POSITION INDICATOR FOR TRACHEOSTOMY TUBE.

摘要

There is provided an improved tracheostomy tube having a proximal section over-molded by a distal section, where the sections have a differential in the degree of radio-opacity. The radio-opaque material allows a medical professional to determine the location of the tube in the trachea non-invasively, using an x-ray or similar device. In addition, aligning the top (proximal end) of the balloon with the transition between the distal and proximal sections of the tube allows a medical professional to know the exact location of the balloon. The length of the proximal section may be set so that the balloon is place in a pre-determined position so that the transition point between the distal and proximal sections may be used as a position indicator.