Patent ID: 8079951

Claim:
An intubation assistance apparatus adapted for inserting an intubation tube into a target site of a patient, comprising: a main body having a distal end portion and a proximal end portion opposite to the distal end portion; an intubation assistance instrument provided on the distal end portion of the main body, the intubation assistance instrument having an elongated insertion section for insertion near the target site of the patient from the mouth of the patient, the insertion section having a central axis, the insertion section being formed with guide means for leading the intubation tube toward the target site when the intubation tube is to be inserted into the target site of the patient, the guide means being provided along a longitudinal direction of the insertion section and having a central axis generally parallel with the central axis of the insertion section; image taking means for taking an image of an observation site at a distal end portion of the insertion section as an electronic image, the image taking means being located on an opposite side of the guide means with respect to the central axis of the insertion section; a display provided on the proximal end portion of the main body and having a screen; a controller provided inside the main body, the controller controlling the display so as to display electronic images, including the electronic image taken by the image taking means, on the screen; and a target mark fixedly provided on the screen for indicating an advancing direction of the intubation tube, the target mark being different from any electronic image displayed on the screen, and the target mark being indicated at a position in which a center of the target mark is eccentrically shifted from a center of the screen so as to be located on a same side of the guide means with respect to the central axis of the insertion section.