FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for a pillow. More specifically, the present invention is an apparatus for a pillow that elevates the head of a patient into the sniffing position prior to the oral intubation procedure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Airway management is viewed by most Emergency Medical Services (EMS) systems as the highest prehospital patient priority. In the constantly changing field of prehospital care, there exist many EMS systems that have approached intubation in the field very differently. Although individual system success rates may seem high, there is always an adverse outcome with any missed airway. According to Journal of Emergency Medical Services (JEMS), field paramedics have an intubation fail rate of 25% on adults and almost 50% on pediatrics. As medical procedures and equipment advance, EMS professionals are being taught the new ways of performing procedures when attending airway educational seminars, conferences, and workshops. Improvements in technique and placement of patients during endotracheal intubation have shown that lifting the head of a patient into the sniffing position is the best placement for successful first pass intubation. This technique has been used by anesthesiologists in the operating room setting for a long time but has not made it to the pre-hospital environment nor has it been taught in airway education in the past. Education on patient placement for EMS professionals has only come about in recent years. Lifting the patient's head into the sniffing position, whereby, aligning the three axes in the throat of the patient allows for the best possible view of the vocal cords. By having the auditory canal or Tragus in line with the sternal notch of the chest, a provider (paramedic or doctor) can be sure that the internal axes are lined up and the provider can expect to have the best possible view of the vocal cords; which will give the provider the best chance of a successful first pass intubation. In the field of prehospital care, such as ground and/or air ambulances, however, there is no apparatus or device used for lifting the patient's head into the sniffing position. In hospital operating rooms, anesthesiologists use a device to list a patient's head for the intubation procedure. The devices used are fixed and non-adjustable, and mostly consists of materials which are fixed and unshapable. Due to this restriction, such a device does present ineffectiveness if the height of the patient's head needs to be adjusted before and/or during the intubation procedure.

It is an objective of the present invention to provide a solution to the aforementioned problems, drawbacks, and issues for the oral intubation procedure in the pre-hospital setting, both in the ground and air ambulances along with most emergency rooms in hospitals. The present invention is an inflatable bladder and/or pillow that can be used to elevate the head of a patient into the sniffing position prior to the oral intubation procedure. Additionally, the inflatable pillow can be positioned or manipulated beneath the patient's neck and shoulder area if required for a better or different position to view the vocal cords. Further, the inflatable pillow of the present invention can be used to adjust the height of the patient's head by inflating and/or deflating the pillow prior to and/or during the intubation procedure, thus, making the intubation procedure more effective and efficient, and minimizing or eliminating intubation failures.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An inflatable intubation pillow is intended to provide a solution to the problems and drawbacks related to the current oral intubation procedure in the pre-hospital setting, both in the ground and air ambulances along with emergency rooms in hospitals. The inflatable intubation pillow of the present invention offers an effective and efficient method to minimize or eliminate intubation failures in these situations. The inflatable intubation pillow comprises a body and an air valve. The body can be a bladder type of body that provides comfortable cushion to a patient's head and can be inflated and/or deflated. Additionally, the body can be made of any suitable air-tight material and can be of any shape per the user's desire. The air valve may include a pump adaptor and a sealing plug/cover. Additionally, the air valve can comprise a dual-purpose adaptor that is a pump adaptor and a sealing plug. Further, the air valve is distally positioned on the body so that the air valve is not in the way when a user is positioning the patient's head on the pillow. Thus, the inflatable intubation pillow can be positioned or moved more towards the patient's neck and shoulder area for a better head position or view of the vocal cords. Additionally, the inflatable intubation pillow can be used to adjust the height of the patient's head by inflating and/or deflating the pillow through the air valve prior to and/or during the intubation procedure, thus, making the intubation procedure more reliable.

