The present disclosure provides systems and methods for nitric oxide (NO) generation and/or delivery. In some aspects, a nitric oxide generation system comprises a plasma chamber configured to ionize a reactant gas including nitrogen and oxygen to form a product gas that includes NO, a scrubber downstream from the plasma chamber and having a volume at least partially containing NO.sub.2 scrubbing material, and a flow controller downstream of the scrubber configured to control the flow of product gas from the scrubber to a delivery device. A pump is configured to convey product gas from the plasma chamber into the scrubber and is configured to pressurize the product gas in the scrubber when the flow controller is positioned to restrict the flow of product gas from the scrubber. The pressurized product gas accumulates within the scrubber and is at least partially scrubbed of NO.sub.2 prior to passage through the flow controller.

The disclosure relates to an airway maintenance device, such as an endotracheal tube, tracheostomy tube, or supraglottic airway device, and in particular to an airway maintenance device having a sensor for measuring capillary blood flow and/or pressure. The device includes an airway maintenance device with an airway lumen having a proximal end and a distal end, a distal end portion incorporating an optical sensor configured to measure capillary blood flow in tissue surrounding the distal end when in position within a patient's airway. The optical sensor may include a portion of an optical fibre extending to the distal end portion along the lumen.

The invention is directed to a device for the sealing occlusion and/or for the space-filling tamponade of hollow organs or other cavities in the human body, comprising a preferably fully and residually formed balloon (2) which applies a sealing pressure that is as constant as possible to the wall of the organ to be occluded or tamponaded. The device comprises an isobarically acting regulator (3) for the filling pressure within the interior of the balloon, the regulator having a volume reservoir (3) situated extracorporeally outside of the body, and a feed line (6) for communicatively connecting the extracorporeal volume reservoir of the regulator to the interior of the balloon. The connecting feed line between the balloon and the regulator has a flow-directing one-way valve (26) that prevents backflow from the balloon to the volume reservoir of the regulator, while a nonflow-directing throttle element (27) is provided which allows a slow volume compensation between the balloon and the volume reservoir.

A paediatric tracheostomy tube (1) has a protector (50) covering the cuff inflation indicator (37) to prevent damage to the inflation indicator caused by the patient chewing or biting it. The protector is in two parts: a base (52) extending around the open machine end (40) of the indicator and through which the inflation valve can be accessed, and a transparent sleeve (60) extending around the inflation balloon (38) and through which the balloon is visible. The sleeve has a small opening (65) at its patient end opening to a longitudinal slot (66) along one side so that the sleeve can be assembled on the inflation line (31) by threading the inflation line sideway through the slot.

A system for artificial ventilation including a convertible ventilator circuit having at least one inspiratory filter and at least one expiratory filter. The convertible ventilator circuit compatible with and configured to be used with either a manual ventilator or a mechanical ventilator. The convertible ventilator circuit configured to convert between manual ventilation use and mechanical ventilation use. The system including a patient manifold having one or more sensor ports and a data acquisition unit having one or more sensors configured to interface with the one or more sensor ports of the patient manifold. The data acquisition unit configured to receive electronic data associated with transmission of respiratory gases through the convertible ventilator circuit.

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.

The invention refers to a device and a method for the dynamically sealing intubation of a hollow organ, comprising or using a tube in the form of a shaft that can be inserted into the hollow organ, with a primary lumen to provide access through or to the hollow organ in question, and comprising an intracorporeal sealing balloon, which surrounds a distal region of the shaft of said tube in the manner of a cuff for the purpose of sealing it against the hollow organ, wherein one or more secondary lumens for filling said intracorporeal sealing balloon are integrated into the wall of at least a proximal region of said shaft, wherein, within each cross-sectional plane that is intersected perpendicularly by the local longitudinal direction of the device, the following applies for the overall interior cross-section Q1 of the primary lumen and the sum Q2 of the interior cross-sections of all secondary lumens:

Q2/(Q1+Q2)≥0.06,

wherein at an extracorporeal filling tube, which communicates with all secondary lumens, a control device is provided in order to keep the pressure within the intracorporeal sealing balloon nearly constant in such a way that a) when the volume of the hollow organ increases, a corresponding amount of the filling medium is forced to flow into the intracorporeal sealing tube in order to increase the volume of the intracorporeal sealing tube accordingly, and b) when the volume of the hollow organ decreases, a corresponding amount of the filling medium is allowed to flow out of the intracorporeal sealing tube in order to decrease the volume of the intracorporeal sealing tube accordingly.

Inflation devices configured to communicate with remote displays are disclosed herein. Kits including such inflation devices with portable display devices are also disclosed herein. Methods of remotely displaying pressure data from a medical device are also disclosed herein. Devices, kits, and methods of connecting medical devices to remote displays and transferring information to or from linked computers are also disclosed.

A speech valve to be connected to a respiration opening of a tracheostomy tube includes: a passage portion communicating with the respiration opening; a balloon disposed within the passage portion, and configured to deform from a shrink state, in which the passage portion is opened, to a bloat state, in which at least a part of the passage portion is closed so as to inhibit discharging of exhaled air through the passage portion; an automatic pump switching between supplying and stopping in accordance with an operation of an operation unit, and continuously supplying air to the balloon when supplying; and a coupling tube connecting the automatic pump and the balloon.

A cuff pressure stabilizer includes a substantially rigid protective housing and a balloon disposed therein. The balloon has a base low pressure of 10 cm H2O when it contains a base low-pressure volume of air. When the balloon contains a first medium-pressure volume of air, the balloon has a first medium pressure of 25 cm H2O. When the balloon contains a second medium-pressure volume of air, the balloon has a second medium pressure of 40 cm H2O, and at least 20% of an outer surface of the balloon touches a portion of the inner surface of the housing. The second medium-pressure volume of air equals the base low-pressure volume of air plus a second incremental quantity of air that is less than 60 cc. Other embodiments are also described.