US 12,239,787 B2
Apparatus for enabling blind endotracheal tube or guide wire insertion into the trachea
Robert Michael Meadows, San Antonio, TX (US); Rocco Carl Conca, Raleigh, NC (US); and Uriah Shane Popp, Havre de Grace, MD (US)
Assigned to AIRWAY MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS, LLC, Raleigh, NC (US)
Filed by AIRWAY MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS, LLC, Raleigh, NC (US)
Filed on May 1, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/141,894.
Application 18/141,894 is a continuation of application No. 16/826,161, filed on Mar. 20, 2020, granted, now 11,638,797.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/822,041, filed on Mar. 21, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2024/0115825 A1, Apr. 11, 2024
Int. Cl. A61M 16/04 (2006.01)
CPC A61M 16/0488 (2013.01) [A61M 16/0411 (2014.02); A61M 16/0418 (2014.02); A61M 2210/0625 (2013.01); A61M 2210/1032 (2013.01); A61M 2210/105 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An intubation assistance device for facilitating insertion of an endotracheal tube into a patient's trachea, the device comprising:
a curved flexible tubular member comprising a proximal portion having a proximal end, a distal portion having a distal end, and a curved portion between the proximal portion and the distal portion;
a lumen that extends from the proximal end of the tubular member and terminates in the curved portion of the tubular member, wherein the lumen is sized and shaped so that the endotracheal tube is axially moveable through the lumen;
a ramp that is coextensive with the distal end of the lumen, wherein the ramp is configured to be inserted in the patient's vocal cords;
an esophageal protrusion in the distal portion of the tubular member, wherein the esophageal protrusion is configured to be inserted in the patient's esophagus; and
a syringe holder fixedly attached to the proximal end of the tubular member, the syringe holder comprising a cylindrical shell attached directly to the proximal end of the tubular member and configured for holding a syringe that is attached to the endotracheal tube, such that the device is configured for being pre-loaded with the endotracheal tube and the syringe for faster intubation.