CLOSED-CIRCUIT BRONCHOASPIRATION DEVICE APPLICABLE TO A VENTILATION CIRCUIT

Abstract: This invention is a closed circuit bronchoaspiration device (1) having an interspace (21) formed between an insertable tube (10), and a flexible element (20) which is protected from contamination during expanding and contracting.

Description: CLOSED-CIRCUIT BRONCHOASPIRATION DEVICE APPLICABLE TO A VENTILATION CIRCUIT The present invention relates to a closed-circuit bronchoaspiration device applicable to a ventilation circuit. Conventional closed-circuit bronchoaspiration systems are based on the use of a patient-insertable tube which is connected to the coupling that can be connected to the ventilation circuit and to the tracheal tube. The insertable tube is protected inside a tubular element made of polyethylene or polyurethane, which covers said tube and is supported between said coupling and the valve for cutting off the connection of the insertable tube to the suction. The inside of the tubular element is therefore in practice a substantially closed space, which must however be connected to the outside since, when the insertable tube is inserted in the tracheal tube to perform bronchoaspiration, the air contained in the tubular element, which is in practice folded up in an accordion-like configuration, must be discharged so that it is possible to compress said tubular element in an accordion-like fashion. Likewise, when the insertable tube is removed from the tracheal tube to extend the tubular element again, it is necessary to draw air from outside. Since it is not possible to draw air from the ventilation circuit, since the ventilation pressure could burst the tubular element, a scraper gasket is provided on the point where the insertable tube is inserted in the coupling. Accordingly, in order to evacuate and subsequently aspirate the air that is present inside the tubular element, it is necessary to provide holes or slots which connect to the outside environment the interspace formed between the insertable tube and the tubular element. It is evident that this solution entails the permanent exposure of the insertable bronchoaspiration tube to ambient air, which may be contaminated. In view of the moist state of the insertable tube after bronchoaspiration, it is easily imaginable that exposure to contaminated ambient air can cause bacterial colonization of the insertable tube by microorganisms which are foreign to the patient; in the subsequent bronchoaspiration, these bacteria are conveyed with the insertable tube directly into the air passages of the patient, with a true serious risk of infection for the patient. A principal aim of the invention is to eliminate the drawbacks described above, by providing a closed-circuit bronchoaspiration device in which it is possible to fully avoid contamination of the air contained in the interspace between the insertable tube and the tubular element. Within the scope of this aim, a particular object of the invention is to provide a bronchoaspiration device in which absolute safety from a hygienic point of view can be achieved with extremely simple means. Another object of the present invention is to provide a bronchoaspiration device which, by virtue of its particular •constructive characteristics, is capable of giving the greatest assurances of reliability and safety in use. Another object of the present invention is to provide a closed-circuit bronchoaspiration device which can be easily obtained starting from commonly commercially available elements and materials and is furthermore competitive from a merely economical point of view. This aim, these objects and others which will become apparent hereinafter are achieved by a closed-circuit bronchoaspiration device which can be applied to a ventilation circuit, according to the invention, which comprises a coupling which can be associated with a ventilation circuit and supports, through scraper means, a tube which can be inserted in the tracheal tube that can be coupled to said coupling, said insertable tube being arranged inside a tubular element which is connected between said coupling and a suction cutoff valve associated with said insertable tube, characterized in that it comprises filtering means which control the external connection opening of the interspace formed between said insertable tube and said tubular element. Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of a closed-circuit bronchoaspiration device applicable to a ventilation circuit, illustrated only by way of non- limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein: figure 1 is a schematic view of the bronchoaspiration device in the extended configuration; figure 2 is a partially sectional view of the device during the insertion of the insertable tube; figure 3 is a view of a first embodiment of the filtering means; figure 4 is a view of the filtering means of figure 3, connected to the cutoff valve; figure 5 is a partially exploded schematic perspective view of a different embodiment of the filtering means; figure 6 is a sectional view of the filtering means of figure 5. With reference to the above figures, the closed-circuit bronchoaspiration device applicable to a ventilation circuit, according to the invention, generally designated by the reference numeral 1, comprises a coupling 2 which can be connected to a ventilation circuit and to an endotracheal tube generally designated by the reference numeral 3. An insertable tube 10 is connected to the coupling 2 through the interposition of scraper means constituted by a scraper gasket 4; said insertable tube can be inserted in the endotracheal tube and is connected, at its other end, to a suction cutoff valve, which is generally designated by the reference numeral 11 and is capable of connecting the inside of the insertable tube to a suction pump when bronchoaspiration must be performed. A tubular element 20 of the flexible type is provided between the coupling 2 and the cutoff valve 11 and in practice internally accommodates the insertable tube 10, forming an interspace 21 therewith. The particularity of the invention is constituted by the fact that filtering means are provided which control the opening that connects the interspace 21 to the outside. Said filtering means, as shown in figures 1 to 4, are provided by means of a cylindrical filter body 30 which has a circular filter 31 and is inserted by pressing on a branch-off duct 32 which is formed in the cutoff valve and is connected to the interspace 21. Likewise, as shown in figures 5 and 6, it is possible to provide filtering means which are formed directly in the cutoff valve or in the coupling for connection to the valve and have a substantially crescent-shaped filter, designated by the reference numeral 40, which can be inserted by means of a tab 41 which can be arranged radially and also controls the duct for connection to the interspace, which is again designated by the reference numeral 32. With the described arrangement, therefore, when the insertable tube is inserted in the tracheal tube, arranging in an accordion-like fashion the tubular element, which is generally made of polyethylene or polyurethane and in any case so that it is particularly flexible, the air escapes out through the duct 32 without any problem. When the insertable tube is retracted from the endotracheal tube, the air can reenter the interspace 21 by passing through a filtering surface, so that it is not possible to contaminate the environment inside the interspace with bacteria from outside. This fact, as mentioned earlier, is particularly important, since by virtue of extremely simple solutions it allows to absolutely avoid bacterial colonization in the moist environment produced in the interspace after using the insertable tube. The fact is particularly important that these considerable advantages are provided by a very simple means, such as the filtering element, which provides for a true separation between the internal environment of the patient and the outside yet allows the air exchanges which inevitably occur between the inside and the outside. The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the inventive concept. All the details may also be replaced with other technically equivalent elements. In practice, the materials employed, so long as they are compatible with the specific use, as well as the contingent shapes and dimensions, may be any according to requirements .

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A closed-circuit bronchoaspiration device applicable to a ventilation circuit, comprising a coupling which can be associated with a ventilation circuit and supports, through scraper means, a tube which can be inserted in the tracheal tube that can be coupled to said coupling, said insertable tube being arranged inside a tubular element which is connected between said coupling and a suction cutoff valve associated with said insertable tube, characterized in that it comprises filtering means which control the external connection opening of the interspace formed between said insertable tube and said tubular element. 2. A bronchoaspiration device according to claim 1, wherein said filtering means are detachably associated with said opening. 3. A bronchoaspiration device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said filtering means are constituted by a cylindrical filter with a circular filtering surface which can be applied by pressing at the lumen of a duct which is connected to said interspace. 4. A bronchoaspiration device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said filtering means are constituted by a filtering surface which is provided in a tab formed by the inlet of said valve means, said tab forming a region which is connected to the duct that leads into said interspace. 5. A closed-circuit bronchoaspiration device applicable to a ventilation circuit, characterized in that it comprises one or more of the described and/or illustrated characteristics.

Inventors: BERGAMASCHI PAOLO, GIBERTONI LUCIO, BERGAMASCHI, PAOLO, GIBERTONI, LUCIO
Applicants: BERGAMASCHI PAOLO, GIBERTONI LUCIO, MALLINCKRODT MEDICAL INC, BERGAMASCHI, PAOLO, GIBERTONI, LUCIO, MALLINCKRODT MEDICAL, INC.
Application year: 1997
Main classification: A61M16
IPC codes: A61M16