Lucent Medical Systems Wins Tracheal Tube Patent

The US Patent Office has granted Lucent Medical Systems a patent for an endotracheal tube design used in the company's magnetic detection systems. The new patent adds to the company's fundamental patent coverage issued in October 1997 for systems detecting magnetically tagged medical tubes in the body of a patient.

Tracheal tubes, also called endotracheal tubes, are used to create unobstructed airways for patients under general anesthesia. They are also used on patients experiencing breathing difficulties because of trauma or cardio-respiratory arrest. The tube is inserted by a medical professional through the patient's mouth or nose into the trachea, giving direct access to the lungs. However, improper tube placement can lead to complications and even death. A tube mistakenly placed in the esophagus fails to ventilate the patient and can cause gastric discharge into the airway. A tube placed too high in the trachea can damage the patient's vocal cords while low placement results in insufficient ventilation.

Placement is currently checked by several methods including x-ray, the measurement of exhaled carbon dioxide, auscultation (listening through a stethoscope), and observation of chest movement during ventilation. To confirm proper placement, Lucent's endotracheal tube is tagged with a magnetic strip that can be detected quickly by a handheld device.

Lucent Medical Systems is currently developing a range of medical products based on proprietary magnetic detection technology. In addition to tracheal tubes, the company is applying its technology to peripherally inserted central venous catheters, enteral feeding tubes, intra-aortic balloon pump catheters, and surgical markers. Each system pairs a magnetically tagged disposable with a handheld detector.