ENDOTRACHEAL CUFF AND TECHNIQUE FOR USING THE SAME

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an endotracheal cuff and technique for using the same.SOLUTION: An inflatable balloon cuff (12) may be adapted to seal a patient's trachea when associated with an endotracheal tube (16). Configurations of these cuffs (12) that include tapered regions with certain characteristics, such as the diameter and thickness of a cuff wall (24), may provide improved sealing of the trachea. There is provided an inflatable balloon cuff that includes a proximal opening and a distal opening in a wall of the balloon cuff; and a tapered section along at least 50% of the length along an axis of the inflated balloon cuff.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1