Description:
In modern medicine, an intubation procedure is performed on patients who are unconscious or who cannot breath on their own. An intubation procedure places a tube into the airway of the patient to allow ventilation of the lungs. Whether performed in the Emergency Medicine Department or in a controlled operating room, intubation can carry a significant risk. Emergency Medicine intubations have a 12% adverse event rate. These complications are mainly from inadequate preparation or planning on the part of clinicians. Planning and preparation may be difficult in the emergency department due to sudden deterioration or arrival of a patient in extremis. The intubation process requires access to equipment with no designed workspace in a fast paced and uncontrolled environment. This can lead to equipment that is placed on the patient’s chest or bed as a common practice with current techniques. This practice is dirty and makes it difficult to locate tools and has no memory assistance to prevent care providers from forgetting, losing or misplacing equipment.
This technology is designed to be a working surface for intubation that has visual reminders of equipment needed to safely and effectively perform the procedure. Overall, the tray meets the requirements for bed space, rail locations, and material durability necessary for intubation in the Emergency Medicine Department.
Reference Number: D-1363
Market Applications:
•Healthcare
•Emergency Medicine
•Military Medicine
Features, Benefits, & Advantages:
• Provides a safe surface for intubation equipment during procedures
• Has visual reminders of all equipment
• Can be easily moved and placed right by the patient
• Has visual reminders of the industrial workflow process including suction and medication dosages
• Can help reduce human errors
Intellectual Property: A US design patent, serial number 29616448, was filed on 1/2/2018 and issued in late 2018.
Development Stage: The invention has been reduced to practice and prototype has been tested and verified.
Researchers:
•Scott Crawford, Emergency Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, El Paso, Texas
•Kelsi Montgomery, Emergency Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, El Paso, Texas
Keywords: Medical equipment, Intubation, Tray