Description Of The Devices - Atos Medical ProTrach DualCare HME 15 Manual Del Usuario

- in combination with a tracheostomy tube with a foam cuff.
- in combination with a tracheostomy tube with a self-
infl ating cuff.
- when the size of the tracheostomy tube does not allow for
airfl ow through the upper airways.
- in combination with an endotracheal tube.
Use of the Speaking Valve in these circumstances can restrict
exhalation through the upper airways and cause suffocation!
DO NOT use the Speaking Valve during sleep since the airway
could be blocked unintentionally. During sleep the HME
DigiTop (in combination with HME 15 or 22) should be used
instead (Figure 2a or 2b).

1.3 Description of the devices

The Speaking Valve, the HME DigiTop, and the HME
DigiTop O are all used to enable speaking. In this Instructions
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for Use they will therefore be referenced to as "speaking devices".
Speaking Valve and HME 15 / 22
The reusable Speaking Valve is used with a single use 15 mm
or 22 mm Heat and Moisture Exchanger (HME). The HME is
placed so that it prevents direct contact between the Speaking
Valve and the airways. This prevents the Speaking Valve from
being clogged or soiled by mucus.
The Speaking Valve has two modes: speaking mode and
HME mode.
In speaking mode, a fl exible membrane is positioned in
the airfl ow openings and acts as a one way valve. It opens
during inhalation so the patient can inhale through the device.
During exhalation, the membrane remains closed and the air
is re-directed through the upper airways and the vocal folds.
Thereby the patient is able to speak. In speaking mode the
inhaled air does not get conditioned since the exhaled air goes
out through the upper airways.
In HME mode the membrane is moved out of the way of the
airfl ow so that the patient both inhales and exhales through the
device. The inhaled air is conditioned by the heat and moisture
that is retained from the exhaled air in the impregnated HME
media. In HME mode, speaking is not possible.
The device is switched between the modes by rotating the lid
of the Speaking Valve until it clicks into the desired position.
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