Patent ID: 8812081

Claim:
A medical device for determining an orientation of a tracheal tube in a subject comprising: a processor configured to execute instructions to: drive a light source to emit a light through a plurality of optical conductors circumferentially spaced about a beveled distal end of a tracheal tube disposed in a subject, wherein the beveled distal end is slanted relative to a wall of the tracheal tube; determine a time of flight of the light from each of the plurality of optical conductors based on returned light from the plurality of optical conductors; and determine an orientation of the tracheal tube based upon the time of flight of the light from each of the plurality of optical conductors and a difference in path length between the plurality of optical conductors, wherein the difference in path length is representative of a position of each respective optical conductor about the beveled distal end; and a memory storing the instructions, wherein the memory is coupled to the processor; wherein the processor is configured to access the memory to read the instructions.