Patent attributes
A laryngeal mask airway (LMA) device includes an inflatable annular cuff, which, when disposed in free space, is characterized by a pressure-volume curve that represents the pressure in the cuff when inflated, from a deflated negative pressure, by different volumes of ambient-pressure air, which include a low-pressure volume that results in a low pressure of 10 cm H2O. The pressure-volume curve includes (a) a low-pressure-range average rate of change over a low-pressure volume interval between 1.0 and 1.2 times the low-pressure volume, (b) a medium-pressure-range average rate of change over a medium-pressure volume interval between 2.0 and 2.2 times the low-pressure volume, and (c) a medium pressure at a medium volume of the cuff equal to 2.0 times the low-pressure volume. The medium-pressure-range average rate of change is less than 0.5 times the low-pressure-range average rate of change, and the medium pressure is between 20 and 200 cm H2O.