Systems and Methods for Controlling Breathing Rate

• US 20080035147A1
• Filed: 08/09/2007
• Published: 02/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Philips RS North America LLC (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: RIC INVESTMENTS LLC (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Kirby, Todd, Baloa, Leonardo A., Witt, Erik K.
• Granted Patent: US 7,556,038 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 128/204.21
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0009 with sub-atmospheric pressure, e.g. during expiration
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0051 with alarm devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/01 specially adapted for anaesthetising A61M16/104, A61M16/18 take precedence
• 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 2202/0208 Oxygen
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/005 Parameter used as control input for the apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/30 Blood pressure A61M2230/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/42 Rate

Abstract

A method and corresponding system for providing breathing cues includes monitoring respiration of a user and determining a user breathing frequency including an inspiration portion and an expiration portion of the breathing, supplying a high positive air pressure to the user during the inspiration portion and a low positive air pressure during the expiration portion in substantial synchronicity with the user'"'"'s respiration, comparing the user breathing frequency with a target breathing frequency, and when the user breathing frequency is greater than the target breathing frequency, increasing, in a predetermined manner, a time over which the high positive air pressure is supplied to the user, and adjusting a time over which the low positive pressure air pressure is supplied to the user.

Claims

1. A method of providing breathing cues, comprising:

monitoring respiration of a user and determining a user breathing frequency of the user, wherein respiration comprises an inspiration portion and an expiration portion;

supplying a high positive air pressure to the user during the inspiration portion and a low positive air pressure during the expiration portion in substantial synchronicity with the respiration of the user;

comparing the user breathing frequency with a target breathing frequency; and

when the user breathing frequency is greater than the target breathing frequency, increasing, in a predetermined manner, a time over which the high positive air pressure is supplied to the user, and adjusting a time over which the low positive pressure air pressure is supplied to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting the time over which the low positive pressure air pressure is supplied to the user to achieve a predetermined ratio between the time over which the high positive air pressure is supplied to the user and the time over which the low positive pressure air pressure is supplied to the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the time over which the low positive pressure air pressure is supplied to the user is set as a minimum of an estimated expiration time and the user'"'"'s actual expiration time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the target breathing rate is 10 breaths per minute or less.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising keeping track of a therapy time and comparing the therapy time to a predetermined maximum therapy time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of increasing, in a predetermined manner, a time over which the high positive air pressure is supplied to the user comprises lengthening the time by a predetermined breath rate unit.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining how long the user is breathing at a given breathing frequency.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a top level driving system supplies the target breathing frequency to a low level control system that controls the high positive air pressure and the low positive air pressure.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising successively increasing, in a predetermined manner, a time over which the high positive air pressure is supplied to the user.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising computing an average breath rate for the user.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising computing a difference between the target breathing frequency and the user'"'"'s current breath frequency.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising supplying a gas other than room air.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting onset of a sleeping state of the user based on the user'"'"'s responsiveness to changes in the time over which the high positive air pressure is supplied.

14. A method for slowing a breathing rate of a person, comprising:

supplying a breath rate target to a controller;

calculating, in the controller, an estimated inspiration time for a breath of the person based, at least in part, on the breath rate target and an error value between the breath rate target and the person'"'"'s breath rate;

generating a machine inspiration time and machine expiration time based, at least in part, on the estimated inspiration time; and

using the machine inspiration time and machine expiration time to control, respectively, a HI air pressure supply and a LO air pressure supply to the person.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining the user'"'"'s breath rate by selectively filtering signals indicative of breathing dynamics of the person.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising setting the machine inspiration time as a maximum of the estimated inspiration time and an inspiration time of the person.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising setting the machine expiration time as a minimum of an estimated expiration time and a difference between a period of a breath of the person and the machine expiration time.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the HI air pressure and the LO air pressure are supplied by a bi-level positive air pressure device (Bi-PAP).

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the LO air pressure comprises a negative pressure.

20. A method for controlling a bi-level positive air pressure (BiPAP) device, comprising:

setting a machine inspiration time as a maximum of an estimated inspiration time and an actual inspiration time of a user;

setting a machine expiration time as a minimum of an estimated expiration time and a difference between a period of a breath of the user and the machine expiration time; and

using the machine inspiration time and the machine expiration time to control respective HI and LO positive pressure timings in the BiPAP device.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising keeping track of a therapy time and comparing the therapy time to a predetermined maximum therapy time.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising increasing, in a predetermined manner, the estimated inspiration time.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising determining how long a user of the BiPAP device is breathing at a given breathing frequency.