A Laryngoscope with Shape Memory Actuation

Endotracheal intubation is a medical procedure to secure a patient’s airways, which can be challenging in emergency situations due to an individual’s anatomy. Intubation blades can benefit from an adjustable design with shape memory alloys. We present a novel blade design with two degrees of freedom...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Fischer Nikola, Ho Patty, Marzi Christian, Schuler Patrick, Mathis-Ullrich Franziska
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: De Gruyter 2024-09-01
Series:Current Directions in Biomedical Engineering
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1515/cdbme-2024-1067
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Summary:Endotracheal intubation is a medical procedure to secure a patient’s airways, which can be challenging in emergency situations due to an individual’s anatomy. Intubation blades can benefit from an adjustable design with shape memory alloys. We present a novel blade design with two degrees of freedom, continuously transforming a straight into a curved blade. Our demonstrators reached mean angular deflections up to 16∘ without exceeding outer blade temperatures of 40∘C. Mean forces of almost 24N were applicable. This approach has the potential to reduce the complexity of intubation procedures and increase the success rate, especially in time-critical emergency situations.
ISSN:2364-5504