Ventilators for promoting lung function
First Claim
1. A lung ventilator comprising means for connection to a source of compressed breathable gas, an assembly for application to a patient for communication with the patient'"'"'s respiratory system, a control system for controlling the supply of breathable gas from such source to a patient via said assembly, said ventilator including a manually operable trigger mechanism incorporated in said assembly, said control system providing a semi-automatic mode of operation in which, in response to activation of said trigger mechanism, a complete ventilation cycle in accordance with predetermined ventilation parameters is initiated, said control system including means to ensure that said cycle proceeds to completion regardless of any operation or release of said trigger mechanism after the movement which initiated said cycle and before its completion.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A ventilator for inducing or assisting lung function in humans is characterized by a control system that provides for semi-automatic operation in which a single complete ventilation cycle in accordance with predetermined ventilation parameters (tidal volume, durations of inhalation and exhalation phases) is initiated by operation of a trigger. The ventilator is particularly useful in one-man resuscitation by CPR. The control system may require a discrete trigger operation to initiate each successive ventilation cycle or it may provide for continuous operation with timed successive cycles, in the manner of an automatic ventilator, by holding or latching the trigger. Various embodiments based on gas-powered ventilators are disclosed but the invention is also applicable to electrically operated or controlled ventilators. In a typical embodiment (FIG. 1) the output line (6) of a pneumatic oscillator is controlled by a diaphragm (22) held closed by a spring (36) loaded by a trigger (31) that when operated relieves the spring load and permits the diaphragm to open the output line. The output line pressure then acts on the diaphragm to hold the output line open until output pressure falls at the termination of the inhalation cycle, whether or not the trigger is released before that instant.
-
Citations
23 Claims
- 1. A lung ventilator comprising means for connection to a source of compressed breathable gas, an assembly for application to a patient for communication with the patient'"'"'s respiratory system, a control system for controlling the supply of breathable gas from such source to a patient via said assembly, said ventilator including a manually operable trigger mechanism incorporated in said assembly, said control system providing a semi-automatic mode of operation in which, in response to activation of said trigger mechanism, a complete ventilation cycle in accordance with predetermined ventilation parameters is initiated, said control system including means to ensure that said cycle proceeds to completion regardless of any operation or release of said trigger mechanism after the movement which initiated said cycle and before its completion.
-
16. A lung ventilator including an outlet branch, said lung ventilator comprising supply connection means for connection with a source of breathable gas under pressure, a patient interface device for application to a patient for communication with the patient'"'"'s respiratory system, a control system including a trigger mechanism, said control system providing a semi-automatic mode of operation in which, in response to activation of said trigger mechanism, a complete ventilation cycle in accordance with predetermined ventilation parameters is initiated, said control system including means to ensure that said cycle proceeds to completion regardless of any operation or release of said trigger mechanism after the movement which initiated said cycle and before its completion, said ventilator being gas-powered with timing and control functions provided by pneumatic mechanisms, said ventilator comprising a pneumatic oscillator controlled by said trigger mechanism and controlling the supply of gas from said source to said outlet branch.
- 17. A lung ventilator including an outlet branch, said lung ventilator comprising supply connection means for connection with a source of breathable gas under pressure, a patient interface device for application to a patient for communication with the patient'"'"'s respiratory system, a control system including a trigger mechanism, said control system providing a semi-automatic mode of operation in which a complete ventilation cycle in accordance with predetermined ventilation parameters may be initiated by manual operation of said trigger mechanism, said cycle proceeding to completion regardless of operation or release of said trigger mechanism after initiation of said cycle and before its completion, said ventilator being gas-powered with timing and control functions provided by pneumatic mechanisms, said ventilator comprising a pneumatic oscillator controlled by said trigger mechanism and controlling the supply of gas from said source to said outlet branch and wherein said oscillator includes an outlet, gas feedback means for gas flow instrumental in maintaining oscillatory behavior of said pneumatic oscillator, valve means controlled by said trigger means incorporated in said gas feedback means for controlling gas flow therethrough, said gas feedback means including a gas flow line incorporating a flow restrictor.
-
19. A lung ventilator including an outlet branch, said lung ventilator comprising a control system providing a semi-automatic mode of operation in which a complete ventilation cycle in accordance with predetermined ventilation parameters may be initiated by operation of a trigger mechanism, said cycle proceeding to completion regardless of operation or release of said trigger mechanism after initiation of said cycle and before its completion, said lung ventilator comprising a pneumatic oscillator and a valve arrangement controlling a flowpath for breathable gas from said oscillator to said outlet branch, said valve arrangement having a controlling trigger mechanism adapted to open said flowpath and being responsive to gas pressure in said outlet branch to maintain said flowpath open while breathable gas is output by said oscillator and in which said valve arrangement comprises an outlet chamber having an inlet port connected to said oscillator, a wall movable to close said inlet port and an outlet port connected to said outlet branch;
- resilient means acting on said wall to urge said resilient means towards its inlet-port-closing position and said trigger mechanism operable to relieve the action of said resilient means thereby to permit said wall to move to open said inlet port in response to gas pressure thereat, the arrangement being such that gas pressure in said outlet chamber resulting from opening of said inlet port is effective to maintain said wall in an inlet-port-opening position despite the action of said resilient means and wherein said oscillator includes a gas feedback line for gas flow instrumental in maintaining oscillatory behavior of said pneumatic oscillator, said gas feedback line incorporating a flow restrictor, said gas feedback line extending to said pneumatic oscillator from said outlet chamber, whereby oscillatory behavior of said pneumatic oscillator is inhibited as long as said inlet port is closed by said movable wall.
- View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23)
Specification