Umbrella Mechanism Device for Endoscopy Aspiration

Application

Medical device for the prevention of aspiration during endoscopic procedures.

Key Benefits

Reduces/eliminates the need for anesthesia during upper GI endoscopic procedures while preventing aspiration.

Market Summary

Light/moderate sedation to general anesthesia is used to prevent aspiration during upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopic procedures. Anesthesia may carry inherent risk of post-operative confusion, pneumonia, stroke and heart attack. A need exists for a method of reducing the risk of aspiration in patients during upper endoscopic procedures that doesn’t involve general anesthesia.

Technical Summary

Emory clinician and his team have designed an “umbrella mechanism” device to reduce the need for anesthesia in endoscopic procedures. This device uses a retracting screw and compressed (outwardly stretched) metallic joints to inflate a balloon in the esophagus to block any aspiration from the stomach. This device is attached around the neck of the endoscope before the procedure. Once in place, the endoscope feeds through the center of the balloon to explore further into the digestive system. Successful application of this device is demonstrated in preventing the aspiration of stomach contents (water) on cadavers under manual force expulsion parameters.