Ballard Medical Products, Inc.

Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

V Roland Smith

Edward B Madsen

Chet M Crump

David M Cise

Rick D Lorenzen

An improved respiratory suction apparatus&mdash;catheter includes a manifold for attachment to the distal hub of an endotracheal tube to form a respiration circuit, a catheter tube which is displaceable through the manifold and into the endotracheal tube to suction secretions from the tube and lungs, and a valve mechanism disposed adjacent the respiration circuit to minimize the draw of air from the respiration circuit of a patient while the catheter is being cleaned. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the catheter is cleaned more thoroughly than in the prior art while simultaneously drawing little or no air from the patient's respiration circuit.

Respiratory suction catherer apparatus

A flexible multiple port adaptor has an adaptor body which includes a distal portion defining a distal channel and a proximal portion defining a first proximal channel and a second proximal channel. As least one of the first and second proximal channels is normally disposed out of alignment with the distal channel. However, because the adaptor body is flexible, the adaptor body may be manipulated so that channel(s) which are out of alignment with the distal channel may be placed into alignment with the distal channel so that a medical instrument can be advanced through the channels without bending the medical instrument.

Flexible multiple port adaptor

An improved respiratory suction apparatus catheter includes a manifold for attachment to the distal hub of an endotracheal tube to form a ventilation circuit, a catheter tube which is displaceable through the manifold and into the endotracheal tube to suction secretions from the tube and lungs, and a valve mechanism disposed adjacent the ventilation circuit to minimize the draw of air from the ventilation circuit of a patient while the catheter is being cleaned. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the catheter is cleaned more thoroughly than in the prior art while simultaneously drawing little or no air from the patient's ventilation circuit.

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Salt Lake City, UT, United States of America

V Roland Smith