Systems, devices, and methods for maintaining patency in a bronchus of a patient are presented. A catheter is positioned within the bronchus. A target region of one or more of a bronchial wall, submucosa, media, and adventitia is punctured with an injection needle disposed on a distal end of the catheter. Such puncturing is achieved by expanding a balloon disposed on the distal end of the catheter. The balloon may be comprised of at least two materials of different elastic modulus, which allows for a flexible but relatively non-distensible, unfolding component of the balloon as well as an elastomeric, inflatable component of the balloon. Through the injection needle, an amount of one or more crosslinking agents is delivered to the target region. The delivered amount is effective to provide structural support for the bronchial wall, substituting for the bronchial cartilage thereby treating bronchomalacia.

Various embodiments disclosed relate to drug-coated balloon catheters for treating strictures in body lumens and methods of using the same. A drug-coated balloon catheter for delivering a therapeutic agent to a target site of a body lumen stricture includes an elongated balloon having a main diameter. The balloon catheter includes a coating layer overlying an exterior surface of the balloon. The coating layer includes one or more water-soluble additives and an initial drug load of a therapeutic agent.

In some additional aspects, an apparatus for generating nitric oxide (NO) can include one or more pairs of electrodes configured to initiate a series of electric arcs to synthesize a reactant gas into a product gas comprising NO, a sensor configured to measure a flow of a gas in a respiratory system into which the product gas is provided, a controller in communication with the one or more pairs of electrodes and the sensor. The controller is configured to adjust at least one of a pulse width, pulse period, pulse count per pulse group, pulse groups per second, energy generated by the one or more pairs of electrodes, arc frequency, arc current, and a voltage supplied to the one or more pairs of electrodes based on the measured flow to control a concentration of nitric oxide in the product gas.

A system for generating nitric oxide can include an apparatus positioned in a trachea of a mammal, the apparatus including a respiration sensor for collecting information related to one or more triggering events associated with the trachea, an oxygen sensor for collecting information related to a concentration of oxygen in a gas, and one or more pairs of electrodes for initiating a series of electric arcs to generate nitric oxide, and the system for generating nitric oxide can also include a controller for determining one or more control parameters based on the information collected by the respiration sensor and the oxygen sensor, wherein the series of electric arcs is initiated based on the control parameters determined by the controller.

We describe a Tracheal Tube insertion facilitator (modified bougie) with superior ventilating capability to enable medical/paramedical personnel to place tracheal/bronchial tubes reliably in trachea/bronchus of the patients under anaesthesia or patients in respiratory distress, and provide respiratory support. This device is particularly useful in situations where the conventional tracheal intubation technique using a laryngoscope is difficult or near impossible. This device has a outer cylindrical member, inner hollow stylet and a dynamic cuff which inflates during Positive Pressure Ventilation/Jet ventilation, and hence enabling oxygenation in patients with respiratory distress even before the tracheal tube is inserted into the patient's airway.

A nasoendotracheal tube including: a distal end with an atraumatic tapered profile, and a separation region located between the distal end and a proximal end of the nasoendotracheal tube, the separation region to separate under tension causing the distal end to separate from the proximal end.

Various embodiments disclosed relate to drug-coated balloon catheters for treating strictures in body lumens and methods of using the same. A drug-coated balloon catheter for delivering a therapeutic agent to a target site of a body lumen stricture includes an elongated balloon having a main diameter. The balloon catheter includes a coating layer overlying an exterior surface of the balloon. The coating layer includes one or more water-soluble additives and an initial drug load of a therapeutic agent.

A guiding catheter (16) for use with a dilator (17) in a tracheostomy procedure has an elongated stop ring (160) the length of which is at least twice the minimum diameter D of the ring. The patient end (162) of the stop ring (160) makes a smooth transition with the external surface of the guiding catheter (16) and has the same external diameter as that of the catheter. The stop ring (160) tapers along its length so that the diameter at its machine end (163) is greater than at its patient end (162) and is the same as that of the patient end (170) of the dilator (17). In this way, the stop ring (160) makes a smooth transition with the patient end of the dilator (17).

A medical device for the treatment of one or more sleep apnea disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea in a patient is provided. The device includes a scaffolding element positioned about a distal portion of an elongate shaft. The scaffolding element receives a volume of fluid to expand the scaffolding element to exert a force upon a soft palate and/or base of a tongue of a patient. The scaffolding element provides a helical breathing pathway when inserted into an airway of the patient and transitioned to an expanded state.

A cuff pressure management device (10) for a tracheal breathing tube (54) with an inflatable cuff (90), comprises a volume displacement subsystem (36), a pressure transducer (44), a compliance determination circuit (34), and a cuff pressure controller (24). The volume displacement subsystem provides (i) a measured volume of pressurized gas to and from the cuff and (ii) a cuff gas volume signal. The pressure transducer provides a cuff gas pressure signal. The compliance determination circuit is configured to calculate cuff compliance and an estimated tracheal airway compliance based on the gas volume signal and the gas pressure signal. The cuff pressure controller is in controlling communication with the volume displacement subsystem and the compliance determination circuit to maintain cuff pressure based on the calculated cuff compliance.