MECHANICAL VENTILATION IN THE PRESENCE OF SLEEP DISORDERED BREATHING
First Claim
1. In a CPAP apparatus having (i) a blower, (ii) a patient interface for a patient, (iii) an air delivery conduit for delivering air from the blower to the patient interface, (iv) a sensor adapted to determine the pressure in the patient interface, (v) a sensor adapted to determine the flow of air to the patient, (vi) a synchrony module programmed to determine transitions between inspiration and expiration of a patient'"'"'s breathing cycle from at least one sensor and (vii) a control mechanism programmed to provide a supply of air at positive pressure in accordance with a predetermined pressure-time template, a method of controlling the blower operation comprising the steps of:
- automatically determining at least one index indicative of the presence of sleep disordered breathing from the pressure or flow sensors, automatically determining a treatment pressure in accordance with the index of sleep disordered breathing, setting at least one characterising parameter of the pressure-time template to the treatment pressure, controlling the blower to deliver a supply of air at positive pressure to the patient in accordance with the template and in synchrony with the patient'"'"'s breathing cycles as determined by the synchrony module.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method for controlling operation of a CPAP apparatus. The apparatus has a blower (2), a patient interface (6), an air delivery conduit (8) for delivering air from the blower (2) to the patient interface (6), a sensor (4p) for determining the pressure in the patient interface (6), and a control mechanism (15) that causes air to be delivered at a desired pressure to the patient interface (6) and that detects transitions between inhalation and exhalation of a respiratory cycle of a patient in order to synchronise the blower output with the patient'"'"'s efforts. In one form the CPAP apparatus provides pressure in accordance with a bi-level waveform with at least one characterising parameter of the waveform being automatically adjusted in accordance with indications of sleep disordered breathing. The indications of sleep disordered breathing can be one or more of snoring, apnea, hypopnea, and flow limitation.
75 Citations
18 Claims
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1. In a CPAP apparatus having (i) a blower, (ii) a patient interface for a patient, (iii) an air delivery conduit for delivering air from the blower to the patient interface, (iv) a sensor adapted to determine the pressure in the patient interface, (v) a sensor adapted to determine the flow of air to the patient, (vi) a synchrony module programmed to determine transitions between inspiration and expiration of a patient'"'"'s breathing cycle from at least one sensor and (vii) a control mechanism programmed to provide a supply of air at positive pressure in accordance with a predetermined pressure-time template, a method of controlling the blower operation comprising the steps of:
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automatically determining at least one index indicative of the presence of sleep disordered breathing from the pressure or flow sensors, automatically determining a treatment pressure in accordance with the index of sleep disordered breathing, setting at least one characterising parameter of the pressure-time template to the treatment pressure, controlling the blower to deliver a supply of air at positive pressure to the patient in accordance with the template and in synchrony with the patient'"'"'s breathing cycles as determined by the synchrony module. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. In apparatus comprising a blower adapted to provide a supply of air at positive pressure, a nasal patient interface, an air delivery tube connecting the blower to the patient interface, a flow sensor adapted to monitor the flow of air to a patient along the air delivery tube, and a microprocessor, a method of detecting the presence of mouth leak comprising the steps of:
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determining leak flow during an inspiratory portion of the respiratory cycle of the patient from the flow sensor;
calculating a leak volume during inspiration from the leak flow during an inspiratory portion;
determining leak flow during an expiratory portion of the respiratory cycle of the patient;
calculating a leak volume during exhalation from the leak flow during the expiratory portion;
flagging that mouth leak has occurred when leak volume during exhalation exceeds leak volume during inhalation by a threshold.
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Specification