APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DELIVERY OF AN AEROSOL

• US 20100222692A1
• Filed: 04/30/2010
• Published: 09/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Respiratory Management Technology
• Original Assignee: Respiratory Management Technology
• Inventors: McCawley, Michael, Gottesman, Tal, Dalton, James, Christie, Ian, Gasner, Gary
• Granted Patent: US 7,988,641 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/532
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0813 Measurement of pulmonary parameters by tracers, e.g. radioactive tracers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/085 Measuring impedance of respiratory organs or lung elasticity

Abstract

An apparatus for measuring lung ventilation, comprising: a pressure device to measure volume of air flow; an aerosol-generating device that provides aerosol particles to be released at a determined point in a breathing cycle; a mouthpiece with a detector that measures the concentration of aerosol particles for a given volume during the breathing cycle; and a computing device configured to provide lung ventilation data as a function of time constants.

Claims

1. A method for estimating aerosol particle concentrations, comprising:

measuring inhaled and exhaled aerosol concentrations at discrete values of at least one of time, volume and dimensionless volume;

estimating initial values for intrinsic mixing on inhalation, intrinsic mixing on exhalation, effective volume of lung on inhalation, and effective volume of lung on exhalation;

minimizing the estimated initial values;

determining a volume of penetration;

estimating inhaled aerosol concentration as a function of the measured inhaled aerosol concentration and at least one of K(V) and K(t); and

estimating exhaled particle concentration as a function of the estimated inhaled aerosol concentration and a probability that a particle exits the lung in a provided volume.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring inhaled and exhaled aerosol concentrations is performed using discrete values of at least one of time, volumes and dimensionless volumes.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein estimating initial values is performed using a minimum least squares criterion.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprises measuring breath holding time and the effect of breath holding time on the particle concentration that is exhaled, said particle concentration being described as a percentage of the inhaled concentration as a function of the volume of penetration of the aerosol.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprises determining a total amount or percentage of a total amount of inhaled particulate material that is exhaled during a breath or in subsequent breaths after a breath in which the aerosol is inhaled.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the aerosol particles are selected from one or more natural oils, one or more synthetic oils, or a blend of one or more natural and synthetic oils.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprises determining the retention of aerosol inhaled in a single breath and exhaled over the course of subsequent breaths as a diagnostic indicator of asthma.

8. An apparatus for measuring lung ventilation, comprising:

a pressure device to measure volume of air flow;

an aerosol-generating device that provides aerosol particles to be released at a determined point in a breathing cycle;

a detector that measures the concentration of aerosol particles for a given volume during the breathing cycle;

a computing device configured to provide lung ventilation data as a function of time constants; and

a coupling device configured to interact with the computing device and aerosol-generating device, wherein the coupling device is a 3-way valve.

9. An apparatus for estimating aerosol particle concentrations, comprising:

means for measuring inhaled and exhaled aerosol concentrations at discrete values of at least one of time, volume and dimensionless volume;

means for estimating initial values for intrinsic mixing on inhalation, intrinsic mixing on exhalation, effective volume of lung on inhalation, and effective volume of lung on exhalation;

means for minimizing the estimated initial values;

means for determining a volume of penetration;

means for estimating inhaled aerosol concentration as a function of the measured inhaled aerosol concentration and at least one of K(V) and K(t); and

means for estimating exhaled particle concentration as a function of the estimated inhaled aerosol concentration and a probability that a particle exits the lung in a provided volume.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the means for measuring inhaled and exhaled aerosol concentrations uses discrete values of at least one of time, volumes and dimensionless volumes.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the means for estimating initial values uses a minimum least squares criterion.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising means for measuring breath holding time and the effect of breath holding time on the particle concentration that is exhaled, said particle concentration being described as a percentage of the inhaled concentration as a function of the volume of penetration of the aerosol.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising means for determining a total amount or percentage of a total amount of inhaled particulate material that is exhaled during a breath or in subsequent breaths after a breath in which the aerosol is inhaled.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the aerosol particles are selected from one or more natural oils, one or more synthetic oils, or a blend of one or more natural and synthetic oils.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising means for determining the retention of aerosol inhaled in a single breath and exhaled over the course of subsequent breaths as a diagnostic indicator of asthma.