Inspiratory synthesis of nitric oxide

• US 10,434,276 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2018
• Issued: 10/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The General Hospital Corporation (Mass General Brigham, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The General Hospital Corporation (Mass General Brigham, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zapol, Warren M., Yu, Binglan, Hardin, Paul, Hickcox, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsai, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US16/058,797
• Publication Number:
  US 20190070383A1
• Time in Patent Office: 426 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/02 with activated or ionised fluids, e.g. electrohydrodynamic [EHD] or electrostatic devices; Ozone-inhalators with radioactive tagged particles
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0003 Accessories therefor, e.g. sensors, vibrators, negative pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0057 Pumps therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0063 Compressors
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0072 Tidal volume piston pumps
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0465 Tracheostomy tubes; Devices for performing a tracheostomy; Accessories therefor, e.g. masks, filters
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/06 Respiratory or anaesthetic masks
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/10 Preparation of respiratory gases or vapours
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/101 using an oxygen concentrator
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/107 in the inspiratory path
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/108 before being humidified or mixed with a beneficial agent
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/12 by mixing different gases
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/20 Valves specially adapted to medical respiratory devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/202 electrically actuated
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/209 Relief valves
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0021 with a proportional output signal, e.g. from a thermistor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0033 electrical
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/1025 the O2 concentration
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/1035 the anaesthetic agent concentration
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2202/0208 Oxygen
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2202/0216 : Ozone
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2202/0275 : Nitric oxide [NO]
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/04 : implanted
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/33 : Controlling, regulating or measuring
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3303 : Using a biosensor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3334 : Measuring or controlling the flow rate
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3553 : remote, e.g. between patient's home and doctor's office
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3561 : local, e.g. within room or hospital
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3569 : sublocal, e.g. between console and disposable
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3584 : using modem, internet or bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3592 : using telemetric means, e.g. radio or optical transmission
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3606 : cooled
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/366 : by liquid heat exchangers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/50 : with microprocessors or computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/7545 : for solid matter, e.g. microaggregates
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2210/1032 : Trachea
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/40 : Respiratory characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2251/304 : of sodium
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2251/306 : of potassium
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2251/404 : of calcium
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/56 : Nitrogen oxides B01D53/60 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 21/203 : Preparation of nitrogen oxides using a plasma or an electric discharge
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 50/20 : Air quality improvement or preservation, e.g. vehicle emission control or emission reduction by using catalytic converters

Abstract

A system for generating nitric oxide can include an apparatus positioned in a trachea of a mammal, the apparatus in eluding a respiration sensor for collecting information related to one or more triggering events associated with the trachea, an oxygen sensor for collecting information related to a concentration of oxygen in a gas, and one or more pairs of electrodes for initiating a series of electric arcs to generate nitric oxide, and the system for generating nitric oxide can also include a controller for determining one or more control parameters based on the information collected by the respiration sensor and the oxygen sensor, wherein the series of electric arcs is initiated based on the control parameters determined by the controller.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a reaction chamber including one or more pairs of electrodes configured to generate a series of electric arcs to synthesize a reactant gas containing at least nitrogen and oxygen to a product gas containing nitric oxide, the reaction chamber being at least partially positioned within a tube into which the product gas is delivered;

a sensor configured to measure one or more characteristics of a flow of a gas in the tube;

an oxygen sensor being configured to measure a concentration of oxygen in the reactant gas; and

a controller in communication with the one or more pairs of electrodes, the oxygen sensor, and the sensor, the controller being configured to initiate the series of electric arcs based on the one or more characteristics of the flow of the gas in the tube and the concentration of oxygen in the reactant gas to minimize a concentration of NO2 in the product gas.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more pairs of electrodes include a noble metal.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more pairs of electrodes include iridium.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more characteristics include at least one of a direction of the flow of the gas, a tidal volume of the flow of the gas, a timing of the flow of the gas, a change in temperature of the flow of the gas, a change in pressure of the flow of the gas, and a flow rate of the gas.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to adjust at least one of a pulse width, pulse period, pulse count per pulse group, pulse groups per second, and an arc frequency supplied to the one or more pairs of electrodes to control a concentration of nitric oxide in the product gas.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tube comprises one of a tracheostomy tube, an endotracheal tube, a nasal tube, a ventilator tube, and an inspiratory line.

7. An apparatus comprising:

a reaction chamber including one or more pairs of electrodes configured to generate a series of electric arcs to synthesize a reactant gas containing nitrogen and oxygen to a product gas containing nitric oxide, the reaction chamber being at least partially positioned within a tube into which the product gas is delivered;

a sensor configured to measure one or more characteristics of a flow of a gas in the tube;

an oxygen sensor being configured to measure a concentration of oxygen in the reactant gas; and

a controller in communication with the one or more pairs of electrodes, the oxygen sensor, and the sensor, the controller being configured to adjust one or more control parameters within the reaction chamber based on the concentration of oxygen in the reactant gas to control a concentration of nitric oxide in the product gas.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the one or more pairs of electrodes include a noble metal.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the one or more pairs of electrodes include iridium.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the one or more control parameters within the reaction chamber include at least one of a pulse width, pulse period, pulse count per pulse group, pulse groups per second, and an arc frequency supplied to the one or more pairs of electrodes.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the one or more characteristics include at least one of a direction of the flow of the gas, a tidal volume of the flow of the gas, a timing of the flow of the gas, a change in temperature of the flow of the gas, a change in pressure of the flow of the gas, and a flow rate of the gas.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein controller is configured to trigger the series of electric arcs based on the one or more control parameters of the flow of the gas in the tube.

13. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the tube comprises one of a tracheostomy tube, an endotracheal tube, a nasal tube, a ventilator tube, and an inspiratory line.

14. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the controller adjusts the one or more control parameters within the reaction chamber to minimize a NO2/NO concentration ratio in the product gas.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a reaction chamber coupled to a respiratory system, wherein the respiratory system includes a tube in fluid communication with an airway, the reaction chamber being arranged at least partially within the tube;

one or more pairs of electrodes within the reaction chamber and configured to generate a series of electric arcs to synthesize a reactant gas containing nitrogen and oxygen to a product gas containing nitric oxide, the one or more pairs of electrodes including a noble metal;

an oxygen sensor being configured to measure a concentration of oxygen in the reactant gas; and

a controller in communication with the one or more pairs of electrodes and the oxygen sensor, the controller being configured to adjust one or more control parameters within the reaction chamber based on the concentration of oxygen in the reactant gas to control a concentration of nitric oxide in the product gas, and minimize a concentration of NO2 in the product gas.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a sensor configured to measure one or more characteristics of a flow of a gas in the tube, the sensor in communication with the controller.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, the one or more characteristics include at least one of a direction of the flow of the gas, a tidal volume of the flow of the gas, a timing of the flow of the gas, a change in temperature of the flow of the gas, a change in pressure of the flow of the gas, and a flow rate of the gas.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the one or more control parameters within the reaction chamber include at least one of a pulse width, pulse period, pulse count per pulse group, pulse groups per second, and an arc frequency supplied to the one or more pairs of electrodes.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the one or more pairs of electrodes include iridium.

20. A method for generating nitric oxide, the method comprising:

measuring one or more characteristics of at least one of a flow of a gas in a tube of a respiratory system and a flow of gas into a reaction chamber, the tube being in fluid communication with an airway and including at least a portion of a reaction chamber therein;

initiating a series of electric arcs in the reaction chamber based on the one or more characteristics to synthesize a reactant gas containing nitrogen and oxygen to a product gas containing nitric oxide, the one or more characteristics including an oxygen concentration in the reactant gas; and

adjusting one or more control parameters within the reaction chamber based on the oxygen concentration in the reactant gas to control a concentration of nitric oxide in the product gas.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the one or more characteristics include at least one of a direction of the flow of the gas, a tidal volume of the flow of the gas, a timing of the flow of the gas, a change in temperature of the flow of the gas, a change in pressure of the flow of the gas, and a flow rate of the gas.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the one or more control parameters within the reaction chamber include at least one of a pulse width, pulse period, pulse count per pulse group, pulse groups per second, and an arc frequency supplied to one or more pairs of electrodes arranged within the reaction chamber.