Patent ID: 8348906

Claim:
A device for treating a pneumostoma which comprises a surgically-created aperture which passes through a chest wall of a patient and into a lung of a patient without communicating with a pleural cavity of the patient and which enables gases to exit the lung through the chest wall of the patient, the device comprising: a tube shaped for insertion into the pneumostoma, the tube having sufficient length that upon insertion into the pneumostoma, a proximal end of the tube is positioned exterior to a patient and a distal end of the tube is positioned within the lung of the patient; an aperture adjacent the distal end of the tube, the aperture sized and positioned to allow ingress of liquid and solid discharge from a lung; a lumen passing from the aperture to the proximal end of the tube; a flange projecting from the proximal end of the tube, the flange sized to prevent passage of the flange into the pneumostoma and thereby limit insertion of the tube into the lung; and a suction device connected to the proximal end of the tube such that, with the tube positioned in a pneumostoma and the flange positioned against the chest wall of the patient, actuation of the suction device applies negative pressure to the lumen at the proximal end of the tube and draws liquid and solid discharge from the lung into the lumen through the aperture adjacent the distal end of the tube.