The invention describes a pressure regulator for verifying the inflation of balloons of endotracheal cannulas or tubes, the regulator comprising: a housing with an inlet and an outlet in which an endotracheal cannula or tube connector that includes the balloon is coupled. The housing has a flow chamber and a pressure regulating chamber; a one-way valve mounted on the inlet; the housing also comprises a plurality of deflectors mounted in the flow chamber to reduce the velocity of the gaseous fluid. The regulator has a pressure-indicating piston mounted in a movable manner in the pressure-regulating chamber, which is visible to the user; a sealing piston operationally connected with the indicating piston and underneath same so that they both move simultaneously.

An oral medical apparatus includes a flexible tube with a first portion adjacent a proximal end of the tube and a second portion adjacent to the first portion. A support is located within the upper portion to prevent compression or collapse of the upper portion of the tube. The oral medical apparatus can accommodate a rigid connector that may be directly coupled to an anesthesia breathing circuit or a medical breathing device.

A catheter having a distal end for insertion into a patient and including: a catheter tube enclosing at least a first catheter lumen and a vision lumen separated from the first catheter lumen, the first catheter lumen having a first distal opening at the distal end of the catheter; a window closing off a distal end of the vision lumen and having a planar interior window surface facing the vision lumen and a planar exterior window surface; and a vision device positioned in the vision lumen and having a vision module, such as a camera with an image sensor or an optical fibre, having an optical axis extending through the window; wherein the interior window surface and/or the exterior window surface is/are non-orthogonal with respect to the optical axis of the vision module, and the window surfaces are non-parallel.

The embodied invention is a new inspiration/expiration ventilator flow design, with a constant inspiration flow and intermittent-concurrent expiratory flow based on lung pressure setpoints. This mode is possible by using a new dual lumen tube inserted into a patient Trachea. Additionally, the control provides support for patient initiated breathing which is initiated by a lung pressure drop. This control provides continuous and gentle recruitment of lung alveoli.

An oropharyngeal glove (OPG) is provided for use in a rigid or flexible bronchoscopy procedure and for anesthesia recovery. Portions of the OPG conform to portions of the patient's mouth and throat. During a bronchoscopy procedure, the bronchoscope tube passes through an opening in a proximal end of the OPG, through the OPG and through an opening in a distal end of the OPG into the patient's trachea. A protective lining of the OPG protects the patient's mouth, throat and vocal cords from being damaged by the bronchoscope tube. A tubular extension disposed on the proximal end of the OPG provides the opening through which the bronchoscope tube first passes. Post procedure, the tubular extension can act as an airway device that connects to a ventilator machine to deliver air to the patient, thereby obviating the need to install a separate airway device to ventilate the patient during anesthesia recovery.

Airway management methods, devices, assemblies and systems. Methods, devices, assemblies and systems may include robotic movement and control of an intubation tube introducer or guide, and may include utilizing image data from one or more image sensors. The methods, devices, assemblies and systems may optionally be used in endotracheal intubation procedures.

The present invention provides an apparatus for detection of ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) in a patient, the apparatus comprising: an endotracheal tube; at least two non-selective electrode contacts located in proximity to each other within the endotracheal tube, the contacts lacking any structural feature or component that particularly recognizes a chemical or biological species; an electrical subsystem that is capable of generating, receiving and processing electrical signals; wiring for connecting each of the electrode contacts with the electrical subsystem; and tubing for insulating the wiring from any sputum material that is introduced into the endotracheal tube by the patient.

A butyric acid detection based platform for verifying placement of a patient airway device or a gastric tube comprising at least one of i) a colorimetric based butyric acid detection platform, ii) a bioelectronic sensors based butyric acid detection platform using olfactory receptors, and iii) an IR based butyric acid detection platform. Each platform comprises a housing coupled to the patient airway device or gastric tube whereby flow from the coupled patient airway device or a gastric tube can flow through an internal passage of the housing; and wherein sensors within the housing come into contact with the flow from the coupled patient airway device or a gastric tube, the sensors including at least one of a chemical sensor array including at least one of i) colorimetric based butyric acid sensor, ii) a bioelectronic butyric acid detection sensor using olfactory receptors, and iii) an IR based butyric acid sensor.

Airway management methods, devices, assemblies and systems. Methods, devices, assemblies and systems may include robotic movement and control of an intubation tube introducer or guide, and may include utilizing image data from one or more image sensors. The methods, devices, assemblies and systems may optionally be used in endotracheal intubation procedures.

A system of treating atelectasis is provided that includes a tracheal tube positioned within an airway of a ventilated patient and an acoustic sensor coupled to the tracheal tube. The system also includes a monitor communicatively coupled to the acoustic sensor. The monitor includes a processor configured to receive a baseline signal from the acoustic sensor. The processor is configured to provide control instructions to adjust a pressure of a gas mixture delivered to the airway through the tracheal tube. The processor is also configured to receive an updated signal from the acoustic sensor after the adjustment and identify a change in airway openness of lungs of the ventilated patient caused by the adjustment of the pressure. Further, identifying the change is based on the baseline signal and the updated signal.