Patent Application
20230128156
The present invention relates to a nasal assembly used for treatment, e.g., of Sleep Disordered Breathing (SDB) with Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) or Non-Invasive Positive Pressure Ventilation (NPPV).
Interfaces, such as a nasal mask assembly, for use with blowers and flow generators in the treatment of sleep disordered breathing (SDB) typically include a soft-face contacting portion, such as a cushion, and a rigid shell or frame. In use, the interface is held in a sealing position by headgear so as to enable a supply of air at positive pressure (e.g. 2-30 cm H2O) to be delivered to the user’s or patient’s or user’s airways.
One factor in the efficacy of therapy and compliance of patients with therapy is the comfort and fit of the patient interface. It has been necessary to design a wide variety of masks to best treat and/or suit the user’s needs. While there are a large number of patient interfaces, typically each cushion has been specially designed to be used with only a single frame, headgear, etc.
Puritan Bennett includes a mask commercially sold under the name of Breeze® that allows a cushion sold under the name of DreamSeal® to be retrofit to it. Further details of such mask are disclosed at the website http://www.puritanbennett.com/prod/Product.aspx?S 1=SPT&S2=&id=233.
One aspect of the present invention is to provide a mask assembly including at least one main component that can be used with a variety of different styles or types of mask assemblies.
In one embodiment of the invention, there is provided a system of breathing arrangements for delivering breathable gas to a patient, comprising at least first and second cushion components that are different from one another in at least one aspect, and a common frame assembly configured to support each of the first and second cushion components.
In another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a mask assembly for a user comprising a frame having a main body and lateral connector portions; and a cushion component provided to the frame and defining a breathing cavity configured to accommodate at least a portion of the user’s nose in use, said cushion component including a face contacting seal portion adapted to sealingly engage with at least a portion of the user’s nose in use, said cushion component having an aperture to communicate pressurized gas from the breathing chamber to the user’s airways in use, and a main wall portion, opposite from the aperture, extending upwardly away from the frame, said main wall portion including a stiffening portion.
In another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a mask assembly for a user comprising a frame having a main body and lateral connector portions; and a cushion component provided to the frame and defining a breathing cavity configured to accommodate at least a portion of the user’s nose in use, said cushion component including a face contacting seal portion adapted to sealingly engage with at least a portion of the user’s nose in use, said cushion component having an aperture to communicate pressurized gas from the breathing chamber to the user’s airways in use, and a main wall portion, opposite from the aperture, extending upwardly away from the frame, said frame being configured for positioning beneath the nose and between the user’s upper lip and nose in use.
In another embodiment of the invention, a mask assembly for a user comprising a frame having a main body and lateral connector portions; a cushion component provided to the frame and defining a breathing cavity configured to accommodate at least a portion of the user’s nose in use, said cushion component including a face contacting seal portion adapted to sealingly engage with at least a portion of the user’s nose in use, said cushion component having an aperture to communicate pressurized gas from the breathing chamber to the user’s airways in use, and a main wall portion, opposite from the aperture, extending upwardly away from the frame, said cushion having an upper portion and a lower portion, wherein at least the upper portion includes a nose height adjusting member.
In another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a mask assembly for a user comprising a frame; a cushion component provided to the frame and defining a breathing cavity configured to accommodate at least a portion of the user’s nose in use, said cushion component including a face contacting seal portion adapted to sealingly engage with at least a portion of the user’s nose in use, said cushion component having an aperture to communicate pressurized gas from the breathing chamber to the user’s airways in use, and a main wall portion, opposite from the aperture, extending upwardly away from the frame; and a frame adjustment member to adjust the position of the cushion component relative to the frame.
In another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a mask assembly for a user comprising a frame; a cushion component provided to the frame and defining a breathing cavity configured to accommodate at least a portion of the user’s nose in use, said cushion component including a face contacting seal portion adapted to sealingly engage with at least a portion of the user’s nose in use, said cushion component having an aperture to communicate pressurized gas from the breathing chamber to the user’s airways in use and a main wall portion, opposite from the aperture, extending upwardly away from the frame; and a chin strap assembly including an extension member provided to each side of the frame and a chin strap having a main chin support portion and straps coupled to the extension members.
In another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a mask assembly for a user comprising a common frame; a cushion component provided to the frame and including a pair of nasal prongs or nozzles adapted to engage the user’s nares in use; and a supplemental cushion component in the form of a nasal cushion or a full-face cushion, wherein the cushion component and the supplemental cushion component cooperatively seal with the user’s face in use.
These and other aspects of the invention will be described in or apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments.
Preferred embodiments of the invention will be described in relation to the following figures, in which:
The following description is provided in relation to several embodiments which may share common characteristics and/or features. It is understood that one or more features of any one embodiment may be combinable with one or more features of the other embodiments which combinations form additional embodiments.
The common frame 10 has a main body 40 defining a central opening 45. Main body 40 includes at least two lateral arms 50, each of which can be coupled to a headgear strap 55 of headgear. The straps may be connected to the frame using a press-fit connector 60, as is known in the art. Common frame 10 may also include a forehead support 65 that has a bridge 70 provided with forehead pads 75 to rest against the user’s forehead in use. Forehead support may be adjustably mounted to the common frame, in a manner known in the art.
Common frame 10 is configured to be selectively coupled to one of cushion components 15, 20 and to one of elbow components 25, 30. Cushion components 15, 20 differ in at least one respect such that one may be more optimal or preferable for use with one user, while another may be more suitable or preferably for use with another user. For example, cushion component 15 may be an Activa™ component, while cushion component 20 may be an UltraMirage™ Series II cushion component, both available from ResMed. These cushion components can be significantly different from one another, e.g., the Activa™ includes a gusset portion 80 and a cushion clip assembly (not shown) which is not incorporated in the UltraMirage™ cushion design.
Common frame 10 is also configured for use with either elbow component 25, or elbow component 30. Elbow components differ in at least one respect, e.g., each may include gas washout vents that are configured for predetermined washout rates, noise, etc.
Common frame 10 is advantageous since it works with a plurality of different cushion components, elbow components, forehead supports, etc., thereby eliminating the need to specifically make the frame for a particular peripheral component, as is the standard.
Common frame is similar to ResMed’s SWIFT™ frame, described in more detail in relation to U.S. Patent Application no. 10/781,929, filed Feb. 20, 2004, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. As shown in
Cushion component 100 includes lateral sides 160 configured to engage with corresponding channels 165 formed in the frame 95. Cushion component 100 includes an aperture 196 (schematically illustrated) to receive the user’s nose. End portions 170 of cushion component 100 are wrapped around frame 95, and clip element 175 is attached to the sub-assembly of the cushion component and the frame, by sliding the clip element over the combined cushion component and frame.
In the embodiment described above, the cushion component 100 is bisected (see
Further, cushion component 100 has an upper portion 200 that is configured to contact the transition between the bony and cartilage portions of the user’s nose. Generally, with regard to its footprint, the cushion component is similar to ResMed’s VISTA™ cushion, as described in U.S. Patent Application No. 11/124,251, filed May 9, 2005, incorporated herein by reference.
Cushion component 100 has a thickened portion 205 that acts as a pseudo or “soft” frame to provide support for the rest of the membrane of the cushion. Effectively, the thickened portion 205 of the cushion enlarges the “frame” area of the common Swift™ frame. In this example, the thickened portion 205 has the shape of a semi-circle or trapezoid. See, e.g.,
Common headgear assembly 105 is similar to the headgear assembly described in relation to ResMed’s U.S. Patent Application No. 10/781,929. However, common headgear 105 has some differences. For example, as shown in
In
The cushion component 250 may include a thickened section 255 in order to help prevent flopping of the cushion away from the user’s face. The thickened section 255 may include a cutout 260 in each corner to reduce force on the nasal bridge region.
The supplemental cushion 320 includes at least one hole 325 provided on its lateral side for insertion over the frame/cushion assembly 310. Supplemental cushion 320 also includes a centrally located hole 330 that aligns with the gas washout vents 335 of the frame/cushion assembly 310.
As can be determined from the description above in relation to the embodiments of
Furthermore, there are additional factors that may be considered when combining the various mask systems. For example, the force due to air pressure against the cushion may cause moments about the elbow. If these moments are not counteracted, the result may be the cushion rotating and losing seal. The elbow should be stiff enough to prevent rotation under pressure. A locking or ratcheting mechanism may be implemented to lock the rotation on the elbow when the desired angle is found. Locking may be achieved using an interference fit, and/or locking components, such as detents or a pin/groove arrangement. Generally, an approximation of the desired effect can be achieved by simply fixing the elbow in place relative to the frame. Otherwise, simply inhibiting rotation, e.g., by strapping the elbow to the adjacent headgear, can be effective as well.
When the cushion is under pressure, moments about the cushion to frame interface are created. The force vector points which cause the moments may be shifted by introducing a non-flexible or stiffening member to the cushion. That is to say, in addition to having a moment about the elbow, there is also a moment about the interface of the stiff section of the cushion and the flexible part of the cushion.
The mask assembly 340 in
The mask assembly 360 in
The stiffening member may take the form of one or more thickened elements, e.g., by thickening the cushion which will result in it being stiffer in sections. See, e.g., the relatively thickened portion of cushion component in
The cushion 420 may include a rib 425 that extends from the bottom to the top of the cushion. Furthermore, the frame 415 is positioned on the upper ½ to upper ⅓ of the cushion to support the cushion. The frame to cushion interface is positioned below the nose, although it may be above the nose. The cushion may include one or more gas washout vents 430.
The upper part 460 of the cushion may include a thin membrane (the lower cushion may be like a double wall Vista™ cushion). This has the advantage of reduced weight and subjectively feels light to wear. It may also allow deflection around contours of nose as it will be more flexible than a conventional thick cushion. This will help with fit and the range of patients suited to each size.
In an alternative, the upper part 460 of the cushion shown in
The lower part of the cushion 465 may include a gusset portion, a double gusset, or a solid silicon structure.
As described above, the position of the centroid of the cushion to frame interface (frame clip location) may be changed, depending on application. The closer the headgear vectors act to the centroid of the cushion the more stable the cushion will be on the face of the patient; this can reduce the rigidity required within the cushion to maintain support of the membrane. The frame location in
However, it is also possible to change the position of the cushion relative to the face and frame, while maintaining the frame in a constant position. The mask assembly 500 in
In
Alternatively, the headgear and frame angle may rotate around the same cushion position. As a further alternative the headgear location point could be on a lobe or cam to move it relative to the cushion. A further embodiment is the use of weight to change the center of gravity of the cushion or frame/headgear system.
Chin strap assembly 620 includes an extender 625 and chin strap 630. Extender 625 is shown in
Chin strap 630 includes a cushion sealing area 650, and is made from a foamed headgear material. The chin strap is preferably elastic. Chin strap is bonded to the frame at a bond point or region 655, e.g., as shown in
Another variant is to simply use only the extender and chin strap shown in
A further embodiment is the combination the full-face seal as shown in
While the invention has been described in connection with what are presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the invention. Also, the various embodiments described above may be implemented in conjunction with other embodiments, e.g., aspects of one embodiment may be combined with aspects of another embodiment to realize yet other embodiments. In addition, while the invention has particular application to patients who suffer from OSA, it is to be appreciated that patients who suffer from other illnesses (e.g., congestive heart failure, diabetes, morbid obesity, stroke, barriatric surgery, etc.) can derive benefit from the above teachings. Moreover, the above teachings have applicability with patients and non-patients alike in non-medical applications.
This application is a continuation of U.S. Pat. Application No. 17/355,540, filed Jun. 23, 2021, which is a continuation of U.S. Pat. Application No. 16/216,115, filed Dec. 11, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,052,211, which is a continuation of U.S. Pat. Application No. 15/841,488, filed Dec. 14, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,183,138, which is a continuation of U.S. Pat. Application No. 14/289,158, filed May 28, 2014, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,962,510, which is a continuation of U.S. Pat. Application No. 12/083,779, filed Jan. 6, 2009, which is the U.S. national phase of International Application No. PCT/AU2006/001570, filed Oct. 24, 2006 which designated the U.S. and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/729,746, filed Oct. 25, 2005, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60729746 | Oct 2005 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 17355540 | Jun 2021 | US |
| Child | 18087071 | US | |
| Parent | 16216115 | Dec 2018 | US |
| Child | 17355540 | US | |
| Parent | 15841488 | Dec 2017 | US |
| Child | 16216115 | US | |
| Parent | 14289158 | May 2014 | US |
| Child | 15841488 | US | |
| Parent | 12083779 | Jan 2009 | US |
| Child | 14289158 | US |
