Breath Monitoring Apparatus and Method

• US 20080161709A1
• Filed: 05/19/2005
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NutrEn Technology Ltd.
• Original Assignee: NutrEn Technology Ltd.
• Inventors: Bradley, Austen Peter
• Application Number:
  US10/598,610
• Publication Number:
  US 20080161709A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/532
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0833 Measuring rate of oxygen consumption
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0836 Measuring rate of CO2 production
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/091 Measuring volume of inspired or expired gases, e.g. to determine lung capacity

Abstract

A breath monitoring apparatus is provided comprising a housing (4) on which is mounted, a means (6, 10, 12) to measure the volume of an inhaled breath of the user; and a means (8) to measure the gas content of an exhaled breath of a user. There is further provided a method of monitoring breaths, the method comprising the steps of calculating the volume of an inhaled breath of a user and calculating the gas content of an exhaled breath of the user. The apparatus and method relate in particular to indirect calorimetry.

Claims

1. A breath monitoring apparatus comprising a housing on which is mounted:

a) a means to measure the volume of an inhaled breath of the user; and

b) a means to measure the gas content of an exhaled breath of a user.

2. A breath monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the breath monitoring apparatus is a calorimeter.

3. A breath monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means to measure the volume of an inhaled breath of a user comprises a flow sensor or flow meter.

4. A breath monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein the flow sensor comprises a moveable member, moveable by air pressure effected thereupon, and a movement sensor associated with the moveable member.

5. A breath monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein the moveable member is a plunger, slideably mounted within the housing of the apparatus.

6. A breath monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein there is a substantially fluid-tight contact between the periphery of the moveable member and the interior surface of the housing.

7. A breath monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means to measure the volume of an inhaled breath of a user comprises a mass flow meter.

8. A breath monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means to measure the gas content of an exhaled breath of a user comprises an oxygen sensor or a carbon dioxide sensor, arranged to measure the oxygen content or carbon dioxide content of the exhaled breath respectively.

9. A breath monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 1 comprising an opening in the housing providing for external fluid to be inhaled through the apparatus.

10. A breath monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising means to calculate the respiratory oxygen consumption of a user.

14. A method of monitoring breaths as claimed in claim 11 using a breath monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 1.

18. A method of monitoring breaths as claimed in claim 11 using a breath monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 10.

11. A method of monitoring breaths, the method comprising the steps of:

a) calculating the volume of an inhaled breath of a user, and

b) calculating the gas content of an exhaled breath of the user.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11 comprising measuring the volume of a plurality of inhaled breaths of a user and/or measuring the gas content of a plurality of exhaled breaths of a user.

13. A method as claimed in claim 11 comprising the steps of:

a) measuring the volume of an inhaled breath or a plurality of inhaled breaths of a user;

b) measuring the gas content of an exhaled breath or a plurality of exhaled breaths of a user;

c) storing said measurements as a reference, and repeating steps (a) and (b) and comparing them to the reference.

15. A method of monitoring breaths as claimed in claim 11 using a breath monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 6.

16. A method of monitoring breaths as claimed in claim 11 using a breath monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 8.

17. A method of monitoring breaths as claimed in claim 11 using a breath monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 9.