The invention provides a save and non-invasive alternative to the traditional modified Evans blue dye test for dysphagia in intubated patients. The method employs direct application of dye to the tongue, in combination with a tracheal tube that provides suction in the subglottal region above the cuff. By keeping the cuff inflated, the aspiration of food and liquid, as used in the traditional test, is avoided entirely.

A tracheal tube apparatus includes a cannula having first and second ends. An inflatable cuff is formed on the cannula between the first and second ends. A conduit extends from the cuff for introducing an inflating fluid into the cuff when it is desired to inflate the cuff and removing inflating fluid from the cuff when it is desired to deflate the cuff. A gauge for indicating the inflation pressure of the cuff is coupled in the conduit.

A method includes blocking a posterior opening of a nasal cavity of a patient and delivering a medical fluid through a catheter to a sphenopalatine ganglion of the patient after blocking the posterior opening of the nasal cavity.

Disclosed herein is a tracheal tube including a tube main body and a cuff that is mounted to the tube main body and has a barrel portion capable of being deflated and inflated. A covering region that covers a tracheal inner wall of a trachea in a state in which the barrel portion is inflated in the trachea has a contact part that gets contact with the tracheal inner wall and a wrinkle part that does not get contact with the tracheal inner wall, and the wrinkle part includes a first wrinkle and a second wrinkle that extends in a direction intersecting a predetermined part of the first wrinkle and has a termination part that does not intersect the predetermined part and terminates at such a position as to sandwich the contact part with the predetermined part.

The invention provides devices and systems that help deliver agents of interest, such as therapeutic agents (e.g., nucleic acid vectors) to cells of hollow tissues, such as lung. Also provided herein are methods of using such devices, including methods of treating diseases by delivering therapeutic agents to hollow tissues.

A sputum suction structure includes an insertion tube, a suction pad and a suction tube. The insertion tube includes an insertion section, a connection section, and a cuff. The suction pad is located on the upper edge of the cuff and encloses part of the insertion section. The suction pad includes a coupling part and a suction part. The coupling part is attached to the insertion section and has a sputum suction port. The suction part includes a side suction opening. One end of the suction tube is inserted in the sputum suction port, and the other end protrudes from the outer side of the movable baffle to facilitate the removal of sputum above the cuff.

Provided is a cuff having a trunk portion capable of deflation and inflation. The trunk portion in a state of the inflation is rotationally symmetric with respect to a prescribed axis and has a tapered part whose diameter gradually increases centering at the prescribed axis as it goes from one end side towards the other end side of the prescribed axis. An angle made by the prescribed axis and the tapered part is greater than or equal to 10 and less than or equal to 12. A wrinkle area ratio as a ratio between a wrinkle area of a part of the trunk portion where wrinkles form and a contact area of a part of the trunk portion contacting an inner wall of a trachea in a state in which the trunk portion is inflated in the trachea is less than or equal to 4.4%.

There is provided a tracheal tube that allows improvement in safety. The tracheal tube includes a tube main body, and a cuff that is mounted to the tube main body and has a barrel portion capable of being deflated and inflated. A covering region that covers a tracheal inner wall of a trachea in a state in which the barrel portion is inflated in the trachea has a sealing part that gets contact with the tracheal inner wall seamlessly in a circumferential direction of the barrel portion. The width of at least part of the sealing part is smaller than 1 mm.

An endotracheal tube comprises a main lumen for delivering a breathing gas into a lung of a patient, and a cuff, mounted at a distal end of the endotracheal tube, to be located in the subglottal region of the patient. The endotracheal tube also comprises a cuff inflation lumen for inflating the cuff, and at least three additional lumens, other than the main lumen and the cuff inflation lumen, configured for delivering liquid to the subglottal region, for suctioning liquid from the subglottal region, and for venting the subglottal region.

A device for delivering a substance to an airway of a patient may include a laryngeal mask airway device, at least one substance delivery reservoir coupled with the laryngeal mask airway device for delivering the substance to the airway of the patient, and at least one conduit coupled with the laryngeal mask airway. The at least one conduit may have a proximal end configured to couple with a source of the substance residing outside the patient and a distal end in fluid communication with the at least one substance delivery reservoir.