Patent 8104475 was granted and assigned to Smiths Group PLC on January, 2012 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
A tracheostomy assembly has an outer tube and an inner cannula, the outer tube having a lip at its patient end to limit insertion of the inner cannula. The lip is formed with a recess or gap on the outside of the curve of the tube. This enables a suction catheter or similar device to be slid along the tube, after removal of the inner cannula, without the risk of catching on the lip.