Endotracheal tube apparatus and method

Claim 1

Endotracheal apparatus comprising a flexible tubular member having distal and proximal open ends and a tubular passage therebetween, said member including means formed from silicone material that is heat stable in its physical characteristics within the range of human body temperatures to be encountered in use, has a hardness of about 80 durometer and a radius to wall thickness ratio in the range of about 3 to 4:1 so that the member is non-collapsible during insertion and while in place in a trachea, and is capable of withstanding a 90 degree bend without collapsing, means including an oral bit piece having distal and proximal ends for insertion into an oral cavity of a patient and having first and second apertures passing therethrough from the distal end to the proximal end, at least one of said apertures receiving said tubular member and substantially securing said tubular member against movement, said bite piece comprising means including a shaped end for extending into the mouth of the patient, said shaped end having means including opposite lateral surfaces for engagement by the top and bottom dental arches of a patient, and curving outwardly from said lateral surface at said proximal end thereof, a lip guard integral with said bit piece and contiguous to the outwardly curving portions of said shaped end and extending beyond the outwardly curving portions of the shaped end, said continuous regions of said lip guard and outwardly curving portions of the shaped end being transversely shaped to conform to those portions of a patient's dental arches that includes only the front four teeth on each dental arch, first and second studs or collets formed integrally as part of said bit piece extending outwardly from the proximal side of the lip guard, said collets defining hollow openings in registration with said first and second apertures, respectively, at least one of said collets being externally threaded at its base region adjacent said lip guard, the proximal end region of said one collet being slotted for a portion of its length to form flexible fingers thereat, an independent internally-threaded adapter-connector having an axial passageway therethrough receiving said one collet therein, a first portion of the axial passageway of said adapter-connector threadably engaging the exterior threads on one collet, and a second portion of said axial passageway of said adapter-connector having a decreasing diameter so that when the threads of the adapter-connector and one collet are substantially fully engaged the flexible fingers of the end of the collect are urged radially inwardly by the second portion of the axial passageway to thereby clamp said tubular member in a selected position with respect to said bit piece.