Endotracheal tube stabilizer
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Endotracheal tube holders, clamps or retainers have long been known and have usually consisted of a faceplate, tied by a strap around the back of the patient&#39;s head, and covering the mouth area of the patient, there being a single aperture in the faceplate for receiving the endotracheal tube. Such devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,820,457 to Phillips of Jan. 21, 1958 wherein the faceplate is a flange integral with the mouthpiece and bite block and in U.S. Pat. No. 2,908,269 to Cheng of Oct. 13, 1959 wherein the faceplate has a tubular integral bite block on the side and an open slot on the other side for the tube. 
     The prior art also reveals a line of clamp type faceplates for clamping on an endotracheal tube as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,602,227 of Aug. 31, 1971 and 3,760,811 of Sept. 25, 1973 to Andrew wherein the two sections of the clamp lock together around the tube but must be broken to remove the tube. A pivoted jaw type clamp is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,993,081 to Cussell of Nov. 23, 1976 wherein there may be two holes for two tubes but the device makes use of adhesive tape on the skin of the patient which applicant has found to be objectionable. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In this invention, an endotracheal tube stabilizer is provided which is not affixed to the skin of the patient, the removal thereof for shifting the position of the bite block, having been found to be extremely painful especially for a whiskered male adult. The stabilizer of the invention therefore comprises a relatively wide faceplate of soft flexible plastic material with one, or sometimes two, integral ears on each side by which it can be flexed to conform to the patient&#39;s face and tied by tapes, strands, etc. around the patient&#39;s head. 
     The faceplate includes a central, wide, closed-end slot, substantially equal in width to the width of the patient&#39;s mouth and the slot having spaced upper and lower edges generally in parallelism and equally spaced apart. Integral, oppositely disposed pairs of bendable prongs are provided along the edges of the slot to define a right side aperture, a central aperture and a left side aperture. 
     A mouthpiece, preferably of plastic is mounted for sidewise sliding movement in the slot, held in place by front and rear flanges and having an axial bore generally normal to the face plate, a tubular bite block portion and a tubular guide portion. 
     The portion of the tubular mouthpiece between the front and rear flanges is flat at top and bottom to slide in the slot but to prevent turning. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     FIG. 1 is a front elevation of one embodiment of the flexible faceplate of the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the tubular mouthpiece of the invention retained in the slot in another embodiment of the faceplate; 
     FIG. 3 is a front elevation of the mouthpiece; 
     FIG. 4 is a side elevation in half section of the mouthpiece; and; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the device in use. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The endotracheal tube stabilizer 20, of the invention includes the faceplate, flange, or collar 21, which is preferably of soft, flexible, resilient plastic 22 so that it will easily conform to the configuration of the face 23 of a patient 24. Faceplate 21 includes at least one pair of integral ears 25 and 26 each of substantial length and terminating in tips 27 and 28, each having holes such as 29 for strands 31 of ribbon, tape or the like for tying around the head 32 of the patient 24 to position the faceplate over the mouth 33 of the patient. The faceplate 20 is of predetermined width at least equal to the width of the mouth 33 of a patient 24 and is of predetermined height at least sufficient to abut and cover the mouth 33, upper front teeth 34 and lower front teeth 35. 
     Face plate 21 is provided centrally with a wide slot 36 which is substantially coextensive in width with the width of the mouth 33 of a patient and which includes upper edge 37 and lower edge 38 which are equally spaced apart and in substantial parallelism except for two pairs 39 and 41 of oppositely disposed integral flexible, resilient prongs such as 42, 43, 44 and 45. The pairs 39 and 41 of prings divided the slot 36 into a left side aperture 46, a central aperture 47 and a right side apparatus 48, each with straight, or flat, upper and lower walls, or edges, as at 49 and 51 which are in parallelism. 
     The tubular mouthpiece 52 of the invention includes a tubular portion 53, forming a &#34;bite block,&#34; which portion enters the mouth 33 of the patient 24 for receiving the bite of the upper front teeth 34 and the lower front teeth 35 and includes a tubular guide portion 54 extending away from the mouth 33 and flared at 55 for receiving and guiding an endotracheal tube 56. The mouthpiece 52 includes an axial bore 57 of uniform diameter which extends generally normal to faceplate 21 and which slidably receives the tube 56. 
     Flange means 58 is provided for retaining the mouthpiece 52 in slot 36 while permitting selective sidewise movement therein. Means 58 includes a front flange 59 of circular flat configuration spaced from a rear flange 61 of generally square configuration, flange 61 being concave curved in plan to conform to the curve of the teeth of the patient. The central portion 62 of rear flange 61 is spaced from the front flange 59 a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the material 22 of the faceplate so as to prevent forward or rearward tilting of the mouthpiece relative to the faceplate while enabling side wise sliding movement of the mouthpiece in the slot 36. The upper surface 63 and the lower surface 64 of the portion of mouthpiece 52 between the flanges 59 and 61 are each flat and parallel to each other so that the mouthpiece will slide side wise in slot 36 but will not turn on its axise. 
     The upper surface 65 and the lower surface 66 of the bite block tubular portion 53 are also flat and parallel to each other to conform to the flat configuration of the upper and lower front teeth 34 and 35. 
     In operation the mouthpiece 52 is affixed in the slot 36 of faceplate 21 by flexing the material of the faceplate, in the area of the slot, around the front flange 59 until the faceplate is received in the gap 67 between flange 59 and flange 61. With the bit block portion 53 of the mouthpiece inserted in the patient&#39;s mouth, the ears of the faceplate are then bent to conform to the shape of the patient&#39;s face and the faceplate tied around the patient&#39;s head by the strands 31. The mountpiece may start in the central aperture 47 and the endotracheal tube 56 slid into the bore 57 and down into the trachea. A cuff not shown but well known, may then be inflated by the conduit 68 extending along a shallow groove 69 in the wall of the axial bore 57 in a well known manner. The endotracheal tube 56 is usually taped to the guide portion 54 of the mouthpiece to slide with the mouthpiece into side aperture 48 or 49 when the attendant or physician feels that the patient&#39;s mouth and teeth need relief. The other unused apertures permit insertion of other tubes into the mouth for any desired purpose.