Video laryngoscope

摘要

A video laryngoscope has a handle and a groove on one side of the handle. The groove is used for guiding a guide wire when the larynogoscope is placed in a patient's mouth. A video camera located near the end of the handle is used to view the area around the glottis. When the guide wire is properly positioned near the glottis, the upper part of the guide wire is disengaged from the groove so as to allow an endotracheal tube to be slipped over the guide wire and to be inserted into part of the trachea through the glottis. When the tube is properly inserted for intubation, the guide wire is removed from the tube. An illuminating light source such as an LED lamp can be installed at the end of the handle to provide illumination for the video camera.

主权项

1. A laryngoscope, comprising:
a handle having a first handle end and a second handle end; a camera disposed on the second handle end, the camera configured to view an area around a glottis; a groove located on one side of the handle, the groove comprising a groove end adjacent to the camera; a guide wire; and a tube dimensioned for slipping over the guide wire, the groove dimensioned for guiding the guide wire through the groove to reach the groove end, the guide wire comprising a first wire end and an opposing second wire end, the second wire end arranged to reach the groove end while the guide wire is engaged in the groove, the groove also dimensioned to allow the guide wire to disengage from the groove so as to allow the tube having a tube end to slip over the guide wire to reach the second wire end while the groove end remains adjacent to the second wire end to allow the camera to view the area around the glottis wherein the groove comprises a breach to allow the guide wire to disengage from the groove and the groove has an elongated cross section, the cross section having a wider side and a narrower side, wherein the wider side having a shape defined by two semi-circles separated by a substantially straight middle section and the shorter side has an opening for providing the breach, and wherein the semi-circles are dimensioned to guide the guide wire.