Plastic optical fiber airway imaging system

摘要: A system for imaging the human airway having highly advantageous optical and physical characteristics. In a specific embodiment, can be imaged during intubation procedure. Plastic fibers are more robust than glass used in currently available systems, therefore capable of being bent and/or twisted with less concern breakage. addition, lower costs plastic enables scopes, to manufactured single patient use thereby eliminating requirement cleaning, special care, maintenance expensive inventory, most importantly opportunity cross contamination between patients. further aspect concerns novel sheath which covers portion enters patient. this case, its associated fiber optic illumination is disposable after each use.