Devices, systems, and methods of facilitating airway management with reduced risk of release of droplets and aerosolized pathogens from the lungs of a patient are disclosed, including a bronchoscope adapter for an endotracheal tube, an endotracheal tube with integral bronchoscope adapter, an endotracheal intubation mask system, a laryngeal mask airway-specific mask system, and a quick-seal laryngeal mask airway-specific mask system.

Methods and system for treating obstructive sleep apnea and snoring are disclosed. The system generally comprises a mask for delivering pressurized air to patient's breathing orifice, a sensing mechanism for continuously assessing the state of patient's breathing and a pressure generator for generating the pressurized air in the mask. The pressurized air is applied to the breathing orifice only during selected portions of the breathing cycle, when such pressure might be required to prevent occlusion of the airway or to restore patency of the airway after such occlusion occurs.

Disclosed is a ventilator with an apparatus input and an apparatus output and with an airway between the apparatus input and the apparatus output. A breathing gas drive, a non-return valve and a switching valve are arranged in the airway. The non-return valve prevents a flow of breathing gas in a direction from the apparatus output to the apparatus input and the switching valve enables at least temporarily a flow of breathing gas in a direction from the apparatus output to the apparatus input.

The present invention relates to oxygen sensors for medical ventilators. A medical ventilator includes a patient circuit delivering inspiratory airflow to a patient and returning expiratory airflow from the patient back to the ventilator. A manifold includes an air flow path into the patient circuit, and a port with an opening for an oxygen sensor. When mated to the port, the oxygen sensor samples the air in the air flow path and detects the amount of oxygen in the air. When the oxygen sensor is inserted into the port, a valve is biased open, to allow airflow through the opening into the oxygen sensor during ventilation. When the oxygen sensor is removed from the port, the valve biases into a closed position covering the opening, to prevent leaks. The ventilator can then continue to operate without the oxygen sensor in place.

A breathing circuit for use in conjunction with a ventilator serving a mechanically-ventilated patient includes an expiratory gas airflow pathway; an inspiratory gas airflow pathway; and a gas mixing mechanism operable to mix inspiratory gas and expiratory gas in an amount sufficient to equilibrate the patient's PETCO.sub.2 and arterial PCO.sub.2 such that the patient's PETCO.sub.2 is a clinically reliable approximation of the patient's PaCO.sub.2.

A pressure support system that comprises a patient circuit, a docking assembly, and a tank. The patient circuit delivers a pressurized flow of breathable gas to a patient. The docking assembly has an inlet and an outlet that is adapted to receive the pressurized flow of breathable gas, and is also adapted to be connected with the patient circuit. The tank is constructed and arranged to be removably connected with the docking assembly, and enables the pressurized flow of breathable gas to pass therethrough. The tank is also adapted to contain a liquid such that a humidity level of the pressurized flow of breathable gas is elevated as the pressurized flow of breathable gas passes therethrough.

Disclosed is a bi-directional exhalation valve useful for many applications such as in CPAP devices. The exhalation valve includes a valve body having a center chamber, side chambers, and bidirectional ports coupled to the center chamber via passages and a mechanism that provides fluid ingress into the bi-directional valve in a first mode of operation or fluid egress from the bi-directional valve in a second mode of operation. Unidirectional ports are coupled to the plurality of bidirectional ports to provide providing fluid egress from the valve in the second mode of operation, and a unidirectional port provides fluid ingress into the bi-directional valve in the first mode of operation. A mechanism including a center paddle, side paddles, and a shaft are arranged in an elongated compartment of the valve body, such that the shaft is pivots and the central and side paddles open and close corresponding ones of the input and output ports.

An elbow (1), for a respiration mask for the artificial respiration of a patient, includes an angular tube (30), which defines a breathing gas duct (10), with a tube port (11) with an inlet opening (12) for connecting a breathing tube (7) and with a mask port (13) with an outlet opening (14) for connecting the respiration mask (9). The elbow also includes an anti-suffocation valve (18) and carbon dioxide expiration openings (19). The elbow (1) is able to be switched, while being able to be handled in a simple manner, in different open and closed states for the anti-suffocation valve (18) and the carbon dioxide expiration openings (19). The elbow (1) includes only one (a single) switching member (20) for activating and deactivating the anti-suffocation valve (18) and the carbon dioxide expiration openings (19).

Disclosed is a manually operable volume-adjustable ventilation device. The device includes a reservoir with an inlet mechanism, an outlet mechanism, and a volume adjuster configured to move a volume adjustment limit of the reservoir and change an expressed maximum volume of the reservoir. The reservoir has a body having a plurality of movable walls defining an enclosed volume. The reservoir has an uncompressed state and a compressed state. The walls of the reservoir are movable with respect to each other, such that moving the walls expresses the volume adjustment limit of the reservoir. The walls can be operably connected by movable structures configured such that two adjacent walls are configured to rotate around substantially orthogonal axes with respect to each other when the reservoir moves from an uncompressed to a compressed state. In some embodiments, the movable structures can be hinges, such as snap-fit assembly hinges. Methods of ventilating a patient that involve the device are also disclosed.

An HME device, used in a closed breathing circuit of a ventilation system, has a housing with an inlet opening and with an outlet opening, an HME chamber (50a; 50b; 50c; 50d; 50e; 50f; 50g; 50h; 50i) arranged between the inlet opening and the outlet opening for receiving an HME medium and a switching mechanism (70a; 70b; 70c; 70d; 70e; 70f; 70g; 70h; 70i). The HME device can be switched over between an HME mode (M1), in which an HME fluid passage is provided from the inlet opening through the HME chamber to the outlet opening, and a bypass mode (M2), in which a fluid bypass passage is provided from the inlet opening past the HME chamber through a bypass channel (80a; 80b; 80d; 80e; 80f; 80h) in the housing to the outlet opening. The bypass channel is blocked with respect to the HME chamber in the bypass mode (M2).