Bronchial examination catheter.

p0001The invention relates to an investigation catheter comprising a flexible hose having one, with an opening provided, on the lower end of an inflatable bellows surrounds, the interior of which is connected by a connecting channel, which runs on or in the hose with a valve at the far upper end of the hose, the a widening funnels carries.

p0002From DE-PS 23 11 266 describes a respiration catheter, also called endotracheal tube is known which is suitable for insertion through the mouth into the trachea and is designed to implement ventilation hoses. Its length is the short way to the end of the trachea, where it is, each fixed by inflating the bellows, which adapts to the cross section of the trachea in its lower area. With such a tube is thus only the lungs to detect as a whole and shut off by the bellows. In the lung diagnostics and -theraphie this catheter is therefore not in use.

p0003The object of the invention to disclose a study catheter which is suitable for bronchoscopy, Bronchografie and Bronchialtherapie.

p0004The solution of the problem is that the hose length according to an introduction path through a nose, a throat, a trachea is finished in one of the individual bronchial tubes and the tube in the contracted condition having an outer diameter that is slightly less than the width of a Bronchialastes and in inflated state can fill the bronchial that the tube made of highly flexible polyurethane material and that the opening is centrally located at the hose end.

p0005Advantageous embodiments are specified in the subclaims.

p0006The novel bronchial allows to introduce it by means of a radiopaque probe under Röntgenbeobahtung in any 19 bronchial and anchor there. Thereafter, without further radiation exposure a bronchoscope, a gripper for sampling or a rinsing or sparger etc. imported and exported. The rest of the lung remains unaffected and functioning in such an engagement. The radiation sensitive expensive bronchoscope remains unloaded. These interventions can be performed without the usual in the conventional methods of anesthesia.

p0007Join a sampling or otherwise bleeding, the catheter remains blocked until a stop bleeding or aspiration of the secretion occurred. A load of the rest of the lung does not occur. A later Coughing up blood and secretions deleted. Also during transport of a patient with pulmonary hemorrhage of bronchial can be used advantageously for the Absprerrung lobe affected.

p0008The hose cross section corresponds to the internationally known expedient measure "Charriere 14", however, depending on the bronchi cross-section also Charriere 12, 13 or 15 provide.

p0009The hose is appropriate with a contrast agent, such as barite, equipped so that it can be tracked on the radiograph.

p0010The polyurethane material has the advantage of high surface smoothness and elasticity, and it can be silicone oil, of which it is not attacked, coat the slide aid, and is easy to disinfect.

p0011An advantageous length has been 60 cm.

p0012In the figures 1 and 2 a tested embodiment is shown.<ul><li>Fig. 1 shows an enlarged and shortens a partial longitudinal section:</li><li>Fig. Figure 2 shows a tubing cross-section.</li></ul>

p0013Fig. 1 shows the upper end of the tube a funnel (5) made of plastic with a lateral stub (41) which contains a valve (4), which is suitable for introduction of air and extraction with a syringe. The vent (41) leading into the relatively narrow connecting channel (3), the other end in the bellows interior (20) of the bellows (2) leads surrounding near the lower end of the hose, for instance with 3 mm spacing the tube (1). The tube (i) is designed slightly rounded at the bottom and has a central opening (12). The elastic bellows (2) has such a wall thicknesses and elasticity distribution in that it has in the inflated state of approximately radial end walls (21, 22) and an approximately cylindrical smooth or slightly corrugated axial wall (23).

p0014The connection channel (3) is present as a thin tube (31) in or on the hose wall (11), as shown in FIG. 2, or it is formed directly into the hose wall (11).