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Bite block for endotracheal intubation

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To prevent patients from biting on the tube that helps them breathe while preventing them from damaging their front teeth

Project Overview

An endotracheal intubation may be performed on patients who are critically injured where their airway becomes blocked or damaged, or the patient becomes unable to breathe spontaneously. Generally, an endotracheal tube is a tube constructed of polyvinyl chloride, rubber, or silicone that is placed between the vocal cords through the windpipe (trachea) and out the mouth during tracheal intubation. It serves to provide oxygen and gases to the lungs and protects the lungs from contamination from gastric contents or blood. The endotracheal tube is flexible thus allowing the tube to bend through the mouth into the windpipe and between the vocal cords. An endotracheal tube is often placed when a patient is unconscious, for example, when a patient is under anesthesia or in a coma. Because of the discomfort caused by the intubation procedure, if the endotracheal tube is placed while the patient is conscious, medication may be used to ease the pain and anxiety while the endotracheal tube is being placed. When it is confirmed that the endotracheal tube is in the proper position within a patient's windpipe, a balloon cuff may be inflated on the internal end of the endotracheal tube to keep the endotracheal tube from moving out of the place, and the external end of the endotracheal tube may be taped or strapped to the outside of the patient's face to secure tube placement. A hard and rigid tubular bite block may be used to prevent the patient from biting down on the endotracheal tube, compressing the tube and obstructing airflow. The external end of the endotracheal tube is inserted through the rigid bite block tube and the rigid bite block tube is held between the patient's lips and front teeth (incisors). The rigid bite block tube surrounds the endotracheal tube and is fastened to a strap extending around the patient's head to secure the bite block tube and endotracheal tube in place. The rigid bite block tube ensures that the endotracheal tube is held securely in place and that the patient does not compress the endotracheal tube when biting down, thus, undesirably occluding the endotracheal tube and preventing proper airflow to the lungs. The patient's incisors at the front of the mouth can place a large amount of force on the rigid bite block tube as the patient bites down (e.g., when clenching or grinding their teeth) and in return, the rigid bite block tube places a large amount of force and stress on the patient's front teeth. This high amount of force and stress on the teeth from the patient's biting translates to loosening of the patient's incisors at the front of the mouth causing them to fall out in extreme cases. When the patient is unconscious, they are unaware of the large amount of force stress they are placing on the rigid bite block tube and their teeth. Additionally, injury or trauma to the patient's lips, tongue, floor of the mouth, or inner lining of lips or cheeks (buccal mucosa) can occur through rubbing or movement of the hard bite block within the patient's mouth during intubation. Therefore, there is a desire to eliminate these unwanted side effects and complications associated with endotracheal intubation. The invention encompasses a bite block that transfers the bite force to the molars which are designed to handle grinding and forceful biting thereby avoiding damage to the front teeth, lips, and tongue.

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