Patent 7328702 was granted and assigned to Smiths Group PLC on February, 2008 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
A tracheostomy device has a short tube terminating adjacent the internal end of an opening into the trachea. A flange secures the external end of the tube and a retainer secures the internal end of the tube against the surface of the trachea. The device also includes a seal, which engages the surface of the trachea above the opening, and a suction passage extending externally by which secretions can be removed.