Medico-surgical tube assemblies

Abstract

A tracheostomy tube assembly has a flange arrangement ( 2 ) movable along the shaft ( 1 ) of the assembly and lockable at different positions. The flange arrangement has a gel-filled member ( 22 ) with a flexible conformable surface ( 26 ) providing substantially the entire surface contacting the skin. The flange has aperture ( 28 ) through which a tape can be extended for use in securing the assembly with the patient's neck. The gel-filled member ( 122 ) may be provided separately for use on existing tube assemblies.

1 - 13 . (canceled) 
     
     
         14 . A medico-surgical tube assembly including a tubular shaft arranged to extend within body of a patient via an opening and a flange arrangement mounted with the shaft and having a skin-contacting surface adapted to contact the external skin surface of the patient, characterized in that the tube assembly includes both an outer flange for use in securing the assembly with the body and a gel-filled member provided as a separate component from the outer flange and adapted to be located between the outer flange and skin of the patient to provide a conformable surface in contact with the skin and that the tubular shaft extends through both the outer flange and the gel-filled component where the tubular shaft extends into the body via the opening. 
     
     
         15 . An assembly according to  claim 14 , characterized in that the skin-contacting surface of the gel-filled member is provided by a thin wall of a flexible plastics material. 
     
     
         16 . An assembly according to  claim 14 , characterized in that the flange arrangement includes a gas-filled member and is located between the outer flange and the gel-filled member. 
     
     
         17 . An assembly according to  claim 16 , characterized in that the gas-filled member is inflatable. 
     
     
         18 . A tracheostomy tube assembly including a tubular shaft arranged to extend within a patient's trachea via a tracheostomy and a flange arrangement mounted with the shaft and extending laterally on opposite sides of the shaft, the flange arrangement having an outer flange provided with apertures to receive a tape used to secure the assembly with the patient's neck surface, characterized in that the flange arrangement includes in addition to the outer flange used to secure the assembly with the patient's neck surface a gel-filled member provided as a separate component from the outer flange and adapted to be located between the outer flange and external skin surface of the patient's neck to provide a conformable surface in contact with the skin and that the tubular shaft extends through both the outer flange and the gel-filled component where the tubular shaft extends into the patient's body via the opening. 
     
     
         19 . An assembly according to  claim 18 , characterized in that the gel is a silicone material or a hydrogel. 
     
     
         20 . An assembly according to  claim 18 , characterized in that the flange arrangement is movable along the shaft. 
     
     
         21 . A lockable flange for selective positioning at different locations along a tracheostomy tube, wherein the flange includes a wing member of a relatively stiff plastics material, wherein the wing member is configured to extend laterally of the tracheostomy tube and has an opening at opposite ends adapted to receive a neck tape used to secure the tube around neck of a patient, wherein the flange includes a gel-filled component comprising a thin wall of flexible plastics material and a filling of a gel material, the gel-filled component being arranged for positioning on the tube between the wing member and neck surface of the patient, wherein the tracheostomy tube extends through both the flange and the gel-filled component where the tube extends through the neck surface into trachea of the patient, and wherein the flange includes a releasable lock that retains the flange in position at the selected location on the tube when locked and enables the flange to be moved along the tube to a different location when released.