Patent Description:
The application relates to the technical field of medical instruments, and in particular to a laryngeal mask airway.

In order to ensure the accuracy of an insertion position of a laryngeal mask airway, an operator usually detects the insertion position by various indirect means, such as observing expansion and reduction of the volume of chest cavity, performing auscultation for detecting sound under air leakage, monitoring End-tidal carbon dioxide partial pressure (PetCO2), etc., however, although various indirect detection means play an important role in actual operation, there are inherent limitations in the indirect manner thereof, and there is a risk of misjudgment. Therefore, if necessary, it is required to directly use a visual flexible endoscope to detect the insertion position. However, there are also problems with the direct use of the visual flexible endoscope. First, the visual flexible endoscope is a reusable instrument and directly contacts the patient's tissues, thus the disinfection requirement thereof is high and the disinfection process is relatively complicated. Second, the visual flexible endoscope is relatively expensive in cost and is not a readily available standby instrument, such as lack of the visual flexible endoscope may occur during some emergency airway process or in a part of primary medical units. Again, the visual flexible endoscope is mainly used for inspection after insertion of the laryngeal mask airway or for guiding an endotracheal tube to pass through the laryngeal mask airway into the glottis, rather than achieving visibility all the way during insertion of the laryngeal mask airway, thus it is difficult to effectively reduce repeated insertion of the laryngeal mask airway.

In the Patent published as No. <CIT> and entitled "VISUAL INTUBATE LARYNGEAL MASK", an image sensor is disposed in an airway tube of the laryngeal mask airway, a cable or the like is disposed along an inner wall of the airway tube of the laryngeal mask airway, an outlet of the image sensor is flush with an outlet at a distal end of the airway tube, and a port is reserved at a proximal end of the cable to connect a display screen and a power supply. Such design only allows the image sensor to be fixedly embedded in the laryngeal mask airway in advance, so that components such as the image sensor and the cable, etc. are difficult to be removed and reused for other laryngeal mask airways, thus application cost of the laryngeal mask airway is high. Furthermore, when the patient's epiglottis downfolds, it may shield the image sensor, thus it is unable to acquire a complete glottis image or it is totally unable to acquire the glottis image.

In the Patent published as No. <CIT> and entitled "INTUBATING LARYNGEAL MASK AIRWAY DEVICE WITH FIBER OPTIC ASSEMBLY", the images of the glottis and of a part of interior of a sealing dome are transmitted to an external display through a bundle of optical fibers, an operator may perform a visual operation of endotracheal intubation, the bundle of optical fibers is embedded into a sealing dome of the laryngeal mask airway in advance, an outlet position thereof is fixed and non-adjustable, and when the patient's epiglottis downfolds, the epiglottis may shield the outlet of the bundle of optical fibers, thus it is unable to display the glottis image. Furthermore, since the outlet position is fixed and non-adjustable, the scope of the glottis and its peripheral area observed by the bundle of optical fibers are relatively small and are greatly influenced by the number of the optical fibers. In addition, the bundle of optical fibers cannot be removed and the application cost thereof is relatively high. <CIT> relates to a laryngeal mask, which comprises a first element which is a substantially J-shaped hollow rigid tube that has a long opening along the entire length thereof, and a second element comprising a flexible tube which is also substantially J-shaped, to be received in the long opening of the first element in a separable manner. This configuration of the laryngeal mask allows the doctor to switch between its rigid or flexible properties, as desired, without having to interrupt the oxygen supply to the patient at any time. <CIT> relates to an endoscope, which has a unique steering capability allowing the highly flexible distal end of the shaft of the device to be moved to a full range angular positions without rotating the device on its long axis, thus enabling the device to be steered within the cavity of interest. The relative lengths of the control cables used to move the distal end of the bendable shaft can be changed whenever the flexible or malleable shaft is to be re-shaped to a new configuration thus preventing the distal end or the steering mechanism from assuming an undesired angular position. When used as an endotracheal device, a novel tongue retractor is described which forms an internal conduit, allowing passage of the bendable shaft of the endotracheal intubation device and an endotracheal tube therethrough. Methods for performing a tracheal intubation and changing the relative lengths of the cables are disclosed. <CIT> relates to a medical device having an endotracheal device and a supra-laryngeal mask, wherein said endotracheal device is attachable to a camera.

In view of this, it is desirable for the embodiments of the application to provide a laryngeal mask airway having a relatively safe re-usage of a view device and a good field of view.

The above object is achieved by the solutions defined in the independent and dependent claims.

In the embodiments of the application, a "proximal end" refers to a direction close to an operator and a "distal end" refers to a direction away from the operator; orientation words "up" and "down" are defined with respect to the orientations shown in any one of <FIG>.

An embodiment of the application provides a laryngeal mask airway. Referring to <FIG>, the laryngeal mask airway includes a laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM> and a view device <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the view device <NUM> includes a display <NUM>, an image tube <NUM> and a control part <NUM>. The image tube <NUM> is in the shape of an elongated tube, a distal end of the image tube <NUM> is provided with an image sensor <NUM> (referring to <FIG>), and the image tube <NUM> is provided with a cable (not shown in the figure) therein, and the cable may transmit an image signal collected by the image sensor <NUM> to the display <NUM>. It should be noted that the display <NUM> itself may have signal processing capability and image display function, or may have the image display function only, and other components may perform processing on the image signal to be displayed through the display <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM> includes a light guide <NUM> (<FIG>), a tubular body <NUM>, a sealing dome <NUM> and a gastric tube <NUM>. The sealing dome <NUM> is connected to a distal outlet of the tubular body <NUM>, a proximal end of the tubular body <NUM> is used to connect the view device <NUM> or a medical ventilator, and the gastric tube <NUM> extends from the proximal end of the tubular body <NUM> to a distal end of the sealing dome <NUM>. It may be understood that the sealing dome <NUM> may be an integral structure, such as a soft structure shaped from silicone; the sealing dome <NUM> may also be in a structural form of a cuff dome <NUM>' and an inflatable cuff <NUM>"; In the embodiment of the application, the sealing dome <NUM> is explained by example of being in the structural form of the cuff dome <NUM>' and the inflatable cuff <NUM>".

Referring to <FIG>, the laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM> is formed with an airway channel <NUM> and a view lumen <NUM> isolated from the airway channel <NUM> therein. Both the airway channel <NUM> and the view lumen <NUM> extend along a length direction of the tubular body <NUM>, either from the proximal end to the distal end of the tubular body <NUM> or from a position along the length direction to the distal end of the tubular body <NUM>. The view lumen <NUM> is isolated from the airway channel <NUM>, and air flow does not enter the view lumen <NUM> during flowing into the sealing dome <NUM> through the airway channel <NUM>, so that the airway channel <NUM> has better air-tightness, thereby allowing the air flow to be efficiently introduced into the patient' lungs. A proximal end of the view lumen <NUM> is formed as an open end, a distal end of the view lumen <NUM> is formed with a first blind end 103a formed by being enclosed by a light-transmitting material, the image tube <NUM> is inserted into the view lumen <NUM> in a pluggable manner, the distal end of the image tube <NUM> and the distal end of the view lumen <NUM> are disposed in the sealing dome <NUM>, and the distal end of the image tube <NUM> may be bent and returned to the initial state. Specifically, the control part <NUM> may control the distal end of the image tube <NUM> to be bent and returned to the initial state, for example, bendable toward the upper side of the sealing dome <NUM>.

During usage of the laryngeal mask airway according to the embodiment of the application, the image tube <NUM> is inserted from the proximal end of the view lumen <NUM> to a corresponding position of the first blind end 103a of the distal end of the view lumen <NUM>. After usage, the image tube <NUM> may be pulled out of the view lumen <NUM>. The image tube <NUM> is enclosed in the view lumen <NUM> and does not contact the patient's tissues during usage, and the image tube <NUM> may be reused relatively safely. According to related standards, it requires the instrument reusable to be subjected to high-level disinfection after the operation when the instrument contacts the patient's tissues during the operation, and to be subjected to a general-level disinfection after the operation when the instrument does not contact the patient's tissues during the operation. In the related art, the end of the image tube <NUM> is exposed within the sealing dome <NUM>, may contact the patient's in-vivo secretions and the like, and may also contact the patient's tissues such as the epiglottis <NUM> etc. Therefore, it requires high-level disinfection such as disinfectant immersion after the operation. In the embodiment of the application, the image tube <NUM> does not contact the patient, and does not require an immersed disinfection or other complicated disinfection procedures, while uses low-level disinfection such as wiping, which is convenient, fast and low in cost.

In the related art, the image sensor is disposed at the junction of the sealing dome and the tubular body. When the epiglottis <NUM> downfolds, the epiglottis <NUM> may partially block the image sensor <NUM> from receiving the light diffusely reflected by the patient's glottis <NUM> and surrounding tissues. Therefore, the display <NUM> cannot present or may only partially present the image of the glottis <NUM> and surrounding tissues, and the image tube <NUM> and the display <NUM> cannot play their roles. At the moment, on one hand, alignment of the laryngeal mask airway cannot be determined accurately; on the other hand, when the endotracheal tube is required to be intubated through the laryngeal mask airway, either blind intubation is performed, which may cause injury to the patient's glottis, or trial insertion of the laryngeal mask airway is repeated with the laryngeal mask airway pulling out accordingly, which may prolong the operation time for establishing an artificial airway, increase the surgical risk, and increase the risk of injury to the patient's tissues. To this end, in the embodiment of the application, when the laryngeal mask airway is inserted into the patient, the distal end of the image tube <NUM> bypasses the tip of the epiglottis <NUM>. Since the distal end of the image tube <NUM> may be bent and returned to the initial state so that the distal end of the image tube <NUM> may obtain a better viewing angle of the glottis and its peripheral area, even if the epiglottis <NUM> downfolds, the operator may control the distal end of the image tube <NUM> to be bent to push the epiglottis aside, so as to obtain a better field of view. For example, referring to <FIG>, when the epiglottis <NUM> does not downfold, the distal end of the image tube <NUM> may be kept bypassing the tip of the epiglottis <NUM> without bending; referring to <FIG>, the image tube <NUM> may be moderately bent upward according to actual conditions to bypass the tip of the epiglottis <NUM>, so as to obtain a better field of view. Referring to <FIG>, when the epiglottis <NUM> downfolds, the operator controls the distal end of the image tube <NUM> to be bent upward, so as to push the epiglottis <NUM> aside. The operation of the embodiment is mild, the operation difficulty is small, and the risk of injury to the patient's throat tissues is low. Furthermore, the image tube <NUM> itself may push the epiglottis aside, and a lateral dimension of the laryngeal mask airway is not increased additionally. Therefore, during usage, the opening degree of the patient's mouth is not required to be high, and the adaptability is better. Meanwhile, in order to adjust the viewing angle direction of the distal end of the image tube <NUM>, the bending angle at the distal end of the image tube <NUM> is controllable and adjustable. After the distal end of the image tube <NUM> is bent, the operator may control the distal end of the image tube <NUM> to return to the initial state as required, that is, to return to an initial state where the image tube is inserted as shown in <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, the image tube <NUM> includes a main body segment <NUM>, a snake bone segment <NUM> and an image segment <NUM> sequentially from the proximal end to the distal end of the image tube <NUM>, here the image sensor <NUM> is disposed in the image segment <NUM>, at least a part of the snake bone segment <NUM> is disposed in the sealing dome <NUM>, the snake bone segment <NUM> may be controlled to be bent and returned to the initial state, that is, the distal end of the image tube <NUM> is bent and returned to the initial state by the snake bone segment <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the control part <NUM> includes a first steel wire <NUM>, a second steel wire <NUM> and a drive assembly <NUM>, here the first steel wire <NUM> and the second steel wire <NUM> are disposed in the image tube <NUM> by passing through it longitudinally, a proximal end of the first steel wire <NUM> and a proximal end of the second steel wire <NUM> are driving-connected to the drive assembly <NUM> respectively, a distal end of the first steel wire <NUM> is connected to an inner top of a distal end of the snake bone segment <NUM>, a distal end of the second steel wire <NUM> is connected to an inner bottom of the distal end of the snake bone segment <NUM>, that is, the first steel wire <NUM> and the second steel wire <NUM> are disposed in the snake bone segment <NUM> by passing through it longitudinally. When upward bending is required, the drive assembly <NUM> crimps the first steel wire <NUM> so that the effective length of the first steel wire <NUM> is reduced. The first steel wire <NUM> makes the snake bone segment <NUM> bent upward. When it is required to be returned to the initial state, the drive assembly <NUM> crimps the second steel wire <NUM> so that the effective length of the second steel wire <NUM> is reduced, meanwhile the first steel wire <NUM> is released, and the restoring operation of the snake bone segment <NUM> is achieved by the second steel wire <NUM>. It should be noted that "top" and "bottom" described in this paragraph are defined with respect to the orientation shown in <FIG>.

An end face of the first blind end 103a may be a plane or an arc surface protruding outward, for example, a spherical cap, an ellipsoidal surface or the like. Furthermore, in order to reduce large attenuation caused by light incident on the first blind end 103a and thus affecting the imaging effect of the image sensor <NUM>, a material having good light-transmitting performance such as polycarbonate (PC) or polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) may be used for the first blind end 103a.

The tubular body <NUM> is formed with a first accommodation chamber 123a for receiving a part of the image tube <NUM> therein. The tubular body <NUM> is not limited in structure, and may be formed by bundling multiple plastic tubes together, or may be formed as a tube structure. It should be noted that in order to ensure that the airflow may enter the sealing dome <NUM> and then enter the patient's lungs efficiently through the airway channel <NUM>, it is required to ensure that the airflow entering the sealing dome <NUM> does not leak from the gap among the view lumen <NUM>, the light guide lumen <NUM> and the airway channel <NUM>, otherwise the airflow cannot enter the patient's lungs effectively, causing the patient to be under inadequate oxygen supply, thus risks occur. To this end, referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the laryngeal mask airway main body of the embodiment further includes a first hose <NUM>, a transition sleeve <NUM>, a sealing part <NUM> and a transition joint <NUM>. The sealing part <NUM> isolates the first accommodation chamber 123a in the tubular body <NUM> from a space within the sealing dome <NUM> and is formed with a first through hole 154a therein. A proximal end of the first hose <NUM> is formed as an open end, a distal end of the first hose <NUM> is closed by a light-transmitting material, the distal end of the first hose <NUM> is formed as the first blind end 103a, the proximal end of the first hose <NUM> is hermetically connected to the periphery of the first through hole 154a of the sealing part <NUM>, a space within the first hose <NUM> is communicated with the first accommodation chamber 123a in the tubular body <NUM>, and the image tube <NUM> is disposed in the first accommodation chamber 123a and the first hose <NUM> by passing through them longitudinally, that is, the first accommodation chamber 123a in the tubular body <NUM> and the space within the first hose <NUM> are co-formed as the entire view lumen <NUM> or a part of the view lumen <NUM>. It should be noted that the sealing part <NUM> is not limited in structure, as long as it play a role of isolating the first accommodation chamber 123a from the space within the sealing dome <NUM>. For example, the sealing part <NUM> and main tube may be formed as an integral structure. The sealing part <NUM> may be formed as an individual component. For example, when a part of the structure of the sealing part <NUM> is formed with a fabrication hole, the fabrication hole is required to be blocked with a plug, and in this case, the plug is formed as a part of the sealing part <NUM>.

It may be understood that the first hose <NUM> is made of a soft material so that the first hose <NUM> may be relatively easily bent in synchronization with the distal end of the image tube <NUM>, reducing the resistance formed by the first hose <NUM> when the image tube <NUM> is bent.

Furthermore, referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, in order to improve the connection reliability between the first hose <NUM> and the sealing part <NUM>, the transition sleeve <NUM> is fixedly connected to the proximal end of the first hose <NUM>, for example, they are formed as an integral structure; the transition joint <NUM> is formed around the first through hole 154a of the sealing part <NUM> facing a side surface of the sealing dome <NUM>, for example, they are formed as an integral structure, and the transition sleeve <NUM> is fixedly sleeve-connected with the transition joint <NUM>. Specifically, the transition sleeve <NUM> may be sleeve-connected with an outer circumferential surface of the transition joint <NUM>, or the transition joint <NUM> may be sleeve-connected with an outer circumferential surface of the transition sleeve <NUM>, and adhesion is done where the sleeve-connection is performed. According to the embodiment of the application, the solution of the transition sleeve <NUM> and the transition joint <NUM> not only increases the strength of connecting the first hose <NUM> and the sealing part <NUM> (the sleeve-connection of the transition sleeve <NUM> and the transition joint <NUM> greatly increases the adhesion area), but also ensures the sealing performance of the view lumen <NUM>, and the reduces manufacturing difficulty.

In the related art, a light guide is integrated at an end of an image tube. Specifically, referring to <FIG>, in the related art, the end of the image tube is integrated with a light source 1a and an image sensor 1b. The light source 1a and the image sensor 1b are disposed at a distal end of a view lumen. A transparent window <NUM> is disposed outside of the distal end of the view lumen. Because an image tube in the related art does not have the function of bending and returning to the initial state, an end of the image tube <NUM> is required to fit tightly against the transparent window <NUM> to avoid light reflection. When there is a gap between the end of the image tube <NUM> and the transparent window <NUM>, the light emitted by the light source 1a (as indicated by the arrows in the figure) is reflected at certain angles on the inner surface of the transparent window <NUM>, and the reflected light is directed toward the image sensor 1b, generating a light reflection effect that interferes with the imaging. Furthermore, when the epiglottis downfolds, the epiglottis easily covers the positions of the light source 1a and the image sensor 1b, and the display cannot present or may only partially present the image of the glottis and surrounding tissues. In the embodiment of the application, since the end of the image tube <NUM> may be bent and returned to the initial state, when the light guide in the related art is integrated at the end of the image tube and when the image tube moves, it inevitably causes a gap between the end of the image tube and the transparent window, and thus improvement thereof is required. Specifically, referring to <FIG>, the light guide <NUM> extends along a length direction of the laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM>, a distal end of the light guide <NUM> is disposed in the sealing dome <NUM>, and the distal end of the light guide <NUM> and the first blind end 103a are disposed to be blocked mutually (referring to <FIG>), which means that the distal end of the light guide <NUM> and the distal end of the image tube <NUM> disposed in the first blind end 103a are isolated from each other. The light emitted from the distal end of the light guide <NUM> does not directly enter the image sensor <NUM>, and the light emitted from the distal end of the light guide <NUM> does not substantially enter the inner surface of the first blind end 103a, and is not reflected into the image sensor <NUM> so that the image sensor <NUM> is not interfered substantially when the image sensor <NUM> collects light signals diffusely reflected by the patient's tissues, which helps the image tube <NUM> to output a high-quality image. Meanwhile, the distal end of the image tube <NUM> is not provided with a light source, so that the manufacturing process of the image tube <NUM> may be simpler.

In an embodiment of the application, the distal end of the image tube <NUM> may make the distal end of the light guide <NUM> bent and returned to the initial state synchronously, so that the direction of the light emitted by the light guide <NUM> may be changed synchronously with the viewing angle direction of the distal end of the image tube <NUM>, and the light intensity required by the sensor of the image tube <NUM> may be ensured all the way. In the embodiment which is not shown here, the distal end of the light guide <NUM> is fixedly connected to the sealing dome <NUM>, which means that there is no relative movement between the distal end of the light guide <NUM> and the sealing dome <NUM>, that is, the distal end of the light guide <NUM> remains fixed and does not bend with the distal end of the image tube <NUM>, and the light guide <NUM> provides fixed illumination for the image tube <NUM> to illuminate the space within the sealing dome <NUM> and the patient's in-vivo space in the vicinity of the opening area of the sealing dome <NUM>. The distal end of the light guide <NUM> is fixedly connected to the sealing dome <NUM> in multiple ways. For example, the distal end of the light guide <NUM> is adhered or clamped to an inner surface of the sealing dome <NUM>, and for another example, the distal end of the light guide <NUM> is embedded in the molded structure of the sealing dome <NUM>.

The light guide <NUM> may be a plastic optical fiber <NUM>, or may be formed as a structure in which the electroluminescent device <NUM> cooperates with the electric wire <NUM>. Specifically, referring to <FIG>, when the light guide <NUM> is a plastic optical fiber <NUM>, a distal end of the plastic optical fiber <NUM> may be exposed within the sealing dome <NUM>. The distal end of the plastic optical fiber <NUM> is adhered to an outer wall of the first hose <NUM>, not only ensuring that the distal end of the plastic optical fiber <NUM> may be bent and returned to the initial state with the distal end of the image tube <NUM> synchronously, but also improving the safety performance of the laryngeal mask airway. Or, the distal end of the plastic optical fiber <NUM> is connected to the inner surface of the sealing dome <NUM>. Specifically, when the laryngeal mask airway is used, the first hose <NUM> is subjected to an outward force generated along the length direction during the insertion process of the image tube <NUM>, and the first hose <NUM> is bent with the bending of the image tube <NUM>, which may cause the first hose <NUM> (or the window part <NUM>) to fall off. Although the possibility of the first hose <NUM> falling off is very low in both cases, the plastic optical fiber <NUM> plays a role of connecting to the first hose <NUM> to further prevent the first hose <NUM> from escaping from the laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM> and entering the patient's airway. When the light guide <NUM> is formed as a structure in which the electroluminescent device <NUM> cooperates with the electric wire <NUM>, an outer surface of the light guide <NUM> requires insulation protection in order to prevent the patient from electric shock.

In some embodiments of the application, in order to facilitate sealing and mounting of the light guide <NUM>, the laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM> is further formed with a light guide lumen <NUM>, the light guide <NUM> is preset in the light guide lumen <NUM> (referring to <FIG>). Specifically, a proximal end of the light guide lumen <NUM> is formed as an open end, and a proximal end of the light guide <NUM> is exposed to the proximal end of the light guide lumen <NUM>. In order to prevent the light guide <NUM> from moving along the proximal end of the light guide lumen <NUM>, a fixing cover (not shown in the figure) may be disposed outside of the proximal end of the light guide lumen <NUM> to fix the proximal end of the light guide <NUM>. A distal end of the light guide lumen <NUM> is formed with a second blind end 102a which is formed by being enclosed by a light-transmitting material (When the light guide <NUM> is a plastic optical fiber <NUM> and the distal end of the plastic optical fiber <NUM> is exposed within the sealing dome <NUM>, the light guide lumen <NUM> does not have the second blind end 102a), the distal end of the light guide <NUM> and the distal end of the light guide lumen <NUM> are disposed in the sealing dome <NUM>, and the first blind end 103a and the second blind end 102a are disposed to be blocked mutually. In the embodiment, referring to <FIG>, since the first blind end 103a and the second blind end 102a are disposed to be blocked mutually, the light in the light guide <NUM> (as indicated by the arrows in the <FIG>) is emitted through the second blind end 102a to illuminate a local area of the patient's tissues, and the light diffusely reflected by the patient's tissues enters the first blind end 103a, and light signals are collected by the image sensor <NUM> to form an image signal to be transmitted to the display <NUM>. In an embodiment, referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the end face of the first blind end 103a is substantially flush with an end face of the second blind end 102a along a proximal-to-distal direction. In this way, it is better to avoid interference with the image sensor <NUM> caused by the light emitted from the light guide <NUM> entering the first blind end 103a obliquely after passing through the second blind end 102a.

The view lumen <NUM> may be completely isolated from the light guide lumen <NUM>, so that the insertion of the light guide <NUM> and the insertion of the image tube <NUM> do not interfere with each other, that is, the light guide <NUM> is not inserted into the view lumen <NUM> when it is inserted into the light guide lumen <NUM>, and similarly, the image tube <NUM> is not inserted into the light guide lumen <NUM> when it is inserted into the view lumen <NUM>, to facilitate the light guide <NUM> and the image tube <NUM> being inserted in place quickly. Generally, the image tube <NUM> is inserted in the preoperative process or in the first-aid site, and saving the time of inserting the image tube <NUM> has practical clinical significance. Of course, the view lumen <NUM> may also be partially isolated from the light guide lumen <NUM>, for example, only their distal ends are isolated from each other, and the remaining channels are interconnected, that is, the channel of the view lumen <NUM> between its proximal end and the second blind end 102a and the channel of the light guide lumen <NUM> between its proximal end and the first blind end 103a are communicated.

Referring to <FIG>, in order to facilitate effective sealing of the distal end of the light guide <NUM>, the laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM> according to some embodiments of the application further includes a second hose <NUM> having a proximal end formed as an open end and a distal end closed by a light-transmitting material, and the distal end of the second hose <NUM> is formed as the second blind end 102a. The proximal end of the second hose <NUM> is fixedly connected to the transition sleeve <NUM>, for example, they are formed as an integral structure, that is, the proximal end of the first hose <NUM> and the proximal end of the second hose <NUM> are integrally formed with the transition sleeve <NUM>, thus facilitating manufacturing and processing, while ensuring the strength at the junction of the three components and the sealing performance among the three components. In the embodiment, the sealing part <NUM> is formed with a second through hole 154b, the light guide lumen <NUM> passes through the second through hole 154b, the transition joint <NUM> seals against the periphery of the first through hole 154a and the periphery of the second through hole 154b simultaneously, and the first hose <NUM> and the second hose <NUM> are fixedly sleeve-connected to the transition joint <NUM> through the transition sleeve <NUM>.

Along a direction from a proximal end to a distal end of the laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM>, the relative distance along the length direction between the end face of the first blind end 103a and the end face of the second blind end 102a is less than or equal to a predetermined value, which may be determined according to the dimensions of the first blind end 103a and the second blind end 102a, for example, may be <NUM> or the like. It may be understood that when the processing technique allows, the smaller the predetermined value is, the better the effect is, that is, the end face of the first blind end 103a is substantially flush with the end face of the second blind end 102a, and the end face of the first blind end 103a may slightly exceed the end face of the second blind end 102a, or the end face of the second blind end 102a may slightly exceed the end face of the first blind end 103a.

The second hose <NUM> is made of a soft material, such as a soft PVC. It may be understood that the space within the transition joint <NUM> communicating with the first hose <NUM> and the space within the transition joint <NUM> communicating with the second hose <NUM> may be isolated from each other or communicated with each other.

Furthermore, the first hose <NUM> and the second hose <NUM> extend at least partially into the sealing dome <NUM>, that is, the distal end of the image tube <NUM> and the distal end of the light guide <NUM> are disposed in the sealing dome <NUM> so that the light guide <NUM> may illuminate the patient's pharyngeal cavity and its peripheral area to a large extent, including illumination of the glottis <NUM> and the epiglottis <NUM>, meanwhile the distal end of the image tube <NUM> may also collect the image in the larger area to improve the visualization effect of the laryngeal mask airway.

It may be understood that an interior of the first hose <NUM> and an interior of the second hose <NUM> may be communicated with each other or may be isolated from each other, as long as it ensures that the first blind end 103a and the second blind end 102a are blocked mutually.

Specifically, referring to <FIG>, in the structure of the first hose <NUM>, the second hose <NUM> and the transition sleeve <NUM> according to the first embodiment of the application, the first hose <NUM> and the second hose <NUM> are isolated from each other. In the embodiment, referring to <FIG>, the first hose <NUM> includes a hose main body <NUM> having two open ends and a window part <NUM> disposed at a distal end of the hose main body <NUM>, the window part <NUM> has higher light-transmitting performance than that of the hose main body <NUM>, the window part <NUM> is formed as the first blind end 103a, and the end face of the first blind end 103a is formed as an arc surface protruding outward. Specifically, the window part <NUM> is made of a material having better light-transmitting performance, such as PC, PMMA or the like, to ensure the light of sufficient intensity to enter the image sensor <NUM>; the hose main body <NUM> may be made of a relatively soft material, such as soft PVC, to take the bending performance of the first hose <NUM> into account. The window part <NUM> may be disposed outside of the distal end of the hose main body <NUM> by covering it; in the embodiment, a part of the structure of a proximal end of the window part <NUM> extends into the hose main body <NUM> and is adhered to the hose main body <NUM> to enhance the connection strength there-between.

In another embodiment, referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the window part includes a cover body <NUM>, a first sleeve part <NUM> and a second sleeve part <NUM>. The first sleeve part <NUM> extends from an edge of the cover body <NUM> toward the first hose <NUM>. An end of the first hose <NUM> abuts against the inside of the cover body <NUM>, the first sleeve part <NUM> is sleeve-connected on an outer surface of the first hose <NUM>, and the second sleeve part <NUM> is sleeve-connected on an outer surface of the distal end of the second hose <NUM>. In the window part according to the embodiment of the application, the second sleeve part <NUM> is sleeve-connected on the outer surface of the second hose <NUM> to increase the adhesive area of the window part, improve the connection reliability of the window part, and prevent the window part from falling off.

Referring to <FIG>, the structures of the first hose <NUM>, the second hose <NUM> and the transition sleeve <NUM> according to the second embodiment of the application differ from those of the first embodiment in that in the second embodiment, the end face of the first blind end 103a is formed as a plane.

Referring to <FIG>, in the structures of the first hose <NUM>, the second hose <NUM> and the transition sleeve <NUM> according to the third embodiment of the application, the first hose <NUM> and the second hose <NUM> are isolated from each other, the structures of the third embodiment differ from those of the first embodiment in that in the third embodiment, the first hose <NUM> is formed as an integral structure, that is, the first hose <NUM> itself has good flexibility and good light-transmitting performance. Furthermore, the first hose <NUM> and the second hose <NUM> are integrally formed to simplify manufacturing difficulty and facilitate their synchronous bending.

Referring to <FIG>, in the structures of the first hose <NUM>, the second hose <NUM> and the transition sleeve <NUM> according to the fourth embodiment of the application, the first hose <NUM> and the second hose <NUM> are communicated with each other, and the second blind end 102a and the first blind end 103a are blocked mutually. Furthermore, in the fourth embodiment, the first hose <NUM> and the second hose <NUM> are integrally formed to simplify manufacturing difficulty and facilitate their synchronous bending.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, in the structures of the first hose <NUM>, the second hose <NUM> and the transition sleeve <NUM> according to the fifth embodiment of the application, the first hose <NUM> includes a first corrugated segment <NUM> and a first rib <NUM> extending along a length direction of the first corrugated segment <NUM>, an inner wall of the first corrugated segment <NUM> has a smooth structure, the first corrugated segment <NUM> may be formed on the hose main body <NUM> according to the first embodiment, the third embodiment or other embodiments, which is not limited here. The first rib <NUM> has a thickness greater than a corresponding thickness at a trough of the first corrugated segment <NUM>; the second hose <NUM> includes a second corrugated segment <NUM> and a second rib <NUM> extending along a length direction of the second corrugated segment <NUM>, an inner wall of the second corrugated segment <NUM> has a smooth structure, the second rib <NUM> has a thickness greater than a corresponding thickness at a trough of the second corrugated segment <NUM>. The first corrugated segment <NUM> has a crest and the trough, and the inner wall thereof has the smooth structure. Therefore, the thickness at the crest is larger than the thickness at the trough, and the crest and the trough are alternately arranged along the length direction of the first corrugated segment <NUM>, so that the thickness of the first corrugated segment <NUM> is alternately arranged in thickness and thinness along the length direction, and similarly, the thickness of the second corrugated segment <NUM> is alternately arranged in thickness and thinness along the length direction.

Taking the first corrugated segment <NUM> as an example, what the smooth structure means is that the inner wall of the first corrugated segment <NUM> does not have a step structure and is irrelevant of the roughness of the inner wall of the first corrugated segment <NUM>. That is, the inner wall of the first corrugated segment <NUM> may be relatively rough, for example, has a frosted structure, or may be relatively smooth, which is not limited here.

It may be understood that during the process of forming the hose, when the thickness of the hose is thinner, the flow of the raw slurry in the mold becomes worse, the raw slurry cannot sufficiently flow to the end along the flow direction, resulting in a possible loophole in the structure at the end of the flow of the raw slurry for the hose, and thus the hose is a waste product; Or the thickness of the hose is uneven, and the thin portion of the hose is extremely thin, so that the hose is easily damaged and the quality thereof is unqualified. To this end, in the application, taking the process of forming the first hose <NUM> as an example, in the process of injection molding the first hose <NUM>, the raw slurry flows along the direction of the mold corresponding to the position of the first rib <NUM>, and the first rib <NUM> is similar to the main flow path. Since the thickness of the first rib <NUM> is relatively thick, that is, the space of the mold corresponding to the position of the first rib <NUM> is large, the flow resistance of the raw slurry may be reduced, and the raw slurry may flow smoothly. The raw slurry flows from the position corresponding to the first rib <NUM> to the positions corresponding to the crests on both lateral sides thereof, and the crest is similar to the flow branch. Since the thickness at the crest is relatively thick, the flow resistance of the raw slurry may also be reduced, so that the raw slurry may fill the position of the mold corresponding to the crest. Meanwhile, the raw slurry entering the crest of the mold may flow from the crest to both sides of the crest. The thickness of the trough is relatively thin, and the flow resistance of the raw slurry in the mold is relatively large. However, the slurry at the corresponding positions of two adjacent crests may flow to the corresponding position of the trough in the middle simultaneously. The flow distance of the raw slurry is relatively short, and the raw slurry may fully reach the corresponding position at the trough for molding.

By designing the first rib <NUM>, the second rib <NUM> and the crest, the trough may have a thinner thickness and higher quality reliability. Because the thickness of the trough is relatively thin, the first hose <NUM> and the second hose <NUM> may have good flexibility and may be bent and returned to the initial state with the image tube synchronously. The thickness design of the first rib <NUM>, the second rib <NUM> and the crest also increases the structural strength of the first hose <NUM> and the second hose <NUM> so that the first hose <NUM> and the second hose <NUM> do not deform during ventilating under the alternating position and negative pressures and thus block the airway channel.

Furthermore, a neutral layer of the first hose <NUM> and a neutral layer of the second hose <NUM> are disposed in the same neutral layer plane, and the first rib <NUM> and the second rib <NUM> are disposed in the neutral layer plane, such that the first rib <NUM> and the second rib <NUM> do not generate resistance to the bending of the first hose <NUM> and the second hose <NUM> substantially.

It may be understood that in an embodiment which is not shown here, when the laryngeal mask airway is not provided with the light guide, the laryngeal mask airway may include only the first hose according to any of the above-described embodiments and does not include the second hose. In the embodiment of the application, the first hose <NUM> and the second hose <NUM> are formed as integral structure, the outer wall of the first hose <NUM> is connected to the outer wall of the second hose <NUM>, and ribs are sandwiched between the first corrugated segment <NUM> and the second corrugated segment <NUM> to be connected together, that is, in this case, the first rib <NUM> and the second rib <NUM> are connected together.

Multiple embodiments of the laryngeal mask airway will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to <FIG>, <FIG> and <FIG>, in the laryngeal mask airway according to a first embodiment of the application, a tubular body <NUM> include a tubular main body <NUM>, a first partition wall <NUM> and a second partition wall <NUM>. The tubular main body <NUM> has a substantially hollow tubular shape, and the first partition wall <NUM> and the second partition wall <NUM> are disposed in the tubular main body <NUM> and extend along a length direction of the tubular main body <NUM>, here the first partition wall <NUM> and an inner wall of the tubular main body <NUM> corresponding thereto are formed as an airway channel <NUM>. When the laryngeal mask airway is required to be designed such that the endotracheal tube may be intubated, an inner wall of the airway channel <NUM> should be relatively smooth. For example, the cross-sectional shape of the airway channel <NUM> has a substantially circular shape, and the cross-section of the airway channel <NUM> should be dimensioned to ensure that the endotracheal tube may be intubated smoothly.

The second partition wall <NUM> and a corresponding portion of the tubular main body <NUM> are formed as a first accommodation chamber 123a, and a part of the structure of the image tube <NUM> is received in the first accommodation chamber 123a, that is, the first accommodation chamber 123a belongs to a part of the view lumen <NUM>. In order to facilitate rapid insertion of the image tube <NUM>, the cross-section of the first accommodation chamber 123a has a substantially circular shape. It may be understood that the cross-section of the first accommodation chamber 123a should be dimensioned to ensure that the image tube may pass smoothly.

Further referring to <FIG>, a space within the tubular main body <NUM> except the first accommodation chamber 123a and the airway channel <NUM> is formed as a second accommodation chamber 123b, that is, the first partition wall <NUM>, the second partition wall <NUM> and a corresponding portion of the tubular main body <NUM> are co-formed as the second accommodation chamber 123b, a part of the structure of the light guide <NUM> is received in the second accommodation chamber 123b, that is, the second accommodation chamber 123b belongs to a part of the light guide lumen <NUM>.

Further referring to <FIG>, the first partition wall <NUM> and the second partition wall <NUM> are arranged substantially on opposite sides along a width direction of the tubular main body <NUM>, that is, the airway channel <NUM> is disposed on one side along the width direction of the tubular main body <NUM>, and the view lumen <NUM> and the light guide lumen <NUM> are disposed on the other side along the width direction of the tubular main body <NUM>, so that the parts of the image tube <NUM> and the light guide <NUM> within the sealing dome <NUM> do not affect the endotracheal intubation.

Referring to <FIG>, a sealing part <NUM> is disposed at a distal end of the tubular main body <NUM>. Specifically, the sealing part <NUM> is disposed at distal ends of the first accommodation chamber 123a and the second accommodation chamber 123b. The periphery of the sealing part <NUM> is sealing-connected with the inner wall of the tubular main body <NUM>, for example, they are formed as an integral structure. The ends of the first partition wall <NUM> and the second partition wall <NUM> sealing-abuts against a side surface of the sealing part <NUM> facing away from the sealing dome <NUM>. The sealing part <NUM> is formed with a first through hole 154a communicating with the first accommodation chamber 123a and a second through hole 154b communicating with the second accommodation chamber 123b therein.

In the embodiment, referring to <FIG>, the light guide <NUM> is formed as a plastic optical fiber (POF) <NUM> preset in the light guide lumen <NUM>. The plastic optical fiber <NUM> is an optical fiber made of a highly transparent polymer, where any one or multiple of for example polystyrene (PS), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polycarbonate (PC) or the like are used as a core layer material, and PMM, fluoro-plastic or the like are used as a skin layer material. The plastic optical fiber <NUM> is lightweight, flexible and more resistant to damage (e.g., vibration or bending); may be made by using a simple and mature polymer extruding process at a relatively low cost; has good flexibility and is easy to process and use. During usage of the laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM>, the operator will bend the laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM> to varying extents to insert it into the patient's body smoothly. In the embodiment of the application, the plastic optical fiber <NUM> is subtly applied to guide light for the laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM> so that the light guide <NUM> is not broken during the bending of the laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM>, ensuring the reliability of the light guide <NUM> and the excellent illumination performance. Furthermore, the plastic optical fiber <NUM> of the application does not have high requirements on the formula purity and the frequency band width of the raw material, so long as it is capable of guiding light and the communication function is not required, the production cost thereof may be greatly reduced, and it is particularly advantageous to popularize the application.

In the embodiment, referring to <FIG>, the control part <NUM> includes a light source emitter <NUM> capable of emitting visible light and a light outlet 22a, a proximal end of the light guide <NUM> aligns with the light outlet 22a.

The operation procedure and working principle of the laryngeal mask airway according to the first embodiment of the application are as follows.

Firstly, the image tube <NUM> is inserted into the view lumen <NUM>. When the image tube <NUM> is inserted in place, the view device <NUM> and the laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM> are locked so that relative movement between the view device <NUM> and the laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM> does not occur. At the beginning of design, it is considered that the locking of the view device <NUM> and the laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM> may ensure the proper alignment of the light outlet 22a and the proximal end of the light guide <NUM>. It is unnecessary to align the light outlet 22a and the proximal end of the light guide <NUM> deliberately, and it is time-saving and easy to operate them. The laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM> is connected to the view device <NUM>. It may be understood that referring to <FIG>, a connector <NUM> may be disposed at a proximal end of the laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM> to facilitate the locking of the view device <NUM> and the laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM>.

Subsequently, the view device <NUM> is powered on, and the display <NUM> is turned on.

Then, the visualization function of the view device <NUM> is activated, and the light source emitter <NUM> outputs visible light to the proximal end of the light guide <NUM>, and finally to the patient's tissues through the distal end of the light guide <NUM>. Then, referring to <FIG>, the operator gradually inserts the laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM> from the patient's mouth until the distal end of the laryngeal mask airway main body to abut the entrance of the esophagus <NUM>, and image signals collected by the image sensor <NUM> are transmitted to the display <NUM>. The operator may substantially determine whether the distal end of the laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM> is disposed in place according to the image presented on the display <NUM>. If not, the operator should make timely adjustment to ensure that the distal end of the laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM> may seal the entrance of the patient's esophagus <NUM> to prevent gas from entering the patient' stomach. After inflation of the inflatable cuff <NUM>, it should ensure that the inflatable cuff <NUM> fits and surrounds the open of the glottis <NUM>. The distal end of the image tube <NUM> may bypass the epiglottis, the distal end of the image tube <NUM> may not be bent, or, the control part <NUM> of the view device <NUM> may be operated such that the distal end of the image tube <NUM> is bent upward to obtain an appropriate field of view. When the epiglottis <NUM> downfolds, the control part <NUM> may be operated to be bent upward to push the epiglottis <NUM> aside.

When the endotracheal intubation is not required, a medical ventilator tube joint may be directly connected to a proximal end of the airway channel <NUM> after the view device <NUM> is removed.

When the endotracheal intubation is required, the endotracheal tube is visually intubated by gradually from the proximal end to a distal end of the airway channel <NUM>, sequentially through the sealing dome <NUM> and the glottis <NUM> to the patient's airway (the arrows in <FIG> indicate the direction of directing gases to the patient's airway). The intubation may be operated visually. It should be noted that during the endotracheal intubation, the medical ventilator tube joint may be connected to the proximal end of the endotracheal tube to ventilate the patient while intubating the endotracheal tube; after the endotracheal tube is intubated in place, the medical ventilator tube joint is disconnected firstly, the view device and the laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM> are removed subsequently, the endotracheal tube is kept, and then the medical ventilator tube joint is connected to the proximal end of the endotracheal tube.

In other embodiments which are not shown here, a light source emitter capable of emitting visible light may be preset at a proximal end of the plastic optical fiber <NUM>. After the view device <NUM> is connected to the laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM>, a conductive wire in the view device <NUM> aligns with the light source emitter. When the view device <NUM> is activated, the visible light emitted from the light source emitter is transmitted through the proximal end to a distal end of the plastic optical fiber <NUM>.

The laryngeal mask airway of the embodiment is illustrated by taking the structures of the first hose, the second hose and the transition sleeve in the first embodiment as an example. It should be noted that the structures of the first hose, the second hose and the transition sleeve in the second to fifth embodiments may also be used, and details thereof are not described here.

Referring to <FIG>, the second embodiment of the application differs from the first embodiment in that the view lumen <NUM> and the light guide lumen <NUM> are communicated with each other, except the first hose <NUM> isolating from the second hose <NUM>, that is, the channel of the view lumen <NUM> between its proximal end and a proximal end of the first hose <NUM> and the channel of the light guide lumen <NUM> between its proximal end and a proximal end of the second hose <NUM> are communicated with each other. Specifically, the tubular main body <NUM> is formed with a first partition wall <NUM> without a second partition wall <NUM> in the laryngeal mask airway of the first embodiment, and an interior of the tubular main body <NUM> is separated by the first partition wall <NUM> into two separate spaces, one of which is an airway channel <NUM>, the other of which is formed as a compartment receiving the light guide <NUM> and the image tube <NUM> simultaneously.

Referring to <FIG>, the laryngeal mask airway according to the third embodiment of the application differs from the first embodiment in that the light guide <NUM> includes an electric wire <NUM> and an electroluminescent device <NUM>. The electroluminescent device <NUM> refers to a device that emits light when being powered on, such as a LED lamp. The control part <NUM> is provided with a conductive wire (not shown in the figure). The electrical light emitter <NUM> is disposed at a distal end of the light guide lumen <NUM>, the electrical wire <NUM> is connected to the electrical light emitter <NUM>, and the electrical wire <NUM> extends along a length direction of the tubular <NUM> main body such that the port of the electrical wire <NUM> is exposed to a proximal end of the tubular main body <NUM>. When the view device <NUM> is connected to the laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM>, the conductive wire in the view device <NUM> aligns with the electrical wire <NUM>, and when the view device <NUM> is activated, the electroluminescent device <NUM> is powered on to emit light, illuminating the area of the distal end of the light guide lumen <NUM>. It should be noted that in order to facilitate the reliability of the electrical connection between the electrical wire <NUM> and the conductive wire, a quick-plug connector (not shown in the figure) may be disposed at an end of the tubular main body <NUM>. When the view device <NUM> aligns with the laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM>, the conductive wire in the view device <NUM> automatically aligns with the electrical wire <NUM> through the quick-plug connector. It may be understood that the structural form of the light guide <NUM> in the second embodiment may also be the structural form of the light guide <NUM> in the third embodiment.

Referring to <FIG>, in the embodiment, the light guide <NUM> is formed as a plastic optical fiber <NUM>. A distal end of the light guide <NUM> is exposed within the sealing dome <NUM>, and the distal end of the light guide <NUM> is adhered to the first hose <NUM>, or, the distal end of the light guide <NUM> is clamped to an inner surface of the sealing dome <NUM>.

Another embodiment which is not shown here differs from the laryngeal mask airways of the first to third embodiments in that the tubular body <NUM> is formed by bundling multiple independent plastic tubes together, that is, the tubular body <NUM> includes a first plastic tube (not shown in the figure), a second plastic tube (not shown in the figure) and a third plastic tube (not shown in the figure) independent of each other, here an interior of the third plastic tube forms the airway channel <NUM>; an interior of the first plastic tube forms the view lumen <NUM> together with the first cavity; an interior of the second plastic tube forms the light guide lumen <NUM> together with the second cavity.

Referring to <FIG>, the laryngeal mask airway of the fifth embodiment will be described in detail below.

The laryngeal mask airway includes a laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM> and a view device <NUM> detachably connected to the laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM> includes a light guide <NUM> (referring to <FIG>), a tubular body <NUM>, a gastric tube <NUM>, and a sealing dome <NUM> connected to a distal end of the tubular body <NUM>. The laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM> is formed with a light guide lumen (not shown in the figure) and a view lumen (not shown in the figure), and the light guide <NUM> is preset in the light guide lumen, that is, the light guide <NUM> is preset in the light guide lumen before the laryngeal mask airway is used. The gastric tube <NUM> extends from a proximal end of the tubular body <NUM> to a distal end of the sealing dome <NUM>. It may be understood that the sealing dome <NUM> may be an integral structure or an adhered flexible structure, for example, at least a part of the structure of the sealing dome <NUM> is formed of a silicone material; the sealing dome <NUM> may also be in a structural form of a cuff dome <NUM>' and an inflatable cuff <NUM>"; In the embodiment, the sealing dome <NUM> is explained by example of being in the structural form of the cuff dome <NUM>' and the inflatable cuff <NUM>".

Referring to <FIG>, the view device <NUM> includes a housing <NUM>, a display <NUM>, an image tube <NUM>, a light source assembly <NUM>, a transmission assembly and an operation handle <NUM>. The display <NUM> is mounted on the housing <NUM>, a distal end of the image tube <NUM> is formed with an image sensor (not shown in the figure), a proximal end of the image tube <NUM> is connected to the housing <NUM>, and the image tube <NUM> is electrically connected to the display <NUM>, for example, through a cable (not shown in the figure), so as to transmit the image information collected by the image tube <NUM> to the display <NUM>, and the image tube <NUM> is inserted into the view lumen in a pluggable manner. Referring to <FIG>, the housing <NUM> is formed with a light source cavity 25a and a control cavity 25b therein. The light source assembly <NUM> is mounted in the light source cavity 25a. The housing <NUM> is formed with a light emitting port 25c for aligning with a proximal end of the light guide <NUM> thereon, the light emitting port 25c is communicated with the light source cavity 25a and is exposed to a surface of the housing <NUM>. When the view device <NUM> is connected to the laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM> in place, the proximal end of the light guide <NUM> aligns with the light emitting port 25c, and the light of the light source assembly <NUM> is emitted outward from a distal end of the light guide <NUM> after passing through the light emitting port 25c and the light guide <NUM> sequentially. In the view device <NUM> according to the embodiment of the application, visible light emitted by the light source assembly <NUM> is transmitted to the light guide <NUM> through the light emitting port 25c, and the visible light in the light source assembly <NUM> is transmitted to a distal end of the laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM> through the light guide <NUM> so as to provide illumination for the laryngeal mask airway. That is, electric current in the light source assembly <NUM> does not enter the laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM> (the housing <NUM> in the view device <NUM> does not enter the patient), to avoid the patient from electric shock and improve safety performance of the laryngeal mask airway. Furthermore, the light emitted by the light source assembly <NUM> does not enter the image tube <NUM>, but is transmitted into the light guide <NUM> independently, so that a light source <NUM> is not required to be disposed in the image tube <NUM>, and the structure of the view device <NUM> is simple. Furthermore, the image tube <NUM> and the display <NUM> are connected to the housing <NUM>, that is, the connection is not required to be re-assembled during usage of the laryngeal mask airway, the usage thereof is convenient and quick, and the view device <NUM> may be reused together.

Further referring to <FIG>, the light source assembly <NUM> includes a light source <NUM>, a reflector <NUM> and a light cone <NUM>. The light source <NUM> may be a LED lamp or another light emitter, as long as it may emit visible light of sufficient intensity. The reflector <NUM> is disposed around the light source <NUM> by covering it to focus light emitted by the light source <NUM> to a large end of the light cone <NUM>, that is, the reflector <NUM> plays a role of a condenser. Furthermore, in the embodiment, the reflector <NUM> is formed as a total reflection lens to improve the light-condensing function of the reflector <NUM> and reduce the loss. A small end of the light cone <NUM> is disposed at the light emitting port 25c, and the light travels to the small end of the light cone <NUM> and then is emitted from the light emitting port 25c to reduce the loss of light travelling between the small end of the light cone <NUM> and the light emitting port 25c. The light cone <NUM> may be a glass light cone <NUM>, and further, an outer surface of the glass light cone <NUM> may be provided with a reflective film layer to increase the light-condensing efficiency of the glass light cone <NUM>.

Further referring to <FIG>, the transmission assembly is mounted in the control cavity 25b, the proximal end of the image tube <NUM> extends into the control cavity 25b and is driving-connected to the transmission assembly, the operation handle <NUM> extends from outside of the housing <NUM> into the control cavity 25b and is driving-connected to the transmission assembly, and the operation handle <NUM> drives the transmission assembly, in turn to drive the distal end of the image tube <NUM> to be bent and returned to the initial state. In the related art, the image sensor is disposed at the junction of the sealing dome and the tubular body, and the inflatable cuff may block a part of the viewing angle range of the image sensor. When the epiglottis downfolds, the epiglottis may block the image sensor, and the image sensor cannot collect the light diffusely reflected by the glottis and surrounding tissues, the image sensor cannot play its role, and it may be difficult to determine alignment of the laryngeal mask airway accurately. At the moment, when the endotracheal tube is required to be intubated through the laryngeal mask airway, either blind intubation is performed, which may cause injury to the patient's glottis and surrounding tissues, or trial insertion of the laryngeal mask airway is repeated with the laryngeal mask airway pulling out accordingly, which is relative troublesome, may increase the surgical risk, and increase the risk of injury to the patient's tissues. To this end, in the embodiment of the application, when the laryngeal mask airway is inserted into the patient, the distal end of the image tube <NUM> bypasses the tip of the epiglottis <NUM>. Since the distal end of the image tube <NUM> may be bent and returned to the initial state so that the distal end of the image tube <NUM> may obtain a better viewing angle of the glottis and its peripheral area, even if the epiglottis <NUM> downfolds, the operator may control the distal end of the image tube <NUM> to be bent to push the epiglottis aside, so as to obtain a better field of view. When the epiglottis <NUM> does not downfold, the distal end of the image tube <NUM> may be kept in its initial state, and the distal end of the image tube <NUM> may be moderately bent according to the actual conditions so that the image sensor obtains a better field of view. When the epiglottis <NUM> downfolds to block the upper area of the image tube <NUM>, the operator rotates the operation handle to control the distal end of the image tube <NUM> to be bent upward, to push the epiglottis <NUM> aside so as to exclude the blocking of the epiglottis <NUM>. Meanwhile, in order to adjust the viewing angle of the image sensor, the bending angle at the distal end of the image tube <NUM> is adjustable. After the distal end of the image tube <NUM> is bent, the operator may control the distal end of the image tube <NUM> to return to the initial state as required. The "initial state" refers to a state in which the operator does not control the bending of the image tube <NUM> additionally. The initial state may be a flat state or a slightly bending state of the image tube <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the image tube <NUM> includes a rigid segment <NUM>, a flexible segment <NUM>, a snake bone segment <NUM> and an image segment <NUM> sequentially from the proximal end to the distal end. The distal end of the image tube <NUM> is bent and returned to the initial state by the snake bone segment <NUM>. An outer layer of the rigid segment <NUM> is formed as a sleeve rod to increase the structural strength of the image tube <NUM>. The sleeve rod may be a metal rod or a rod made of other materials, as long as it has sufficient strength and tenacity. A part of the structure of the rigid segment <NUM> is inserted into the housing <NUM> and fixedly connected to the housing <NUM>. The rigid segment <NUM> may improve the bending resistance at the connection of the image tube <NUM> with the housing <NUM> and prevent the image tube <NUM> from being damaged after being bent several times. The rigid segment <NUM> in the embodiment refers to a part of the image tube <NUM> that is relatively rigid and cannot be bent, and the flexible segment <NUM> refers to a part of the image tube <NUM> that is relatively flexible and may be bent. When the view device <NUM> and the laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM> are assembled, the rigid segment <NUM> facilitates insertion of the image tube <NUM> into the view lumen of the laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM>, and the rigid segment <NUM> may improve the stability of mounting the view device <NUM>; when the view device <NUM> is disassembled, it facilitates the operator to apply force to the rigid segment <NUM> so as to pull the image tube <NUM> out of the view lumen. During usage of the laryngeal mask airway, when it is required to adjust the position of the laryngeal mask airway in the patient's pharyngeal cavity <NUM>, the operator holds the proximal end of the tubular body <NUM> and swings it back and forth to facilitate transmission of force to the tubular body <NUM> and the connector <NUM>. It may be understood that the length of the rigid segment <NUM> is controlled, provided that it may be inserted into the patient's airway smoothly.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the view device <NUM> further includes a connection boss <NUM> extending laterally from two lateral sides of the bottom of the housing <NUM>, a clamping structure (not shown in the figure) disposed at a bottom of the connection boss <NUM>, and a pressing part <NUM> laterally disposed outside of the connection boss <NUM>, the pressing part <NUM> is driving-connected to the clamping structure. In order to facilitate connecting the proximal end of the tubular body <NUM> to the view device <NUM>, referring to <FIG>, the laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM> includes a connection member <NUM> formed at the proximal end of the tubular body <NUM>, an upper surface of the connection member <NUM> is formed with a clamping slot 16a for cooperating with the clamping structure, and the pressing part <NUM> drives the clamping structure to lock or unlock the clamping slot 16a.

In the embodiment, the light guide <NUM> is formed as a plastic optical fiber.

Referring to <FIG>, the distal end of the light guide <NUM> and the distal end of the image tube <NUM> extend into the sealing dome <NUM>, and the distal end of the light guide <NUM> is isolated from the space within the sealing dome <NUM>, that is, the distal end of the light guide <NUM> is sealed in the light guide lumen to facilitate the sealing-installation of the light guide <NUM>; the distal end of the image tube <NUM> is isolated from the space within the sealing dome <NUM>, that is, the distal end of the image tube <NUM> is sealed in the view lumen so that it does not contact the patient's tissues during usage, and the image tube <NUM> may be reused relatively safely.

Furthermore, the distal end of the image tube <NUM> may make the distal end of the light guide <NUM> bent and returned to the initial state synchronously. In this way, the direction of the light emitted by the light guide <NUM> may be changed synchronously with the viewing angle direction of the distal end of the image tube <NUM>, and the light intensity required by the image sensor may be ensured all the way.

The operation procedure and working principle of the laryngeal mask airway according to the embodiment of the application are as follows.

Firstly, the image tube <NUM> is inserted into the view lumen. When the image tube <NUM> is inserted in place, the clamping structure is automatically clamped into the clamping slot 16a to lock the view device <NUM> and the laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM> so that relative movement between the view device <NUM> and the laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM> does not occur. At the moment, the light emitting port 25c is naturally disposed in the position for aligning with the proximal end of the light guide <NUM>, thus they are not required to align deliberately, and it is time-saving and easy to operate them. The laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM> is connected to the view device <NUM>.

Subsequently, the power supply (not shown in the figure) of the view device <NUM> is turned on, and the display <NUM> is turned on.

Then, the visualization function of the view device <NUM> is activated, and the light source <NUM> outputs visible light to the proximal end of the light guide <NUM>, and finally to the patient's tissues through the distal end of the light guide <NUM>. Then, referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the operator gradually inserts the laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM> from the patient's mouth until the distal end of the laryngeal mask airway main body to abut the entrance of the esophagus <NUM>, and image information collected by the distal end of the image tube <NUM> is transmitted to the display <NUM>. When the distal end of the image tube <NUM> does not obtain a better field of view, the operator may rotate the operation handle to control the distal end of the image tube <NUM> to be bent upward to an appropriate angle. The operator may substantially determine whether the distal end of the laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM> is disposed in place according to the image presented on the display <NUM>. If not, the operator should make timely adjustment to ensure that the distal end of the laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM> may seal the patient's esophagus <NUM> to prevent gas from entering the patient' stomach. After inflation of the inflatable cuff <NUM>, it should ensure that the inflatable cuff <NUM> fits and surrounds the glottis opening <NUM>. Referring to <FIG>, when the patient's epiglottis <NUM> downfolds, the operation handle <NUM> is rotated to drive the snake bone segment <NUM> of the image tube <NUM> to be bent upward so as to push the epiglottis <NUM> aside.

When the endotracheal intubation is not required, the view device <NUM> is removed and a medical ventilator tube joint may be directly connected to the proximal end of the tubular body <NUM>.

When the endotracheal intubation is required, the endotracheal tube is gradually intubated from the proximal end to the distal end of the laryngeal mask airway main body <NUM>, sequentially through the sealing dome <NUM> and the glottis <NUM>, the endotracheal intubation is visually operated.

The embodiments or implementations provided in the application may be combined with each other without conflict.

Claim 1:
A laryngeal mask airway, characterized in that the laryngeal mask airway comprises a laryngeal mask airway main body (<NUM>) comprising a tubular body (<NUM>) and a sealing dome (<NUM>) connected to a distal end of the tubular body (<NUM>), and a view device (<NUM>), the view device comprising a control part (<NUM>) and an image tube (<NUM>) connected to the control part, a distal end of the image tube (<NUM>) provided with an image sensor, the laryngeal mask airway main body (<NUM>) formed with an airway channel (<NUM>) and a view lumen therein; a distal end of the view lumen formed with a first light-transmitting blind end, the image tube (<NUM>) inserted into the view lumen in a pluggable manner, the distal end of the view lumen and the distal end of the image tube (<NUM>) extending into the sealing dome (<NUM>), and characterized in that the control part (<NUM>) is configured to be operated such that the distal end of the image tube (<NUM>) is capable of being bent and returned to the initial state.