Endotracheal tube with improved inflation retention means

Claim 1

In a medical device for insertion into a body passage, comprising, in combination: an administration tube for insertion in a body passage; said tube including a main balloon circumposed about said tube for inflation and retaining the tube in a relatively fixed position within a body passage during medical treatment; a branch tube connected at an inner end to the interior of said main balloon for inflating the balloon from outside the body passage; pilot balloon means connected in series to the main balloon through an outer end of the branch tube for access outside the body passage; said piLot balloon means comprising an elastic material having expansion properties appreciably greater than the corresponding inflation characteristics of the main balloon whereby inflation of the main balloon causes radical exaggerated inflation of the pilot balloon for immediately apprizing a user of the inflated condition of the main balloon in a body passage; and inflation valve means connected in series to the pilot balloon for permitting inflation pressure to be administered to the balloons; the improvement including means for permitting the central portion of the pilot balloon to freely expand longitudinally and laterally when inflated, said means comprising a pilot balloon having a free central portion communicating at one end with an elastic collar of reduced cross-section, said branch tube having bonded to the outer end thereof an enlarged, rigid collar, said elastic collar being stretched in circumposed, air-tight relationship around said bonded collar for obviating the use of adhesives and bonding of the pilot balloon collar to said bonded collar and branch tube.