The present invention relates to non-invasive ventilation and pressure support systems wherein a patient interface device is used to deliver a flow of breathing gas to a patient and, more particularly, to a sealing arrangement for forming a seal between a patient and a patient interface device.
There are numerous situations where it is necessary or desirable to deliver a flow of breathing gas non-invasively to the airway of a patient, i.e., without intubating the patient or surgically inserting a tracheal tube in their esophagus. For example, it is known to ventilate a patient using a technique known as non-invasive ventilation. It is also known to deliver positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy to treat certain medical disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Known PAP therapies include continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), wherein a constant positive pressure is provided to the airway of the patient in order to splint open the patient's airway, and variable airway pressure, wherein the pressure provided to the airway of the patient is varied with the patient's respiratory cycle. Such therapies are typically provided to the patient at night while the patient is sleeping.
Recently, PAP machines have also been utilized in treating patients suffering from certain diseases that adversely affect the patient's lungs such as Coronavirus (COVID-19). However, gases expelled from such patients (e.g., via exhaling, coughing, sneezing) may be contaminated with the virus and thus can lead to infections to caregivers and others near the patient.
Non-invasive ventilation and pressure support therapies as just described involve a gas flow generator to produce a flow of breathing gas, and the placement of a patient interface device including a mask component on the face of a patient. The gas flow generator produces positive air pressure by taking air in from the surroundings and spinning a fan to push the air out of the machine, through a delivery conduit, and into the patient interface device to be delivered to the patient. Leak at the patient interface is a known issue for Non-Invasive Ventilation (NIV) Masks. Caregivers are currently instructed to allow some leak to reduce the risk of skin breakdown at the nose bridge. The masks are also known to generally leak. With the incidence of COVID-19, NIV masks put the caregivers and other patients at risk for infection.
Embodiments of the present invention address shortcomings of conventional arrangements by generally providing a reusable leak-resistant or leak-proof seal at the interface between the patient and the patient interface device while allowing for a looser fit of the patient interface device on the face of the patient than conventional arrangements. As one aspect of the present invention a sealing arrangement for use in forming a seal between a face of a patient and a patient interface device for use in delivering a flow of a treatment gas to the patient is provided. The sealing arrangement comprises: a generally planar substrate body having a first side and a second side opposite the first side, the substrate body comprising a main portion having an opening defined therethrough, the opening being sized and configured to encompass the mouth and nose of the patient; a first adhesive layer disposed on the first side of the substrate body; and a second adhesive layer disposed on the second side of the substrate body, wherein the first adhesive layer is sized and configured to adhere to the skin of the patient adjacent the nose and mouth of the patient with a first adherence force, and wherein the second adhesive layer is sized and configured to adhere to a cushion of the patient interface device with a second adherence force less than the first adherence force.
The substrate body may further comprise an extension tab extending from the main portion and including a portion of the first adhesive layer thereon.
The extension tab may be sized and configured to extend downward along a first side of the mouth of the patient, across below the mouth of the patient, and upward along a second side of the mouth of the patient opposite the first side of the mouth when the sealing arrangement is positioned on the face of the patient with the opening encompassing the mouth and nose of the patient.
The substrate body may further comprise an alignment portion extending from the main portion.
The alignment portion may be delineated from the main portion by a separation feature.
The separation feature may comprise a locally thinned region extending between the alignment portion and the main portion in the substrate body.
The separation feature may comprise a plurality of separations defined through the substrate body.
The alignment portion may be sized and configured to engage a forehead support of the patient interface device.
The substrate body may further comprise an alignment portion extending from the main portion.
The alignment portion may be delineated from the main portion by a separation feature.
As another aspect of the present invention an arrangement for use in delivering a flow of a treatment gas to the patient is provided. The arrangement comprises: a patient interface device having a cushion structured to sealingly engage about the mouth and nose of the patient; and a sealing arrangement comprising: a generally planar substrate body having a first side and a second side opposite the first side, the substrate body comprising a main portion having an opening defined therethrough, the opening being sized and configured to encompass the mouth and nose of the patient; a first adhesive layer disposed on the first side of the substrate body; and a second adhesive layer disposed on the second side of the substrate body, wherein the first adhesive layer is sized and configured to adhere to the skin of the patient adjacent the nose and mouth of the patient with a first adherence force, and wherein the second adhesive layer is adhered to the cushion of the patient interface device with a second adherence force less than the first adherence force.
The opening defined through the main portion of the substrate body may be larger than a corresponding patient opening of the cushion.
As yet another aspect of the present invention, a method of selectively sealing a cushion of a patient interface device to the face of a patient using a sealing arrangement such as previously described is provided. The method comprises: coupling the substrate body of the sealing arrangement to the cushion with the second adhesive layer; coupling the substrate body and the cushion coupled to the substrate body to the face of the patient with the first adhesive layer; uncoupling the cushion from the substrate body while leaving the substrate body coupled to the face of the patient by separating the cushion from the first adhesive layer; and recoupling the cushion to the substrate body while the substrate body is coupled to the face of the patient via the first adhesive layer by re-adhering the second layer of the adhesive to the cushion.
These and other objects, features, and characteristics of the present invention, as well as the methods of operation and functions of the related elements of structure and the combination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of the following description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in the various figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.
As used herein, the singular form of “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. As used herein, the statement that two or more parts or components are “coupled” shall mean that the parts are joined or operate together either directly or indirectly, i.e., through one or more intermediate parts or components, so long as a link occurs. As used herein, “directly coupled” means that two elements are coupled directly in contact with each other (i.e., touching). As used herein, “fixedly coupled” or “fixed” means that two components are coupled so as to move as one while maintaining a constant orientation relative to each other.
As employed herein, the statement that two or more parts or components “engage” one another shall mean that the parts exert a force against one another either directly or through one or more intermediate parts or components. As employed herein, the term “number” shall mean one or an integer greater than one (i.e., a plurality). Directional phrases used herein, such as, for example and without limitation, left, right, upper, lower, front, back, on top of, and derivatives thereof, relate to the orientation of the elements shown in the drawings and are not limiting upon the claims unless expressly recited therein.
A system 2 (shown partially schematically) for providing a regiment of respiratory therapy to a patient (not shown) in which one exemplary embodiment of the present invention may be employed is generally shown in
A BiPAP® device is a bi-level device in which the pressure provided to the patient varies with the patient's respiratory cycle, so that a higher pressure is delivered during inspiration than during expiration. An auto-titration pressure support system is a system in which the pressure varies with the condition of the patient, such as whether the patient is snoring or experiencing an apnea or hypopnea. For present purposes, pressure/flow generating device 4 is also referred to as a gas flow generating device, because flow results when a pressure gradient is generated. The present invention contemplates that pressure/flow generating device 4 is any conventional system for delivering a flow of gas to an airway of a patient or for elevating a pressure of gas at an airway of the patient, including the pressure support systems summarized above and non-invasive ventilation systems.
Continuing to refer to
Although patient interface device 8 is depicted as a nasal/oral mask such as the AF531 Oro-nasal mask manufactured and distributed by Philips Respironics of Murrysville, Pennsylvania, it is to be appreciated that patient interface device 8 is provided for example purposes only and that embodiments of the present invention may be employed with patient interface devices of other designs from any manufacturer that facilitate the delivery of the flow of breathing gas to the airway of the user without varying from the scope of the present invention. It is also to be appreciated that headgear 14 is provided solely for exemplary purposes and that any suitable headgear arrangement may be employed without varying from the scope of the present invention.
Referring now to
In order to form the seal between the face of the patient and cushion 16 of patient interface device 8, sealing arrangement 30 further includes a first adhesive layer 42 (shown as hatching in
Continuing to refer to
In the one example embodiment shown in
In order to assist in properly initially aligning sealing arrangement 30 with patient interface 8 and cushion 16 thereof, substrate body 32 of sealing arrangement 30 may further comprise an alignment portion 60 that extends from main portion 38. Alignment portion 60 may be delineated from main portion 38 by a separation feature 62 (shown in dashed line in
Having thus described one example embodiment of sealing arrangement 30 in accordance with the present invention, a method of using sealing arrangement 30 to selectively seal cushion 16 of patient interface 8 of
Moving on to
Moving on now to
If/when a need arises for patient interface device 8 to be temporarily removed from the face of the patient, sealing arrangement 30 may be generally held in place on the face of the patient by pressing against extension tab 50 as shown in
From the foregoing description it is thus to be appreciated that embodiments of the present invention provide arrangements that improve the seal between a patient interface device and the face of a patient. It is also to be appreciated that such arrangements reduce the potential for Medical Adhesive Related Skin Injury (MARSI) to occur by reducing the need to adhere/remove an adhesive from the skin of the patient multiple times in a given period by providing for the adhesive to remain on the patient while the patient interface device is removed. In a normal use case (i.e., a conventional NIV usage in a non COVID-19 situation), an NIV mask can be removed an average of 14 times a day. With the COVID-19 pandemic use case, the conventional masks can be expected to be removed around 4 times a day (less to prevent viral spread). Adhesive removal in a repeated area even 4 times a day, puts patients at a high risk for MARSI. Sealing arrangement in accordance with example embodiments of the present invention overcome this issue by remaining on the face of the patient while allowing the mask/patient interface device to be removed and reapplied a number of times (at minimum 7).
In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim. The word “comprising” or “including” does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those listed in a claim. In a device claim enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by one and the same item of hardware. The word “a” or “an” preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. In any device claim enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by one and the same item of hardware. The mere fact that certain elements are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that these elements cannot be used in combination.
Although the invention has been described in detail for the purpose of illustration based on what is currently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose and that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover modifications and equivalent arrangements that are within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, it is to be understood that the present invention contemplates that, to the extent possible, one or more features of any embodiment can be combined with one or more features of any other embodiment.
This patent application claims the priority benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/036,067, filed on Jun. 8, 2020, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.
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