Patient interface assemblies for use in ventilator systems to deliver medication to a patient

• US 20060283447A1
• Filed: 05/03/2006
• Published: 12/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aeon Research And Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Aeon Research And Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Dhuper, Sunil Kumar, D'Alo, Herbert Fred
• Granted Patent: US 7,870,857 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 128/203.120
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/009 using medicine packages with incorporated spraying means, e.g. aerosol cans pocket atomiser of the injector type A61M11/08
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/04 Tracheal tubes catheters in general A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/08 Bellows; Connecting tubes having means for taking samples G01N1/22; Water traps; Patient circuits
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0833 T- or Y-type connectors, e.g. Y-piece
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/1045 Devices for humidifying or heating the inspired gas by using recovered moisture or heat from the expired gas
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/1055 bacterial
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/106 in a path
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/1075 by influencing the temperature A61M16/1045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/1095 in the connecting tubes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/16 Devices to humidify the respiration air A61M16/1045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3368 Temperature

Abstract

According to one aspect of the present invention, a ventilator system includes (a) a ventilator device having an inhalation port and exhalation port; (b) a patient conduit for delivering to and removing gas from the patient; (c) an exhalation conduit fluidly connected to the exhalation port and the patient conduit; (d) an inhalation conduit fluidly connected to the inhalation port and the patient conduit; and (e) a device for generating aerosolized medication, the device being fluidly connected to the inhalation conduit so that the aerosolized medication is delivered to the patient as the patient inhales. According to the present invention, at least the inhalation conduit has a variable length to position the device for generating aerosolized medication a predetermined distance from the patient conduit.

Claims

1. A ventilator system comprising:

a ventilator device having an inhalation port and exhalation port;

a patient conduit for delivering to and removing gas from the patient;

an exhalation conduit fluidly connected to the exhalation port and the patient conduit;

an inhalation conduit fluidly connected to the inhalation port and the patient conduit; and

a device for generating aerosolized medication, the device being fluidly connected to the inhalation conduit so that the aerosolized medication is delivered to the patient as the patient inhales;

wherein at least the inhalation conduit has a variable length to position the device for generating aerosolized medication a predetermined distance from the patient conduit.

2. The ventilator system of claim 1, further comprising a humidifier unit in fluid communication with the inhalation conduit and the inhalation port for receiving compressed air from the ventilator device and then heating and adding moisture to the compressed air.

3. The ventilator system of claim 1, wherein the inhalation conduit comprises a first inhalation conduit section and a second inhalation conduit section, with the device being fluidly attached to the two conduits sections such that the first inhalation conduit section extends from the patient conduit to the device and the second inhalation conduit section extends from the device to the ventilator device

4. The ventilator system of claim 3, wherein at least the first inhalation conduit section has a length that can be varied due to an extendable/contractable wall structure.

5. The ventilator system of claim 3, wherein each of the first and second inhalation conduit sections has a length that can be varied due to an extendable/contractable wall structure of each conduit.

6. The ventilator system of claim 5, wherein the wall structure of each conduit comprises a bellows type wall structure that expands from between 1 inch to about 6 feet.

7. The ventilator system of claim 1, wherein the device comprises at least one of a metered dose inhaler (MDI) and a nebulizer.

8. The ventilator system of claim 1, wherein the device comprises a metered dose inhaler (MDI) that has a spacer in fluid communication with the inhalation conduit, the spacer having a variable volume.

9. The ventilator system of claim 8, wherein the spacer has a length that can be varied due to an extendable/contractable wall structure thereof.

10. The ventilator system of claim 7, wherein the nebulizer includes a nebulizer connector that is connected to an outside source of gas so that gas continuously flows into the nebulizer to form the aerosolized medication that continuously flows into the inhalation conduit.

11. The ventilator system of claim 10, wherein the connector comprises a T-connector with a first leg of the T-connector being connected to a first section of the inhalation conduit;

a second leg being attached to one of a second section of the inhalation conduit and the MDI; and

a third leg being attached to the outside source of gas.

12. The ventilator system of claim 11, wherein both the MDI and the nebulizer are provided within the inhalation conduit, the MDI being fluidly attached to the nebulizer.

13. The ventilator system of claim 1, wherein the exhalation conduit includes two sections that each has a variable length with a rigid fixed length connector being disposed therebetween and fluidly connecting the two sections.

14. The ventilator system of claim 1, wherein the patient conduit comprises an endotracheal tube.

15. A ventilator system comprising:

a ventilator device having an inhalation port and exhalation port;

a patient conduit for delivering to and removing gas from the patient;

a heat moisture exchanger in fluid communication with the ventilator device;

a first exhalation conduit fluidly connected to the exhalation port and the heat moisture exchanger;

a first inhalation conduit fluidly connected to the inhalation port and the heat moisture exchanger;

a second exhalation conduit fluidly connected to the patient conduit and the heat moisture exchanger;

a second inhalation conduit fluidly connected to the patient conduit and the heat moisture exchanger; and

a device for generating aerosolized medication, the device being fluidly connected between the second inhalation conduit and the heat moisture exchanger so that the aerosolized medication is delivered to the patient as the patient inhales;

wherein at least the second inhalation conduit has a variable length to position the device for generating aerosolized medication a predetermined distance from the patient conduit.

16. The ventilator system of claim 15, wherein the heat moisture exchanger is attached to first and second Y-connectors, the first Y-connector being fluidly attached to the first inhalation and exhalation conduits, the second Y-connector being fluidly attached to the second exhalation conduit and the device for generating aerosolized medication.

17. The ventilator system of claim 16, further including a third Y-connector fluidly attached to the second exhalation conduit, the second inhalation conduit and the patient conduit.

18. The ventilator system of claim 15, further including:

a first valve assembly in fluid communication with the second exhalation conduit and the heat moisture exchanger and moveable between an open position when the patient exhales and a closed position when the patient inhales; and

a second valve assembly in fluid communication with the second inhalation conduit and the heat moisture exchanger and moveable between an open position when the patient inhales and a closed position when the patient exhales.

19. The ventilator system of claim 18, wherein each of the first and second valves comprises a one-way valve.

20. The ventilator system of claim 15, wherein the second inhalation conduit section has a length that can be varied due to an extendable/contractable wall structure.

21. The ventilator system of claim 15, wherein each of the first and second inhalation conduits and the first and second exhalation conduits has a length that can be varied due to an extendable/contractable wall structure of each conduit.

22. The ventilator system of claim 21, wherein the wall structure of each conduit comprises a bellows type wall structure that expands from between 1 inch to about 6 feet.

23. The ventilator system of claim 15, wherein the device for generating aerosolized medication comprises at least one of a metered dose inhaler (MDI) and a nebulizer.

24. The ventilator system of claim 15, wherein the device for generating aerosolized medication comprises a metered dose inhaler (MDI) that has a spacer in fluid communication with the inhalation conduit, the spacer having a variable volume.

25. The ventilator system of claim 23, wherein the nebulizer includes a nebulizer connector that is connected to an outside source of gas so that gas continuously flows into the nebulizer to form the aerosolized medication that continuously flows into the inhalation conduit.

26. The ventilator system of claim 25, wherein the connector comprises a T-connector with a first leg of the T-connector being connected to the second inhalation conduit;

a second leg being attached to one of another section of the second inhalation conduit and the MDI; and

a third leg being attached to the outside source of gas.

27. The ventilator system of claim 26, wherein both the MDI and the nebulizer are provided within the inhalation conduit, the MDI being fluidly attached to the nebulizer.

28. The ventilator system of claim 15, wherein the second exhalation conduit includes two sections that each has a variable length with a rigid fixed length connector being disposed therebetween and fluidly connecting the two sections.

29. The ventilator system of claim 15, wherein the first exhalation conduit and the first inhalation conduit share a common wall so as to form a single conduit structure.

30. The ventilator system of claim 15, wherein a portion of the second exhalation conduit and the second inhalation conduit share a common wall so as to form a single conduit structure.