APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MONITORING THE DEGREE OF INTEGRATION BETWEEN THE FUNCTIONS OF THE HEART AND THE LUNGS, AND THE THERAPEUTIC SUCCESS OF RESUSCITATIVE INTERVENTIONS
First Claim
1. A system for assessing and monitoring the coupling between lung perfusion and ventilation in a patient who is mechanically ventilated or who is breathing spontaneously through an artificial airway, the system comprising:
- an adaptor configured to fit between the artificial airway and a mechanical ventilator;
a measuring chamber in constant fluid communication with the adaptor but out of the main path of gases inhaled and/or exhaled by the patient through the adaptor, said measuring chamber comprising temperature and relative humidity sensors for measuring the temperature and humidity of gases inhaled and/or exhaled by the patient; and
,a monitoring unit in fluid and electrical communication with the measuring chamber, the monitoring unit comprising;
one of a thermocouple and a flow meter;
a suction pump for drawing said inhaled and/or exhaled gases from said adaptor and through said thermocouple or flow meter via said measuring chamber;
display and data entry means; and
a monitoring unit computer system processor and memory for the acquisition, conversion, and storage of data acquired from the temperature and relative humidity sensors, from the thermocouple or flow meter, and from an operator of the system, wherein the monitoring unit is configured to;
a. detect the breathing phases of the patient by timing the interval between the low and/or high temperature and/or humidity plateaus between individual inhalations and/or exhalations as measured by the temperature and/or relative humidity sensors;
b. obtain base heat exchange values from the measured temperature and relative humidity of the inhaled and/or exhaled gases and then repeatedly sample the temperature and relative humidity of the inhaled and/or exhaled gases at the prompt of the operator or according to a pre-determined interval;
c. automatically calculate coupling index Qi of the form Qi=k1Δ
H×
knb×
kv×
kpr×
kpa from sampled temperature and relative humidity readings and from patient data entered via data entry means by the operator; and
d. display index Qi to the operator via display means over the course of a monitoring interval.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method, system and apparatus for assessing the coupling between lung perfusion and ventilation in a patient who is mechanically ventilated or who is breathing spontaneously through a conventional artificial airway is provided. Embodiments of the apparatus comprise an adaptor configured to fit between the artificial airway and mechanical ventilator (or to attach to the free end of the artificial airway in cases where the patient is breathing spontaneously), a measuring chamber in constant fluid communication with the adaptor via one or more measuring chamber sampling ports, and a monitoring unit where data obtained from temperature and relative humidity sensors located in the measuring is calibrated, sampled, logged and analyzed together with anthropometric patient data provided by the operator in order to calculate and/or derive a novel cardio-pulmonary coupling index termed “Qi” as described, and to enable ongoing diagnostic cardio-pulmonary monitoring of a patient by comparing changes in the patient'"'"'s Qi index during a monitoring interval. The Qi index is expressed in non-dimensional units, and is displayed relative to a range of “normal” values defined with reference to values that are commonly observed at rest in persons in good general health and who generally match a given patient in gender, age and body size, and/or as a specific patient'"'"'s baseline values at rest or under stress at the outset of a monitoring interval.
20 Citations
7 Claims
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1. A system for assessing and monitoring the coupling between lung perfusion and ventilation in a patient who is mechanically ventilated or who is breathing spontaneously through an artificial airway, the system comprising:
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an adaptor configured to fit between the artificial airway and a mechanical ventilator; a measuring chamber in constant fluid communication with the adaptor but out of the main path of gases inhaled and/or exhaled by the patient through the adaptor, said measuring chamber comprising temperature and relative humidity sensors for measuring the temperature and humidity of gases inhaled and/or exhaled by the patient; and
,a monitoring unit in fluid and electrical communication with the measuring chamber, the monitoring unit comprising; one of a thermocouple and a flow meter; a suction pump for drawing said inhaled and/or exhaled gases from said adaptor and through said thermocouple or flow meter via said measuring chamber; display and data entry means; and a monitoring unit computer system processor and memory for the acquisition, conversion, and storage of data acquired from the temperature and relative humidity sensors, from the thermocouple or flow meter, and from an operator of the system, wherein the monitoring unit is configured to; a. detect the breathing phases of the patient by timing the interval between the low and/or high temperature and/or humidity plateaus between individual inhalations and/or exhalations as measured by the temperature and/or relative humidity sensors; b. obtain base heat exchange values from the measured temperature and relative humidity of the inhaled and/or exhaled gases and then repeatedly sample the temperature and relative humidity of the inhaled and/or exhaled gases at the prompt of the operator or according to a pre-determined interval; c. automatically calculate coupling index Qi of the form Qi=k1Δ
H×
knb×
kv×
kpr×
kpa from sampled temperature and relative humidity readings and from patient data entered via data entry means by the operator; andd. display index Qi to the operator via display means over the course of a monitoring interval. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. Apparatus for the assessment and monitoring the coupling between lung perfusion and ventilation in a patient who is mechanically ventilated or who is breathing spontaneously through an artificial airway comprising:
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an adaptor configured to fit between the artificial airway and a mechanical ventilator; a measuring chamber in constant fluid communication with the adaptor but out of the main path of gases inhaled and/or exhaled by the patient through the adaptor, said measuring chamber comprising temperature and relative humidity sensors for measuring the temperature and humidity of gases inhaled and/or exhaled by the patient; and
,a monitoring unit in fluid and electrical communication with the measuring chamber, the monitoring unit comprising; one of a thermocouple and a flow meter; a suction pump for drawing said inhaled and/or exhaled gases from said adaptor and through said thermocouple or flow meter via said measuring chamber; display and data entry means; and a monitoring unit computer system processor and memory for the acquisition, conversion, and storage of data acquired from the temperature and relative humidity sensors, from the thermocouple or flow meter, and from an operator of the system, wherein the monitoring unit is configured, in use, to; a. detect the breathing phases of the patient by timing the interval between the low and/or high temperature and/or humidity plateaus between individual inhalations and/or exhalations as measured by the temperature and/or relative humidity sensors; b. obtain base heat exchange values from the measured temperature and relative humidity of the inhaled and/or exhaled gases and then repeatedly sample the temperature and relative humidity of the inhaled and/or exhaled gases at the prompt of the operator or according to a pre-determined interval; c. automatically calculate coupling index Qi of the form Qi=k1Δ
H×
knb×
kv×
kpr×
kpa from sampled temperature and relative humidity readings and from patient data entered via data entry means by the operator; andd. display index Qi to the operator via display means over the course of a monitoring interval. - View Dependent Claims (7)
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Specification