System and method for applying continuous positive airway pressure

• US 20060235324A1
• Filed: 06/19/2006
• Published: 10/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lawrence A. Lynn
• Original Assignee: Lawrence A. Lynn
• Inventors: Lynn, Lawrence A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,187,201 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/538
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/00 Measuring for diagnostic purposes radiation diagnosis A61B6/00; diagnosis by ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves A61B8/00; Identification of persons
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0836 Measuring rate of CO2 production
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/087 Measuring breath flow
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0871 Peak expiratory flowmeters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/145 Measuring characteristics of blood in vivo, e.g. gas concentration, pH value; Measuring characteristics of body fluids or tissues, e.g. interstitial fluid, cerebral tissuemeasuring of blood pressure or blood flow A61B5/02; non-radiation detecting or locating of foreign bodies in blood A61B5/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14551 for measuring blood gases
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/412 Detecting or monitoring sepsis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4818 Sleep apnoea
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7257 using Fourier transforms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/726 using Wavelet transforms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7267 involving training the classification device
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7275 Determining trends in physiological measurement data; Predicting development of a medical condition based on physiological measurements, e.g. determining a risk factor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/003 Detecting lung or respiration noise
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0051 with alarm devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/026 specially adapted for predicting, e.g. for determining an information representative of a flow limitation during a ventilation cycle by using a root square technique or a regression analysis
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/085 Gas sampling
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0858 Pressure sampling ports
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0027 pressure meter
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0042 : in the expiratory circuit
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/50 : with microprocessors or computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/502 : User interfaces, e.g. screens or keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8206 : battery-operated
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/205 : partial oxygen pressure (P-O2)
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/432 : partial CO2 pressure (P-CO2)
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 : for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 : for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/70 : for mining of medical data, e.g. analysing previous cases of other patients

Abstract

The disclosed embodiments relate to a system and method for titration of airway pressure in the treatment of hypoventilation. An exemplary method comprises examining both a signal indicative of ventilation of a patient and a signal indicative of oxygen saturation of the patient to determine a condition of hypoventilation, and applying a pressure to the nasal passage of the patient if the condition of hypoventilation is identified.

Claims

1. A method for titration of airway pressure in the treatment of hypoventilation, comprising:

examining both a signal indicative of ventilation of a patient and a signal indicative of oxygen saturation of the patient to determine a condition of hypoventilation; and

applying a pressure to the nasal passage of the patient if the condition of hypoventilation is identified.

2. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the signal indicative of ventilation comprises a measure of pressure.

3. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the signal indicative of ventilation comprises a measure of airflow.

4. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the signal indicative of ventilation comprises a measure of sound.

5. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the signal indicative of ventilation comprises a measure of chest wall impedance.

6. The method recited in claim 1, comprising titrating the pressure to treat the condition of hypoventilation.

7. The method recited in claim 6, comprising generating an alarm if the condition of hypoventilation does not cease after a predetermined time.

8. The method recited in claim 6, comprising generating an alarm if the condition of hypoventilation does not cease after the pressure is titrated above a predetermined level.

9. The method recited in claim 1, wherein applying the pressure comprises continuous positive airway pressure.

10. The method recited in claim 1, wherein applying the pressure comprises BiPAP.

11. A system for titration of airway pressure in the treatment of hypoventilation, comprising:

a processor that is adapted to examine both a signal indicative of ventilation of a patient and a signal indicative of oxygen saturation of the patient to determine a condition of hypoventilation; and

a pressure device that is adapted to apply a pressure to the nasal passage of the patient if the condition of hypoventilation is identified.

12. The system recited in claim 11, wherein the signal indicative of ventilation comprises a measure of pressure.

13. The system recited in claim 11, wherein the signal indicative of ventilation comprises a measure of airflow.

14. The system recited in claim 11, wherein the signal indicative of ventilation comprises a measure of sound.

15. The system recited in claim 11, wherein the signal indicative of ventilation comprises a measure of chest wall impedance.

16. The system recited in claim 11, wherein the pressure device is adapted to titrate the pressure to treat the condition of hypoventilation.

17. The system recited in claim 16, wherein the processor is adapted to generate an alarm if the condition of hypoventilation does not cease after a predetermined time.

18. The system recited in claim 16, wherein the processor is adapted to generate an alarm if the condition of hypoventilation does not cease after the pressure is titrated above a predetermined level.

19. The system recited in claim 11, wherein the pressure device is adapted to apply continuous positive airway pressure.

20. The system recited in claim 11, wherein the pressure device is adapted to apply BiPAP.

21. A method for titration of airway pressure in the treatment of hypoventilation, comprising:

detecting a change in a signal indicative of a fall in ventilation;

detecting a change in a signal indicative of a fall in oxygen saturation corresponding to the fall in ventilation; and

applying a pressure to the nasal passage based on the detecting of both the fall in ventilation and the fall in oxygen saturation.

22. The method recited in claim 21, wherein the signal indicative of the fall in ventilation comprises a measure of pressure.

23. The method recited in claim 21, wherein the signal indicative of the fall in ventilation comprises a measure of airflow.

24. The method recited in claim 21, wherein the signal indicative of the fall in ventilation comprises a measure of sound.

25. The method recited in claim 21, wherein the signal indicative of the fall in ventilation comprises a measure of chest wall impedance.

26. The method recited in claim 21, comprising titrating the pressure to treat a condition associated with the detecting of both the fall in ventilation and the fall in oxygen saturation.

27. The method recited in claim 26, comprising generating an alarm if the condition associated with the detecting of both the fall in ventilation and the fall in oxygen saturation persists after a predetermined time.

28. The method recited in claim 26, comprising generating an alarm if the condition associated with the detecting of both the fall in ventilation and the fall in oxygen saturation does not cease after the pressure is titrated above a predetermined level.

29. The method recited in claim 21, wherein applying the pressure comprises continuous positive airway pressure.

30. The method recited in claim 21, wherein applying the pressure comprises BiPAP.

31. A noninvasive ventilator, comprising:

a pulse oximeter;

an airflow detector; and

an airflow generator that is adapted to respond to an output of the pulse oximeter in combination with an output of the airflow detector.

32. The noninvasive ventilator recited in claim 31, comprising:

an airflow detector; and

wherein the airflow generator is adapted to respond to an output of the airflow detector.

33. A method for titration of airway pressure and oxygen in the treatment of hypoventilation, comprising:

searching first data for a change indicative of a rise in ventilation;

searching second data for a change indicative of a fall in oxygen saturation corresponding to the rise in ventilation; and

applying oxygen to a patient if both the rise in ventilation and the fall in oxygen saturation are detected.

34. The method recited in claim 33, wherein the signal indicative of the rise in ventilation comprises a measure of pressure.

35. The method recited in claim 33, wherein the signal indicative of the rise in ventilation comprises a measure of airflow.

36. The method recited in claim 33, wherein the signal indicative of the rise in ventilation comprises a measure of sound.

37. The method recited in claim 33, wherein the signal indicative of the rise in ventilation comprises a measure of chest wall impedance.

38. The method recited in claim 33, comprising titrating the pressure to treat a condition associated with the detecting of both the rise in ventilation and the fall in oxygen saturation.

39. The method recited in claim 38, comprising generating an alarm if the condition associated with the detecting of both the rise in ventilation and the fall in oxygen saturation persists after a predetermined time.

40. The method recited in claim 38, comprising generating an alarm if the condition associated with the detecting of both the rise in ventilation and the fall in oxygen saturation does not cease after the pressure is titrated above a predetermined level.

41. A method for titration of airway pressure in the treatment of sleep disordered breathing, comprising:

defining a learning time interval;

applying, during the learning time interval, an algorithm for adjusting therapeutic pressure applied through a nasal passage of a patient in response to at least one signal generated by the patient;

recording at least one output corresponding to an effect of the algorithm;

examining the output for a pattern of a plurality of apneas, a pattern of a plurality of hypopneas, or a pattern of a combination of at least one apnea and at least one hypopnea that persisted despite the application of the algorithm; and

adjusting the algorithm if the pattern of the plurality of apneas, the pattern of the plurality of hypopneas, or the pattern of the combination of at least one apnea and at least one hypopnea that persisted despite the application of the algorithm is detected.