Abstract: The sealing cuff (10) on a tracheal tube has a collar (31) at its patient end inverted within the inflatable part (32) of the cuff and attached with the shaft 1 immediately adjacent its patient end (6). The cuff (10) has a patient end region (33) of frusto-conical shape inclined to the axis of the shaft at about 30° and extending by about half the length of the inflatable portion.

Abstract: A guiding catheter (16) for use with a dilator (17) in a tracheostomy procedure has an elongated stop ring (160) the length of which is at least twice the minimum diameter D of the ring. The patient end (162) of the stop ring (160) makes a smooth transition with the external surface of the guiding catheter (16) and has the same external diameter as that of the catheter. The stop ring (160) tapers along its length so that the diameter at its machine end (163) is greater than at its patient end (162) and is the same as that of the patient end (170) of the dilator (17). In this way, the stop ring (160) makes a smooth transition with the patient end of the dilator (17).

Abstract: The sealing cuff (10) on a tracheal tube has a collar (31) at its patient end inverted within the inflatable part (32) of the cuff and attached with the shaft 1 immediately adjacent its patient end (6). The cuff (10) has a patient end region (33) of frusto-conical shape inclined to the axis of the shaft at about 30° and extending by about half the length of the inflatable portion.

Abstract: A method for embedding secondary information in a bar code that includes primary information, the method comprising varying the periphery of selected ones of the bars or pixels of the code and/or varying the periphery of at least some of the bars or pixels by different amounts and/or varying the peripheral shape of at least some of the bars or pixels.