Flexible Tube Device

Abstract

A flexible concentric pipe assembly in which one end of the inner pipe communicates with the outside of the outer pipe, with the remaining end of the inner pipe communicating with the inside of the outer pipe.

Description

This invention relates to an anaesthetic device.

In partial rebreathing anaesthetic systems various types of systems and devices have been composed; however, such systems suffer from convenience of operation and simplicity when they are employed.

The present invention therefore achieves a system and a device which eliminates the use of a plurality of separate tubes for such circuit and provides means for supplying an anaesthetic gas closely to the nasal and oral passages of a patient. It also produces a simpler more convenient means of directing anaesthetic gas to a patient.

The invention further has certain advantages in its application to all age groups, its light weight and ease of sterilization or disposal, and hence is especially suited for anaesthetic applications for head and neck procedures although it has application as well in any inhalation application.

The invention further permits control of ventilation at all times during inhalation and exhalation, for associated rebreathing bag and respiratory bag and accessibility thereto for monitoring of spontaneous ventilation.

The invention further contemplates an exhalation limb of a breathing system incorporating therein a tubing through which fresh gas inflows into the patient by directly depositing fresh gas in the mask region disposed over the face of the patient while conveying exhalated air down through the exhalation limb within which is disposed the small gas supplying tubing. As such bulk and multiple limbs are avoided.

The invention also assists in obviating anaesthetic pollution through exhausting exhalated anaesthetic gases by a patient at his face and thus overcomes prior art devices which leave anaesthesiologists and surgeons exposed to anaesthetic pollution. during medical procedures.

The invention therefore contemplates in an anaesthetic system, for application to nasal or oral regions of a patient, wherein the system includes an anaesthetic machine, a face mask and breathing bag the improvement being a new and improved conduit means connected between said face mask or endotracheal tube on the one hand and the breathing bag or ventilator and anaesthetic machine on the other hand, comprising,

A. a first flexible tubular member with connection means at either end, one of said means having a first and second passage means, said first passage means communicating through the interior of the tubular member with the other connector means;

B. a second flexible tubular member of smaller diameter generally disposed within the first tubular member, said second flexible member having one end communicating with the second passage means and its other end terminating in the vicinity of the other connector means to communicate thereat with the interior of the first flexible tubular member.

The embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is an anaesthetic system incorporating one embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are alternative anaesthetic circuits of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a portion of the flexible pipe of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a perspective of a preferred embodiment of a pipe.

Referring to FIG. 1 an anaesthetic system 10 includes an anaesthetic machine 11, a breathing bag 12, and a patient mask 13. The breathing bag 12 is connected by a suitable bracket 14 to the anaesthetic machine in a conventional manner. A corrugated flexible longitudinal pipe 20 communicates the patient mask 13 at one end with the anaesthetic machine 11 and breathing bag 12 at the other. The corrugated flexible pipe 20 includes a first corrugated tubular member 22 preferably composed of corrugated flexible plastic with friction engaging connection means 24 and 26 on either end to communicate the breathing bag 12 with the patient mask 13. A second flexible tubular member is, for a substantial portion of its length, interiorly disposed and attached to the interior walls of the first flexible tubular member 22 by appropriate means. In the region of the connection 26 the second tubular member extends through the flexible wall of the tubular member 22 and its free end 29 communicates with the flexible connecting pipe 30 of the anaesthetic machine 11 by a frictional connection means 31.

The smaller flexible tubular member 28 need not be corrugated but may be of any extruded plastic material which is commonly available. If both tubular members are composed of plastic (polyethelene) the smaller tubular member 28 can be affixed to the projecting ribs 25 of the first and larger tubular member 22 by heat weld or solvent bond 33 or other similar means.

The flexible tubular member 28 is constructed of a light weight plastic, the diameter being uniformly approximately 22 mm. The pipe 20 is generally between 60 inches and 80 inches in length preferably 72 inches with an internal volume of about 500 cc (approximately 85 ml per foot of length). The patient end of the pipe 20 has an internal diameter of about 15 mm adapted to connect to a conventional mask angle, which those skilled in the art will know, or directly to an endotracheal tube (not shown). Controlled ventilation can easily be initiated by manual compression of the reservoir bag 12 or by attaching of a respirator, for example, that available under the trade mark "Bird Mark VII," not shown, directly to the end of the pipe 20 as those skilled in the art will know.

The other embodiments of the invention have been found suitable for all patients including paediatric patients. For paediatric patients under 10 kilograms a smaller length pipe 20 was constructed, for example, about eight inches in length to which extensions could be attached. Preferably, however, the same configuration was used with a special bag mount as illustrated in FIG. 1 including a pop-off valve 34 designed and attached to the anaesthetic machine 11 in place of the present art attachments. This provides a fixed position for the reservoir bag 12, making it easily accessible for ventilating the patient with the bag 12 through the pipe 20 and the mask 13 to initiate anaesthesia. Further, the circuit can be retained in this position during a medical procedure without inconvenience to a surgeon.

Alternatively, referring to FIG. 2, in place of a blow-off valve 34, a reservoir bag 35 with an open end tail 36 partly occluded can be used. This arrangement has been found particularly useful for paediatric cases, because the open tail bag 35 provides less resistance to exhalation. On occasion, the configuration has been found to be more convenient for both adult and paediatric cases when a procedure requires that the anaesthetic machine be left attached to the fresh gag inflow line at 31'to provide continuous anaesthesia.

Now the length of the pipe 20, if about 80 inches, allows the reservoir bag 12 to be visible and accessible under all conditions, during procedures, that is, for monitoring of respiration, for the initiation of controlled respiration, or referring to FIG. 3, for pollution control of exhaled gases from the occluded bag 35 directly into a hospital pollution control system 40 and its associated suction line 41, which conveys the exhaled gases exhausted from the occulsion 36 through the system 40 into the atmosphere and hence away from the operating theatre; anaesthetic pollution is thus avoided.

More particularly, in operation, referring to FIG. 1, the anaesthetic machine 11 provides nitrous oxide and oxygen to the free end 29 of the second tubular member 28 via connecting tube 30 and the gas emanates from the fixed end 31 of the tubular member 28 in the vicinity of the mask 13 (the internal frictional connection means 24) and thereby is transmitted immediately to the base of the patient mask 13 and hence to the patient (not shown). During exhalation of the patient, the respiratory gases travel from the patient mask 13 down the interior of the larger first tubular member 22 to the rebreathing bag 12.

Referring to FIG. 5 and to greater detailed of a preferred embodiment of the invention (where the outer tube 22 is shown pulled away from either connectors 24 and 26 for clarity) the same includes a flexible smooth walled extruded plastic inner tube 28 having an outside diameter of about 10 mm and an inside diameter of about 6 mm. The inner tube 28 makes communicating connection at one end to an inner coaxially positioned orifice 40 of the face mask connecting piece 24 composed of integrally moulded plastic having an outer annular surface 41 extending into an annularly tapered mating surface 42 for mating with the base of a face mask 13, to thereby define a larger passage region 43 for communicating with the face mask. The other end of the inner tube 28 terminatingly communicates with the smaller passage 46 of the tube passage connector 26. The tube passage connector 26 consists of integerally moulded plastic defining a larger through passage 47 and having a larger annular surface 48 extending, step-like, into a depending smaller outer annular surface 49, slightly tapered, which is adapted to mate with the conventional breathing tube bag 12 or modified stopper valve 34. An annular housing 50 of the connector 26 defines the smaller passage 46 and extends through the wall of the larger outer annular surface 47 to terminate, exterior of the surface 47, into a tapered nipple 51 while, to the interior of the annular surface 47, the passage 46 provides the communicating terminus for the flexible pipe 28. A larger diameter corrugated flexible wall moulded plastic tube 22 is spatially disposed circumferentially about the tube 28 and extends between the connectors 24 and 26 to terminate one end thereof on the annular surface 48 and on the other end on the annular surface 41 to thereby provide communication from passage 47 through the outer tube 22 to the passage 43.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege are claimed are defined as follows:

1. A two limb flexible pipe comprising:

a. a first flexible thin wall corrugated tubular member with connection means at either end, one of said means having a first and second passage means, first said passage means communicating through the interior of the tubular member with the other connector means;

b. a second flexible essentially thick wall tubular member of smaller diameter generally disposed within the first tubular member, said second flexible member having one end communicating with the second passage means and its other end terminating in the vicinity of the other connector means to communicate thereat with the interior of the first flexible tubular member.

2. The pipe of claim 1 wherein the first and second passage means are disposed within one connector means.

3. The pipe of claim 2 wherein the first flexible tubular member has an inner diameter of approximately twice the outer diameter of the second flexible tubular member.

4. The pipe of claim 3 wherein the first and second tubular members are composed of polyethylene.

5. The pipe of claim 1 further comprising means to constrain within said first flexible tubular member, the second flexible tubular member. 6. The pipe of claim 1 further comprising means connecting the second flexible tubular member to the inner walls of the first flexible tubular member.

The pipe of claim 6 wherein the connection means is a solvent bond.