DESIGN AND TEST OF A HANDS-FREE TRACHEOSTOMA VALVE TO IMPROVE THE REHABILITATION PROCESS AFTER LARYNGECTOMY

The surgical treatment of throat cancer often requires total laryngect omy. The necessary tracheostoma attracts attention, especially during speech, when one must close it manually to force air into the esophagu s. To avoid this manual control, several devices have been developed. These must be placed in or around the tracheostoma and possess a valve which closes with a large air flow value. Most devices have a major d rawback; coughing calls for manual adaptation, which again attracts at tention. A new hands-free tracheostoma valve has been developed. The d evice consists of two magnetic valves, one which closes the outflow to allow speech, and one which opens to cough. Prototypes were tested in a physical model. Air flow resistance and closing pressures of the sp eech valve proved to be comparable to those of existing devices. Patie nts were enthusiastic about the new approach, even though air leakage sometimes occurred.