WO2024100840A1 - Tongue position holding device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention comprises: a curved concave capsule (10) that is covered by at least a tip portion of a tongue (T) and is mounted inside the oral cavity (M); a tube (20) one end of which is connected to the capsule (10) and that is led out of the oral cavity (M); and an aspirator (30) that is connected to the other end of the tube (20) and comprises a syringe or spherical pump for aspirating air inside the capsule (10) that is covered by the tongue (T).

Description

Tongue positioning device

The present invention relates to a tongue position maintaining device.

As a device for suppressing snoring and teeth grinding while sleeping or preventing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), Patent Document 1 shows a device that is worn in the user's mouth and holds the front part of the user's tongue in a socket, thereby ensuring an airflow passage through the pharyngeal airway and promoting normal breathing while sleeping.

Patent Document 2 also describes how a mouthpiece connected to a decompression unit via a tube is attached to the user's mouth, and the decompression unit generates negative pressure in the user's oral cavity, pulling the user's soft palate and surrounding soft tissues toward the oral cavity and pulling the user's tongue toward the hard palate, thereby keeping the user's pharyngeal airway open.

Furthermore, Patent Document 3 shows a device that prevents the base of the tongue from sinking and blocking the pharyngeal airway by inserting a tongue locking device, the main structural part of which is a base with suction parts facing both sides of the palate and tongue, between the palate and tongue, and discharging outside air etc. from within the suction part to attach the tongue locking device between the tongue and palate and prevent movement.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,169,473 JP 2007-319680 A JP 2008-183388 A

However, the socket described in Patent Document 1, which fits and holds the front part of the tongue, does not provide sufficient holding power and there is a risk that the tongue will come loose and drop.

Furthermore, as with the devices described in Patent Documents 2 and 3, simply creating negative pressure in the oral cavity or adsorbing the surface of the tongue to a mouthpiece causes the tongue to move downward toward the pharyngeal airway, making it difficult to keep the user's pharyngeal airway open. Moreover, these devices are equipped with large devices such as a pressure reduction unit and an air pump, which makes the devices noisy when in use, leads to larger sizes, and increases costs.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a small, high-performance tongue positioning device while keeping costs down.

In order to achieve the above object, the tongue position maintaining device of the present invention comprises:
A curved, concave capsule that is placed in the oral cavity and covers at least a tip portion of the tongue;
a tube having one end connected to the capsule and extending from the oral cavity;
an aspirator consisting of a syringe or a ball pump to which the other end of the tube is connected and which aspirates the air in the capsule placed over the tongue;
Equipped with.

According to the tongue position holding device of this configuration, the tongue can be held by being attached to the capsule by placing the capsule over the tongue and sucking the air inside the capsule with an aspirator. This effectively prevents the tongue from collapsing during sleep, and improves sleep-related respiratory disorders such as OSA, upper airway resistance syndrome, and snoring, which cause upper airway obstruction. Furthermore, it can effectively prevent the tongue from collapsing during intravenous sedation or general anesthesia.
In addition, since a syringe or a ball pump is provided as a suction device for adsorbing the tongue to the capsule, the device can be made smaller and less expensive than a device equipped with a large-scale suction device in which the suction force is controlled by controlling the drive of an electric pump by a control device. After the capsule is adsorbed to the tongue, the suction device consisting of a syringe or a ball pump can be stored in a breast pocket or the like, which increases the freedom of movement when the device is attached, and allows the patient to turn over in bed.

In the tongue position maintaining device of the present invention,
The capsule may be provided with a stopper that comes into contact with the lips when the capsule is placed over the tongue.

With this tongue position holding device, the stopper comes into contact with the lips while the capsule is placed over the tongue, so it is possible to restrict the movement of the capsule within the oral cavity and also to fix the capsule at any position outside the oral cavity, thereby better preventing the tongue from dropping during sleep, intravenous sedation, and general anesthesia.

In the tongue position maintaining device of the present invention,
A splint may be attached to the capsule that can be engaged by at least the front teeth when the capsule is placed over the tongue.

With this tongue position holding device, the teeth engage with the splint while the capsule is placed over the tongue, restricting the movement of the capsule within the oral cavity. It is also possible to extend a flat plate from the splint to the outside of the oral cavity and fix a tube to fix the capsule at any position outside the oral cavity, which can better prevent the tongue from dropping during sleep, intravenous sedation, and general anesthesia.

In the tongue position maintaining device of the present invention,
The capsule may have a double structure in which an inner capsule having a plurality of through holes is fitted inside.

　With this tongue position holding device, when the air inside the capsule is sucked in by the suction device, the air between the tongue and the capsule is sucked in through the multiple through holes in the inner capsule, and the tongue is then adsorbed to the inner capsule. This allows the double-structure capsule with the inner capsule to better adhere to a wide range of the tongue surface, effectively preventing the tongue from collapsing during sleep, intravenous sedation, and general anesthesia.

The tongue position maintaining device of the present invention can provide a small, high-performance tongue position maintaining device while keeping costs down.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a tongue position maintaining device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1A to 1E are diagrams showing a capsule constituting the tongue position maintaining device, in which (a) is a plan view, (b) is a side view, (c) is a back view, (d) is a front view, and (e) is a rear view. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of use of the tongue position maintaining device. FIG. 11 is a side view of another example of the aspirator. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing a capsule equipped with a stopper, in which (a) is a side view of the capsule equipped with the stopper, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in (a). 1A to 1C are schematic diagrams illustrating an example of use of a capsule having a stopper. FIG. 1 shows a tongue position maintaining device equipped with a splint, where (a) is a plan view of the capsule placed in a posterior position (position that keeps the tongue in a normal position), and (b) is a plan view of the capsule placed in an anterior position. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a splint, in which (a) is a side view of the splint and (b) is a back view of the splint. 1A and 1B are diagrams for explaining a splint, in which FIG. 1A is a front view of the splint, and FIG. 1B is a front view of the splint attached to a tube and a capsule. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of use of a tongue position maintaining device equipped with a splint. 10A is a plan view of the capsule, FIG. 10B is a plan view of the capsule and the inner capsule, FIG. 10C is a rear view of the capsule, and FIG. 10D is a rear view of the inner capsule.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a tongue position maintaining device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the tongue position maintaining device 100 according to this embodiment includes a capsule 10, a tube 20, and an aspirator 30. This tongue position maintaining device 100 is a device that maintains the user's tongue with the capsule 10 attached to the user's mouth, suppresses tongue collapse during sleep, improves sleep-related breathing disorders such as OSA, upper airway resistance syndrome, and snoring, and prevents tongue collapse that occurs during intravenous sedation or general anesthesia.

One end of the tube 20 is connected to the capsule 10 via an adapter 40. The other end of the tube 20 is connected to the aspirator 30. The tube 20 is made of a synthetic resin such as polyethylene. By using a tube 20 made of inexpensive polyethylene, the cost of the tongue position holding device 100 can be reduced. The capsule 10 is made of silicon, for example, and the adapter 40 that connects the capsule 10 and the tube 20 is made of a synthetic resin such as plastic, for example.

The adapter 40 is formed into a hollow rod shape with a large diameter portion 41 in the middle in the longitudinal direction. Both ends of the adapter 40 are connecting tube portions 42, one connecting tube portion 42 is connected to the capsule 10, and the other connecting tube portion 42 is connected to one end of the tube 20. The adapter 40 may or may not have a large diameter portion 41. The aspirator 30 to which the other end of the tube 20 is connected is composed of a syringe having an outer tube 31 and a plunger 32, and the plunger 32 is inserted into the outer tube 31. A tip portion 33 is formed at the tip of the outer tube 31, and the tube 20 is connected to this tip portion 33.

FIG. 2 shows a capsule that constitutes the tongue position maintaining device, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a side view, (c) is a back view, (d) is a front view, and (e) is a rear view.

As shown in Figures 2(a) to 2(e), capsule 10 is formed in a curved concave shape with an opening at the rear, and is formed to be wide with a width greater than its height. Capsule 10 has an inner shape that matches the outer shape of the tip of the tongue, and the tip of the user's tongue is inserted through the opening 11 at the rear. Capsule 10 has a cutout 12 formed at its bottom. As a result, when the tip of the tongue is inserted into capsule 10, the lingual frenulum under the tongue is positioned in cutout 12, and capsule 10 does not interfere with the lingual frenulum.

The capsule 10 has a connection part 13 at its front. The connection part 13 is formed in a cylindrical shape with a connection hole 14. The connection part 13 is connected by inserting the connection tube part 42 of the adapter 40 into the connection hole 14.

The capsule 10 has a number of protrusions 15 and a number of ridges 16 formed on its inner surface. The ridges 16 are formed in a generally radial pattern from the connection hole 14, and the protrusions 15 are formed between these ridges 16.

Next, a case where the tongue position maintaining device 100 having the above-mentioned configuration is used will be described.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of use of the tongue position maintaining device.

As shown in FIG. 3, the capsule 10 of the tongue position maintaining device 100 is placed in the oral cavity M with the notch 12 facing downward. Then, the tongue T is inserted into the capsule 10 through the opening 11 at the rear thereof, and the mouth is closed.

In this state, the plunger 32 of the aspirator 30 is pulled out from the outer cylinder 31. The aspirator 30 then sucks in the air inside the capsule 10 via the tube 20, and the user's tongue T is adsorbed to the capsule 10. This holds the tongue T in the capsule 10, preventing the tongue T from collapsing during sleep, intravenous sedation, general anesthesia, etc.

To remove the tongue T from the capsule 10 holding it, the plunger 32 of the suction device 30 is pushed into the outer cylinder 31. This stops the suction of the air inside the capsule 10 by the suction device 30, allowing the tongue T to be easily removed from the capsule 10.

Furthermore, the aspirator 30 of the tongue position maintaining device 100 is not limited to a syringe consisting of an outer cylinder 31 and a plunger 32. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, a spherical pump 33 formed in a hollow sphere may be used as the aspirator 30. The spherical pump 33 is formed, for example, from urethane rubber. In the tongue position maintaining device 100 equipped with the spherical pump 33 as the aspirator 30, the tongue T is inserted into the capsule 10 while the spherical pump 33 is held and elastically deformed, and the mouth is closed, and then the hand is released from the spherical pump 33. Then, the elastically deformed spherical pump 33 tries to restore its original shape, and the air in the capsule 10 is sucked through the tube 20. This makes it easy to adsorb the user's tongue T to the capsule 10. Furthermore, by holding the spherical pump 33 in this state and elastically deforming it, the suction of the air in the capsule 10 is released, and the tongue T can be easily removed from the capsule 10.

In this way, according to the tongue position holding device 100 of this embodiment, the capsule 10 is placed over the tongue T and the air inside the capsule 10 is sucked in by the aspirator 30, so that the tongue can be adsorbed to the capsule and held in place. This effectively prevents the tongue T from collapsing while sleeping, and improves sleep-related breathing disorders such as OSA, upper airway resistance syndrome, and snoring caused by upper airway obstruction. It is also possible to prevent the tongue T from collapsing during intravenous sedation and general anesthesia.

Also, since a syringe or ball pump is provided as the suction device 30 for adsorbing the tongue T to the capsule 10, the device can be made smaller and less expensive than a large-scale suction device that uses a control device to control the suction force by controlling the drive of an electric pump, and there is no need to worry about noise. Also, after the capsule 10 is adsorbed to the tongue T, the suction device 30 consisting of a syringe or ball pump can be stored in a breast pocket, etc., which increases the freedom of movement when the device is worn and allows the patient to turn over in bed.

In addition, a stopper 50 can be attached to the tongue position maintaining device 100 according to this embodiment, as shown in Figures 5(a) and 5(b).

The stopper 50 is a plate-shaped member made of a synthetic resin such as polyolefin. The stopper 50 may have bent portions 51 at both ends, each slightly bent in the same direction, to fit the shape of the upper and lower lips. The stopper 50 also has a mounting hole (not shown) at its center, the diameter of which is smaller than the outer diameter of the connecting tube portion 42 of the adapter 40, into which the connecting tube portion 42 of the adapter 40 is fitted. The connecting tube portion 42 of the adapter 40 is fitted into the mounting hole, and the connecting tube portion 42 is connected to the tube 20, so that the stopper 50 is mounted at a position spaced apart from the front end side of the capsule 10. Since resistance is generated between the connecting tube portion 42 and the mounting hole of the stopper 50, the positional relationship of the connecting tube portion 42 and the capsule 10 with respect to the stopper 50 does not change. The stopper 50 is mounted with its bent portion 51 facing the capsule 10. In the case of an adapter 40 that does not have a large diameter portion 41, the diameter of the mounting hole of the stopper 50 is smaller than the outer diameter of the tube 20, and the tube 20 fits with resistance. This allows the stopper 50 to be fixed at any position on the tube 20, so the front-to-back position of the capsule 10 can be freely set.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of using a capsule with a stopper. Note that FIG. 6 illustrates the use of an adapter 40 without a large diameter portion 41. As shown in FIG. 6, in the tongue position maintaining device 100 equipped with a stopper 50, when the capsule 10 is placed in the oral cavity M and attached to the tongue T, the stopper 50 abuts against the upper lip Ra and lower lip Rb. As a result, the capsule 10 is positioned to keep the tongue T in the oral cavity M in its normal position, and the sagging of the tongue T during sleep, intravenous sedation, and general anesthesia can be better prevented.

Next, the tongue position maintaining device 100 with the splint attached will be described.
Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a tongue position maintaining device equipped with a splint, where (a) is a plan view of the capsule placed in a posterior position (a position that keeps the tongue in a normal position), and (b) is a plan view of the capsule placed in an anterior position. Fig. 8 is a diagram explaining a splint, where (a) is a side view of the splint, and (b) is a back view of the splint. Fig. 9 is a diagram explaining a splint, where (a) is a front view of the splint, and (b) is a front view of the splint attached to a tube and a capsule. Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram explaining an example of use of a tongue position maintaining device equipped with a splint.

As shown in Fig. 7(a) and Fig. 7(b), a splint can be attached to the tongue position maintaining device 100 according to this embodiment. This splint 60 is a member made of, for example, a thermoplastic resin such as polyethylene terephthalate or an acrylic resin for denture bases.

8(a) and 8(b), the splint 60 has a plurality of engagement holes 61. These engagement holes 61 are formed at positions on the front and back of the splint 60 corresponding to the user's front teeth Tha, Thb, premolars, and molars, and the user's front teeth Tha, Thb, premolars, and molars can engage with these engagement holes 61. The engagement holes 61 of the splint 60 may be formed on either the front or back. FIGS. 8(a) and 8(b) show an example in which the engagement holes 61 are formed on the back side of the splint 60. For example, when the engagement holes 61 are formed on the front side, the user's upper front teeth Tha, premolars, and molars are engaged with the engagement holes 61, and when the engagement holes 61 are formed on the back side, the user's lower front teeth Thb, premolars, and molars are engaged with the engagement holes 61.

The splint 60 is provided with a flat plate 63 made of the same material as the splint 60. The flat plate 63 extends forward from the splint 60, and its frontmost portion is an attachment piece 64 that is bent upwards by 90 degrees. As shown in Figures 9(a) and 9(b), an attachment hole 65 is formed in the center of the attachment piece 64. The tube 20 is fitted into this attachment hole 65 from the front side. The splint 60 is attached to the tube 20 by fitting the tube 20 fitted into the attachment hole 65 to the connection part 13 of the capsule 10 via the adapter 40.

The diameter of the mounting hole 65 formed in the mounting piece 64, which is the bent portion of the flat plate 63 of the splint 60, is smaller than the outer diameter of the tube 20, and the tube 20 fits with resistance. Therefore, when the tube 20 is fitted into the mounting hole 65 of the mounting piece 64 of the flat plate 63, the mounting piece 64 of the flat plate 63 can be fixed at any position on the tube 20, and the anterior-posterior position of the capsule 10 relative to the tube 20 can also be freely set and fixed.

In this way, in the tongue position maintaining device 100 equipped with the splint 60, as shown in FIG. 10, when the capsule 10 is placed in the oral cavity M and attached to the tongue T and the mouth is closed, the front teeth Tha, Thb, premolars, and molars are fitted into and engaged with the engagement holes 61 of the splint 60. This positions the capsule 10 to keep the tongue T in the normal position within the oral cavity M, and better prevents the tongue T from dropping when sleeping, under intravenous sedation, or under general anesthesia.

Furthermore, the attachment piece 64 of the flat plate 63 of the splint 60 can be fixed at any position on the tube 20, and the anterior-posterior position of the capsule 10 relative to the tube 20 can be freely set and fixed. Therefore, the tongue position holding device 100 with the splint 60 attached can be used in a posterior position holding state in which the capsule 10 is placed in a posterior position (a position that holds the tongue in a normal position) relative to the splint 60 as shown in FIG. 7(a), or in an anterior position holding state in which the capsule 10 is placed in an anterior position relative to the splint 60 as shown in FIG. 7(b). For example, if the capsule 10 is used in an anterior position holding state in which it is placed in an anterior position relative to the splint 60, the tongue T can be held further forward, and the effect of suppressing the sagging of the tongue T during sleep, intravenous sedation, and general anesthesia can be improved.

Next, a capsule according to a modified example will be described.
Figure 11 is a diagram showing a capsule related to a modified example, where (a) is a plan view of the capsule, (b) is a plan view of the capsule and the inner capsule, (c) is a rear view of the capsule, and (d) is a rear view of the inner capsule.

11(a) to 11(d), the capsule 10 according to the modified example includes an inner capsule 70. The inner capsule 70 is made of silicon, like the capsule 10, and is formed in a curved concave shape with an opening at the rear, with an inner shape that conforms to the outer shape of the tip of the tongue. The inner capsule 70 is formed with a number of through holes 72. The inner capsule 70 is also formed with a cutout 73 to avoid interference with the lingual frenulum under the tongue. The inner capsule 70 is fitted into the capsule 10 through the opening 11. This gives the capsule 10 a double structure with the inner capsule 70 on the inside. In the modified example, the capsule 10 may have a protrusion 16 on its inner surface (see FIG. 11(c)), or may not have a protrusion 16.

In the tongue position holding device 100 equipped with the double-structure capsule 10 according to this modified example, the tongue T is inserted through an opening 71 formed in the inner capsule 70 and attached to the oral cavity M. In this state, when suction is performed by the suction device 30, the air in the closed space between the capsule 10 and the inner capsule 70 is sucked in through the tube 20. Furthermore, air between the tongue T is sucked in through the multiple through holes 72 of the inner capsule 70, and the user's tongue T is adsorbed to the inner capsule 70. This allows the double-structure capsule 10 equipped with the inner capsule 70 to be more closely attached to the tongue T, and effectively prevents the tongue T from sagging during sleep, intravenous sedation, and general anesthesia.

Reference Signs List 10 Capsule 20 Tube 30 Aspirator 40 Adapter 50 Stopper 60 Splint 70 Inner capsule 72 Through hole 100 Tongue position holding device M Oral cavity Ra Upper lip Rb Tongue lips T Tongue Tha, Thb Front teeth

Claims (4)

A curved, concave capsule that is placed in the oral cavity and covers at least a tip portion of the tongue;
a tube having one end connected to the capsule and extending from the oral cavity;
an aspirator consisting of a syringe or a ball pump to which the other end of the tube is connected and which aspirates the air in the capsule placed over the tongue;
Equipped with
Tongue position retainer. A stopper that abuts against the lips when the capsule is placed over the tongue is attached to the capsule.
2. A tongue position maintaining device as claimed in claim 1. A splint that can be engaged with at least the front teeth when the capsule is placed over the tongue is attached to the capsule.
3. A tongue position maintaining device according to claim 1 or 2. The capsule has a double structure in which an inner capsule having a plurality of through holes is fitted inside.
A tongue position maintaining device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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