Patent EA-002847-B1 (EA)
Title: Disposable laryngeal mask airway device
Inventor: BRAIN ARCHIBALD IAN JEREMY
IPC: A61M16/04
Filed: 2000-04-10
Abstract: 1. A method of making a laryngeal mask airway device (400), the device including a mask portion (430) and an airway tube (410), the mask portion including a generally elliptically shaped plate (440) and a cuff (460), the plate defining a laryngeal side (446), a pharyngeal side (444), and a central aperture (442), an interior perimeter (460-I) of the cuff being attached to the laryngeal side of the plate externally of the periphery of the central aperture and an outer perimeter (460-O) of the cuff being attached to the laryngeal side of the plate internally of the outer periphery of the plate, the method being characterized by the steps of: (A) introducing a liquid plastics material into the hollow interior volume (820) of a mold (800) including interior walls (830) that define the hollow interior volume, the hollow interior volume including an elliptically shaped first portion (824) and a generally toroidal second portion (822); (B) moving the mold so that the liquid plastics material coats the interior walls; (C) accumulating plastics material in the first portion to form the plate, some of the plastic material remaining coated to the portion of the interior walls that define the second portion to form the cuff; (D) allowing the plastics material to solidify; (E) removing the solidified plastics material from the mold; and (F) attaching an airway tube (410) to the pharyngeal side (444) of the plate (440). 2. A method according to Claim 1, wherein moving the mold comprises rotating the mold. 3. A method according to Claim 1, wherein moving the mold comprises rotating the mold about two mutually orthogonal axes. 4. A method according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein accumulating plastics material in the first portion comprises holding the mold in a stationary position. 5. A laryngeal mask airway device, made according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein an airway tube (410) characterized by a width being equal to 2 +- 0.2 times the thickness (T7). 6. The device according to Claim 5, wherein the width being equal to 2 +- 0.1 times the thickness. 7. A laryngeal mask airway device, made according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein an airway tube (410) having longitudinal folds extending along its both sides, the longitudinal folds defining grooves (425-G), that extend along the left and right sides of the exterior of the tube. 8. The device according to Claim 7, further including an inflation tube (90) coupled to the mask portion for selectively inflating part of the mask portion, a portion of the inflation tube being disposed in one of the grooves. 9. A laryngeal mask airway device, made according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the distance (T2) between the pharyngeal side of the plate (444) and the laryngeal side of the plate (446) being 2 +- 0.2 millimeters, the thickness (T3) of the cuff (460) wall being 0.14 millimeters +- 0.06 millimeters in devices for elderly women. 10. A laryngeal mask airway device, made according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized by a first thickness (T11) and a second thickness (T5), the first thickness being equal to a thickness as measured in a pharyngeal-to-laryngeal direction of the thickest part of the device when the cuff is deflated, the second thickness being equal to a thickness as measured in the pharyngeal-to-laryngeal direction of the thickest part of the device when the cuff is inflated, such that T5/T11 being equal to 1.5 +- 0.15. 11. A laryngeal mask airway device, made according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized by a durometer of 54 +- 10 Shore A, the airway tube being characterized by a durometer of 70 +- 15 Shore A. 12. A laryngeal mask airway device, made according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the pharyngeal side of the plate (444) and the laryngeal side of the plate (446) the cuff (460) form an angle α being equal to 10 +- 1 degree . 13. A laryngeal mask airway device, made according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the pharyngeal side (444) of the plate defining a recess (2010) that extends around the aperture, the distal end of the airway tube extending into the recess and. 14. A laryngeal mask airway device, made according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein an outer perimeter of the airway tube's distal end including a first portion and a second portion, the first portion of the perimeter being attached to the pharyngeal side of the plate, the second portion of the perimeter not being attached to the mask portion, the second portion of the perimeter being disposed near the proximal end of the mask portion.