Handsfree speech valve for laryngectomy patients, version 2
The version 2 valve prototype, profiting from the study outcomes of its predecessor, was improved in size (to a size smaller than the major competitor), improved in aerodynamics (to airflow resistances similar to the major competitor), and improved even more in part count and ease of manufacture. The result was a device with characteristics similar to or better than the major competitor, in a single part(!), extremely cost effective, product (left figure: valve fresh from the mold and folded inside-out as the final product). Center figure: valve on a patient. Right figure: major competitor’s valve, version 1 and version 2, respectively, assembled on standard stoma patch.
left figure: valve fresh from the mold and folded inside-out as the final product. Center figure: valve on a patient. Right figure: major competitor’s valve, version 1 and version 2, respectively, assembled on standard stoma patch.