A tube protective sheath or tip is provided for use with a nasal RAE tube in order to minimize bleeding and trauma often associated with passage of a nasal RAE tube through the nasal cavity. The tube protective sheath or tip includes a hollow cylindrical portion that extends and fits snugly over the tube tip of the nasal RAE tube. A tapered, pointed, or rounded distal portion is connected to the hollow cylindrical portion. As the nasal RAE tube is inserted through the patient's nasal cavity, the nasal RAE tube protective sheath or tip spreads the passages gently and smoothly, allowing the nasal RAE tube to follow it into the pharynx. Strings or extensions are attached to the tube protective sheath or tip and are used to prevent loss of the protective tip in the patient's nasal cavity, pharynx, or trachea during the intubation process.

An endotracheal tube that is particularly useful for surgical operations on a patient's lower face. The endotracheal tube comprises a swivel segment and a laryngeal segment that are rotatably joined. To facilitate relocation of the endotracheal tube during surgery, the swivel segment can be swiveled in relation to the laryngeal segment. To allow instruments to be inserted, the swivel segment has a lumen access port that opens into the lumen of the swivel segment. The laryngeal segment may have a reinforced portion to prevent occlusion or damage by the patient biting. Also disclosed are methods for performing surgery on a patient's face using the endotracheal tube and methods of intubating a patient's airway using the endotracheal tube.

A cricothyrotomy apparatus includes a frame, a protuberance, and a blade member. The frame includes a blade guide. The protuberance extends in a first direction from the frame, and is located at a distance from the blade guide that corresponds to the distance between a sternal notch of an adult human and an anterior cricothyroid membrane of the adult human. The protuberance is sized and configured to be at least partly received by a sternal notch of an adult human. The blade member is slideably disposed in the blade guide.

An endotracheal tube is disclosed that allows a patient to speak while intubated. The endotracheal tube includes a balloon for seating against the trachea and a collapsible portion proximal to the balloon that aligns with the vocal cords. The collapsible portion may be held open by an inner tube which translates within the endotracheal tube. Suction and balloon inflation conduits span the collapsible portion so that suction and balloon inflation may be performed while the patient is speaking. A small distal tube that bypasses the balloon provides some airflow while the patient speaks.

An attachment for a tracheal cannula, the attachment surrounding a cavity, the attachment being open both in a coupling area of the attachment as well as in an orifice area of the attachment, differing in location from the coupling area, for providing an access to the cavity, the attachment having in the coupling area a latching formation, which is designed for the releasable connection to a mating latching formation of the tracheal cannula, the coupling area surrounding a section of the cavity, the section of the cavity surrounded by the coupling area being centrally penetrated by a virtual coupling axis, the coupling axis defining an axial direction along its path, defining a plurality of radial directions orthogonally to its path and defining a circumferential direction running around it, the coupling area having at least one support section, on which the latching formation and a force application area are situated in such a way that by exerting an actuating force on the force application area in the radial direction toward the coupling axis, the support section is displaceable between two positions of different radial distance of the latching formation situated on the support section from the coupling axis; the force application area and the latching formation displaceable by an exertion of force on the force application area of the same support section are situated along the coupling axis at an axial distance from each other.

A capnography system includes a CO.sub.2 sensing system having a CO.sub.2 sensor configured to measure a CO.sub.2 concentration in exhaled breath of a subject, a processor configured to derive one or more breath related parameters based on the measured CO.sub.2 concentration, and a communication unit. The capnography system includes a tubing system configured to allow flow of respiratory gasses therethrough. The tubing system includes a connector configured to connect the tubing system to the CO.sub.2 sensing system and a communication component configured to provide an indication of a type of the tubing system to the communication unit. The communication unit is configured to transfer data to the processor based on the indication obtained from the communication component, and the processor is configured to change or suggest a change of an operation mode of the CO.sub.2 sensing system based on the data.

Medical devices which are compatible with a camera for ventilating, intubating, and extubating a patient under continuous visualization. Methods for ventilating, intubating and extubating a patient with the medical devices.

An expandable inter-vivos tube that allows for the use in medical procedures while limiting known complications arising from conventional inter-vivos tubes is presented, wherein the expandable inter-vivos tube comprises a slit formed longitudinally within a tube and a plurality of nipples extending from an outer surface of the tube that are insertable within a corresponding one of a plurality of slides within an outer slidable element that is slidable within the slit. A position of the nipples within the slots causes a distance between the edges of the to increase; thus, increasing a circumference of the inter-vivos tube as the outer element is slide from a proximal end of the tube element to a distal end of the tube.

A method of reducing the risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia by decontaminating the oropharynx using a safe, antimicrobial light-emitting device.

Devices and methods for allowing for improved assisted ventilation of a patient. The methods and devices provide a number of benefits over conventional approaches for assisted ventilation. For example, the methods and devices described herein permit blind insertion of a device that can allow ventilation regardless of whether the device is positioned within a trachea or an esophagus. In addition, the methods and device allow for timed delivery of ventilations based on a condition of a thoracic cavity to increase the amount and efficiency of blood flow during a resuscitation procedure.