New Airway's 'Smarts' Ensure That Patients Get Plenty...( rs and as a result there have been a n...)

rs, and as a result there have been a number of attempts to make endotracheal tubes more user-friendly. One design incorporates a small light bulb mounted within the tube that can be seen shining through the thin skin on the front of the neck, but the bulb's light remains visible only in dimly lit surroundings. All endotracheal tube designs also feature a radio- opaque stripe that can be observed using conventional X-rays, but these can't be used to check the airway until the patient reaches a hospital.

Paramedics and emergency physicians got their first glimpse of the new endotracheal tube at last summer's annual meeting of the National Association of EMS Physicians. "There was a great deal of interest in the device," says Spillane, who was not involved in the research.

A patent for Mottley and Lipscher's endotracheal tube has been allowed by the U.S. Patent Office and will issue soon; the University is now seeking a corporate partner to produce the device. Adding tiny transducers and wiring to the disposable tubes should add little to their cost, Mottley says. He anticipates that transducer-equipped tubes could sell for slightly more than the $7 now charged. The system's battery unit would represent an additional one-time expense of $50 to $100 for an ambulance squad or hospital.

The research was funded by the departments of electrical engineering and emergency medicine at the University.

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Contact: Steve Bradt
sbradt@admin.rochester.edu
716-273-4726
University of Rochester
8-May-1998

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