Closed suction system

1. Apparatus for use with a tracheal ventilation tube and a suction source, the apparatus comprising:

(A) a cleaning catheter, which (a) is insertable into the ventilation tube, (b) is shaped so as to define one or more distal suction orifices, and (c) which comprises:

(i) an elongate, flexible, tubular catheter main body; and

(ii) an inflatable element, which is mounted to the catheter main body at a location within 3 cm of at least one of the one or more distal suction orifices; and

(B) an input module, which is coupled to the cleaning catheter, and comprises:

(i) an inflation module, which comprises an inflation chamber separate from the suction source;

(ii) a flow regulator, which (a) is shaped so as to define a suction port coupleable in fluid communication with the suction source, and (b) is configured to assume at least first and second fluid-control states; and

(iii) a mechanical user control element, which is configured (a) to mechanically and non-electrically set the fluid-control states of the flow regulator, (b) to assume at least first and second configurations, and (c) to mechanically and non-electrically increase pressure in an interior of the inflation chamber during at least a portion of a transition of the mechanical user control element from the first configuration to the second configuration,

wherein the input module is arranged such that:

at least when the mechanical user control element is in the first configuration, the flow regulator is in the first fluid-control state, in which the flow regulator (a) blocks fluid communication between the suction source and the distal suction orifices and (b) connects the suction source and an interior of the inflatable element in fluid communication to deflate the inflatable element,

at least when the mechanical user control element is in the second configuration, the flow regulator is in the second fluid-control state, in which the flow regulator (a) connects the suction source and the distal suction orifices in fluid communication, (b) connects the interior of the inflation chamber and an interior of the inflatable element in fluid communication to inflate the inflatable element, and (c) does not connect the suction source and the interior of the inflatable element in fluid communication, and the flow regulator is (a) not in the first fluid-control state when the mechanical user control element is in the second configuration, and (b) not in the second fluid control state when the mechanical user control element is in the first configuration,

wherein the catheter main body comprises a proximal-most input portion, which is disposed within and axially slidable or axially fixed with respect to the input module.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the mechanical user control element is configured to mechanically and non-electrically increase the pressure in the interior of the inflation chamber during an entirely of the transition of the mechanical user control element from the first configuration to the second configuration.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the input module is configured such that during the at least a portion of the transition of the mechanical user control element from the first configuration to the second configuration, before the flow regulator assumes the second fluid-control state, a volume of the interior of the inflation chamber decreases by between 10% and 90%.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the mechanical user control element is configured to mechanically and non-electrically increase the pressure in the interior of the inflation chamber during motion of the mechanical user control element while the flow regulator is in the second fluid-control state.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the suction port is coupled in fluid communication with the suction source.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the input module further comprises a user signal generator, which is configured to generate a user signal during or upon deflation of the inflatable element.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the inflation chamber has a volume of between 1 and 10 cc when the mechanical user control element is in the first configuration.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein when the mechanical user control element is in the second configuration, the inflation chamber has a volume of at least 1 cc less than when the mechanical user control element is in the first configuration.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the mechanical user control element is biased toward the first configuration.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the cleaning catheter further comprises one or more suction lumens arranged along the catheter main body, and wherein the flow regulator, when in the second fluid-control state, connects in fluid communication the suction source and the distal suction orifices via the one or more suction lumens.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the inflatable element comprises a balloon.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the inflatable element is mounted to the catheter main body is within 5 cm of a distal end of the catheter main body.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the inflatable element has a greatest outer diameter of between 6 and 12 mm when inflated at 1 bar above atmospheric pressure and unconstrained.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is for use with a ventilator, and wherein the apparatus further comprises a tube-connector assembly, which is configured to couple the ventilation tube in fluid communication with the ventilator, in a substantially air-tight manner.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first and the second configurations are first and second spatial positions, respectively, and wherein the mechanical user control element is configured to assume at least the first and the second spatial positions.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the mechanical user control element is arranged to move between first and second spatial end-points, and wherein the first and the second spatial positions correspond with the first and the second spatial end-points, respectively.

17. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the flow regulator is configured to assume a third, intermediate fluid-control state, between the first and the second fluid-control states, in which (a) the suction source and the distal suction orifices are in fluid communication with one another, and (b) the interior of the inflation chamber and the interior of the inflatable element are not in fluid communication with one another, and

wherein the flow regulator is configured to assume the third, intermediate fluid-control state when the mechanical user control element is in a third, intermediate configuration between the first configuration and the second configuration.

18. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the inflation module comprises a one-way air inlet valve, which is arranged to allow air to flow into the inflation chamber during at least a portion of a transition of the mechanical user control element from the second configuration to the first configuration.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein the one-way air inlet valve is configured to generate a sound signal during at least a portion of a period of fluid flow into the inflation chamber.

20. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the mechanical user control element is configured to increase the pressure in the interior of the inflation chamber by mechanically and non-electrically compressing the inflation chamber during the at least a portion of the transition of the mechanical user control element from the first configuration to the second configuration.