| 摘要 |
Apparatus and method for securing an airway of a patient using gas capnography. Multiple gas-aspirating conduits are included upon a flexible and steerable tube or stylet. The conduits transport gases including carbon dioxide (CO2) exhaled from the airway (trachea) of a patient. The concentration or strength of the CO2 transported through each conduit is analyzed and converted into a graphic display (capnograms) on the monitor of a personal computer. When the stylet is in the main stream of the gas path emitting from the patient's trachea, the CO2 reading for the capnograms relative to each conduit will be substantially equal. Manipulating the flexible stylet to maintain substantial identity of the capnograms provides a guide to the location of the patient's trachea. Once the stylet is guided into the trachea, an endotracheal tube can be slipped over the stylet in the usual manner and intubation thereafter accomplished to gain control of the patient's airway. |
