Breathing assistance device comprising a gas regulating valve and associated breathing assistance method

• US 20090314294A1
• Filed: 05/02/2006
• Published: 12/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Resmed Paris (ResMed Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: SAIME
• Inventors: Chalvignac, Philippe
• Granted Patent: US 8,544,464 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 128/204.230
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0066 Blowers or centrifugal pumps
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/20 Valves specially adapted to medical respiratory devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/202 electrically actuated
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/204 used for inhalation control
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/205 used for exhalation control
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/206 Capsule valves, e.g. mushroom, membrane valves
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/209 Relief valves
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0027 pressure meter
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0036 in the breathing tube and used in both inspiratory and expiratory phase
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0042 in the expiratory circuit
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2202/0208 Oxygen
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8206 battery-operated

Abstract

The invention relates to a breathing assistance device for a patient, the device including: a source of respiratory pressurised gas; a gas transmission duct comprising a distal end coupled to said source and a proximal end coupled to the patient; a gas regulating valve interposed in the gas transmission duct at a proximal location, comprising a leakage orifice and an obstruction means capable of varying the opening of the leakage orifice upon signal of controlling means and allowing a bidirectional gas flow through the leakage orifice in both expiration and inspiration phases.

Claims

1. Breathing assistance device for a patient (P) breathing in successive cycles, each cycle being defined by at least an inspiration phase and at least an expiration phase, said breathing assistance device including:

a source (S) of respiratory pressurised gas,

a gas transmission duct (31) comprising a distal end (31d) coupled to said source (S) and a proximal end (31p) coupled to said patient (P),

a gas regulating valve (32;

40;

50;

60;

90;

100) comprising at least a leakage orifice (431;

531;

617;

71;

81;

931) between the inside and outside of said duct (31), and an obstruction element (44;

54;

62;

72;

82;

92;

102) capable of varying the opening of said leakage orifice (431;

531;

617;

71;

81;

931) upon signal of a controller (35),

characterised in that the gas regulating valve (32;

40;

50;

60;

90;

100) is interposed in said duct (31) at a proximal location, and that the obstruction element (44;

54;

62;

72;

82;

92;

102) is capable of allowing a bidirectional gas flow through said leakage orifice (431;

531;

617;

71;

81;

931) in both expiration and inspiration phases.

2. Breathing assistance device according to claim 1, characterised in that the obstruction element (44;

54;

62;

72;

82;

92;

102) is electrically controlled.

3. Breathing assistance device according to any one of claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the obstruction element (44;

54;

62;

72;

82;

92;

102) includes a return so that the leakage orifice (431;

531;

617;

71;

81;

931) remains at least partially opened in the absence of signal from the controller (35).

4. Breathing assistance device according to claim 3, characterised in that the obstruction element (44;

54;

62;

72;

82;

92;

102) is an electromagnetic obstruction element.

5. Breathing assistance device according to claim 4, characterised in that the return is a magnetic equator (M_E).

6. Breathing assistance device according to claim 5, characterised in that the electromagnetic obstruction element (44;

54;

72) includes a metallic sheath (441;

541;

74) wherein a coil (442;

542) is fixed, said coil (442;

542) being controllable by the controller (35) and surrounding a movable magnetic element, the metallic sheath (441;

541;

74) and the movable magnetic element defining the magnetic equator (M_E).

7. Breathing assistance device according to claim 6, characterised in that the magnetic element comprises a toric magnet (444;

544;

73), a first polar piece (443;

543) and a second polar piece (445;

545), said first and second polar pieces being coaxially fixed on either side of the toric magnet (444;

544;

73) and being of different polarities, and said second polar piece (445;

545) comprising an obstruction piece (446;

546) being capable of obstructing the leakage orifice (431;

531;

71).

8. Breathing assistance device according to claim 7, characterised in that the magnetic element is translatable along an axis of revolution of the toric magnet (444;

544;

73).

9. Breathing assistance device according to claim 8, characterised in that the electromagnetic obstruction element (44;

54;

72) includes two coaxial coils controllable by the controller (35), the first coil substantially surrounding the toric magnet (444;

544;

73) and the first polar piece (443;

543), and the second coil substantially surrounding the toric magnet (444;

544;

73) and the second polar piece (445;

545).

10. Breathing assistance device according to claim 9, characterised in that the electromagnetic obstruction element (44;

54;

72) is mounted coaxially relative to the gas transmission duct (31).

11. Breathing assistance device according to claim 4, characterised in that the return is a compression spring (626).

12. Breathing assistance device according to claim 11, characterised in that the electromagnetic obstruction element (62;

82) includes an armature (622) surrounded by a coil (621), said coil (621) being controllable by the controller (35), and said armature (622) comprising an inner toric space (6227) wherein a magnetic element is translatable.

13. Breathing assistance device according to claim 11, characterised in that the magnetic element is capable of obstructing the leakage orifice (617;

81).

14. Breathing assistance device according to claim 12, characterised in that the magnetic element is constraint by the compression spring (626).

15. Breathing assistance device according to claim 12, characterised in that the magnetic element comprises a toric magnet (624) and a magnet guide (623).

16. Breathing assistance device according to claim 15, characterised in that the electromagnetic obstruction element (62;

82) is mounted transversally relative to the gas transmission duct (31).

17. Breathing assistance device according to claim 4, characterised in that the return is a rubber membrane (925) comprising a bellows (9255) designed for maintaining the obstruction element (922) in a position where the leakage orifice (931) is at least partially opened.

18. Breathing assistance device according to claim 17, characterised in that the bellows (9255) is designed for enhancing the returning function if gas pressure within the valve (90) increases.

19. Breathing assistance device according to claim 18, characterised in that the bellows (9255) has a convex curvature oriented towards walls of the valve (90).

20. Breathing assistance device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the obstruction element is at least partially confined within an independent space from the duct.

21. Breathing assistance method for assisting a patient (P) with a breathing assistance device according any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the leakage orifice (431;

531;

617;

71;

81) is at least partially opened in the absence of signal from the controller (35).

22. Breathing assistance method for assisting a patient (P) according to claim 21, characterised in that the leakage orifice (431;

531;

617;

71;

81) is totally obstructed during inspiration phases whereas it is a least partially opened during expiration phases.

23. Breathing assistance method for assisting a patient (P) according to claim 22, characterised in that the leakage orifice (431;

531;

617;

71;

81), during expiration phases, is opened so that positive expiratory pressure (PEP) remains equal to expiration pressure of the patient (P).

24. Breathing assistance method for assisting a patient (p) according to any one of claims 21 to 22, characterised in that the leakage orifice (431;

531;

617;

71;

81) is totally opened in case of breakdown of the source (S) of respiratory pressurised gas.

25. Gas regulating valve for a breathing assistance device, being interposed in a gas transmission duct (31) of said breathing assistance device at a proximal location, and comprising at least a leakage orifice (431;

531;

617;

71;

81) between the inside and outside of said duct (31), and an obstruction element (44;

54;

62;

72;

82) capable of varying the opening of said leakage orifice (431;

531;

617;

71;

81) upon signal of a controller (35), characterised in that the gas regulating valve (40;

50;

60) is capable of allowing both an inward or an outward gas flow in both expiration and inspiration phases.

26. Gas regulating valve according to claim 25, characterised in that the obstruction element (44;

54;

62;

72;

82) includes a return so that the leakage orifice (431;

531;

617;

71;

81) remains at least partially opened in the absence of signal from the controller (35).

27. Gas regulating valve according to claim 26, characterised in that the obstruction element is an electromagnetic obstruction element (44;

54;

72) including a metallic sheath (441;

541) wherein a coil is fixed (442;

542), said coil being controllable by the controller (35) and surrounding a translatable magnetic element, the magnetic element comprising a toric magnet (444;

544), a first polar piece (443;

543) and a second polar piece (445;

545), said first and second polar pieces being coaxially fixed on either side of the toric magnet (444;

544) and being of different polarities, and said second polar piece (445;

545) comprising an obstruction piece (446;

546) being capable of obstructing the leakage orifice (431;

531;

71).

28. Gas regulating valve according to claim 26, characterised in that the obstruction element is an electromagnetic obstruction element (62;

82) including an armature (622) surrounded by a coil (621), said coil (621) being controllable by the controller (35), and said armature (622) comprising an inner toric space (6227) wherein a magnetic element is translatable, the magnetic element being capable of obstructing the leakage orifice (617;

81) and being constraint by a compression spring (626).

29. Valve arrangement for a breathing regulating device, comprising at least a leakage orifice (1121) to the atmosphere and an obstruction element (1136) capable of varying the opening of said leakage orifice upon signal of a controller, and passage means (11350, 11380) between the valve and a pressurized gas source, characterised in that said obstruction element (1136) can be moved between a position where it closes said passage means and a position where it closes said leakage orifice (1121).

30. Gas regulating valve for a breathing assistance device, comprising a casing provided with at least a leakage orifice (931), an obstruction element (102) capable of varying the opening of said leakage orifice upon signal of a controller (35), and a processing portion (104) for connecting measurement means (105) to the controller (35), characterised in that the processing portion (104) is designed for being removably connected to the casing.

31. Gas regulating valve according to the preceding claim, characterised in that the processing portion comprises a clip (1042) designed for surrounding the casing so that processing portion (104) may be removably clipped on the casing.