Patent ID: 8251068

Claim:
A device which aids in the insertion of a tracheostomy tube into a tracheostoma, the tracheostomy tube having a wall thickness equal to the difference between an internal diameter and an external diameter of the tracheostomy tube, said insertion aid device comprising: a stem ( 6 , 6 ′, 14 ) that can be passed through the tracheostomy tube and a conical tip ( 2 , 13 ) that can be or is connected to the stem, wherein the conical tip ( 2 , 13 ) can be changed into a first state with a small base diameter and a second state with a large base diameter, wherein the stem has a section ( 6 ′, 14 ) adjacent to the conical tip ( 2 ), said section having a diameter which corresponds at most to the internal diameter of a the tracheostomy tube ( 1 ); wherein the small base diameter of the conical tip is likewise at most equal to the internal diameter of the tracheostomy tube whereas the large base diameter of the conical tip is greater than the internal diameter of the tracheostomy tube and corresponds approximately to the external diameter of the tracheostomy tube; and wherein the conical tip further comprises: an inner core ( 11 , 11 ′) and an outer sleeve ( 13 , 13 ′), wherein the outer sleeve ( 13 ) and inner core ( 11 ) are connected to each other; wherein the outer sleeve has an external base diameter and a radial thickness which corresponds approximately to the wall thickness of a front end of the tracheostomy tube; wherein the inner core ( 11 , 11 ′) has a maximum diameter which is smaller than or equal to the internal diameter of the tracheostomy tube ( 1 ), and wherein the inner core ( 11 , 11 ′) is connected to the stem ( 14 , 14 ′); wherein retracting the stem causes the outer sleeve to be at least partially inverted from a point of attachment to the inner core ( 11 , 11 ′) due to its elastic pre-tension and contracts the outer sleeve until the external base diameter is approximately equal to or smaller than the internal diameter of the tracheostomy tube, allowing the conical tip to be withdrawn through the tracheostomy tube; and wherein the insertion aid device has a central bore to house a guide wire.