System and method of monitoring respiratory events

• US 20070113849A1
• Filed: 11/17/2006
• Published: 05/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Philips RS North America LLC (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: RIC INVESTMENTS LLC (Respironics Incorporated)
• Inventors: Matthews, Greg, Baloa, Leonardo
• Granted Patent: US 8,025,052 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 128/204.220
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0051 with alarm devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0066 Blowers or centrifugal pumps
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0069 the speed thereof being controlled by respiratory parameters, e.g. by inhalation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/024 including calculation means, e.g. using a processor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0021 with a proportional output signal, e.g. from a thermistor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0027 pressure meter
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0036 in the breathing tube and used in both inspiratory and expiratory phase
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0042 in the expiratory circuit
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/40 Respiratory characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/42 Rate

Abstract

A system and method of monitoring a patient, that in one embodiment, comprises determining a flow of gas generated by respiration of the patient, identifying a respiratory event entry and a respiratory event exit based on the flow of gas generated by respiration of the patient, and identifying a respiratory event when the identification of the respiratory event entry is followed by the identification of respiratory event exit.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring a patient, the method comprising:

monitoring a parameter associated with a flow of gas generated by respiration of a patient;

identifying a respiratory event entry based on the monitored parameter;

identifying a respiratory event exit based on the monitored parameter; and

identifying a respiratory event responsive to the identification of the respiratory event entry being followed by the identification of respiratory event exit.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring a parameter associated with the flow of the gas comprises generating a signal that corresponds to the flow of the gas, and wherein identifying the respiratory event entry comprises monitoring a shape of the signal during an inspiration.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitored parameter is flow, and wherein identifying the respiratory event entry comprises identifying a decline in a peak flow of the gas during successive inspirations.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying a respiratory event entry, identifying a respiratory event exit, or both includes comparing the monitored parameter to at least a portion of a template.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitored parameter is flow, and wherein identifying the respiratory event exit comprises identifying an increase in a peak flow of the gas during consecutive inspirations.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein identifying the respiratory event exit further comprises determining whether an identified increase in the peak flow of the gas during consecutive inspirations is greater than a threshold value.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting at least one aspect of treatment received by the patient based on the identification of a respiratory event.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the aspect of treatment comprises a pressure of gas delivered to an airway of the patient, an operation performed by a pressure generating device providing a flow of gas to the patient, or both.

9. A method of monitoring a patient, the method comprising:

determining a flow of gas generated by respiration of the patient;

identifying a respiratory event based on an increase in a peak of the flow of the gas during consecutive inspirations; and

adjusting one or more aspects of treatment received by the patient based on the identification of the respiratory event.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising identifying a respiratory event entry based on the determination of the flow of gas generated by respiration of the patient, wherein identifying a respiratory event comprises identifying a respiratory event based on the respiratory event entry and the increase in the peak flow of the gas during consecutive inspirations in a predetermined relationship.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein identifying the respiratory event comprises identifying the respiratory event entry followed by the increase in the peak flow of the gas during consecutive inspirations.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein identifying the respiratory event further comprises determining whether the increase in the peak flow of the gas during the consecutive inspirations is greater than a threshold value.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more aspects of treatment comprises a pressure of gas delivered to the airway of the patient.

14. A patient treatment system that delivers a pressurized flow of breathable gas to an airway of a patient, the system comprising:

a sensor adapted to provide a parameter indicative of a flow of gas generated by respiration of a patient;

an event entry module adapted to identify respiratory event entries based on the parameter;

an event exit module adapted to identify respiratory event exits based on the parameter; and

a respiratory event module that identifies a respiratory event responsive to an identification of a respiratory event entry being followed by an identification of a respiratory event exit.

15. The patient treatment system of claim 14, wherein the sensor is a flow sensor that is adapted to generate a signal that corresponds to the flow of the gas, and wherein the event entry module monitors a shape of the signal during an inspiration.

16. The patient treatment system of claim 14, wherein the sensor is a flow sensor, and wherein the event entry module identifies a decline in a peak of the flow of the gas during successive inspirations.

17. The patient treatment system of claim 16, wherein the event entry module identifies a decline in the peaks of the flow of the gas during successive inspirations.

18. The patient treatment system of claim 14, wherein the sensor is a flow sensor, and wherein the event exit module identifies an increase in a peak of the flow of the gas during consecutive inspirations.

19. The patient treatment system of claim 18, wherein the event exit module determines whether an identified increase in the peak of the flow of the gas during consecutive inspirations is greater than a threshold value.

20. The patient treatment system of claim 14, further comprising a treatment adjustment module that adjusts one or more aspects of treatment received by the patient, an operation performed by a pressure generating device providing a flow of gas to the patient, or both based on the identification of a respiratory event.

21. The patient treatment system of claim 20, wherein the treatment adjustment module adjusts a pressure of gas delivered to the airway of the patient with the respiratory event module identifies a respiratory event.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein (a) the event entry module identifies respiratory event entries by comparing the monitored parameter to at least a portion of a template, (b) the event exit module identifies respiratory event exits by comparing the monitored parameter to at least a portion of a template, or (c) both (a) and (b).