Patent Grant
11992611
The present disclosure relates to respiratory devices and particularly, to manifolds for respiratory therapy devices. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to respiratory devices that are operable to apply varying levels of oscillating pressure to an airway of a patient.
Respiratory devices that provide positive pressure to a person's airway are known. For example, there are Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) devices that apply positive pressure to a person's airway at a substantially constant level during the person's inhalation and exhalation. There are also Bi-Level CPAP devices that apply varying levels of positive pressure to a person, such as applying a first amount of positive pressure during inhalation and a second amount of positive pressure during exhalation.
Respiratory devices that provide negative pressure or suction to a person's airway are also known. One category of such devices is mechanical insufflation/exsufflation (MIE) devices. These devices are sometimes referred to as cough assist devices. This is because application of positive pressure followed by application of negative pressure to a person's airway simulates a cough and assists the person in expelling mucus from their airway. One such known cough assist device is the VITALCOUGH™ System available from Hill-Rom Company, Inc. In this regard, see U.S. Pat. No. 8,539,952 which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
Respiratory devices that are capable of applying both positive and negative pressure to a person's airway sometimes have a pressure source, such as a blower, and at least one valve that changes position to selectively connect either the outlet of the blower or the inlet of the blower to a patient interface, such as a mask or mouthpiece and related tubing, to apply the positive pressure or the negative pressure, respectively to the person's airway. Other respiratory devices have separate positive pressure and negative pressure sources.
Some respiratory devices include additional structural elements, such as one or more valves, diaphragm pumps, acoustic devices, or piezoelectric devices that operate to provide oscillations in the baseline pressure levels being applied to the person's airway. These additional structural elements to produce the oscillations add cost, size and weight to the respiratory device. Patients and caregivers, therefore, may appreciate respiratory devices capable of producing oscillatory pressures, such as positive pressures or negative pressures or both, but that are smaller, less expensive, and lighter in weight than known respiratory devices.
An apparatus, system, or method may comprise one or more of the features recited in the appended claims and/or the following features which, alone or in any combination, may comprise patentable subject matter:
A respiratory device may include a blower that may have an inlet and an outlet, a patient interface, and a valve that may include a valve member that is rotatable through a first angular displacement in a first direction from a first position to a second position. The outlet of the blower may be coupled to the patient interface so that positive pressure may be provided to a patient's airway via the patient interface when the valve member is in the first position. The inlet of the blower may be coupled to the patient interface so that negative pressure may be provided to the patient's airway via the patient interface when the valve member is in the second position. The valve member may be rotatably oscillated back and forth through a second angular displacement that may be smaller than the first angular displacement in the first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction when the valve member is in the first position and when the valve member is in the second position so that oscillations in the positive pressure and negative pressure, respectively, may be provided to the patient's airway.
In some embodiments, the first angular displacement may be less than 90°, such as optionally being about 22.5°. The second angular displacement may be about 10°, for example. A frequency of oscillation of the valve member may be adjustable between about 1 Hertz and about 20 Hertz. The respiratory device may have a motor that may be operable to rotate and oscillate the valve member. The motor may include a stepper motor, for example.
In some embodiments, the valve member may include a rotatable plate and the valve may include a pair of stationary plates between which the rotatable plate may be sandwiched. The rotatable plate may have a circular outer periphery, for example. The valve may further include an annular shim that may be situated between the pair of stationary plates and that may surround the outer periphery of the rotatable plate.
If desired, the stationary plates may have four holes. A center of each hole of the four holes of the stationary plates may be spaced from another center of the four holes by about 90° around an axis about which the rotatable plate may rotate. The rotatable plate may have four holes grouped into pairs of holes. A center of each hole of the pair of holes of the rotatable plate may be spaced from a center of the other hole of the pair by about 45° around the axis. A first plate of the pair of stationary plates may have a first hole and a second hole of its four holes pneumatically coupled to the inlet of the blower and may have a third hole and fourth hole of its four holes pneumatically coupled to the outlet of the blower.
In some embodiments, when the rotatable plate is in the first position, a first hole of the four holes of the rotatable plate may be aligned with the first hole of the first stationary plate and a solid portion of the rotatable plate may block the second hole of the first stationary plate. When the rotatable plate is in the second position, the first hole of the first stationary plate may be blocked by another solid portion of the rotatable plate and a second hole of the rotatable plate may be aligned with the second hole of the first stationary plate.
According to this disclosure, when the rotatable plate is in the first position, a third hole of the rotatable plate may be aligned with the third hole of the first stationary plate and another solid portion of the rotatable plate may block the fourth hole of the first stationary plate. When the rotatable plate is in the second position, the third hole of the first stationary plate may be blocked by yet another solid portion of the rotatable plate and a fourth hole of the rotatable plate may be aligned with the fourth hole of the first stationary plate.
In some embodiments, a second plate of the pair of stationary plates may have a first hole and a second hole of its four holes pneumatically coupled to the patient interface and may have a third hole and fourth hole of its four holes pneumatically coupled to atmosphere. When the rotatable plate is in the first position, a first hole of the four holes of the rotatable plate may be aligned with the first hole of the second stationary plate and a solid portion of the rotatable plate may block the second hole of the second stationary plate. When the rotatable plate is in the second position, the first hole of the second stationary plate may be blocked by another solid portion of the rotatable plate and a second hole of the rotatable plate may be aligned with the second hole of the second stationary plate.
According to this disclosure, when the rotatable plate is in the first position, a third hole of the rotatable plate may be aligned with the third hole of the second stationary plate and another solid portion of the rotatable plate may block the fourth hole of the second stationary plate. When the rotatable plate is in the second position, the third hole of the second stationary plate may be blocked by yet another solid portion of the rotatable plate and a fourth hole of the rotatable plate may be aligned with the fourth hole of the second stationary plate.
In some embodiments, the valve member may include a rotatable spool that may be located within a stationary cylinder. The rotatable spool may have a first set of holes and the stationary cylinder may have a second set of holes. A first subset of the first set of holes of the rotatable spool may align with a first subset of the second set of holes of the stationary cylinder when the rotatable spool is in the first position and a second subset of holes of the second holes may be blocked by solid portions of the rotatable spool. A second subset of the first set of holes of the rotatable spool may align with the second subset of the second set of holes of the stationary cylinder when the rotatable spool is in the second position and the first subset of holes of the second holes may be blocked by other solid portions of the rotatable spool.
In some embodiments, a speed of the blower may be controlled so that the positive pressure provided to the airway of the patient may substantially match a positive target pressure that may be selected by a user and so that the negative pressure provided to the airway of the patient may substantially match a negative target pressure that may be selected by the user. The blower speed may be controlled so that a positive rest pressure, less than the positive target pressure, may be provided to the airway of the patient after the negative target pressure is applied to the airway of the patient and before the next positive target pressure is applied to the airway of the patient. The blower speed may be controlled so that a sigh pressure is applied to the airway of the patient at the end of a therapy session, the sigh pressure being greater than the positive rest pressure but less than the positive target pressure.
The respiratory device may further include a sensor that may sense a beginning of an inspiration of the patient and control circuitry coupled to the sensor and to the valve. The control circuitry may signal the valve to move to the first position in response to the sensor sensing the beginning of the inspiration of the patient. The control circuitry may signal the blower to operate to provide the positive pressure to the airway of the patient at a positive target pressure. The sensor may comprise a pressure sensor or a flow sensor or both, for example.
In some embodiments, the control circuitry may be programmable with a pause time during which sensing of the beginning of an inspiration of the patient may be ignored by the control circuitry and the control circuitry may signal the blower to operate to provide a rest pressure to the airway of the patient. The rest pressure may be a positive pressure that is less than the positive target pressure, for example.
In some embodiments, the valve member may be bow-tie shaped. Alternatively or additionally, the respiratory device may further include a third stationary plate that may be situated between the second stationary plate and the rotatable plate. In such embodiments, at least one spring may be situated between the second stationary plate and the third stationary plate to bias the third stationary plate against the rotatable plate. In some embodiments, each of the stationary plates may have four holes and the third stationary plate may be formed to include four tubular portions. Each tubular portion may be in registry with a respective hole of the four holes of the second stationary plate. Optionally, the at least one spring may include four springs. Each spring of the four springs may be mounted on a respective tubular portion of the four tubular portions.
In some contemplated embodiments, the second stationary plate may include an annular rim that may surround a first outer periphery of the third stationary plate and a second outer periphery of the rotatable plate. In some such embodiments, the second stationary plate may include an annular flange that may project radially from the annular rim. The annular flange may be fastened to the first stationary plate.
The respiratory device may further include control circuitry coupled to the blower and to the valve and may further include a graphical user interface (GUI) coupled to the control circuitry. Optionally, one or more of the following may be coupled to the control circuitry: a port for connection to a wireless communication module, a universal serial bus (USB) port, and a port for connection to a pulse oximetry device. In some embodiments, the GUI may be operable to display one or more of the following: peak flow information, pressure information, flow information, volume information, a pressure graph, a volume graph, a flow graph, a flow vs. volume graph, and a pressure vs. time graph.
According to this disclosure, the respiratory device may further include a wireless communication module that may be operable to transmit data wirelessly from the respiratory device. The wireless communication module may operate according to the Bluetooth protocol, if desired. The wireless communication module may receive information wirelessly and provide the information to the control circuitry of the respiratory device.
The respiratory device may further include a housing in which the blower and valve are housed and a hose connector that may be coupled to the housing. The hose connector may be configured to retain a hose of the patient interface adjacent the housing when the patient interface is not in use. In some embodiments, the housing may include a handle and the hose connector may include a hook extending from a back of the handle. In some embodiments, the housing may include a top wall and the hose connector may comprise a hose clip coupled to the top wall. The respiratory device may include a power cord extending from the housing and the hose clip may be configured as a cord wrap around which the power cord may be wrapped when not in use.
According to this disclosure, the respiratory device may further include a port pneumatically coupled to the valve and an adapter that may interconnect the port with a hose of the patient interface. The respiratory device may include a housing in which the blower and valve are housed and a carrying case in which the housing may fit. The carrying case may have a section with a door that may be openable to provide access to user controls on the housing without the need to remove the housing from the case. In some embodiments, the door may pivot upwardly from a closed position to an open position to expose the user controls for use. In some embodiments, the door may pivot downwardly from a closed position to an open position to expose the user controls for use. Optionally, the carrying case may be configured for attachment to a wheel chair.
According to an aspect of this disclosure, a respiratory device may include a blower that may have an inlet and an outlet, a patient interface, and a valve that may include a valve member that may be operable to oscillate by cyclically rotating through an angular displacement in a first direction and in a second direction opposite to the first direction. The blower may be operable to produce an inhalation pressure, an exhalation pressure that may be less than the inhalation pressure, and a rest pressure that may be less than the inhalation pressure and more than the exhalation pressure. The valve member may be operable to oscillate during the application of the inhalation pressure, the exhalation pressure and the rest pressure so that oscillations in the inhalation pressure, the exhalation pressure, and the rest pressure respectively, may be provided to the patient's airway.
In some embodiments, the angular displacement may be less than 90°, such as possibly being less than 22.5°, for example. It is contemplated that the angular displacement may be about 10°, if desired. A frequency of oscillation of the valve member may be adjustable between about 1 Hertz and about 20 Hertz in some embodiments. The respiratory device may further have a motor that may be operable to rotate and oscillate the valve member. The motor may comprise a stepper motor, for example.
According to another aspect of this disclosure, a respiratory device may include a blower that may have an inlet and an outlet, a patient interface, a valve that may be coupled to the blower and that may be operable to control a pressure applied to the patient interface, a sensor that may sense at least one of pressure and flow applied to the patient interface, and control circuitry that may be coupled to the blower, the valve, and the sensor. The control circuitry operating the blower and the valve to apply a first threshold pressure to the patient interface for a first preset amount of time in response to an inspiratory trigger being sensed by the sensor, the control circuitry operating the blower and the valve to apply a second threshold pressure to the patient interface during a rest phase that occurs after the first preset amount of time, the control circuitry operating to ignore one or more inspiratory triggers that are sensed by the sensor and that occur during the rest phase.
In some embodiments, the control circuitry may operate the blower and the valve to apply a third threshold pressure for a second preset amount of time after the first preset amount of time and before the rest phase but this need not be the case. It is contemplated that the first threshold pressure may comprise a first positive pressure and the second threshold pressure may comprise a negative pressure. It is also contemplated that the second threshold pressure may comprise a second positive pressure that may be less than the first positive pressure.
According to this disclosure, the valve may be selectively coupleable to the blower inlet and the blower outlet so that positive pressure and negative pressure may be selectively applied to the patient interface. If desired, the valve may be operable to oscillate the positive pressure and the negative pressure applied to the patient interface. The valve may include a rotatable plate that may be rotated through a first angular displacement to change between application of the positive pressure to the patient interface and application of the negative pressure to the patient interface. The rotatable plate may be moved back and forth through a second angular displacement to oscillate the positive pressure and the negative pressure. The second angular displacement may be less than the first angular displacement.
In some embodiments, the valve may include a rotatable spool that may be rotated through a first angular displacement to change between application of the positive pressure to the patient interface and application of the negative pressure to the patient interface. The rotatable spool may be moved back and forth through a second angular displacement to oscillate the positive pressure and the negative pressure. The second angular displacement may be less than the first angular displacement.
In some embodiments, the control circuitry may ignore a preset number of inspiratory triggers sensed by the sensor during the rest phase and then may operate the blower and the valve to reapply the first threshold pressure in response to the next inspiratory trigger sensed by the sensor after the preset number of inspiratory triggers were ignored. Alternatively or additionally, the rest phase may last for at least a preset rest duration and the control circuitry may operate the blower and the valve to reapply the first threshold pressure in response to the next inspiratory trigger sensed by the sensor after the preset duration.
In some embodiments, the control circuitry may operate the blower and the valve so that a sigh pressure may be applied to the patient interface at the end of a therapy session. The sigh pressure may be different than the first threshold pressure and may be different than the second threshold pressure. For example, the sigh pressure may be less than the first threshold pressure and greater than the second threshold pressure.
According to an aspect of this disclosure, a respiratory device may include a pressure source to produce pressure to be applied to a patient's airway, a housing that may contain the pressure source, an outlet port that may be accessible on the housing, and at least one patient interface that may be configured to be coupled to the outlet port. The patient interface may include a filter unit that may include an air filter carrier and at least one prong that may extend from the air filter carrier. The respiratory device may have at least one switch that may be situated in the housing. The housing may have at least one prong-receiving aperture adjacent the outlet port. The at least one prong may extend through the aperture and may activate the switch when the respective patient interface is coupled to the outlet port. The pressure source may be disabled from operation unless the at least one switch is activated.
In some embodiments, the at least one patient interface may include a first patient interface and a second patient interface. The at least one prong of the first patient interface may have only one prong and the at least one prong of the second patient interface may have two prongs. The at least one switch may include first and second switches and the at least one prong-receiving aperture may include first and second apertures. The respiratory device may have a controller that may distinguish whether the first patient interface or the second patient interface is coupled to the outlet port based on how many of the first and second switches are activated. Thus, in some embodiments, it is contemplated that therapy mode options that may be delivered through the outlet port may be different depending upon which of the first and second patient interfaces are coupled to the outlet port.
In some embodiments having a first patient interface and a second patient interface, the at least one prong of the first patient interface may include only two prongs and the at least one prong of the second patient interface may include three prongs. In such embodiments, the at least one switch may include first, second, and third switches and the at least one prong-receiving aperture may include first, second and third apertures. Further in such embodiments, the respiratory device may include a controller that may distinguish whether the first patient interface or the second patient interface is coupled to the outlet port based on how many of the first and second switches are activated. Thus, in these embodiments, therapy mode options delivered through the outlet port may be different depending upon which of the first and second patient interfaces are coupled to the outlet port.
In some embodiments, the respiratory device may further include a controller and a user input that may be operable to signal the controller to override the disabling of the pressure source when the switch is not activated thereby to permit the pressure source to operate even if the at least one switch is not activated. For example, the user input may be an input on a graphical display screen such as one or more icons or buttons.
According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, a handset for a respiratory device may include a generally banana-shaped tube that may have an upper surface that may be generally convex from end-to-end of the generally banana-shaped tube and a bottom surface that may be generally concave from end-to-end of the generally banana-shaped tube. The generally banana-shaped tube may have opposite first and second open ends and may have a nebulizer port that may be provided at an apex of the upper surface such that, in use, a nebulizer may extend upwardly from a top of the handset.
In some embodiments, the handset may further include a plug that may close the nebulizer port when the nebulizer is absent. The nebulizer port may include a cylindrical wall that may project into an interior region of the generally banana-shaped tube. Alternatively or additionally, the nebulizer port may include an annular ridge that may extend upwardly from the apex of the upper surface.
In some embodiments, the handset may further have an aperture that may extend through the generally banana-shaped tube adjacent the first open end of the generally banana-shaped tube. In such embodiments, the handset may also have a ring that may be rotatable between a first position in which the aperture may be open to atmosphere and a second position in which the aperture may be closed.
In some embodiments, the ring may include a sleeve that may wrap around a majority of a circumference of the generally banana-shaped tube in abutting rotative bearing engagement therewith and the ring may have an offset portion that may be coupled to the sleeve and that may define a channel that aligns with the aperture when the ring is in the first position so that the aperture may communicate with atmosphere through the channel and that may be out of alignment with the aperture when the ring is in the second position.
The generally banana-shaped tube may have first and second depressions and the ring may include a flexible finger with a detent that may be received in the first depression when the ring is in the first position and that may be received in the second depression when the ring is in the second position. The generally banana-shaped tube may have a circumferential groove formed therearound and the sleeve of the ring may include at least one tab that may project into the groove to retain the ring on the generally banana-shaped tube.
In some embodiments, the ring may include a finger tab that may extend outwardly from the offset portion of the ring. The finger tab may be usable to rotate the ring relative to the generally banana-shaped tube between the first and second positions. The aperture may include an open slot located at the upper surface. The slot may be oriented in a longitudinal dimension of the generally banana-shaped tube.
According to still a further aspect of this disclosure, a respiratory device may include a pressure source to produce pressure to be applied to a patient's airway, a housing that may contain the pressure source, an outlet port that may be accessible on the housing, a valve that may be situated pneumatically between the pressure source and the outlet port, and at least one pressure sensor and at least one flow sensor to measure pressure and flow, respectively, in a flow path that may be between the valve and the outlet port. The respiratory device may include a patient interface that may have a tube having a first end that may be coupled to the outlet port and a mask that may be coupled to a second end of the tube. The respiratory device may also include a controller that may receive signals from the pressure sensor and the flow sensor to determine an inspiratory trigger indicative that the patient may have started to inhale. The pressure source or the valve or both may be operationally adjusted in response to detection of the inspiratory trigger. Based on a flow sensor signal from the flow sensor the controller may be configured to determine mask removal or mask leakage and to stop operation of the pressure source.
In some embodiments, the controller may determine mask removal by comparing the flow sensor signal to an open flow threshold on an iterative basis. For example, at least fifty iterations of flow sensor signal data point comparisons to the open flow threshold may be required before the operation of the pressure source may be stopped. Each iteration may take about 5 milliseconds in some embodiments.
In some embodiments, the controller may determine mask leakage by comparing the flow sensor signal to a leakage threshold on an iterative basis. For example, at least fifty iterations of flow sensor signal data point comparisons to the leakage threshold may be required before the operation of the pressure source may be stopped. Each iteration may take about 5 milliseconds in some embodiments. It is contemplated that, in some embodiments, mask leakage less than the leakage threshold and greater than no leakage may result in continued operation of the pressure source.
Additional features, which alone or in combination with any other feature(s), such as those listed above and those listed in the claims, may comprise patentable subject matter and will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of various embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the embodiments as presently perceived.
The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figures in which:
A respiratory device 10 includes a housing 12 having a front wall 14 on which a graphical user interface 16 is accessible to enter user inputs into device 10 and to see displayed information regarding the operation of device 10 as shown in
As will be discussed in further detail below, device 10 is operable as an insufflation/exsufflation device or, as such devices are sometimes called, a cough assist device. Thus, device 10 is capable of applying positive pressure and negative pressure to a patient's airway, the positive pressure being applied during insufflation and the negative pressure being applied during exsufflation. In a manual mode of device 10 when foot switch controller 34 is being used, one of switches 37a, 37b is pressed to signal device 10 to apply the positive insufflation pressure to the patient through the patient interface 22 and the other of switches 37a, 37b is pressed to signal device 10 to apply the negative insufflation pressure to the patient through the patient interface 22. If neither of switches 37a, 37b is pressed, then a rest or pause pressure is applied to the patient's airway. If foot switch controller 34 is not being used, then user inputs on GUI 16 are selected during the manual mode of device 10 to switch between insufflation, exsufflation, and pause pressures. In some embodiments, device 10 is operable to provide other modes of respiratory therapy such as continuous positive expiratory pressure (CPEP) and continuous high frequency oscillation (CHFO), just to name a couple. CPEP and CHFO are sometimes referred to herein, collectively, as Intrapulmonary Percussive Ventilation (IPV).
In the illustrative example, patient interface 22 includes a mask 36 which is configured to engage a patient's face and generally seal the area around the patient's nose and mouth. In other embodiments, patient interface 22 includes a mouthpiece (not shown, but well-known in the art) rather than the illustrative mask 36 and the mouthpiece has an end portion that a patient places inside his or her mouth. Patient interface 22 includes a first tubular segment 38 extending from mask 36, a filter unit 40 coupled to tubular segment 38, and a tubular Y-connector 42 that interconnects filter unit 40 and hose 20. Filter unit 40 includes a filter (not shown) to filter the air and/or breathing gas being inspired and expired while the patient is wearing mask 36 during the operation of device 10.
Tubular Y-connector 42 has a first portion 42a that connects to filter unit 40, a second portion 42b that connects to an end of hose 20, and a third portion 42c that connects to a nebulizer 44. Use of nebulizer 44 with device 10 is optional and so, in those embodiments in which nebulizer 44 is omitted, tubular Y-connector 42 is not needed and is replaced by a tubular segment (not shown) that is similar to tubular segment 38. However, in the illustrative example, nebulizer 44 is a vibrating screen or vibrating plate nebulizer and so an electrical cable 46 extends from nebulizer 44 and terminates at an electrical connector 48 which is configured for coupling to an electrical nebulizer port 50 located at the lower region of front face 14 of housing 12 of device 10 between button 28 and port 30.
Nebulizer 44 includes a cap 52 which is opened from its illustrative closed position so that a nebulizer container (not shown) that contains a liquid substance or medicament is able to be attached to the nebulizer 44. When connector 48 is coupled to port 50 of device 10, an electrical signal is applied to nebulizer 44 to vibrate the screen or plate, thereby to nebulize the liquid substance contained in the nebulizer container. The nebulized substance flows from the nebulizer 44 and becomes entrained in the pressurized gas being provided to the patient by device 10 through the patient interface 22.
Still referring to
Referring to
Referring to
An alternating current (AC) power cord 84 is also coupled to circuitry 76. Circuitry 76, therefore, includes components to convert the incoming AC power to the proper voltage levels, e.g., 5 Volts (V), 12 V, 24 V, etc., required by various components of systems 72, 74. In some embodiments, device 10 includes a lithium ion battery pack which is charged while power cord 84 is plugged into a power outlet. In some such embodiments, the components of device 10 are powered from the lithium ion battery pack regardless of whether cord 84 is plugged into a power outlet. Battery packs or batteries that operate according to technologies other than lithium ion technology are also within the scope of this disclosure for use in device 10.
It should be appreciated that although circuitry 76 is shown diagrammatically as a single block in
In
Still referring to
One or more sensors 106 are placed in pneumatic communication with conduit 100 and are in electrical communication with control circuitry 76 via conductors 108. Thus, one could allocate sensor(s) 106 as being a component of either electrical system 72 or pneumatic system 74 or both. Sensor(s) 106 include a pressure sensor or a flow sensor or both. Suitable electrical conductors 110, 112 also interconnect blower 86 and stepper motor 98, respectively, to circuitry 76. In general, conductors 110, 112 communicate control signals from circuitry 76 to blower 86 and stepper motor 98 and communicate feedback signals from blower 86 and stepper motor 98 to circuitry 76. Examples of feedback signals from blower 86 include rotational speed of an impeller of the blower 86 and temperature of the blower 86. The control signal to the blower 86 may include, for example, a voltage signal such as a pulse width modulated (PWM) signal. Examples of feedback signals from stepper motor 98 include a step count number indicative of a position of an output shaft of the motor 98 and a temperature of the motor 98. The control signal to the stepper motor 98 may include, for example, a voltage pulse to move the motor output shaft by one step or a series of pulses to move the motor output shaft by a corresponding number of steps.
When positive pressure produced at outlet 92 of blower 86 is to be supplied to the patient via patient interface 22, valve 88 is operated so that pressurized air from blower 86 is communicated from conduit 96 through valve 88 to conduit 100 and so that ambient air from atmosphere 104 is communicated from conduit 102 through valve 88 to inlet 90 of blower 86. When negative pressure produced at inlet 90 of blower 86 is to be supplied to the patient interface 22, valve 88 is operated so that suction from blower 86 is communicated from conduit 94 through valve 88 to conduit 100 and so that pressurized air from blower 86 is communicated from conduit 96 through valve 88 to atmosphere 104 via conduit 102.
According to this disclosure, valve 88 is also operable while in the positive pressure position and/or the negative pressure position to produce oscillations in the pressure being delivered to patient interface 22. It is contemplated by this disclosure that, in some embodiments, only one stepper motor 98 is used in device 10 to control whether valve 88 is in the positive pressure position or the negative pressure position and to control whether the valve 88 produces oscillations while in either of these positions. Using only one stepper motor 98 in device 10 is an improvement from a cost, size and weight standpoint over known prior art devices that use multiple stepper motors or components in addition to a direction valve to produce oscillatory pressure.
Referring now to
Plate 114 has four holes 128a, 128b, 128c, 128d and plate 118 has four holes 130a, 130b, 130c, 130d as shown best in
Plate 122 has four holes 136a, 136b, 136c, 136d as shown best in
Coupler 148 includes, or serves as, a bushing or bearing for shafts 144, 146 and is received in a bore 150 formed in a central region of manifold block 120. An end of shaft 144 opposite from coupler 148 is received in a bore 152 of a bushing or bearing 154 which, in turn, is received in bore 156 formed in manifold block 116. Thus, shaft 144 extends through bore 150 of manifold block 120, hole 134 of plate 118, hole 142 of hub 140 (as well as hole 138 of plate 122), hole 132 of plate 114 and bore 156 of manifold block 116. Hub 140 is press fit onto shaft 144, or is otherwise keyed to shaft 144, so that rotational motion imparted to shaft 144 by output shaft 146 of stepper motor 98 is transferred to rotatable plate 122.
Manifold block 116 includes a series of passageways that cooperate to form the conduits 94, 96 discussed above in connection with
Manifold block 116 also includes passageways 162a, 162b, 162c shown in
Blower 86 is attached to a plate 164 with suitable fasteners 166 such as bolts, screws, or dowel pins. A motor 168 of blower 86 extends through a hole 170 in plate 164. A set of standoffs 172 keep plate 164 at a proper distance from manifold block 116 to accommodate blower 86. As shown in
Manifold block 120 includes a series of passageways 178a, 178b, 178c, shown in
Manifold 120 also includes a first passageway 182a, 182b and a second passageway 184a, 184b that, together, correspond to conduit 102 of
Depending upon the position of plate 122 relative to plates 114, 118 some of holes 128a-d, holes 130a-d, and 136a-d are aligned to provide pneumatic communication between corresponding passageways 158c, 158d, 162a, 162c of block 116 and passageways 178b, 178c, 182b, 184b of block 120 and others of holes 128a-d, holes 130a-d, and 136a-d are blocked to prevent pneumatic communication between corresponding passageways 158c, 158d, 162a, 162c of block 116 and passageways 178b, 178c, 182b, 184b of block 120. For example, in
With reference to
With reference to
An example of a suitable blower 86 for use in device 10 is the model no. U85MX-024KX-4 blower available from Micronel AG of Tagelswangen, Switzerland. Examples of a suitable stepper motor 98 for use in device 10 include the model no. STM17Q-3AE stepper motor available from Applied Motion Products, Inc. of Watsonville, California, U.S.A. and the model no. 4209S-07PD-01RO stepper motor available from LIN Engineering of Morgan Hill, California, U.S.A.
As shown in
In the illustrative example, the second angular displacement is about 10°. Stepper motor 98 is operable so that the frequency of oscillation of plate 122 is within the range of about 1 Hertz (Hz) to about 20 Hz, as selected by a user on GUI 16. As viewed in
In
The dot in
When plate 122 is in the minimum pressure position of
As shown in
In the illustrative example, the second angular displacement is about 10° regardless of whether plate 122 is in the first or second position. Furthermore, stepper motor 98 is operable so that the frequency of oscillation of plate 122 is within the range of about 1 Hertz (Hz) to about 20 Hz, as selected by a user on GUI 16, regardless of whether plate 122 is in the first or second position. As viewed in
As was the case with
The dot in
When plate 122 is in the minimum pressure position of
According to this disclosure, valve 88 is controllable to generate a pause or rest pressure at the patient interface 22. While the pause pressure is programmable by a user to be set at any pressure, positive or negative, that respiratory device 10 is capable of generating, the pause pressure is typically a positive pressure that is less than the insufflation pressure. The graphs in
Referring now to
Referring now to
A circular plate 224 attaches to manifold blocks 210, 212 by use of four fasteners 226, such as bolts, screws, or dowel pins, that extend through apertures 227 provided near the periphery of plate 224 and are received in holes 228 provided in manifold blocks 210, 212 as shown in
In addition to fasteners 226 that interconnect plate 224 with manifold blocks 210, 212, fasteners 240 such as bolts or screws, and dowel pins 242 are provided to connect manifold blocks 210, 212 together. As shown in
Blower 86 is attached to a plate 248 with suitable fasteners 250 such as bolts, screws, or dowel pins. Motor 168 of blower 86 extends through a hole 252 in plate 248. A set of standoffs 254 keep plate 248 elevated at a proper distance from at top of manifold block 210 to accommodate blower 86. As shown in
Manifold blocks 210, 212 each have a set of arch-shaped partition walls 262 as shown best in
In the embodiment of
Stationary cylinder 208 has a set of generally rectangular apertures or holes 274 and spool 214 has a set of generally rectangular apertures or holes 276 as shown best in
Spool 214 is movable by stepper motor 98 between first and second positions relative to cylinder 208. In the first position of spool 214, positive pressure is output from opening 280 to patient interface 22 and in the second position of spool 214, negative pressure is applied to patient interface 22 from opening 280. When spool 214 is in the first position, a first subset of holes 276 of spool 214 is aligned with a first subset of holes 274 of cylinder 208. When spool 214 is in the second position, a second subset of holes 276 is aligned with a second subset of holes 274 of cylinder 208. Some, but not all, of the holes 274, 276 of the first subset are also included in the second subset.
With regard to
Spool 214 includes an internal wall 286 which can be seen, for example, in
With regard to
Referring now to
A double headed arrow 290 is shown in
While any materials of suitable strength may be used to construct the various components of the rotary spool valve 88, in some embodiments, plates 224, 248 are made of aluminum; spool 214, hub 216, and plug 222 are made of acetyl plastic material; element 218 and cylinder 208 are made of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic material; manifold blocks 210, 212 are made of acrylic plastic material; rings 264 are made of a silicone sponge material; and conduit 272 is made of rubber.
Referring now to
Screen 292 of
Beneath window 296 on screen 292 are three windows 298, 300, 302 which have information concerning the programmed settings for exsufflation, pause, and insufflation, respectively. In the illustrative example, the programmed 20 cmH2O insufflation pressure is set to be applied to the patient for 1.0 second as indicated in window 302, the −20 cmH2O exsufflation pressure is set to be applied to the patient for 1.0 second as indicated in window 298, and then a pause pressure of 10 cmH2O at a flow setting of 3 is to be applied to the patient for 2.0 seconds as indicated in window 300.
Beneath window 300 on screen 296 is a change setting button 304 that is selected by a user to re-program the operating parameters of device 10, such as those shown in windows 298, 300, 302. To the right and left of button 304, respectively, is an inhale column indicator 306 that is illuminated to indicate when the insufflation pressure is being applied to patient interface 22 by device 10 and an exhale column indicator 308 that is illuminated to indicate when the exsufflation pressure is being applied to patient interface 22 by device 10. A footer 310 at the bottom of screen 292 includes a lock status icon 312 to indicate whether device 10 is locked from use or unlocked for use, a start button 314 that is touched by a user to start device 10 operating according to the programmed parameters, and a help icon 316 that is selected to obtain help regarding the operation of device 10.
A menu 318 of icons appears in a column at the right hand side of screen 292. Menu 318 includes a home icon 320 that is selected by a user to return to a home screen of device 10, an automatic icon 322 that is selected by a user to place device 10 in the automatic mode, a manual icon 324 that is selected by a user to place device 10 in a manual mode, a lock icon 326 that is selected by a user to lock device 10 from use (if device 10 is locked then an unlock icon appears in menu 318 in lieu of icon 326), and a general settings icon 328 that is selected by a user to adjust settings and perform various administration functions relating to device 10.
The automatic and manual modes of device 10 are very similar to those described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,539,952 which is already incorporated by reference herein. However, one of the primary differences between the device of U.S. Pat. No. 8,539,952 and device 10 is that after the pause period, the positive insufflation pressure is applied to patient interface 22 in response to an inspiratory trigger being sensed by one or more of sensor(s) 106. That is, the insufflation pressure is applied to patient interface 22 by device 10 when the patient begins to inhale. With regard to illustrative device 10, the change from insufflation mode to exsufflation mode and then the change from exsufflation mode to pause mode are dependent upon the programmed times. However, that is not to say that in other embodiments, device 10 could not sense an expiratory trigger to switch from insufflation mode to exsufflation mode and/or a subsequent inspiratory trigger to switch from exsufflation mode to pause mode.
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
In some embodiments, control circuitry 76 of device 10 is programmed to store and/or analyze data sensed by the one or more sensors 106. For example,
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
First stationary plate 500 has four holes 520a, 520b, 520c, 520d; second stationary plate 502 has four holes 522a, 522b, 522c, 522d; and third stationary plate 504 has four holes 524a, 524b, 524c, 524d. Holes 520a-d, 522a-d, and 524a-d are aligned with each other. That is the “a-series” holes of plates 500, 502, 504 are aligned; the “b-series” holes of plates 500, 502, 504 are aligned; the “c-series” holes of plates 500, 502, 504 are aligned; and the “d-series” holes of plates 500, 502, 504 are aligned.
Third stationary plate 504 is formed to include four tubular portions 526a, 526b, 526c, 526d. Tubular portions 526a-d define, in part, the holes 524a-d, respectively, that extend though plate 504. Each tubular portion 526a-d is in registry with, such as by being received within, a respective hole 522a-d of the four holes 522a-d of the second stationary plate 502. Valve 588 includes four springs 528. Each spring 528 of the four springs 528 is mounted on a respective tubular portion 526a-d of the four tubular portions 526a-d. Spring 528, therefore, are situated between second stationary plate 502 and third stationary plate 504 to bias the third stationary plate 504 against rotatable plate 506 which, in turn, biases rotatable plate 506 against first stationary plate 500. Thus, third stationary plate 504 is sometimes referred to herein as a biasing plate.
Still referring to
Unlike pneumatic system 74 which has manifold blocks 116, 120, pneumatic system 574 has individual tubular manifold elements. In particular, a first manifold tube 544 has an inlet passage 546 coupled to an outlet 592 of blower 586 and a pair of outlet passages 548a, 548b coupled to holes 520a, 520b, respectively, of first stationary plate 500. Similarly, a second manifold tube 550 has an outlet passage 552 coupled to an inlet of blower 586 (not shown but similar to inlet 90 of blower 86) and a pair of inlet passages 548c, 548d coupled to holes 520c, 520d, respectively, of first stationary plate 500. At the opposite side of valve 588, a third manifold tube 554, a fourth manifold tube 556, and a fifth manifold tube 558 are provided. Tube 554 has a passage 560 that couples to hole 522a of plate 502; tube 556 has a passage 562 that couples to holes 522b, 522c of plate 502 through respective ports of tube 556; and tube 558 has a passage (not shown, but similar to passage 560 of tube 554) that couples to hole 522d of plate 502.
Tube 556 couples to the patient port 24 of respiratory device 10 for delivery of positive pressure or negative pressure to port 24 depending upon the position of rotatable plate 506. Tubes 554, 558 are each coupled to ambient atmosphere. Manifold tubes 544, 550, 554, 556, 558 are fixed to the respective stationary plates 400, 502 via suitable fastening mechanisms such as glue or welding, for example. In some embodiments, tubular portions 526a-d project through holes 522a-d to be received in the respective passages of manifold tubes 554, 556, 558.
Referring now to
First stationary plate 600 has four holes 620a, 620b, 620c, 620d and second stationary plate 602 has four holes 622a, 622b, 622c, 622d. Holes 620a-d, 622a-d are aligned with each other. That is the “a-series” holes of plates 600, 602 are aligned; the “b-series” holes of plates 600, 602 are aligned; the “c-series” holes of plates 600, 602 are aligned; and the “d-series” holes of plates 600, 602 are aligned. Plate 606 has first and second wing portions 612, 614 connected by a hub portion 616 as shown in
Hub 616 of plate 606 is keyed to an output shaft of stepper motor 698 or to an extension shaft that couples to the output shaft of stepper motor 698. For example, a portion of the shaft received within aperture 632 is complementary in shape to the shape of aperture 632. Thus, plate 606 rotates with the output shaft of stepper motor 698. Stepper motor 698 rotates plate 606 so that wing portions 612, 614 of rotatable plate 606 are aligned or misaligned with various ones of holes 620a-d, 622a-d of stationary plates 600, 602. Thus, the discussion above regarding the operation of valve 88 of pneumatic system 74 and of valve 588 of pneumatic system 574 to produce positive pressure, negative pressure, and oscillatory pressure at port 24 and therefore, within patient interface 22, is equally applicable to valve 688 of pneumatic system 674. That discussion is not repeated for the sake of brevity. Suffice it to say that rotatable plate 606 has a first position, shown in
Unlike pneumatic system 74 which has manifold blocks 116, 120 and unlike pneumatic system 574 which has individual manifold tubes 544, 550, 554, 556, 558, system 674 has a first molded or cast manifold portion or shell 650 and a second molded or cast manifold portion or shell 652. Manifold shells 650, 652 are monolithic pieces that contain all of the passages that couple to holes 620a-d of stationary plate 600, in the case of shell 650, and to holes 622a-d of plate 602, in the case of shell 652. In
Tubular portion 657 and its associated passage 656 of shell 652 couple to a positive pressure outlet 692 of blower 686 via a first conduit 660. Similarly, tubular portion 659 and its associated passage 658 of shell 650 couple to the negative pressure inlet 690 of blower 686 via a second conduit 662. Passage 656 of manifold shell 652 is in pneumatic communication with holes 622c, 622d of stationary plate 602 and passage 658 of manifold shell 652 is in pneumatic communication with holes 622a, 622b of stationary plate 602. Manifold shell 652 has a pair of tubular connecting portions 664 in this regard.
Suitable fasteners (not shown) such as bolts or screws (these terms are used interchangeably herein) are provided to couple manifold shells 650, 652 together. In this regard, shell 650 has ears 668 with apertures 670 and shell 652 has ears 672 with screw-receiving bosses 674. When shells 650, 652 are fastened together, plates 600, 602, 606 are sandwiched therebetween. A set of dowel pins 676 extend from shell 650 and are received in apertures 678 provided in plate 600. A similar set of dowel pins (not shown) extending from shell 652 are received in apertures 678 provided in plate 602. Receipt of the dowel pins 676 in apertures 678 of plates 600, 602 prevents plates from rotating relative to respective shells 650, 652. The dowel pins 676 do not extend into the space between plates 600, 602 so as not to interfere with rotation and oscillation of bow-tie shaped plate 606 within the space between stationary plates 600, 602. Fasteners such as screws or bolts (not shown) are also provided to couple stepper motor 698 to manifold shell 650. In this regard, a plate 680 of stepper motor 698 has apertures 682 and manifold shell 650 has screw-receiving bosses 684 for receipt of such fasteners.
Referring now to
First stationary plate 700 has four holes 720a, 720b, 720c, 720d; second stationary plate 702 has four holes 722a, 722b, 722c, 722d; and rotatable plate 706 has four holes 724a, 724b, 724c, 724d. Holes 720a-d, 722a-d are aligned with each other. That is the “a-series” holes of plates 700, 702 are aligned; the “b-series” holes of plates 700, 702 are aligned; the “c-series” holes of plates 700, 702 are aligned; and the “d-series” holes of plates 700, 702 are aligned. An output shaft extension 732 of stepper motor 798 has a non-round tip 734 which is received in a complementarily shaped non-round aperture 736 provided at the center of rotatable plate 706. Thus, plate 706 rotates with output shaft extension 732 of stepper motor 798. Extension 732 is mounted on an output shaft (not shown) of stepper motor 798.
Stepper motor 798 acts through shaft 732 to rotate plate 706 so that various ones of holes 724a-d of rotatable plate 706 are aligned or misaligned with various ones of holes 720a-d, 722a-d of stationary plates 700, 702. Thus, the discussion above regarding the operation of valve 88 of pneumatic system 74 and of valve 588 of pneumatic system 574 to produce positive pressure, negative pressure, and oscillatory pressure at port 24 and therefore, within patient interface 22, is equally applicable to valve 788 of pneumatic system 774. That discussion is not repeated for the sake of brevity. Suffice it to say that rotatable plate 706 has a first position in which positive pressure from blower 786 is delivered to port 24 and a second position in which negative pressure from blower 786 is delivered to port 24. Plate 706 can be oscillated back and forth by stepper motor 798 with respect to the first position and with respective to the second position to produce oscillations in the pressure, be it positive or negative, provided at port 24.
Similar to system 674, system 774 has a first molded or cast manifold portion or shell 750 and a second molded or cast manifold portion or shell 752. Manifold shells 750, 752 are monolithic pieces that contain all of the passages that couple to holes 720a-d of stationary plate 700, in the case of shell 750, and to holes 722a-d of plate 702, in the case of shell 752. Unlike shells 650, 652 described above, shells 750, 752 have oblong openings 712 that communicate with respective pairs of holes 720a-d, 722a-d. Gaskets 714 are provided around oblong openings 712 to seal against respective stationary plates 700, 702. A large O-ring type gasket 716 provides a seal between manifold shells 750, 752. Gasket 716 encompasses a periphery of rotatable 706.
In
Suitable fasteners such as bolts or screws 792 and nuts 794 are provided to couple manifold shells 750, 752 together. In this regard, shell 750 has ears 768 with apertures 770 and shell 752 has ears 774 with nut-receiving bosses 772. Bolts 792 extend through ears 768, 774 are threaded into nuts 794 which are received in bosses 772. When shells 750, 752 are fastened together, plates 700, 702, 706 are sandwiched therebetween. Fasteners such as screws or bolts 796 are also provided to couple stepper motor 798 to manifold shell 750. In this regard, a plate 780 of stepper motor 798 has apertures 782 and manifold shell 750 has screw-receiving bosses 784 for receipt of fasteners 796. Screws 793 extend through apertures 795 to couple plate 780 of stepper motor 798.
In some embodiments, blower 786 is a model no. U85MX-024KX-4 blower available from Micronel AG of Tagelswangen, Switzerland and stepper motor 798 is of the type available from Shinano Kenshi Corporation of Culver City, California. Plate 780 of stepper motor 798 is made of metal, such as stainless steel or aluminum, and motor shaft extension 732 is made of aluminum in some embodiments. Manifold shells 750, 752 are sometimes referred to as manifold “cases” and are made of a plastics material such as a polycarbonate (PC)/acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) compound which, in some embodiments, comprises General Electric (GE) CYCOLOY™ CX2244ME material. Stationary plates 700, 702 are made of stainless steel in some embodiments. Rotatable plate 706 is made of a plastics material such as polycarbonate with 15% polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) which, in some embodiments, comprises LNP™ LUBRICOMP™ DL003EXJ material. O-ring 716 is made of a silicone sponge material or silicon in some embodiments. Conduits 760, 762 are made of silicone rubber, such as a silicone rubber elastomer having a hardness of shore 50-57A, in some embodiments. Gaskets 714 are made of a soft silicone having a durometer of A50. Fasteners 792, 794, 795 are made of metal such as stainless steel or aluminum in some embodiments. The above-listed component part number and materials are examples of suitable parts and materials and is not intended to be limiting in any way.
Referring now to
A port 24 extends from an annular recess 800 provided in front wall portion 14b. Port 24 is referred to herein as a hose port or patient port, for example. Similar to device 10, device 10′ is operable as an insufflation/exsufflation device (aka a cough assist device) and is also operable to deliver other respiratory therapies such as continuous positive expiratory pressure (CPEP) and continuous high frequency oscillation (CHFO), just to name a couple. A manual on/off button 802 is provided on front wall portion 14a beneath display 16 and above port 24 of wall portion 14b. Button 802 and port 24 are centered on their respective front wall portions between the opposite sidewalls 58 of device 10′. Unlike filter unit 40 of device 10, which is located adjacent mask 36, device 10′ has a filter unit 840 which connects to port 24 and hose 20 connects to filter port 840 as shown in
Referring now to
A power cord 812 attaches to a power port 814 which is provided on back wall 68 of housing 12 of device 10′ beneath course air filter 806. Cord 812 has a plug at its opposite end (not shown) which plugs into a standard AC power outlet (not shown) to provide power to device 10′ in a known manner. Other connection ports are provided near a bottom of back wall 68 including a pulse oximeter (SpO2) port 816 to which a pulse oximeter couples, if desired; a foot on/off switch port 818 to which coupler 32 of foot switch controller 34 (see
In the illustrative example of device 10′, a first shroud 822 projects from back wall 68 above coarse air filter 806, a second shroud 824 projects from back wall 68 above power port 814, and a third shroud 826 projects from back wall 68 above ports 816, 818, 820. Shrouds 822, 824, 826 are each generally upside down U-shaped and provide a modicum of shielding and protection for filter 806 and ports 814, 816, 818, 820 such as to prevent falling objects or debris from inadvertently contacting filter 806 and ports 814, 816, 818, 820. Back wall 68 of device 10′ also includes a battery cover 828 which is removable to expose a battery compartment (not shown) in which batteries (not shown) are situated for powering device 10′ when power cord 812 is not plugged into an AC power outlet.
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Handset 900 includes a generally banana-shaped tube 906 that has an upper surface 908 which is generally convex from end-to-end of the generally banana-shaped tube 906 and a bottom surface 910 which is generally concave from end-to-end of the generally banana-shaped tube 906. Side surfaces 909 interconnect top and bottom surfaces 908, 910 as shown in
Handset 900 has a nebulizer port 911 provided at an apex 914 of upper surface 908 such that, in use, a nebulizer extends upwardly from a top of the handset 900. The apex 914 may generally be thought of as the uppermost region of surface 908 when tube 906 is placed on a horizontal surface with bottommost portions of ends 902, 904 engaging the horizontal surface. It is contemplated that an electrically operated vibrating plate or vibrating mesh nebulizer, such as nebulizer 44 of
In the illustrative embodiment, handset 900 includes a plug 916 that closes nebulizer port 911 when the nebulizer is absent. Nebulizer port 911 includes a cylindrical wall 918 that projects into an interior region of the generally banana-shaped tube 906 as shown in
As shown in
In the illustrative embodiment, ring 928 includes a sleeve 938 that wraps around a majority of the circumference of regions 930, 932 of the generally banana-shaped tube 906 in abutting rotative bearing engagement therewith. Thus, sleeve 938 includes a frustroconical portion 940 and a cylindrical portion 942 which are complimentary in shape to regions 930, 932 of tube 906, respectively. Ring 928 also has an offset portion 944 that is coupled to the sleeve 938 and that defines a channel 946 which aligns with aperture 926 when ring 928 is in the first position so that aperture 926 and interior region of tube 906 may communicate with atmosphere through channel 946 and that is out of alignment with the aperture 926 when the ring is in the second position. Thus, aperture 926 is closed off by sleeve 938 when ring 928 is in the second position.
Tube 906 has a circumferential groove 948 formed around region 932 adjacent shoulder 936. Sleeve 938 of ring 928 has a set of tabs 950 that project into groove 948 when ring 928 is mounted to tube 906. Receipt of tabs 950 in groove 948 retains ring 928 on the generally banana-shaped tube 906. When ring 928 is mounted to tube 906, an annular ridge 952 at an end of region 940 lies adjacent to shoulder 934 with little, if any, clearance therebetween. Tube 906 has first and second depressions 954 (only one of which can be seen in
Referring now to
In the illustrative example, prongs 856a, 856b, 856c are spaced by 120 degrees about the periphery of tube 854 and apertures 860a, 860b, 860c are spaced by 120 degrees about port 24. A tab or rib 862 extends radially outwardly from port 24 by a slight amount and tube 854 has a slot or channel 864 in which tab 862 is received to properly orient filter unit 840 with respect to port 24 so that prongs 856a, 856b, 856c are properly aligned with respective apertures 860a, 860b, 860c during attachment of filter unit 840 to port 24.
In the interior region of housing 12 of device 10′ behind port wall 858, three switches 866 are provided with each switch 866 being accessible through a respective one of apertures 860a, 860b, 860c as shown in
An annular rib 868 is provided in the bore of tube 842, as shown in
In some embodiments, the pressure source of device 10′, such as blower 786 is disabled from operation unless the at least one of switch 866 is activated (e.g., by being in the on or close state). Thus, control circuitry 76 of device 10′ is configured to prevent operation of blower 786 unless at least one of switches 866 is in the on state. It is contemplated by this disclosure that filter units 840 of different types of patient interfaces 22 may have a different number of prongs 856a, 856b, 856c. It should be appreciated that seven permutations of patient interfaces 22 are possible with three switches 866 as follows:
Depending upon which of switches 866 are closed and which are opened, control circuitry 76 is able to discern which type of patient interface is coupled to device 10′. However, by determining that at least one of switches 866 is closed, control system 76 of device 10′ is generally assured that a filter unit 840 with corresponding filter 852 is present, such that operation of blower 786 is enabled. With filter 852 present, inadvertent foreign objects are unable to pass from device 10′ to the patient through patient interface 22. This safety feature prevents device 10′ from operating if hose 20 is coupled directly to port 24 without any filter unit 840 being present. In some embodiments, if none of switches 866 are closed, a message is displayed on screen 16 to remind the user to include filter unit 840 in the patient interface 22 being used with device 10′. In some embodiments, two of switches 866 are required to be closed by at least two prongs 856a, 856b, 856c before blower 786 is enabled for operation. In such embodiments, only four permutations of patient interface types is possible (e.g., choices (iv)-(vii) in the list above).
In some embodiments, it is contemplated that therapy mode options that may be delivered through outlet port 24 by device 10′ may be different depending upon which type of patient interface 22 is coupled to the outlet port 24 as indicated by switch 866 closures. For example, patient interfaces 22 with a mask 36 may be required for device 10′ to deliver MIE therapy to a patient by device 10′ and handset 900 may be required for device 10′ to deliver CPEP or CHFO therapy to a patient. A patient interface 22 with both a mask 36 and handset 900 may permit device 10′ to deliver MIE, CPEP and CHFO therapies to a patient, just to give another example. In some embodiments, device 10′ may include a user input operable to signal the controller 76 to override the disabling of the pressure source 786 when none of switches are activated, thereby to permit the pressure source 786 to operate even if no switches 866 are activated. For example, such a user input may be an input on graphical display screen 16 such as one or more icons or buttons. Alternatively or additionally, this sort of override user input may be provided as a manual switch or button on housing 12 of device 10′.
As mentioned above, device 10 senses an inspiratory trigger in connection with delivery of automatic MIE therapy to a patient. Device 10′ also has this feature. According to this disclosure, sensors 106 of devices 10, 10′ include at least one pressure sensor and at least on flow sensor. In some embodiments, two pressure sensors are provided so as to be compliant with the ISO 80601-2-12:2011 standard relating to critical care ventilators. However, this need not be the case in other embodiments. In some embodiments, the following software algorithm is executed by control circuitry 76 of devices 10, 10′ in connection with the inspiratory trigger:
A flow chart illustrative of the preceding algorithm is shown in
If accumulated pressure and flow differences are not greater than the sensitivity at block 982, then the algorithm loops back to block 974 and proceeds from there. If accumulated pressure and flow differences are greater than the sensitivity at block 982, the control circuitry 76 starts the blower (e.g., operates the blower as necessary to achieve the programmed positive pressure inspiratory pressure for automatic MIE therapy) as indicated at block 984. The algorithm then waits for 250 milliseconds as indicated at block 986 and proceeds to check to determine if the mask 36 is removed from the patient (e.g., open to air) as indicated at block 988. If the mask 36 is not removed from the patient as determined at block 988, then the algorithm waits for the inspiratory time of the automatic MIE therapy to expire as indicated at block 990. If the mask 36 is removed from the patient as determined at block 988, then control circuitry 76 proceeds to stop the blower 786 from operating as indicated at block 992 and provides a visual indication of the mask removal on display 16 as indicated at block 994.
In connection with block 988 of the algorithm of
If the mask 36 is disconnected or otherwise removed from the patient's face and open to atmospheric air, the flow is high and Pressure drops. As shown in graph 1000 of
In connection with determining mask leakage, a similar algorithm is implemented, but instead of step 3 comparing flow[n] to open flow, flow[n] is compared to some lesser number that indicates that mask leakage is too high. That mask leakage threshold, like the open_flow value, is dependent upon drive voltage (i.e., the voltage being used to drive blower 786). In the graphs of
Based on the preceding discussion of inspiratory trigger detection and mask removal/leakage detection, it should be understood that, in some embodiments, the inspiratory trigger is detected by control circuitry 76 of devices 10, 10′ based on information sensed by at least one pressure sensor and at least one flow sensor, whereas mask leakage or removal detection is detected by control circuitry 76 of devices 10, 10′ based on information from the flow sensor only. In response to inspiratory trigger detection, the pressure source (e.g., blower 786) or the valve (e.g., rotary valve 788) or both are operationally adjusted to provide a desired positive pressure to the patient's airway. Based on a flow sensor signal from the flow sensor, the controller 76 is configured to determine mask removal or mask leakage and to stop operation of the pressure source. In some embodiments, the controller determines mask removal or leakage by comparing the flow sensor signal to an open flow threshold or a leakage threshold, respectively, on an iterative basis. For example, at least fifty iterations of flow sensor signal data point comparisons to the open flow threshold or the leakage threshold is required in the illustrative embodiment before the operation of the pressure source 786 is stopped. Each iteration takes about 5 milliseconds in some embodiments.
Referring now to
If graph icon 1024 is selected on screen 1016 or 1018, then a preset screen 1026, shown in
If automatic icon 1020 of screen 1018 of
If manual icon 1022 of screen 1018 of
Thus, during manual MIE mode, the user cyclically presses buttons 1050, 1054, as desired, to deliver positive and negative pressure cyclically to the patient's airway. Buttons 1050, 1054 are lit up more brightly or become colored to indicate that they are active. The non-active one of buttons 1050, 1052 becomes grayed out until it is selected again by the user. To pause the manual MIE therapy, a user double clicks on either button 1050 or button 1054 depending upon which is one is active at the time. Up and down arrows are provided adjacent windows 1052, 1056 to permit the user to adjust the target pressures upwardly or downwardly. As shown in
If automatic icon 1020 of screen 1016 of
Graph 1068 displays numerical parameters for the associated therapy including CPEP pressure, CHFO pressure, time of CPEP stages, time of CHFO stages, a therapy progress indicator which moves along the curve shown in graph 1068 during the associated therapy, and a running total time for the associated therapy. Bar 1070 includes an upper arrow serving as an peak pressure marker and a lower arrow serving as a mean pressure marker. As shown in
If manual icon 1022 of screen 1016 of
Screen 1074 also a CHFO button 1084 which is selected to cause CHFO therapy to be delivered to the patient's airway by device 10, 10′ at a selected target positive pressure specified in a second window 1086 of screen 1074 and at a high, medium, or low frequency specified by selection of one of radio buttons 1088 as shown, for example, in
CHFO therapy is a pneumatic form of chest physiotherapy that oscillates the airways with continuous pulses of positive pressure. CHFO therapy can be delivered from device 10, 10′ to mechanically ventilated patients when connected in-line with the mechanical ventilator, if desired. In some embodiments, the frequencies associated with the high, medium, and low radio buttons 1088 include about 5 hertz (Hz) +/−1 Hz (300+/−60 beats per minute (bpm)) for the high frequency setting, about 4 Hz +/−1 Hz (240+/−60 bpm) for the medium frequency setting, and about 3 Hz +/−1 Hz (180+/−60 bpm) for the low frequency setting. Also, for CHFO therapy, device 10, 10′ is configured to deliver gas peak flow rate in the range of about 80 to about 160 liters per minute (L/min) at the output port of handset 900 in some embodiments. Further, for CHFO therapy, the peak static pressure is configurable over a range of about 10 cmH2O to 50 cmH2O relative to ambient air pressure at the patient end of handset 900 with +/−3 cmH2O of tolerance, in some embodiments.
CPEP therapy provides continuous positive pressure to the patient's airway with the aim of holding open and expanding the patient's airway. During CPEP therapy, a static positive pressure is provided over a range of about 5 cmH2O to about 40 cmH2O relative to ambient air pressure at the output of handset 900 with +/−3 cmH2O of tolerance, in some embodiments. Also during CPEP therapy, at the 40 cmH2O setting, the peak air flow rate delivered by device 10, 10′ is no less than 100 L/min in some embodiments. As indicated above, a nebulizer may be used with either CPEP therapy or CHFO therapy. In some embodiments, the flow rate of delivery of the aerosolized medication from the nebulizer is at least 0.2 milliliters per minute (mL/min).
In some embodiments, bar 1040 of
In some embodiments, pause buttons 1034, 1064 toggle with their associated start buttons 1032, 1062 rather than being showing on the screen simultaneously. That is, when start button 1032, 1062 is pressed, it becomes a pause button 1034, 1064 on the screen in the same location on the screen. If the pause button 1034, 1064 is pressed, it toggles back to being a start button 1032, 1062. In some embodiments, a summary screen is provided after each of the therapies (i.e., automatic MIE therapy, manual MIE therapy, automatic IPV therapy, and manual IPV therapy). The summary screen indicates various parameters, such as mean pressure, number of cycles, oscillation frequency, and so on. The summary screens, in some embodiments, have a button that is pressed to perform a spirometry session with the patient. In such sessions, a spirometer is attached to port 816 of device 10′, for example, and the patient breaths into the spirometer to generate a spirometry curve of the type shown in
In some embodiments, rather than using up and down arrows to adjust a numerical setting appearing in a window (e.g., windows 1052, 1056, 1082, 1086), the window itself can be selected and a numeric key pad will appear on display screen 16 so that a number can be entered directly into the window. In some embodiments, selection of an arrow tab at the right hand side of the screens of
Although certain illustrative embodiments have been described in detail above, many embodiments, variations and modifications are possible that are still within the scope and spirit of this disclosure as described herein and as defined in the following claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PI2015000844 | Apr 2015 | MY | national |
The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/381,289, filed Apr. 11, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,905,837, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/563,201, filed Sep. 29, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,905,836, which is a U.S. national phase of PCT/SG2016/050166, filed on Apr. 1, 2016, which claimed priority, under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a), of Malaysian Patent Application No. PI 2015000844 which was filed Apr. 2, 2015 and which also claimed the benefit, under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e), of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/170,335 which was filed Jun. 3, 2015, and each of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
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