Patent ID: 7490604

Claim:
A method for delivering a medicament to a treatment site through an artificial airway associated with a patient ventilation/aspiration system, comprising: establishing an artificial airway through the trachea of a patient to a treatment site; connecting a manifold with an interior chamber communicating with first, second and third ports, structured and arranged to maintain a travel path for a suction catheter between said first and second ports and an uninterrupted ventilation pathway between said second and third ports to an entry of said artificial airway; providing a catheter assembly in communication with said first port, a proximal end of said catheter assembly carrying structure that is constructed to interconnect to a vacuum control valve; connecting a storage and delivery component containing a supply of medicament to said proximal end of said catheter assembly; advancing a catheter of said catheter assembly to said treatment site; operating said storage and delivery component to discharge medicament through a lumen of said catheter to said treatment site; removing said storage and delivery component from said proximal end of said catheter assembly; and connecting a suction control device to said proximal end of said catheter assembly to effect suction through the lumen of said catheter through which the medicament is discharged.