US Patent 10016575 Cleaning devices, systems and methods

Cleaning systems and devices are provided for cleaning body-inserted tubes (e.g., endotracheal tubes, chest cleaning tubes). In one embodiment, a closed suction system includes a suction catheter having at least one deployable (e.g., inflatable) cleaning member at a distal portion of the suction catheter and at least one suction opening distal to the cleaning member. The closed suction system module may include a control unit at its proximal end adapted to facilitate operation in one of the following three operational states: i) a first operational state in which only the cleaning member is functional, ii) a second operational state in which only suction is functional, or iii) a third operational state in which neither suction nor the cleaning member is functional.