An apparatus for monitoring EMG signals of a patient's laryngeal muscles includes an endotracheal tube having an exterior surface. Conductive electrodes are formed on the endotracheal tube. The conductive electrodes are configured to receive the EMG signals from the laryngeal muscles when the endotracheal tube is placed in a trachea of the patient. At least wireless sensor is formed on the endotracheal tube, and is configured to wirelessly transmit information to a processing apparatus.

A video laryngoscope system includes an imager, an audio processing circuitry, a light source, an exposure controller, and a line gain module. The imager generates a first frame and a second frame of a plurality of video frames using a rolling shutter. The audio processing circuitry determines a base frequency of a vocalization based on an audio signal. The light source generates pulses of light based on the base frequency. The exposure controller adjusts a duration and position in time of the pulses based on the base frequency during the first and second frames. The line gain module selectively applies a line gain to at least a portion of the first frame and a portion of the second frame based on a gap time between the first frame and the second frame and the duration and position in time of the pulses.

The present invention provides medical devices comprising at least one visualization device sealed to, attached to or otherwise combined with at least one of the following second devices: an oral airway, ventilating mask, urinary catheter, trocar, a tool tube, and a medical glove. The present invention also provides methods for rapid and accurate placement of a medical device in a patient and continuous real time monitoring, including a remote monitoring, of the patient after the placement.

A medical control device includes: a light source controller configured to modulate pulsed light by changing a crest value of a pulsed current and emit the pulsed light a plurality of times from the light source in one frame; an imaging controller configured to cause an image sensor to sequentially generate a pixel signal at a specific frame rate; and an image processor configured to use a pixel signal obtained by multiplying the pixel signal for specific one frame from each pixel of a specific horizontal line by a ratio of an amount of exposure of specific pulsed light made in the specific one frame to a total exposure amount obtained by adding each exposure amount of all of the pulsed lights exposing the specific horizontal line within the specific one frame including an illumination period of the specific pulsed light.

An oral airway includes a first component having a first guiding surface and a second component having a second guiding surface. The first component and the second component are adapted to be removably coupled together such that the first guiding surface and the second guiding surface collectively define and encompass an interior passage through the oral airway that is dimensioned to direct, for example, a fiber-optic scope or an endotracheal tube extending through the interior passage for tracheal intubation. The first and second components are configured to be decoupled and independently removed from a patient's mouth without disrupting an endotracheal tube that has been extended through the conduit for tracheal intubation. The first and second components may be maintained in coupled disposition by an interlocking mechanical structure. The first and second components also may be maintained in coupled disposition by magnetism.

The present invention relates to a collision force analysis (CFA) method for obtaining in vivoestimates of contact force and pressure in the vocal cords directly from laryngeal videoendoscopies. The method comprises the steps of: providing at least a high-speed laryngeal videoendoscopy (also called High Speed Videoendoscopy or HSV) to generate at least one image and videos of the vocal cords; pre-processing the image in a processing unit, to define a region of interest (ROI) of the location of the glottis; detecting in the processing unit, the edges of the vocal folds in the images obtained by means of the HSV; recording in the processing unit, the points of the edges detected by means of a sequence of images; estimating in the processing unit, the path of the vocal cord edge during collision throughout time; and estimating the values of contact and impact of the vocal cords by means of a collision model.

A converter device for a laryngoscope intended to be linked to a blade (6) of a laryngoscope, having a straight section (7) and a curved section (8), along with a light source (14) typical of the laryngoscope, for providing it with an additional viewing system in tracheal intubation procedures. The device comprises a central body (1) of tubular section with a through hole (2) for housing an imaging system (3), an upper wing (4) which can be coupled to the curved section (8) of the blade (6), provided with an elastic adjustment portion (11) for adapting to the curved section (8) of the blade (6), and a fastening portion (12) for preventing lateral movement and movement of the device, and a lower wing (5) which can be coupled on the straight section (7) of the blade (6) with an elastic fastening section (13) for adapting to the edge of said straight section (7).

An apparatus for monitoring EMG signals of a patient's laryngeal muscles includes an endotracheal tube having an exterior surface and a first location configured to be positioned at the patient's vocal folds. A first electrode is formed on the exterior surface of the endotracheal tube substantially below the first location to receive EMG signals primarily from below the vocal folds. A second electrode is formed on the exterior surface of the endotracheal tube substantially above the first location to receive EMG signals primarily from above the vocal folds. The first and second electrodes are configured to receive the EMG signals from the laryngeal muscles when the endotracheal tube is placed in a trachea of the patient.

An apparatus for monitoring EMG signals of a patient's laryngeal muscles includes an endotracheal tube having an exterior surface. Conductive electrodes are formed on the endotracheal tube. The conductive electrodes are configured to receive the EMG signals from the laryngeal muscles when the endotracheal tube is placed in a trachea of the patient. At least wireless sensor is formed on the endotracheal tube, and is configured to wirelessly transmit information to a processing apparatus.

The present invention provides improved medical devices equipped with a visualization device for intubation, extubation, ventilation, drug delivery, feeding and continuous remote monitoring of a patient. The present invention also provides methods for rapid and accurate placement of a medical device in a patient and continuous real time monitoring, including a remote monitoring, of the patient after the placement.