Oral/nasal cannula manifold

Abstract

An oral/nasal cannula manifold gas sampling and oxygen delivering manifold for sampling exhaled breath of a subject and delivering supplemental oxygen, the cannula including a main body portion having a suction port which is connected with a collection tube to a suction device for sampling the exhaled breath of the subject. A nasal prong upwardly protrudes from the main body portion and is positioned for insertion into a nostril of the subject to collect nasally exhaled breath. An oral conduit passage is embedded in a deflector/concentrator plate that extends downwardly from the main body portion. The straight conduit passages of the nasal and oral passages are connected to and aligned in the same plane whereby the opposed nasal and oral conduit passages are connected with the conduit passage of the suction port without any adjacent connected void volumes or dead spaces in any of the passages.

I claim: 
     
         1 . An oral/nasal gas sampling and oxygen delivery manifold for sampling exhaled breath of a subject and delivering supplemental oxygen, comprising:
 a main body portion having formed therein a suction port which is dimensioned and adapted to be connected with a collection tube to a suction device for sampling of exhaled breath of said subject;   a nasal prong protruding from said main body portion and positioned for insertion into a nostril of said subject to collect nasally exhaled breath of said subject, and having a straight passage in fluid flow communication with a conduit passage of said suction port; and   an oral prong protruding from said main body portion and having a straight conduit passage with a distal opening positioned for placement near an oral cavity of said subject to collect orally exhaled breath of said subject, and in fluid flow communication with the conduit passage of said suction port;   the straight passage of said nasal prong connected to and aligned in the same plane as the straight conduit passage of said oral prong whereby the opposed nasal and oral passages are connected with said conduit passage of said suction port without any adjacent connected void volumes in any of said passages, and the pressure of the exhaled nasal and oral gases of said subject directly oppose each other in said straight aligned passages to provide optimal sampling of the said subjects exhaled gases for analysis.   
     
     
         2 . The oral/nasal manifold of  claim 1 , wherein the conduit passage of said suction port connects at a right angle to said straight aligned passages and centrally between their distal ends. 
     
     
         3 . The oral/nasal manifold of  claim 2 , wherein the internal volumes of said opposed aligned conduit passages are equal. 
     
     
         4 . The oral/nasal manifold of  claim 3 , wherein the internal diameters of said opposed aligned conduit passages are equal. 
     
     
         5 . The oral/nasal manifold of  claim 4 , wherein said opposed conduit passages are equal in length. 
     
     
         6 . The oral/nasal manifold of  claim 1 , said main body portion including a deflector/concentrator plate surrounding said distal opening of said oral conduit passage, said oral conduit passage imbedded in said plate. 
     
     
         7 . The oral/nasal manifold of  claim 1 , wherein said main body portion and said prongs are comprised of a flame retardant thermoplastic polymer. 
     
     
         8 . An oral/nasal manifold for collection of exhaled nasal and oral gases respired by a patient, comprising:
 two nasal prongs for insertion into nostrils of the patient;   a collection tube for the collection of exhaled gases from the patient, one end of said tube connected to one of said nasal prongs; and   an oral conduit prong for placement near an oral cavity of the patient for the collection of orally exhaled gases from the patient, the conduit passage of said one nasal prong passage and said oral conduit passage being straight, and the straight passage of said oral conduit connected to and aligned in the same plane as the straight passage of said one of said nasal prongs, whereby the aligned conduit passages are connected with the conduit passage of said collection tube without any adjacent connected void volumes in any of said cannula passages, and the pressures of the exhaled nasal and oral gases of the patient directly oppose each other in said straight aligned passages to provide an optimal sampling of the patient's exhaled gases for analysis.   
     
     
         9 . The oral/nasal manifold of  claim 8 , wherein the conduit passage of said collection tube connects at a right angle to said straight aligned conduit passages and centrally between their distal ends. 
     
     
         10 . The oral/nasal manifold of  claim 9 , wherein the internal volumes of said opposed and aligned conduit passages are equal. 
     
     
         11 . The oral/nasal manifold of  claim 10 , wherein the internal diameters of said opposed and aligned conduit passages are equal. 
     
     
         12 . The oral/nasal manifold of  claim 11 , wherein said opposed and aligned conduit passages are equal in length. 
     
     
         13 . The oral/nasal manifold of  claim 8 , including a deflector/concentrator plate surrounding a distal opening for said oral conduit passage. 
     
     
         14 . The oral/nasal manifold of  claim 8 , wherein said main body portion and said prongs are constructed of a flame retardant thermoplastic polymer. 
     
     
         15 . A method of collecting exhaled gases from a patient, the method comprising:
 providing an oral/nasal manifold having two nasal prongs for insertion into the nostrils of the patient with one end of a collection tube for collecting exhaled gases from the patient connected to the conduit passage of one of the nasal cannula prongs, and an oral prong with a distal port for placement near the oral cavity of the patient and having a straight conduit passage connected with a straight conduit passage of said one of the nasal prongs;   connecting the straight conduit passage of said oral prong to said straight conduit passage of said one nasal prong in alignment in the same plane and thereby providing a connection to the conduit passage of said collection tube without the inclusion of any ancillary void volumes in any of said conduit passages;   inserting said nasal prongs into the nostrils of the patient;   placing said oral distal port near the oral cavity of the patient;   attaching said collection tube to a gas analyzer; and   applying a vacuum force at said gas analyzer, such that the exhaled gases flowing through the connected manifold conduit passages move from said collection tube to said gas analyzer and the pressures of the exhaled nasal and oral gases of the patient directly oppose each other in said straight aligned conduit passages to provide an optimal sampling of the patient's exhaled gases for analysis.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , including connecting said one end of said collection tube to said aligned passages whereby the conduit passage of said collection tube is connected thereto at a right angle. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , including providing said opposed aligned passages with equal internal volume. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , including providing said opposed aligned passages with equal internal diameters. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15 , including constructing said oral/nasal manifold of a flame retardant thermoplastic polymer. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15 , including concentrating orally exhaled breath from the patient about the distal port for said oral prong.