Patent ID: 8863746

Claim:
A medical catheter device, attachable to an endotracheal tube having a proximal end and a distal end, for guiding the path of an enteral tube into the esophagus of a patient, comprising: (a) a catheter conduit comprising a proximal end with a proximal end opening for receiving the enteral tube, and a distal end opposite the proximal end having a distal end opening opposite the proximal end opening, the distal end opening permitting the enteral tube to enter the esophagus of the patient; a length defined as the distance between the proximal end and the distal end; an outer wall surface; an inner wall surface defining a catheter conduit interior space suitably sized to permit the passage of the enteral tube therethrough; a catheter conduit wall thickness defined as the space between the outer wall surface and the inner wall surface; the catheter conduit interior space further defined as the space between the proximal conduit opening, the distal conduit opening and the conduit inner wall surface; wherein the catheter conduit has a conduit proximal end axis which extends axially from and into the proximal end of the catheter conduit; wherein the catheter conduit has a conduit distal end axis which extends axially from and into the distal end of the catheter conduit; (b) a proximal end clip attached to the catheter conduit proximate the proximal end of the catheter conduit for receiving and removably attaching a portion of the endotracheal tube near the proximal end of the endotracheal tube, the proximal end clip having a first proximal clip end oriented toward the catheter conduit proximal end and a second proximal clip end oriented toward the catheter conduit distal end; wherein the proximal end clip has a proximal end clip axis which extends axially through the proximal end clip from the proximal end clip first end toward the proximal end clip second end; and (c) a distal end clip attached to the catheter conduit proximate the distal end of the catheter conduit for receiving and removably attaching another portion of the endotracheal tube located toward the distal end of the endotracheal tube, the distal end clip having a first distal clip end oriented toward the catheter conduit proximal end and a second distal clip end oriented toward the catheter conduit distal end; wherein the distal end clip has a distal end clip axis which extends axially through the distal end clip from the distal end clip first end toward the distal end clip second end; said distal end of said catheter being positioned proximate the opening of the patient's esophagus when the distal end of said endotracheal tube is inserted into the patient's trachea and the catheter is attached to the endotracheal tube.