Methods and devices to clear obstructions from medical tubes

1. A device for clearing obstructions from a medical tube, the device comprising a guide tube having an inner diameter, an elongate guide member at least partially disposed in and translatable through said guide tube, and a clearance member in the form of a loop attached to or formed integrally with said guide member said loop having an opening that permits the flow of material through said loop.

2. The device of claim 1 , said guide member comprising a guide wire, said loop being formed from or attached to a terminal portion of said guide wire.

3. The device of claim 1 , said loop lying in a plane that is at an angle to a longitudinal axis of said guide member at a point where said loop and said guide member intersect.

4. The device of claim 3 , said angle being in the range of 75° to 105°.

5. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a medical tube having an inner diameter and a proximal end adapted to be coupled to a distal end of said guide tube, said loop having a diameter that substantially corresponds to the inner diameter of said medical tube.

6. The device of claim 5 , the inner diameter of said medical tube being smaller than the inner diameter of said guide tube.

7. The device of claim 5 , said medical tube proximal end being coupled to said guide tube distal end, said loop being disposed in said medical tube, said loop presenting a substantially unobstructed pathway therethrough for the flow of material from a location in said medical tube distal to said loop to a location in said medical tube proximal to said loop regardless whether said clearance member is being translated or is at rest within said medical tube.

8. The device of claim 1 , said guide member being flexible but biased to a straight configuration.

9. The device of claim 1 , said guide member being a guide wire comprising a core wire and a sheath wire wound around the core wire to provide a spiral-wound wire sheath.

10. The device of claim 5 , said medical tube comprising one or a plurality of apertures through a wall of said medical tube in a distal region thereof, said clearance member being dimensioned and oriented so that it cannot pass through said one or a plurality of apertures.

11. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a medical tube coupled to the guide tube's distal end, and a CO 2 -sensor provided to detect the presence of CO 2 in said medical tube.

12. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a wire manipulation device effective to deliver energy or motion to the clearance member when in use.

13. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a shuttle member disposed outside the guide tube and adapted to translate along a length thereof, and a magnetic guide secured to said guide member, said magnetic guide being adapted to be magnetically coupled to said shuttle member through a wall of said guide tube so that translation of said shuttle member along the length thereof induces a corresponding translation of said guide member.

14. The device of claim 13 , said shuttle member comprising a through bore, said guide tube being slidably received through the through bore of said shuttle member to accommodate translation of the shuttle member over said guide tube and along its length.

15. The device of claim 13 , further comprising a shuttle stop secured to the guide tube in a distal region thereof, said shuttle member being attachable to said shuttle stop via a reversible mechanical or magnetic attachment.

16. The device of claim 13 , further comprising a medical tube having a proximal end adapted to be coupled to a distal end of said guide tube, said guide member having a length between its distal end and said magnetic guide that is substantially equal to the length of said medical tube plus a distance between said shuttle stop and the proximal end of said medical tube when the proximal end of said medical tube is coupled to the distal end of said guide tube.

17. The device of claim 16 , said clearance member being disposed at the distal end of said guide member.

18. A device for clearing obstructions from a medical tube, the device comprising a medical tube having an inner diameter, an elongate guide member at least partially disposed in said medical tube, and a clearance member in the form of a loop attached to or formed integrally with said guide member and having a diameter that substantially corresponds to the inner diameter of said medical tube, said loop presenting a substantially unobstructed pathway therethrough for the flow of material from a location in said medical tube distal to said loop to a location in said medical tube proximal to said loop regardless whether said clearance member is being translated or is at rest within said medical tube.

19. The device of claim 18 , said guide member comprising a guide wire, said loop being formed from or attached to a terminal portion of said guide wire.

20. The device of claim 18 , said loop lying in a plane that is at an angle to a longitudinal axis of said guide member at a point where said loop and said guide member intersect.

21. A method of clearing obstructions from a medical tube, comprising at least partially inserting in said medical tube, through a proximal end thereof, an elongate guide member having a clearance member in the form of a loop attached to or formed integrally with said guide member such that said clearance member is disposed within said medical tube, said loop having a diameter that substantially corresponds to an inner diameter of said medical tube, translating said guide member to correspondingly translate said clearance member within said medical tube to thereby dislodge debris within said medical tube, wherein said loop presents a substantially unobstructed pathway therethrough for the flow of material from a location in said medical tube distal to said loop to a location in said medical tube proximal to said loop regardless whether said clearance member is being translated or is at rest within said medical tube.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the translation of said guide member and clearance member does not compromise a sterile field in said medical tube.