VENTILATOR LEAK COMPENSATION

• US 20090241962A1
• Filed: 03/30/2009
• Published: 10/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Covidien LP (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Nellcor Puritan Bennett LLC (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: McCoy, Edward R., Jafari, Mehdi M., Jimenez, Rhomere S., Aviano, Jeffrey K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,434,480 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 128/205.250
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0057 Pumps therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0063 Compressors
• 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 16/04 Tracheal tubes catheters in general A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/06 Respiratory or anaesthetic masks
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0666 Nasal cannulas or tubing devices for improving normal breathing through the nose A61F5/08; nose filters A62B23/06; outside holding devices A61M25/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0875 Connecting tubes
• 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 2016/0033 electrical
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/15 Detection of leaks
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/502 User interfaces, e.g. screens or keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/52 with memories providing a history of measured variating parameters of apparatus or patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/46 Resistance or compliance of the lungs

Abstract

A ventilator including a pneumatic system for providing and receiving breathing gas, and a controller operatively coupled with the pneumatic system. The controller is operable to control circulation by the pneumatic system of breathing gas to and from a patient, and to adjust at least one of a volume and pressure of breathing gas delivered to the patient, such adjustment being based upon elastic properties of a component used to fluidly couple the pneumatic system to a patient.

Claims

1. A ventilator, comprising:

a pneumatic system for providing and receiving breathing gas; and

a controller operatively coupled with the pneumatic system,

where the controller is operable to control circulation by the pneumatic system of breathing gas to and from a patient, and to adjust at least one of a volume and pressure of breathing gas delivered to the patient, such adjustment being based upon elastic properties of a component used to fluidly couple the pneumatic system to a patient.

2. The ventilator of claim 1, where the component is a physical patient interface.

3. The ventilator of claim 2, where the physical patient interface is a facial breathing mask.

4. The ventilator of claim 3, where the adjustment is based upon elastic and rigid leak properties of an orifice in the facial breathing mask.

5. The ventilator of claim 1, where the adjustment accounts for variation in size of a leak-susceptible orifice of the component.

6. The ventilator of claim 1, where the adjustment is based upon an elastic modulus of a material comprising the component.

7. The ventilator of claim 1, further comprising an operator interface configured to accept operator input, the adjustment being dependent upon such operator input.

8. The ventilator of claim 7, where the controller is configured to establish the elastic properties of the component based upon the operator input at the operator interface.

9. A ventilator, comprising:

a pneumatic system for providing and receiving breathing gas;

an airway including a physical patient interface and a breathing circuit for fluidly coupling the pneumatic system with a patient, where the airway includes a leak-susceptible orifice that varies in size during operation of the ventilator in response to applied pressure; and

a controller operatively coupled with the pneumatic system, where the controller is operable to control delivery of breathing gas from the pneumatic system to the patient and adjust such delivery for airway leakage based upon the varying size of the leak-susceptible orifice.

10. The ventilator of claim 9, where the controller is configured to dynamically update a magnitude of the adjustment for airway leakage during operation of the ventilator.

11. The ventilator of claim 10, where the controller is configured to dynamically update the magnitude of the adjustment during each of a plurality of breathing cycles.

12. The ventilator of claim 10, where the controller is configured to dynamically update the magnitude of the adjustment based on elastic properties of a portion of the airway including the leak-susceptible orifice.

13. The ventilator of claim 9, where the physical patient interface comprises a facial breathing mask which at least partly defines the leak-susceptible orifice.

14. In a ventilator having a pneumatic system and an airway adapted to fluidly couple the pneumatic system to a patient, a leak compensation method, comprising:

providing a baseline level of leak compensation based upon a size of a leak-susceptible orifice in the airway;

establishing elastic properties of a component of the airway containing the leak-susceptible orifice; and

adjusting the baseline level of leak compensation in response to a pressure sufficient to cause deformation of the leak-susceptible orifice, where a magnitude of the adjustment is dependent upon the elastic properties of the component.

15. The method of claim 14, where the component is a physical patient interface.

16. The method of claim 15, where the physical patient interface is a facial ventilator mask.

17. The method of claim 14, where the component is a breathing circuit fluidly coupled between the patient and the pneumatic system.

18. The method of claim 14, where adjusting the baseline level of leak compensation is performed during a plurality of patient breathing cycles.

19. The method of claim 18, where the magnitude of the adjustment is dynamically updated at least once per breathing cycle.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising accepting operator input at an operator interface of the ventilator, and using such operator input in the establishing of the elastic properties of the component.

21. A ventilator, comprising:

a pneumatic system for providing and receiving breathing gas;

an airway including a physical patient interface and a breathing circuit for fluidly coupling the pneumatic system with a patient; and

a controller operatively coupled with the pneumatic system,

where the controller is operable to control circulation by the pneumatic system of breathing gas to and from the patient, and to make dynamic adjustments in breathing gas flow to compensate for a leak in the airway, where such leak compensation is dependent upon rigid leak properties of a component of the airway, and upon elastic leak properties of the component of the airway.