Airway device with tongue-engaging member

Abstract

An oral device for improving airway patency comprises a base adapted to be held between a patient's upper and lower teeth and a tongue-engaging member. The tongue-engaging member engages the tongue and displaces the tongue anteriorly when the base is held between the patient's teeth. A vacuum is applied through the base and the tongue-engaging member in order to draw the soft palate against a posterior region of the tongue in order to stabilize the soft palate and open or clear the patient's airway.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An oral device for temporary placement in a patient's oral cavity, said device comprising:
 a base adapted to be held between a patient's upper and lower teeth;   a vacuum conduit;   a lip seal coupled to the base and configured for passing the vacuum conduit into the patient's oral cavity; and   a tongue-engaging member coupled to the base and including two laterally spaced-apart enclosures having an opening therebetween and enclosing separate plenums, wherein each plenum is connected to the vacuum conduit and each enclosure has (1) a first surface disposed to engage a medial region of a tongue when the base is positioned between the patient's teeth and (2) at least one port on a surface of the member which opens the plenum to the oral cavity.   
     
     
         2 . An oral device as in  claim 1 , wherein each enclosure has a plurality of ports distributed thereover. 
     
     
         3 . An oral device as in  claim 1 , wherein each enclosure has an anterior surface which is inclined forwardly at an angle in a range from 45° to 60° relative to a plane of the base when positioned between the upper and lower teeth. 
     
     
         4 . An oral device as in  claim 3 , wherein the anterior surface of each enclosure is generally parallel to a posterior surface of each enclosure. 
     
     
         5 . An oral device as in  claim 4 , wherein each enclosure has a lower edge which extends up to at least 8 mm above or below the plane of the base and from 0 mm to 5 mm in a posterior direction from second molars of the patient when the base is positioned between the upper and lower teeth. 
     
     
         6 . An oral device as in  claim 5 , wherein each enclosure of the tongue-engaging member has an upper edge which extends at least  5  mm above the plane of the base and from 0 mm to 20 mm in an anterior direction from second molars of the patient when the base is positioned between the upper and lower teeth. 
     
     
         7 . An oral device as in  claim 6 , wherein the upper edge is deflected in an anterior direction to guide the tongue forwardly when the base is positioned between the upper and lower teeth. 
     
     
         8 . An oral device as in  claim 5 , wherein the posterior surfaces of the enclosures of the tongue-engaging member have an area in a range from 600 mm 2  to 850 mm 2 . 
     
     
         9 . An oral device as in  claim 7 , wherein the anterior surfaces of the enclosures of the tongue-engaging member have an area in a range from 550 mm 2  to 750 mm 2 . 
     
     
         10 . An oral device as in  claim 1 , wherein the base comprises a U-shaped bite plate configured to be positioned between the upper and lower teeth. 
     
     
         11 . An oral device as in  claim 10 , further comprising left and right connectors which join the enclosures to left and right portions of the base. 
     
     
         12 . A method for stabilizing a soft palate in a patient's oral cavity, said method comprising:
 engaging a surface of a member having two laterally spaced-apart enclosures enclosing separate plenums and separated by an opening therebetween against a medial region of a tongue, wherein the surface engages a medial region of the tongue to displace the medial region of the tongue away from the soft palate to provide a clearance therebetween when the base is held between upper and lower teeth; and   applying a vacuum within the clearance through a posterior surface of the member to draw together the soft palate and a posterior region of the tongue.   
     
     
         13 . A method as in  claim 12 , wherein each enclosure has an anterior surface inclined at an angle in a range from 45° to 60° relative to a bite plane between the patient's upper and lower teeth. 
     
     
         14 . A method as in  claim 13 , wherein each enclosure has a lower edge which extends up to 8 mm above or below the bite plane and from 3 mm to 5 mm in a posterior direction from the second molars of the patient. 
     
     
         15 . A method as in  claim 14 , wherein each enclosure has an upper edge which extends at least 5 mm above the bite plane and from 0 mm to 20 mm in an anterior direction from the second molars of the patient. 
     
     
         16 . A method as in  claim 13 , wherein the anterior surface engages the tongue over an area in a range from 550 mm 2  to 750 mm 2 . 
     
     
         17 . A method as in  claim 12 , wherein the vacuum draws the soft palate against the posterior surface of the member. 
     
     
         18 . A method as in  claim 12 , wherein the soft palate remains spaced-apart from the posterior surface of the member while the vacuum is being applied.