Boug Illuminator ("Bougie Light")

1.8 million patients per year require emergency intubations to protect their airway and continue airflow into the lungs. In these emergency situations, it is crucial to intubate a patient’s trachea successfully on the first attempt. However with current tools, as many as 25% of all emergency intubations require multiple attempts. Failed intubations (e.g., esophageal intubation) can result in various complications, including cardiac arrest and permanent brain damage. In order to accurately and efficiently intubate patients, physicians need verification and assurance that they are intubating the trachea and not the esophagus.

A current popular tool for emergency intubations is the bougie, which is a thin, flexible cylinder that helps physicians navigate the tight passages of the throat and guide an endotracheal tube to proper placement. A trademark of a typical bougie is an angled tip that aids physicians in feeling the cartilage rings of the trachea, however physicians only get this sort of confirmation 50% of the time from the coude (angled) tip. For this reason, additional confirmation is needed in order to accurately intubate patients on the first attempt.

Summary of the Invention

The BougieLight is an intubation device that is flexible, has an angled tip, and a light source. The light source achieves transillumination, while the coude tip provides tactile feedback. Transillumination allows physicians to have visual feedback that they have successfully navigated into the trachea since they can trace the light through the outside of the patient’s neck. By providing twofold verification of correct intubation physicians can more quickly and more efficiently intubate patients, especially in emergency situations. Additionally, the BougieLight has a unique shape. The superior aspect of the BougieLight is flat and thus provides directionality feedback to the physician so that he or she knows which direction the coude tip is facing.

The BougieLight is comprised of a removable circuit housing and a flexible, light transmitting bougie. The BougieLight can function as an independent intubation means as well as a guide for another instrument. The LED and all circuitry is located in the plastic housing, removing the risk of having glass in a patient’s body. The light from the LED is transmitted through the bougie and is bright enough at the distal end to achieve transillumination. The physician can either preload an endotracheal tube onto the BougieLight or intubate first with the BougieLight, remove the housing, and slide the ET tube over the BougieLight. Once the patient has been successfully intubated, the entire BougieLight can be easily disposed of, eliminating the challenges of resterilization or cross-contamination.

Benefits

●       Distal illumination and tracheal transilumination provides a two-fold verification of placement.

●       Refined shape allows for superior orientation and directionality of the coude tip.

●       Higher rates of first-pass intubation success

●       Reduced time to intubate

●       Disposable

●       Cost effective

Applications

●       Emergency and non-emergent/pre-oprative intubations

●       Intubations in 3rd world countries (fully disposable, self contained)

Relevant Key Words

●       Medical Devices

●       Emergency Medicine

●       Bougie

●       Intubation

●       Airway Management