Smiths Industries Public Limited Company

Smiths Group Plc

Smiths Industries Plc

Smiths Industries Public Limited

Smiths Medical International Limited

Eric Pagan

Simon Neame

Timothy Bateman

John Edward Nash

Stephen James Field

Giles Andrew Bishop

Robert James Burchell

Alan Neame Simon

Mohammad Qassim Mohammad Khasawneh

Andrew James Lee

Steven Mark Tupper

Christopher Geoffrey McCord

Jonathan Mcneil Flint

A respiratory valve assembly (), such as in a manual resuscitator, has a carbon dioxide color change indicator element () in a disc shape housing () arranged to clip onto a grove () on the valve assembly. Expiratory and inspiratory gas is supplied to the housing via two flexible tubes () and () extending side-by-side from the valve assembly () to the indicator housing () so that the indicator can be undipped from the valve and repositioned if desired.

Detectors

An HME for a tracheostomy tube has a flexible outer housing of a gas-permeable material containing an HME element of discrete particles, granules or the like of a hygroscopic material. The particles are contained between the outer housing and an inner wall of a foam. The inner wall has a ciliated surface facing the end of the tube, which acts to distribute gas over the surface of the HME element. The HME is attached to a flange on an inner cannula by means of a removable adhesive. The HME may include a suction port through a self-closing aperture, which makes a wiping seal with a suction catheter inserted in the tube.

Gas-treatment devices

A face mask comprises a sealing collar () extending around the mouth with a shelf () extending under the nose supporting a gel insert () that makes sealing contact between the nostrils and a passage () through the shelf. A curved, rigid window () is a push fit in a central opening () of the collar () and has a gas inlet () attached with it so that the window can be removed or connected with the sealing collar as necessary. The collar () supported on the head by a harness () having two triangular portions () on opposite sides encircling respective ears.

Mask apparatus

A ventilation device has a flexible adhesive sheet that can be sealed around the patient's nose and mouth. A fitting extending through the sheet in the region of the mouth enables the patient to be ventilated by means of a vent tube inserted through the fitting.

Patient ventilation devices

A squeeze bag resuscitator has a flow diverter push fitted onto its exhaust outlet in any desired orientation. The diverter has a color change carbon dioxide indicator strip fixed to the inside surface of a transparent deflector plate. The indicator is protected from light externally by an opaque elastomeric strip attached by engaging surface formations to the outside of the plate. The indicator is also protected on the interior of the plate by an opaque strip, which projects from the diverter so that it can be removed by pulling on the free end.

Resuscitators, parts and assemblies

The mask of a laryngeal mask assembly has a mount and an integral cuff at the patient end of a tube. The mount is of a thermoplastic material and the cuff is made by blow moulding from the material of the mount. A separate retaining plate seals an edge of the cuff with the mount and traps an inflation tube extending from the cuff to the inflation line of the tube.

Laryngeal mask airways and their manufacture

A guide for an endotracheal tube has an outer sheath of a flexible plastics within which is embedded a bendable rod. The rod is of a metal, such as a copper-plated, zinc-iron alloy and is crimped with a series of indentations along opposite sides so as to give it a preferential plane of bending including the center lines of the indentations. The sheath is a hollow tube opening at both ends through hollow plugs.

Medical tube assemblies

An indicator for detecting correct intubation of an endotracheal tube has a paper color-change element attached to a frame that is removably secured in a transparent connector in the machine end of the tube. A handle on the frame extends along the outside of the connector so that the indicator can be removed from the machine end of the connector by pulling the handle. The indicator prevents another connector being attached to the connector in the tube until after the indicator has been removed.

Respiration assemblies and indicators

A tracheostomy tube obturator has a patient end nose protruding from the patient end of the tube. A passage for a guide wire extends through the nose of the obturator at an angle to its axis. The aperture through which the passage opens at the patient end of the obturator lies on a plane extending at right angles to the passage and inclined away from the normal to the axis of the nose by about 8&deg;.

Introducers and tube assemblies

Mask formations of a laryngeal mask airway are made from two tracks of sheet plastics material. Each sheet track comprises two layers sandwiching ring-shape reinforcements between them. A station along each track pressure-vacuum forms the regions of the reinforcements into cuff members. The two tracks come together and the cuff members are joined to opposite sides of mount members to complete the mask formations.

Laryngeal masks and manufacture

A laryngeal mask assembly has an elliptical mask portion at the patient end of a tube. The mask portion has a mount attached to the tube and a cuff extending around the periphery of the mount. The patient end of the tube opens into the center of the mount, which has three lateral ribs projecting forwardly and extending parallel and spaced from one another. The forward end of the ribs have a concave profile with rounded projections at each end. The ribs act to hold the epiglottis away from the tube opening during insertion of the assembly and to provide an air passage into the tube.

Laryngeal mask assemblies

An endotracheal tube has an inflatable cuff at its patient end enclosing a plate of generally triangular shape projecting forwardly of the patient end of the tube. When deflated, the cuff conforms to the external shape of the plate.

Cuffed tube assemblies

An endotracheal tube has a wall of PVC and a reinforcement filament of a harder plastics wound with a canted helical form so that adjacent turns of the filament slope at angles of 70.degree. and 80.degree. respectively in the plane of curvature of the tube.

Helically-reinforced tubes

The mask portion at the patient end of a laryngeal mask assembly is formed by a mount member having an outwardly projecting, oval plate and by two separate semi-annular cuffs bonded to opposite sides of the plate. An inflation lumen opens into one cuff, the plate having several holes through it so that the inflation fluid flows also to the other cuff.

A laryngeal mask assembly has a tubular shaft with a mask portion formed by a resilient skirt towards its patient end, which seals with tissue in the region of the hypopharynx. An inflatable cuff, with several annular reinforcing members, projects axially at the patient end of the assembly into the laryngeal inlet. Towards its patient end, the cuff has a flap that normally closes the passage through the cuff and prevents entry of the epiglottis. A pull cord attached with the flap enables the flap to be pulled to one side, deflecting the epiglottis and opening the passage through the cuff.

Growing community of inventors

Hythe, United Kingdom

Eric Pagan