| 摘要 |
This invention is an artificial airway device used to facilitate lung ventilation in an unconscious patient; and methods for using and inserting an artificial airway device. The device includes a curved but flexible airway tube, and mask portion. A mask opening portion is shaped so as to fit closely over the laryngeal openin. A seating tip includes a series of thin, flexible fins which project from a finger portion extending from the mask opening portion. The fins seat against the pharyngeal side of the cricoid, just above the esophagus. The mask portion can be anchored against a relatively hard surface without causing damage to delicate tissue in the esophagus. The tip provides a reference during insertion which ensures that the mask portion is properly in place, and adequately anchored. The airway also includes an inflatable cuff used to anchor the artificial airway in place. During insertion, the seating tip is fed into the pharynx adjacent the cricoid. When resistance is felt due to interaction between the tip and the cricoid, insertion is halted. The artificial airway is then pulled back slightly to lift the epiglottis away from the mask opening and so that the cuff is just behind the uvula. The cuff is then inflated. The patient may then be ventilated. |
