Patent ID: 8739795

Claim:
An airway stabilization system for maintaining an airway device in a patient's trachea, the patient having a head, a face, a mouth, an oral cavity, vocal cords, a neck, a chest and a chin, the system comprising: a retention structure secured to the airway device; a restraining device adapted to be secured to the patient, the restraining device being structured and arranged to releaseably engage the retention structure and to cooperate therewith to prevent clinically significant movement of the airway device with respect to the patient's vocal cords in response to application of multidirectional forces to the airway device, the restraining device including a pair of slidable overlapping stabilizer sections, each stabilizer section being operatively connected to one another and adapted to be positioned over the mouth of the patient, each stabilizer section including a collar extending distally therefrom along the airway device substantially the same distance as the collar on the other stabilizer section, the collars being juxtaposed with respect to one another to form a bite block about the retention structure with both collars, the collars being structured and arranged to releaseably engage the retention structure and to provide a multiple level 360 degree interface between the restraining device and the retention structure, the retention structure completely encapsulating the airway device, whereby the airway device is isolated totally from any pinching or crushing forces; and at least one fixation band operatively connected to the restraining device; wherein the retention structure includes a body portion and a plurality of spaced-apart annular flanges extending radially outwardly from the body portion, wherein the retention structure further includes a plurality of structural recesses disposed between adjacent outwardly-extending flanges, wherein each of the collars includes a plurality of spaced-apart annular flanges extending substantially inwardly from an inner surface thereof, wherein each of the collars further includes a plurality of structural recesses disposed between adjacent inwardly-extending annular flanges, wherein the outwardly-extending annular flanges and structural recesses of the retention structure are structured and arranged to releaseably engage the inwardly-extending flanges and adjacent structural recesses of each of the collars to prevent clinically significant movement of the airway device in response to the application of forces thereto in any direction.