Tube Fix

Novo Klinik-Service
With long-term artificial respiration, an endotracheal tube is inserted through the mouth and past the vocal cords. Fixating the tube on the face using adhesive stickers is not user-friendly for either the patient or medical personnel. Because the tube is moved regularly, this irritates the skin and corners of the mouth.

Clamping of the endotracheal tube
Together with medical experts, we developed a unique idea for tube fixation, where the endotracheal tube is maintained in one spot with a clamping mechanism that is suitable for various tube sizes. The clamping mechanism rests on the patient’s cheekbones and has an integrated fixation principle consisting of adjustable straps around the head.

Ergonomic research and testing of prototypes
The solution principle seems simple, but proper execution turned out to be quite complicated. Major ergonomic research was conducted to figure out how to clamp the tube onto the cheekbones. All shapes and sizes of heads and faces were examined. Numerous prototypes were created based on this research, and these prototypes were subsequently tested on lots of different heads.

To measure is to know
The result is so good that the clamping mechanism has received a patent in the meantime. The clamping mechanism, together with the fixation principle, has improved tube fixation for both patients and medical professionals. Patients experience much less physical discomfort and irritation caused by the endotracheal tube. Ease of use for medical experts has improved so that they need one hand less to keep the tube in the correct place during treatment or daily care.