORNELIS MARIA, IDEAMED N V, IDEAMED N.V., VAN DEN BERG, PAULUS, CORNELIS, MARIA
Application year: 1997
Main classification: A61M16
IPC codes: A61M16, A61M25