Patent attributes
Supraglottic airway devices such as the laryngeal mask airway (LMA) device are used in anesthesia practice to maintain an open airway in patients undergoing anesthesia. LMA devices are also used as a conduit for the insertion of endotracheal tubes (ETT) through the laryngeal opening into the patient's trachea (endotracheal intubation). In scenarios where the conventional method of tracheal intubation is challenging or not possible, modified LMA devices have played a pivotal role for several decades. However, present embodiments of LMA devices suffer from significant shortcomings that the device in this patent aims to address. Currently available modified LMA devices have many limitations when used as a conduit for the insertion of ETT. The apparatus shown the present description aims to address those major limitations and to significantly improve the success rate of tracheal intubation.
