Portable respiratory diagnostic device

• US 20040249300A1
• Filed: 06/03/2003
• Published: 12/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thomas P. Miller
• Original Assignee: Thomas P. Miller
• Inventors: Miller, Thomas P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,282,032 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/532
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/085 Measuring impedance of respiratory organs or lung elasticity
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/087 Measuring breath flow
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/091 Measuring volume of inspired or expired gases, e.g. to determine lung capacity
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4839 combined with drug delivery
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0051 with alarm devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0063 Compressors
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/024 including calculation means, e.g. using a processor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/10 Preparation of respiratory gases or vapours
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/1055 bacterial
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/1065 in the expiratory path
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0036 in the breathing tube and used in both inspiratory and expiratory phase

Abstract

A portable, handheld device for measuring lung- and airway-specific respiratory parameters. The device defines a chamber in fluid communication with a mouthpiece. A sensor and/or a flow sensor monitor pressure and/or airflow within the device. A respiratory gas source, e.g., an internal pump, or an external compressor, is also in fluid communication with the chamber and a mouthpiece. The device operates in an active phase and a passive phase. In the active phase, a subject forcibly exhales into the device and the sensors collect spirometric data. In the passive phase, the pump is activated to pump air from the device and inflate the subject'"'"'s lungs to a specific capacity. The sensors monitor pressure and/or flow as the air is introduced into the subject'"'"'s respiratory system. The data collected by the sensor is used to determine lung and airway specific parameters, including but not limited to, airway conductance, airway resistance, airway compliance and total lung capacity.

Claims

1. A self-contained device for measuring a respiratory parameter of a subject having lungs with a capacity comprising:

a portable housing including a tube defining a chamber;

at least one of a mouthpiece and a mask releasably secured to said housing and in fluid communication with said chamber;

at least one of an airflow sensor and a pressure sensor disposed in said housing in fluid communication with said chamber and adapted to measure at least one of airflow and pressure within the chamber; and

a pump disposed substantially entirely in said housing, said flow source operated in an active mode and passive mode, said flow source in said active mode enabling the subject to perform tidal breathing, said pump in said passive phase generating a gas flow of respiratory gas that travels through said chamber to the at least one of a mouthpiece and a face mask so that the respiratory gas inflates the lungs of the subject to a pre-selected portion of the capacity.

2. The device of claim 1 comprising a processor in communication with said at least one of said flow sensor and said pressure sensor to collect at least one of volume data and flow data measured by the at least one of the flow sensor and the pressure sensor.

3. The device of claim 2 comprising a display coupled to the housing that outputs the at least one of the volume data and flow data.

4. The device of claim 2 wherein the processor processes the at least one of volume data and flow data and outputs at least one of airway resistance, airway conductance, lung compliance and total lung capacity to the display.

5. The device of claim 1 comprising a filter disposed in said housing adjacent the at least one of said flow sensor and said pressure sensor to prevent contamination of the at least one flow sensor and pressure sensor.

6. A portable device for measuring respiratory parameters of a subject having lungs with a capacity comprising:

a handheld housing;

a chamber disposed in said housing;

at least one of a pressure sensor and a flow sensor disposed in the housing in fluid communication with the chamber, said pressure sensor generating a pressure signal representative of pressure in the chamber, said flow sensor generating a flow signal representative of flow in the chamber;

an output portion in fluid communication with the chamber;

a flow source in fluid communication with the output portion, said flow source operating in at least one of a first mode wherein said flow source introduces no flow into the chamber, and a second mode wherein said flow source introduces a respiratory gas into the chamber so that said respiratory gas travels through said output portion to inflate the lungs of the subject from a first capacity to a second capacity; and

a processor in communication with the at least one of the pressure sensor and the flow sensor to collect at least one of the pressure signal and the flow signal when said flow source is in at least one of said first mode and said second mode.

7. The portable device of claim 6 wherein the at least one of the pressure signal and flow signal includes at least one of forced vital capacity data, forced expiratory volume data and forced expiratory flow data.

8. The portable device of claim 6 wherein the flow source is a pump disposed substantially entirely in the housing.

9. The portable device of claim 6 comprising a display joined with the housing that displays the at least one of forced vital capacity data, forced expiratory volume data and forced expiratory flow data.

10. The portable device of claim 6 comprising a medicament reservoir, said medicament reservoir in fluid communication with at least one of said chamber and said output portion, said medicament reservoir introducing a medicament into the respiratory gas as the respiratory gas is introduced into the output portion so that the medicament is transported to the lungs of the subject in said passive mode.

11. A method for monitoring the respiratory system function of a subject having lungs comprising:

prompting the subject to exhale substantially all air from the lungs of the subject;

introducing a respiratory gas into the respiratory system of the subject to fill the respiratory system with the respiratory gas to a pre-selected volume;

measuring at least one of a first pressure and a first flow of the respiratory gas introduced into the respiratory system of the subject; and

processing at least one of the first pressure and first flow and second pressure and second flow to determine at least one respiratory system function parameter.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the respiratory system parameter is at least one of airway resistance of the lungs, airway conductance of the lungs, total lung capacity and lung compliance.

13. The method of claim 12 comprising prompting the subject to take full inspiration s and then take a forced expiration thereby exhaling substantially all air from the subject'"'"'s lungs.

14. The method of claim 13 comprising measuring at least one of a second pressure and a second flow as the subject takes the forced expiration.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the measuring is performed with a handheld, self-contained measurement device.

16. The method of claim 11 comprising administering a drug with the respiratory gas.

17. The method of claim 16 comprising determining the effect of the drug on at least one respiratory system function parameter based on at least one of the first pressure and the first flow.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein the respiratory system includes lungs having a total lung capacity, said introducing step including introducing the respiratory gas to inflate the lungs to at least 50% total lung capacity.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein the respiratory system includes lungs having a total lung capacity, said introducing step including introducing the respiratory gas until the lungs to at least 70% total lung capacity.

20. The method of claim 11 wherein the respiratory system includes lungs having a total lung capacity, said introducing step including introducing the gas until the lungs are inflated to at least 80% total lung capacity.