US-12623042-B2 - Endotracheal tube relief valve

US12623042B2US 12623042 B2US12623042 B2US 12623042B2US-12623042-B2

Abstract

A non-ventilator ET tube cap used to oxygenate a patient during an intubation procedure. The ET tube cap generally comprises an oxygen source connector configured to connect to an oxygen source via an oxygen tube. This provides oxygen to a patient via an ET tube while being intubated. The ET tube cap further includes an ET tube receiving aperture that is specifically arranged to engage an ET tube in a removable relationship prior to the ET tube connected to a ventilator while the ET tube is deployed in a patient. Optionally, the ET tube cap can comprise at least two pressure relief valves that open when pressure inside of the ET tube cap exceeds a predetermined pressure threshold to prevent harm to the patient that is being intubated.

Inventors

Chris Salvino
Keir Hart
Frederick Austin

Assignees

Chris Salvino
Keir Hart
Frederick Austin

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20220919

Claims (9)

1 . A method comprising: providing an endotracheal (ET) tube cap that comprises: a tubular housing defined by a cylindrical wall that extends between a first end and a second end, wherein a closed top surface covers the first end, an ET tube receiving aperture at the second end is configured to receive an ET tube, the cylindrical wall defining a cylinder interior surface and a cylinder exterior surface, the cylindrical wall further defining a cylinder interior volume bounded by the cylinder interior surface from the first end to the second end, the closed top surface permanently blocking all access to the interior volume from the first end, wherein access points to the interior volume through the cylindrical wall consist of a first element, a second element and a third element, all of which extend from the cylinder exterior surface, wherein the first element is an intake tube comprising an unobstructed passageway between a proximal tube end and a distal tube end; and the second element is a first pressure relief valve and the third element is a second pressure relief valve, the first and the second pressure relief valves are configured to open when pressure inside of the ET tube cap exceeds a predetermined pressure threshold; inserting the ET tube into the ET tube receiving aperture; flowing oxygen through the ET tube from an oxygen source connected to the intake tube; intubating a patient while the oxygen is flowing through the ET tube; and replacing the ET tube cap with a ventilator connector that connects the ET tube to a ventilator.
2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the first and the second pressure relief valves opening and producing an audible alarm.
3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the audible alarm is a whistle created by air flowing through slits in the first and the second pressure relief valves.
4 . A method comprising: providing an endotracheal (ET) tube cap that comprises: a housing extending from a top end to bottom end where an ET tube receiving aperture is located, the ET tube receiving aperture is configured to receive an ET tube, a closed surface covers the top end, the housing is tubular and defines an interior surface and an exterior surface, the housing further defining an interior volume bounded by the interior surface from the top end to the bottom end, wherein access points to the interior volume through the housing consist of a first pressure relief valve, a second pressure relief valve, the ET tube receiving aperture and an intake tube, the intake tube extends from the exterior surface and comprises an unobstructed passageway between a proximal tube end and a distal tube end; and wherein the first and the second pressure relief valves are configured to open when pressure inside of the ET tube cap exceeds a predetermined pressure threshold; inserting an ET tube into the ET tube receiving aperture; flowing oxygen through the ET tube from an oxygen source connected to the intake tube; intubating a patient while the oxygen is flowing through the ET tube; and replacing the ET tube cap with a ventilator cap that connects the ET tube to a ventilator.
5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein a laryngoscope blade is used during the intubating step.
6 . An endotracheal (ET) tube arrangement comprising: an ET tube; an ET tube cap for connecting the ET tube to a pressurized oxygen source, wherein the pressurized oxygen source is configured to flow oxygen through the ET tube cap and out from a distal end of the ET tube; a ventilator cap for replacing the ET tube cap on the ET tube for alternatively connecting the ET tube to a ventilator; the ET tube cap comprising: a housing that extends from a first end to a second end comprising an ET tube receiving aperture that is configured to receive the ET tube, the housing defining an interior surface and an exterior surface, the housing further defining an interior volume bounded by the cylinder interior surface from the first end to the second end, wherein access points of the housing consists of four access points to the interior volume through the housing, the four access points consist of a first pressure relief valve, a second pressure relief valve, the ET tube receiving aperture and an intake tube that extends from the exterior surface, and wherein the intake tube comprises an unobstructed passageway between a proximal tube end and a distal tube end.
7 . The ET tube arrangement of claim 6 , wherein the housing is tubular.
8 . The ET tube arrangement of claim 6 , wherein the first end is a closed surface.
9 . The ET tube arrangement of claim 6 , wherein the first and the second pressure relief valves are configured to produce an audible alarm when the first and the second pressure relief valves open.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This continuation-in-part application which claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/724,465 entitled: Endotracheal Tube Assembly, filed on Apr. 19, 2022, which claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/986,666 entitled: Endotracheal Tube Assembly, filed on Aug. 6, 2020, which claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/883,335 entitled: Endotracheal Tube Assembly, filed on Aug. 6, 2019. FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present embodiments are directed to a multipurpose endotracheal tube that improves deployment in a patient and long-term comfort to the patient. DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART Whether for trauma, serious illness or surgery with a general anesthetic, endotracheal tubes are a common device for providing oxygen to people in distress. An endotracheal tube is a flexible plastic tube that threads into a person's windpipe (trachea) to assist the person in breathing. Typically, once deployed in a person, endotracheal tubes connect to a ventilator to deliver oxygen to their lungs. Endotracheal tubes come in a number of different sizes ranging from 2.0 mm to 10.5 mm in diameter. Typically, most women use a 6.0-7.5 mm diameter tube and most men use a 7.0-9 mm tube. The outer diameter dictates the tube size and an inflatable balloon/cuff near the end of the endotracheal tube varies in volume and diameter, depending on the patient's anatomy. Presently, a single sized inflatable cuff is deployed between a patient's lungs and vocal cords (and more specifically below the vocal cords). An endotracheal tube is sized for a patient based on the space between the vocal cords, which in men is typically larger than in women. Choosing an endotracheal tube size (diameter) is based on experience and guess work. The inflatable cuff retains the endotracheal tube (ET tube) in a patient, once deployed, and helps prevent regurgitation from entering the patient's lungs. In emergency situations while in an operating room doctors have to guess of the right size ET tube, which is generally chosen based on age and body weight. During an intubation procedure (where a patient is actively having an endotracheal inserted down their trachea), medical personnel sometimes have trouble positioning the end of the endotracheal tube in the right position through a patient's vocal cords. Accordingly, excess time in deploying an ET tube jeopardizes the safety of an already oxygen deprived (not breathing) patient. Nonetheless, once the patient is intubated (the activity of having an ET tube deployed), the ET tube is connected to a ventilator which feeds oxygen to the patient. Though patients can be intubated for short periods of time, such as during surgery when they are under anesthesia and temporarily paralyzed, some very ill patients are intubated for prolonged periods of time, such as weeks. Prolonged intubation can harm people's vocal cords in addition to causing other problems. It is to innovations related to this subject matter that the embodiments invention is generally directed. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present embodiments are directed to multipurpose endotracheal tubes, that among other benefits improve deployment in a patient, improves oxygenation to the patient upon deployment and further improves long-term comfort. Certain embodiments of the present invention contemplate an endotracheal tube comprising: a main flexible hollow endotracheal tube that extends in a constant tube diameter from a proximal endotracheal tube end, defined by an inlet port, to a transition zone; a tip that extends from the transition zone to a distal endotracheal tube end defined by an outlet port; an uninterrupted pathway extending between the inlet port and the outlet port; and at least one tip side aperture in the tip between the transition zone and the outlet port, the at least one tip side aperture in communication with the uninterrupted pathway, the tip possessing a tip diameter that is at least 20% smaller than the constant tube diameter. Yet other certain embodiments of the present invention contemplate an endotracheal tube comprising: a tip that extends from a flexible hollow endotracheal tube, the flexible hollow endotracheal tube having a constant tube outer diameter, the tip tapering from the constant tube outer diameter to a tip outer diameter that is less than 10% smaller than the constant tube outer diameter; an uninterrupted pathway extending between an inlet port located at a proximal end of the a flexible hollow endotracheal tube and an outlet port located at a distal end of the tip; and at least two tip side apertures defined by apertures in a side of the tip between the constant outer tube diameter and the outlet port, the tip side apertures in communication with the uninterrupted pathway. While other certain embodiments of the present invention contemplate an endotracheal tube apparatus comprising: a