PORTABLE VENTILATOR SECRETION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20140283834A1
• Filed: 03/22/2013
• Published: 09/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Breathe Technologies, Inc. (Baxter International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Breathe Technologies, Inc. (Baxter International Inc.)
• Inventors: Ahmad, Samir S., Baloa Welzien, Leonardo Alberto
• Granted Patent: US 9,833,584 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 128/204.23
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0006 with means for creating vibrations in patients' airways
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0051 with alarm devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0069 the speed thereof being controlled by respiratory parameters, e.g. by inhalation
• 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 16/06 Respiratory or anaesthetic masks
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/101 using an oxygen concentrator
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/107 in the inspiratory path
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/202 electrically actuated
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0027 pressure meter
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0033 electrical
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2202/0208 Oxygen
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/50 with microprocessors or computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/505 Touch-screens; Virtual keyboard or keypads; Virtual buttons; Soft keys; Mouse touches
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8206 battery-operated

Abstract

A patient ventilator secretion management system is disclosed. The system has a valve with an input in pneumatic communication with a therapeutic breathing gas source. The valve has variable positions, each of which corresponds to a specific flow rate of gas being output therefrom. A patient ventilation interface is in pneumatic communication with the valve over a gas delivery circuit. A controller in communication with the valve regulates the position thereof. The controller sequentially switches the valve from one of the variable positions to another to output a first range of fluctuating flow rates of gas for delivery to the patient ventilation interface during at least a selected one of patient expiratory and inspiratory phases.

Claims

1. A portable patient ventilation apparatus comprising:

an intake port connectible to a pressure source providing a predefined source flow rate of therapeutic breathing gas;

a patient circuit output port connectible to a patient interface for fitment on a patient respiratory passageway;

a valve with an input in pneumatic communication with the intake port and an output in pneumatic communication with the patient circuit output port, the valve having variable open and closed positions corresponding to specific restriction factors against the predefined source flow rate of the therapeutic breathing gas from the pressure source;

a flow sensor in pneumatic communication with the variable position valve and the patient circuit output port; and

a controller in communication with the flow sensor and the variable position valve, a patient inspiratory phase and a patient expiratory phase being detectable by the controller from flow sensor measurements to induce oscillations in delivery of the therapeutic breathing gas to the patient circuit output port based upon a periodic switching of the valve in sequence between the variable open and closed positions during at least a selected one of the patient expiratory and inspiratory phases.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a rate of the periodic switching is defined by an oscillation frequency set by a user.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one oscillation cycle is defined by a first restricted flow rate corresponding to a first open position of the valve, and a second restricted flow rate corresponding to a first closed position of the valve.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the first restricted flow rate is defined as a first restriction factor applied against the predefined source flow rate, and the second restricted flow rate is defined as a second restriction factor applied against the predefined source flow rate.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein a difference between the first restricted flow rate and the second restricted flow rate defines an oscillation magnitude.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the oscillation magnitude is set by a user.

7. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein:

the patient ventilation interface includes an entrainment port; and

the first restricted flow rate and the second restricted flow rate are at the output of the valve, the first restricted flow rate and the second restricted flow rate being increased at the patient ventilation interface based upon entrained gas through the entrainment port.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller regulates the valve to deliver a predefined measure of therapeutic breathing gas to the patient.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the predefined measure to be delivered to the patient is set by a user.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the predefined measure is one of a volume and a pressure.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the oscillations in the delivery of the therapeutic breathing gas to the patient are generated during only a portion of the selected one of the patient expiratory and inspiratory phases.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a first pressure sensor measuring a patient interface pressure, the patient interface being connectible to the first pressure sensor over a pressure sensor line; and

a second pressure sensor measuring a valve output pressure;

wherein the patient inspiratory phase and the patient expiratory phase is detected by the controller based upon a combination of measurements of the first pressure sensor, the second pressure sensor, and the flow sensor.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the patient interface includes an entrainment port, a coupling of the patient interface and a delivery line in pneumatic communication with the patient circuit output port defining a venturi.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a patient circuit interconnecting the patient circuit output port and the patient ventilation interface has a diameter less than 8 mm.

15. A patient ventilator secretion management system, comprising:

a valve with an input in pneumatic communication with a therapeutic breathing gas source, the valve having variable positions each of which corresponds to a specific flow rate of gas being output from the valve;

a patient ventilation interface in pneumatic communication with the valve over a gas delivery circuit; and

a controller in communication with the valve for regulating the position thereof, the controller sequentially switching the valve from one of the variable positions to another one of the variable positions to output a first range of fluctuating flow rates of gas for delivery to the patient ventilation interface during at least a selected one of patient expiratory and inspiratory phases.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the patient ventilation interface includes an entrainment port; and

the first range of fluctuating flow rates from the valve is increased to a second range of fluctuating flow rates at the patient based upon entrained gas through the entrainment port.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the gas delivery circuit has a diameter less than 8 mm.

18. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a flow sensor in pneumatic communication and in line between the valve and the gas delivery circuit;

wherein the controller is in communication with the flow sensor, and the patient inspiratory phase and the patient expiratory phase is detectable based upon measurements from the flow sensor.

19. The system of claim 15 wherein a rate of the sequential switching is defined by an oscillation frequency set by a user.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein one oscillation cycle is defined by a first flow rate corresponding to a first one of the variable positions of the valve, and a second flow rate corresponding to a second one of the variable positions of the valve.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein a difference between the first flow rate and the second flow rate defines an oscillation magnitude.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the oscillation magnitude is set by a user.

23. The system of claim 15, wherein the controller regulates the valve to deliver a predefined volume of therapeutic breathing gas to the patient.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the predefined volume to be delivered to the patient is set by a user.

25. A method for managing mucus secretion of a patient undergoing ventilation therapy with a ventilation apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving on a controller data processing apparatus of the ventilation apparatus a therapeutic breathing gas delivery volume for the patient;

receiving on the controller data processing apparatus at least one oscillation frequency value and at least one oscillation magnitude value;

generating on the controller data processing apparatus a first valve positioning signal, the first valve positioning signal having a value corresponding to the oscillating magnitude value;

applying the first valve positioning signal to a valve for positioning a valve element to deliver a first predetermined flow rate of therapeutic breathing gas to the patient at a first time instance;

generating on the controller data processing apparatus a second valve positioning signal having a value corresponding to the oscillating magnitude value but different from the first valve positioning signal; and

applying the second valve position signal to the valve for positioning the valve element to deliver a second predetermined flow rate of the therapeutic breathing gas to the patient at a second time instance different from the first time instance, the oscillation frequency value corresponding to a difference between the first time instance and the second time instance.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein a one of the oscillation frequency values and a one of the oscillation magnitude values are associated with a secretion mobilizing oscillation applied during an inspiratory phase of the patient.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein a one of the oscillation frequency values and a one of the oscillation magnitude values are associated with a secretion mobilizing oscillation applied during an expiratory phase of the patient.