Sheridan Catheter Corporation

Other

National Catheter Corporation

Tyco Healthcare Group LP

Mallinckrodt, Inc.

The Kendall Company

David S Sheridan

Isaac S Jackson

E David Fink

Anthony N Toppses

Shekhar Nimkar

Ralph D Alley

John S Kline

Gregor Long

Reinhard Frenzer

Michael Frass

The present invention provides an indicator for visually indicating a pressure level of a fluid in a pressure source. The indicator comprises an inflatable body having a notched section with opposing edge portions that are separated by a gap when the inflatable body is in an uninflated condition. The inflatable body further includes a port for connecting the inflatable body to the pressure source whereby upon inflation of the inflatable body, there is relative movement of the opposing edge portions in a direction so as to decrease the size of the gap and thereby indicate that a predetermined pressure has been reached in the pressure source. The indicator is particularly for indicating whether a predetermined pressure has been reached in an inflation cuff of an endotracheal tube.

Visual inflation pressure indicator and surgical tube including the indicator

An airway for both sole esophageal obturator ventilation and for combined endotracheal and esophageal obturator ventilation of a patient. The airway has two lumens one of which has an open distal end and the other of which has a closed distal end. The airway further has an inflatable distal cuff and an inflatable pharyngeal cuff. Communicating with the lumen having the closed distal end is at least one air outlet located in the airway wall between the two inflatable cuffs. To determine the position and orientation of the airway within a patient, the airway is provided with an X-ray opaque stripe that preferably axially extends in the wall, but is interrupted by at least one air outlet between the inflatable cuffs. An X-ray opaque shaft may also be present between the inflatable cuffs and is preferably attached to the wall. The airway may also be provided with monitoring lumens and deflector means in communication with the lumen that has the open distal end. To facilitate fiber optic examination of the patient, some of the air outlets adjacent the pharyngeal cuff may be larger than the other air outlets.

Esophageal-tracheal double lumen airway

A laser resistant endotracheal tube having a laser resistant layer surrounding the tube for at least a portion of the tube length. The laser resistant layer has a plurality of surface irregularities that are spaced from one another in a plurality of directions and which reflectively scatter laser energy. The laser resistant layer can be applied as an adhesive backed tape which has adhesive on only a portion of the width so that when the tape is spirally wrapped around the tube, the adhesive substantially avoids contact with previously wrapped tape. The tube can be provided with an inflatable cuff that is protected from degradation by an adjacent protective collar and the collar and a portion of the laser resistant layer can be covered with a laser resistant collar. The laser resistant layer can be covered by a cut resistant textile. A laser resistant tape, material and article are also disclosed.

Laser resistant endotracheal tube, tape, material and article

A medical-surgical tube having a major lumen defined by an inner periphery of a wall of the tube, an injection lumen within the wall of the tube, and at least one one-way valve in the wall. The valve allows fluid to flow from the injection lumen through an outer or inner periphery of the wall of the tube and prevents return of the fluid back into the injection lumen. The tube can include a plurality of spaced-apart valves. The valve can be a piercing in the wall of the tube which is defined by opposed surfaces resiliently biased against each other and extending from the injection lumen to the outer or inner periphery of the wall of the tube.

Medico-surgical tube including improved means for administering liquid

A reinforced medico-surgical tube comprising a tube of flexible material, a filament helix coaxial with the tube and disposed between inner and outer peripheries of the tube, and a distal end of the tube, the distal end including a straight-cut or angle-cut axial end face disposed at an angle equal to or other than 90.degree. with respect to a central axis of the tube. The filament helix is separated into pieces at the distal end if the tube is angle-cut such that coils of the filament helix are discontinuous with opposite ends of the the coils adjacent the end face of the distal end. The cut filament end in the case of a straight-cut tube or the cut filament ends in the case of an angle-cut tube confront the axial end face and are separated therefrom by a thin layer of flexible material formed by melting the end face, melting a plastic piece onto the end face or by any other suitable method. The end face can be radiused to provide a smooth rounded surface extending between the inner and outer peripheries of the tube at the distal end thereof. One or more eyes can extend between the inner and outer peripheries of the tube at the distal end thereof and one or more secondary lumens can be provided in the tube.

Reinforced medico-surgical tubes

A thoracic catheter is provided with a distal end and a proximal end. The catheter is formed by a tube of flexible material having at least one radial opening at the distal end for draining a body cavity. The proximal end of the tube has a stiffened and sharpened portion whereby pressure applied to the stiffened proximal end from inside the body cavity leads the catheter outwardly through body tissue whereupon the sharpened stiffened proximal end can be severed and the catheter left in situ. The stiffened end is a rigid rod that extends outward of the proximal end of the tube and terminates in the tube short of a cut-off point whereby the tube is severed and the rod and severed proximal end portion is disposed of. The rigid rod may extend a substantial distance inside the tube and be shapable into a grippable shape to assist the user in maneuvering the rod and tube into and through a desired path in the surgical site.

Thoracic catheter

Proximal end connector units, by which medico-surgical tubes may be attached to breathing circuits or like fluid flow devices in a manner that mitigates interference with operations being performed on patients intubated with the MS tubes, comprising a straight, rigid, cylindrical distal end portion, a straight, rigid, cylindrical proximal end portion, a central tubular portion joining the distal end portion to the proximal end portion, the central tubular portion being bendable in an arc of at least 180.degree. without diminution of its effective lumen, such proximal end portion, distal end portion and central tubular portion all being integral and formed of the same thin, plastic material, the central tubular portion comprising a plurality of circumferential, angular segments each consisting of a pair of sides that are of unequal length, the central tubular portion being compressed lengthwise by having the shorter side in each segment folded back under its longer side.

Flexible connectors for medico-surgical tubes

Thoracic catheters to be implanted in the chest or other body portion of a patient by withdrawal of the proximal end through a secondary incision at a suitable site are improved by having a tapered proximal end portion thereon which has a smoothly contoured nose through which a small lumen extends that permits the surgeon to securely grasp the catheter with a Kelly clamp by having one jaw of the clamp inside the nose lumen and the other jaw on the outside of the nose.

Thoracic catheters

Conventional endotracheal tubes are provided with improved proximal end connector units by which the endo tubes may be attached to breathing equipment or like fluid flow devices in a manner that mitigates interference with operations being performed on patients intubated with the endo tubes, such units comprising a straight, rigid, cylindrical distal end portion, a straight, rigid, cylindrical proximal end portion, a central tubular portion joining the distal end portion to the proximal end portion, the central tubular portion being bendable in an arc of at least 180.degree. without any substantial diminution of its effective lumen, such proximal end portion, distal end portion and central tubular portion all being integral and formed of the same thin, plastic material, the central tubular portion comprising a plurality of circumferential, angular segments each consisting of a pair of sides that are of unequal length, the central tubular portion being compressed lengthwise by having the shorter side in each segment folded back under its longer side.

Endotracheal tubes with improved proximal end connector units

The distal ends of plastic catheters are finished to form smoothly rounded tips by forcing the distal ends into a heated cup-like mold and at the same time applying suction to the central lumen of the catheter either via the proximal end of the lumen or via a raised central portion of the mold.

Catheter distal end finishing method

Urinary evagination catheters comprising a rigid tube and a flexible invaginated hose are provided with a novel stopper arrangement in the ported distal end of the hose that remains closed until the hose is fully everted from the tube at which point it automatically opens to permit fluid flow through the catheter. This eliminates the need for a push rod or the like to evert the hose and permits it to be everted simply by fluid pressure applied to the proximal end of the catheter. Methods for producing the new catheters are described.

Evagination catheters

A stylet for use in intubating an endotracheal tube, catheter or like medico-surgical tube comprises a bendable metal rod hermetically sealed in a tubular plastic sheath so the rod is closely encircled by the sheath, but so the two can flex longitudinally independently of each other. The ends of the sheath are molded in a smoothly rounded closed shape and it has a frosted finish on its external surface.

Intubation stylets

Tracheostomy tubes are provided with means that permits them to be held firmly in proper position upon a person on whom the device is installed. Such means comprises a fixed flange member, a slideable flange member and a plurality of slideable and separately removeable ring members positioned between the fixed and slideable flange members.

Growing community of inventors

Argyle, NY, United States of America

David S Sheridan