Chest Compression Apparatus Having Physiological Sensor Accessory

• US 20090306556A1
• Filed: 06/10/2009
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Respiratory Technologies, Inc. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Respirtech Inc (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Hansen, Leland G., White, Greg
• Granted Patent: US 8,257,288 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 601/43
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/1238 with hydraulic or pneumatic drive
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/165 Wearable interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5046 Touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2230/207 partial O2-value
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 31/004 Heart stimulation

Abstract

A chest compression system and method of use for respiratory therapies such as cystic fibrosis, including an air flow generator, a pulse frequency control component having a fan blade for producing a series of air pulses communicated to a patient-worn garment during a therapy session. The system further includes one or more patient physiologic sensors capable of capturing patient information during the therapy session. The sensors may include a blood oximeter or a mouthpiece used to evaluate pulmonary function. An airway congestion monitoring system provides airway and lung congestion trend analysis. Adjustments are made to the series of air pulses based on a patient'"'"'s therapy session data.

Claims

1. A chest compression apparatus comprising:

a garment having an air bladder adapted to engage at least a portion of the thoracic region of a patient;

an air valve assembly having an air port in fluid communication with a pressurized air source, a vent port in fluid communication with an air vent, and a pair of bladder-side ports, said air valve assembly providing selective fluid communication between the air vent and one of the pair of bladder-side ports and between the vent port and the other bladder-side port;

an air manifold coupled to the air valve assembly, with said air valve assembly periodically interrupting a flow of pressurized air from said source into said air manifold, and said air manifold providing fluid communication between the pair of bladder-side ports and a pair of air lines coupled to the air bladder and with said pair of air lines communicating a series of air pulses to said air bladder, said series of air pulses being established by the flow of pressurized air through the air valve assembly and the air manifold; and

a physiological data acquisition device adapted for coupling to the patient and capturing one or more patient parameters relating to use of the garment during a therapy session.

2. The chest compression apparatus of claim 1 wherein the air valve assembly comprises a rotating valve which periodically interrupts air flow between the vent port and a second air line.

3. The chest compression apparatus of claim 2 wherein the waveform includes one or more minor perturbations or fluctuations within the pressure waveform.

4. The chest compression apparatus of claim 1 wherein the rotating valve includes a motor-driven blade.

5. The chest compression apparatus of claim 1 wherein said pair of air lines include f a flexible tubing having quick-connect air fittings with a latch to facilitate immediate connection and disconnection of said flexible tubing into said apparatus.

6. The chest compression apparatus of claim 1 wherein the physiological data acquisition device comprises a pulse oximeter or a blood gas content sensor or both.

7. The chest compression apparatus of claim 6 wherein the pulse oximeter includes circuitry for generating light pulses and for detecting light having passed through at least a portion of the patient.

8. The chest compression apparatus of claim 1 wherein the physiological data acquisition device includes a lung function monitor.

9. The chest compression apparatus of claim 8 wherein the lung function monitor includes a mouthpiece sensor through which the patient exhales during said therapy session.

10. The chest compression apparatus of claim 9 wherein the mouthpiece sensor is defined as an open-ended tube having an interior restriction and a pair of air ports.

11. The chest compression apparatus of claim 10 wherein the air ports are in fluid communication with a pair of sensing air ports on a housing via a pair of flexible air tubes.

12. The chest compression apparatus of claim 1 comprising a display monitor.

13. The chest compression apparatus of claim 12 wherein the display monitor is a touch-sensitive display adapted as a user interface.

14. The chest compression apparatus of claim 12 wherein the display monitor provides a visual display to the patient relating to operation of the physiological data acquisition device.

15. The chest compression apparatus of claim 14 wherein the display monitor provides visual prompting to the patient towards maintaining patient compliance with a given therapy protocol.

16. The chest compression apparatus of claim 15 wherein the visual prompting is provided via a game or other entertainment scheme visually presented to a patient during said therapy session.

17. The chest compression apparatus of claim 1 further comprising means for conveying or receiving information from a remote system.

18. The chest compression apparatus of claim 17 wherein the means for conveying or receiving includes a wireless transmission or a removable memory appliance or both.

19. The chest compression apparatus of claim 17 wherein the means for conveying or receiving provides update information including software upgrades for a system controller.

20. A method of using a chest compression apparatus of claim 12 wherein data from the physiological data acquisition devices is monitored, said method including evaluating the monitored data to determine patient compliance or another health-related patient parameter.

21. A chest compression apparatus comprising:

a garment having an air bladder adapted to engage at least a portion of the thoracic region of a patient;

an air valve assembly having an air port in fluid communication with a pressurized air source, a vent port in fluid communication with an air vent, and a pair of bladder-side ports, said air valve assembly providing selective fluid communication between the air vent and one of the pair of bladder-side ports and between the vent port and the other bladder-side port;

an air manifold coupled to the air valve assembly, with said air valve assembly periodically interrupting a flow of pressurized air from said source into said air manifold, and said air manifold providing fluid communication between the pair of bladder-side ports and a pair of air lines coupled to the air bladder and with said pair of air lines communicating a series of air pulses to said air bladder, said series of air pulses being established by the flow of pressurized air through the air valve assembly and the air manifold; and

a mouthpiece sensor system adapted for coupling to the patient and capturing one or more patient parameters relating to a patient airway condition during a therapy session.

22. The chest compression apparatus of claim 21 wherein the air valve assembly comprises a rotating valve which periodically interrupts air flow between the vent port and a second air line.

23. The chest compression apparatus of claim 22 wherein the rotating valve includes a motor-driven blade.

24. The chest compression apparatus of claim 21 wherein the mouthpiece sensor is defined as an open-ended tube having an interior restriction and a pair of air ports.

25. The chest compression apparatus of claim 24 wherein the air ports are in fluid communication with a pair of sensing air ports on a housing via a pair of flexible air tubes.

26. The chest compression apparatus of claim 25 further comprising a controller in communication with a pressure sensor coupled to the pair of sensing air ports on said housing, said controller adjusting an operating condition of the apparatus based on patient information captured via said mouthpiece sensor system.

27. A method of applying pressure pulses to the thoracic region of a patient comprising the steps of:

connecting a garment having an air bladder to a pressurized air line, with said air bladder being positioned at the thoracic region of the patient;

connecting the air bladder to a vent line;

connecting the pressurized air line and the vent line to an air manifold;

connecting the air manifold to an air valve assembly, said air valve assembly including a rotating disk valve element which periodically interrupts air flow within the air line or the vent line or both to apply a series of pulses to the air manifold and the air bladder and thoracic region;

bypassing some air from the pressurized air line into said vent line via said air manifold while the series of pulses are conveyed to the air bladder;

connecting a pulse oximeter sensor or mouthpiece sensor to the patient;

monitoring blood oxygen content or lung function of the patient via said sensors; and

adjusting one or more operational conditions to control the series of pulses conveyed to the air bladder based on said monitoring.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein rotation of the disk valve element is electronically controlled so that a frequency of the air pulses can be adjusted.

29. The method of claim 27 farther comprising the step of:

changing an amplitude of the air pulses during a therapy session based on said monitoring.