Divided nasal cannula assembly
A nasal cannula system includes a nasal cannula for the delivery of and collection of gases, wherein the nasal cannula is coupled to a pair of extension tubes which are slidingly received within right and left earpieces respectively for retaining and securing the extension tubes to fix the cannula in a desired position for use by a patient. Each nasal cannula includes an open recessed channel disposed between a pair of bridges for retaining the extension tube within the earpiece and a locking exit hole at its distal end for helping to secure therein the extension tube to provide a fixed distance adjustment between the nasal cannula and the ears of the patient.
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This is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/751,128, entitled “Divided Nasal Cannula Assembly”, filed Jan. 3, 2004, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10,634,365 entitled “Ear Cannula System and Method of Using Same”, filed Aug. 5, 2003, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/224,849 entitled “Oxygen Delivery System and Method of Using Same”, filed Aug. 21, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,807,966, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates in general to an oxygen delivery system and more particularly to an oxygen delivery system that includes a divided nasal cannula assembly having earpieces and extension tubes for securing the nasal cannula at a desired position on a user.
BACKGROUNDOxygen delivery systems that include nasal cannulas are well known in the art. Examples of such prior art systems include U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,328,038 B1; 6,298,850; 5,682,881; 5,636,630; 5,438,979; 5,271,391; 5,117,818; 5,025,805; 4,836,200; 4,808,160; 4,753,233; 4,739,757; 4,699,139; 4,422,456; 4,406,283; 4,156,426; 4,106,505; 3,802,431; 2,868,199; 2,763,263; and 2,168,705.
While nasal cannulas are a convenient method of supplying a patient with oxygen enriched gases, it would be highly desirable to have a new and improved oxygen delivery system that includes a nasal cannula that is easily adjusted for the comfort of the patient and that is not prone to falling off the face of the patient.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONA nasal cannula assembly includes a split nasal cannula having a pair of spaced nasal prongs for delivery and sampling of gases respectively, which are inhaled and exhaled by a patient. One side of the nasal cannula is coupled to a gas delivery source through a gas delivery extension tube that passes through a front eye hole, along a curved open recessed extension tube channel and out of a locking eye hole, all forming part of an elongated flexible earpiece that is adapted to be hooked onto a top portion of one ear of the user. The other side of the nasal cannula is coupled to a gas sampling source through a gas sampling extension tube that passes through another front eye hole, along another curved open recessed extension tube channel and out of another locking eye hole, all forming part of another elongated flexible earpiece that is adapted to be hooked onto a top portion of the other ear of the user.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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Before discussing the preferred embodiment of the present invention, it may be beneficial to briefly review a typical prior art oxygen delivery system 510 that utilizes a nasal cannula 512. In this regard, as best seen in
Therefore there is a need for a new and improved oxygen delivery system that includes a nasal cannula that is easily adjusted for the comfort of the patient and that is not prone to falling off the face of the patient.
Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to
Considering now the cannula system 10 in greater detail, the cannula system 10, generally comprises a nasal cannula assembly 16 and a flexible tube member 20 that cooperate to facilitate the delivery of air to the lung of the patient P. The flexible tube member 20 is held within a securing arrangement 22 that permits the tube member 20 to be secured to the shirt of the patient P or to a bottom bed sheet of a bed should the patient be confined to a bed.
In order to provide the nasal cannula assembly 16 with a supply of air, the flexible tube member 20 is connected at one of its ends to a universal connector 21 that permits the flexible tube member 20 to be attached to the source of oxygen 14. A reduction connector 24 is connected to the other end of the flexible tube member 20 that permits the flexible tube member 20 to be attached to the nasal cannula assembly 16. As will be explained hereinafter in greater detail, the nasal cannula assembly 16 is adapted to be comfortably supported from the ears of the patient P.
Considering now the nasal cannula assembly 16 in greater detail with reference to
Considering the nasal cannula assembly 16 in still greater detail, the cannula nosepiece 32 includes a hollow body member 34 with two upstanding nose prongs or nasal extension tubes 36 and 38. The nose prongs 34 and 36 are adapted to be placed in the nasal cavities of the patient P as best seen in
The hollow body member 34 is connected at its distal end in an airtight manner to the extension tube 40, which is plugged at its distal end with a plastic stop 42. The extension tube 40 is supported spaced from the ear of the patient P by the earpiece 44. As best seen in
As best seen in
As best seen in
From the foregoing those skilled in the art will understand that the stop 42 is attached to the distal end of the extension tube 40 after the tube 40 has been attached to the earpiece 44. Those skilled in the art will further understand that extension tube 40 is supported from the ear piece 44 in such a manner that the tube 40 does not rub against and irritate the ear of the patient P and that the extension tube 40 and ear piece 44 cooperate with one another to support the nosepiece 32 much in the same way as glass lens are supported but without the necessity of utilizing the bridge of the nose since the nosepiece 32 is substantially lighter in weight than that of glasses. This arrangement therefore eliminates the necessity of looping tubes around the ears of the user and along the jaw area and chin area thereby allowing the nosepiece 32 to be worn and supported in a very comfortable manner from the ears of the patient P.
As best seen in
The extension tube 50 is slidably mounted to the earpiece 52 and cooperates with the earpiece 52 to further facilitate supporting the cannula nosepiece 32. As the earpiece 52 is similar in construction to the earpiece 44, earpiece 52 will not be described hereinafter in greater detail. In a similar nature, as the manner of adjusting the position of the cannula nosepiece 32 relative to the ear piece 52 is substantially similar as the distance adjustment between the earpiece 44 and the cannula nosepiece 32, no further disclosure relative to adjustment is necessary.
From the foregoing it should be understood, that the nasal cannula assembly 16 is light in weight, is easily attached to an oxygen source, such as the oxygen source 14, utilizing a single tube path, and can be easily adjusted to fit and be supported from the ears of any patient, such as the patient P. Another important feature of the preferred embodiment of the present invention is that the nasal cannula assembly 16 is compact, simple in construction and does not necessitate the utilization of looping tubes around the ears of the user and along the jaw area and chin area thereby allowing the cannula 32 to be worn and support in a very comfortable manner.
Considering now the novel method of using the cannula system 10 with reference to
Next as best seen in
In a final step, the patient couples the distal end of the extension tube 50 to the flexible tube 20, which was previously coupled to the source of air 14 as best seen in
Considering now the securing arrangement 22 in greater detail with reference to
Considering now the flexible plastic strap 26 in greater detail with reference to
In order to facilitate securing the strap 26 around the tube 20, the right side portion 54 includes an upstanding post 60 having a flange 62 at its distal end. The flange 62 is slightly offset from the post 60 and is constructed to be received within a catch 64 that extends through the left side portion 56. More particularly, the catch 64 has a slight boss 66 with a tapered opening 68 on its one side in the same plane as the post 60 and another slight boss 70 with a cylindrical opening 72 on its side opposite to the post 60. With this construction, the flange 62 slides within the tapered opening 68 and passes through the opening 72 allowing the post 60 to snap into locking engagement within the boss 70. As best seen in
As best seen in
Considering now the plastic clip 28 in greater detail with reference to
As best seen in
In order to help facilitate the capture of a cloth material between the female member 87 and the male member 89 each of the members 87 and 89 include a plurality of ridges and valleys indicated generally at 90 and 91 respectively.
As best seen in
Considering now the earpiece 44 in greater detail with reference to
Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to
Considering now the nasal cannula system 108 in greater detail with reference to
As best seen in
Considering now the nasal cannula assembly 110 in greater detail with reference to
As best seen in
While in the preferred embodiment of the present invention the divided nasal cannula 132 has been described as having a septum or partition 154 to facilitate separating the delivery gases from the exhaled gases, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that other types and kinds of cannula are contemplated. For example, in
Another illustrative example is shown in
In summary then, while in the preferred embodiment of the present invention a divided nasal cannula 132 was described as having a septum or partition 154 to facilitate separating the delivery gases from the exhaled gases, there is no intention of limiting the scope of the present invention to this configuration alone as other configurations are shown and contemplated by the present invention.
Considering now the pair 116 of flexible earpiece members 144 and 152 in greater detail, as the earpiece members 144 and 152 are substantially identical, only earpiece member 144 will be described hereinafter in greater detail.
As best seen in
As best seen in
As best seen in
The extension tube 150 is slidably mounted to the earpiece 152 and cooperates with the earpiece 152 to further facilitate supporting the cannula nosepiece 132. As the earpiece 152 is similar in construction to the earpiece 144, earpiece 152 will not be described hereinafter in greater detail. In a similar nature, as the manner of adjusting the position of the cannula nosepiece 132 relative to the ear piece 152 is substantially similar as the distance adjustment between the earpiece 144 and the cannula nosepiece 132, no further disclosure relative to adjustment is necessary except to mention, that when the extension tube 150 is slightly pulled upward from the recessed channel within the earpiece 152, the tube becomes secured within the earpiece 152 in substantially the same manner as tube 140 becomes secured within the earpiece 144.
Considering now the earpiece 144 in greater detail with reference to
Considering the earpiece 144 in still greater detail, the earpiece 144 has a unitary construction that extends along it three major sections that include: 1) its front or tube guiding portion 147, which is integrally connected to 2) its central or tube retaining recessed channel portion 146, which is integrally connected to 3) its rear or tube securing portion 149. The three sections form a short generally U-shaped hook that has an overall length that is only sufficient to be disposed in a limited space that extends between the ear and the head at the front of the ear extending rearward to where the ear falls sharply downward.
Considering now the front or tube guiding portion 147 in greater detail, the front or tube guiding portion is identical in construction to the front or tube guide portion 47. That is, the tube guiding portion 147 has a centrally disposed tube guide hole 143 that extends from front to rear along the entire longitudinal length of the tube guide portion 147. The tube guide hole 143 is not round but instead it has a rounded bottom portion and a straight top portion. This is an important feature of the present invention as the tube guide portion 147 not only provides a front bridge that guides the extension tube 140 into the recessed channel portion 146 of the earpiece 144 but the tube guide portion retains the extension tube 140 within the earpiece. The entrance shape and exit shape of the hole 143 also helps to prevent the extension tube 140 from snagging or being crimped, thereby assure the free flow of gases.
Considering now the central portion 146 in greater detail, the central portion has a general U-shape with a radius of about 28 degrees. This radius angle is important as it allows the extension tube 140 to be extended to the cannula 132 at about a 30-degree angle as noted earlier. This U-shape also helps to assure the extension tube is captured within the recessed channel and held for sliding movement.
Considering now the its rear or tube securing portion 149 of the earpiece in greater detail, the rear portion 149 is identical in structure to the rear portion of earpiece 44 and includes a bridge 160, an exit hole 162, an oval shaped tube locking hole 148 and a ramp 164. The locking hole 148, the bridge 160, the exit hole 162, and the ramp 164 cooperate to retain the extension tube 140 within the earpiece 144 as well as to help secure the extension tube 140 within the earpiece 144 so that the extension tube, does not crimp nor slip out of the earpiece. It should be understood by those skilled in the art, that the unique structure of the earpiece prevents the extension tube from being accidentally released from it fixed position. This is an important feature of the present invention as the earpieces secure the cannula 132 in a fixed position so there is substantially no migration thereby greatly reducing if not substantially eliminating creating irritation spots on the skin of the patient.
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed, it is to be understood that various different modifications are possible and are contemplated within the true spirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, the earpiece support tube 40 described as having its distal end plugged with a removable plastic stop 42 could also be crimped or clamped at its distal end to provide an airtight seal preventing fluid from escaping from the distal end of the tube 40. As another example, the securing arrangement 22 is described as being constructed of all plastic parts could also have metal parts. Based on the foregoing, there is no intention, therefore, of limitations to the exact abstract or disclosure herein presented.
Claims
1. A cannula assembly comprising:
- a nasal cannula having a centrally disposed plug;
- a pair of extensions tubes connected to the nasal cannula; and
- a pair of ear pieces each connected to a separate one of the pair of extension tubes, wherein at least one of said pair of extension tubes comprises a stop that limits an adjustment distance between said nasal cannula and the ear pieces.
2. The cannula assembly of claim 1, wherein each of said ear pieces comprises a channel and wherein each of the channels slidably receives a separate one of said extension tubes.
3. The cannula assembly of claim 2, wherein each of said ear pieces comprises an extension tube entry hole and an extension tube exit hole through which the extension tubes are threaded.
4. The cannula assembly of claim 3, wherein the exit hole of at least one of the ear pieces is smaller than the stop such that the stop prevents the tube from being pulled out of the ear piece.
5. The cannula assembly of claim 1, wherein each of said earpieces comprises a tube entrance hole with a sufficient diameter for receiving therethrough one of said pair of extension tubes.
6. The cannula assembly of claim 5, wherein said tube entrance hole does not have a sufficient diameter for receiving said cannula.
7. The cannula assembly of claim 1, wherein a first open end of said cannula is connected to one of the pair of extension tubes by sliding the extension tube into the first open end and securing the extension tube to the cannula with a friction fit, and wherein a second open end of said cannula is connected to the other of the pair of extension tubes by sliding the extension tube into the second open end and securing the extension tube to the cannula with a friction fit.
8. The cannula assembly of claim 1, wherein one of the pair of extension tubes has a first end that is in fluid communication with a fluid source and a second end that is in fluid communication with the nasal cannula.
9. A cannula system comprising:
- a nasal cannula coupled to a pair of extension tubes each of which is coupled to a separate ear piece, wherein said nasal cannula has a single tube having a given diameter and being disposed between the pair of extension tubes, wherein each of said extension tubes has another given diameter smaller than said given diameter of said single tube of said nasal cannula; and
- wherein each ear piece has a tube entrance hole with a sufficient diameter for receiving therethrough one of said pair of slider extension tubes but not a sufficient diameter for receiving therethrough said single tube.
10. The cannula system of claim 9, wherein at least one of said pair of extension tubes comprises a stop that limits an adjustment distance between the nasal cannula and the ear pieces.
11. The cannula system of claim 9, wherein each of the entrance holes of the ear pieces leads to a corresponding channel in the ear piece that slidably receives a separate one of said pair of extension tubes.
12. The cannula system of claim 9, wherein one of said extension tubes has a first open end that is in fluid communication with a fluid source and a second open end that is in fluid communication with the nasal cannula.
13. A method of delivering fluid to a user, comprising:
- providing a nasal cannula with a first end and a second end;
- positioning the cannula beneath the user's nose;
- providing a first extension tube that is coupled at its first end to the first end of the nasal cannula, wherein a second end of the extension tube is in fluid communication with a fluid source;
- providing a second extension tube that is coupled at its first end to a second end of the nasal cannula, wherein a stop is coupled to the second end of the extension tube;
- providing a pair of ear pieces, wherein each of the ear pieces slidably receives a separate one of the pair of extension tubes;
- hanging one of the ear pieces on one of the ears of the user and hanging the other one of the ear pieces on the other ear of the user;
- adjusting the distance between the nasal cannula and the ear pieces by sliding at least one of the extension tubes through its corresponding ear piece.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the nasal cannula comprises two nostril tips and the nostril tips are each inserted into a separate one of the nostrils of the user.
15. The method of claim 13, wherein said step of inserting the nostril tips of the nasal cannula includes trimming the length of one or more of the nostril tips of the nasal cannula to custom fit the nostril tips to the nostrils of the user.
16. A cannula system comprising:
- a pair of earpieces, wherein each of the pair of earpieces comprises a tube entrance hole;
- a pair of extension tubes each of which has a first open end and a second open end;
- a nasal cannula having a single tube with at least one gas inlet channel and at least one gas outlet channel, said single tube being disposed between the pair of extension tubes;
- wherein the first open end of one of the pair of extension tubes is in fluid communication with the gas inlet channel and its second open end is threaded through the tube entrance hole of one of the earpieces and is in fluid communication with a fluid source; and
- wherein the first open end of the other one of the pair of extension tubes is in fluid communication with the gas outlet channel and its second open end is threaded through the tube entrance hole of the other one of the earpieces and is in fluid communication with a gas collection system.
17. The cannula system of claim 16, wherein the ear pieces each comprises a tube exit hole, and wherein each of the extension tubes is threaded through a separate one of the exit holes.
18. The cannula system of claim 17, wherein the exit holes are locking holes that frictionally lock the extension tubes to their respective ear pieces so that the extension tubes cannot slide through the exit holes without exerting an outside force on the extension tubes.
19. The cannula system of claim 16, wherein the distance between the nasal cannula and the earpieces is adjustable by sliding at least one of the extension tubes in a distal or proximal direction through the corresponding tube entrance hole of the corresponding ear piece.
20. The cannula system of claim 18, wherein the distance between the nasal cannula and the earpieces is adjustable by sliding at least one of the extension tubes in a distal or proximal direction through the corresponding tube entrance and exit holes of the corresponding ear piece.
21. A nasal cannula system, comprising a nasal cannula coupled between a pair of extension tubes, wherein one of said tubes terminates at a distal end thereof in a stop and wherein the other one of the extension tubes is adapted to be coupled to a fluid supply.
22. The nasal cannula system according to claim 21, further comprising means for supporting said nasal cannula and portions of said pair of extension tubes from the ears of a user.
23. The nasal cannula system according to claim 22, wherein said means for supporting includes an ear piece having a recessed channel for receiving therein a portion of one of said extension tubes.
24. The nasal cannula system according to claim 23, wherein said means for supporting further includes another ear piece having another recessed channel for receiving therein another portion of another one of said extension tubes.
25. The nasal cannula system according to claim 21, further comprising a securing arrangement attached to either one of said pair of extension tubes for helping to hold the corresponding extension tube in a fixed position.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 24, 2005
Publication Date: Jul 28, 2005
Applicant:
Inventor: Clifford Wright (San Diego, CA)
Application Number: 11/089,980