Respiratory tube or airway

Claim 1

An airway for both sole esophageal obturator ventilation and for combined endotracheal and esophageal obturator ventilation of a patient, selectively, comprising: tube means having a proximal end, and a distal end, said distal end being insertable into an esophagus and into a trachea selectively, said tube defining two lumens extending axially thereof both of which are open at said proximal end, the distal end of one of said lumens being open and the distal end of the other of said lumens being closed, said tube means defining at least one air outlet communicating with said lumen having said closed distal end and which is locatable in a patient's pharyngeal area; an inflatable distal cuff on said tube means located adjacent the distal end of said tube means; distal inflation means connected between said inflatable distal cuff and said proximal end of said tube means for allowing selective inflation of said inflatable distal cuff; an inflatable pharyngeal cuff on said tube means located between said at least one pair outlet and said proximal end of said tube means, said pharyngeal cuff having a toroidal shape being sized and located with respect to said tube means such that when inflated, it is situated within the boundaries of a pars oralis of a patient, and; pharyngeal inflation means connected between said inflatable pharyngeal cuff and said proximal end of said tube for allowing selective inflation of said pharyngeal cuff.