Intermittent gas-insufflation apparatus
First Claim
1. An intermittent gas-insufflation apparatus adapted to be disposed between and in fluid communication with a source of pressurized gaseous fluid and a breathing patient and operative to insufflate a quantity of the gaseous fluid into an entrance of a respiratory system of the patient after an inhalation interval and during an exhalation interval of an immediate breathing cycle and into a subsequent inhalation interval of a successive breathing cycle of the patient, comprising:
- (a) a valve assembly adapted to be disposed between and in fluid communication with the source of gaseous fluid and the entrance into the respiratory system of the patient and operative to actuate between a closed state whereby fluid communication is interrupted so that the gaseous fluid is prevented from flowing from the source of gaseous fluid to the entrance into the respiratory system of the patient and an opened state whereby fluid communication is established so that the gaseous fluid flows from the source of gaseous fluid to the entrance into the respiratory system of the patient;
(b) a pressure transducer sensor in fluid communication with the entrance of the respiratory system of the breathing patient and operative to detect changes in breathing pressure of the breathing patient relative to an ambient pressure environment throughout the inhalation and exhalation intervals of the immediate breathing cycle of the patient and to generate sensor signals characteristic of the changes in the breathing pressure of the immediate breathing cycle; and
(c) a microprocessor controller coupled to and between said sensor and said valve assembly and operative to receive and process the sensor signals to determinea negative peak pressure value which occurs during the inhalation interval of the immediate breathing cycle anda positive peak pressure value which occurs during the exhalation interval of the immediate breathing cycle, said controller responsive within the exhalation interval of the immediate breathing cycle when a first predetermined percentage of the positive peak pressure value is achieved to actuate said valve assembly into the opened state so that the gaseous fluid flows from the source of gaseous fluid to the entrance into the respiratory system of the patient during the exhalation interval of the immediate breathing cycle and into the subsequent inhalation interval of the successive breathing cycle,said controller further responsive within the subsequent inhalation interval of the successive breathing cycle when a third predetermined percentage of the negative peak pressure value is achieved to further actuate said valve assembly into an enhanced opened state so that an additional quantity of gaseous fluid flows from the source of gaseous fluid to the entrance into the respiratory system of the patient after the exhalation interval of the immediate breathing cycle and before a remaining portion of the subsequent inhalation interval of the successive breathing cycle, andsaid controller further responsive within the subsequent inhalation interval of the successive breathing cycle when a second predetermined percentage of the negative peak pressure value is achieved to actuate said valve assembly into the closed state so that the gaseous fluid is prevented from flowing from the source of gaseous fluid to the entrance into the respiratory system of the patient.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An intermittent gas-insufflation apparatus insufflates a quantity of the gaseous fluid into an entrance of a respiratory system of a breathing patient during an exhalation interval of an immediate breathing cycle and into a subsequent inhalation interval of a successive breathing cycle. The intermittent gas-insufflation apparatus includes a valve assembly, a sensor and a controller. The valve assembly actuates between a closed state to prevent the gaseous fluid from flowing from a source of gaseous fluid to the patient and an opened state to establish gaseous fluid flow to the patient. The sensor detects changes in breathing pressure of the patient throughout the immediate breathing cycle and to generates sensor signals characteristic of the changes in the breathing pressure thereof. The controller receives and processes the sensor signals during either the inhalation interval of the immediate breathing cycle, the exhalation interval of the immediate breathing cycle or both and is responsive within the exhalation interval of the immediate breathing cycle to the sensor signals to actuate the valve assembly into the opened state so that the gaseous fluid flows from the source of gaseous fluid to the entrance into the respiratory system of the patient during the exhalation interval of the immediate breathing cycle and into the subsequent inhalation interval of the successive breathing cycle. Methods are also described for various exemplary embodiments of the present invention and for maintenance of blood-oxygen concentration for a patient receiving oxygen from a supplemental oxygen delivery system.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. An intermittent gas-insufflation apparatus adapted to be disposed between and in fluid communication with a source of pressurized gaseous fluid and a breathing patient and operative to insufflate a quantity of the gaseous fluid into an entrance of a respiratory system of the patient after an inhalation interval and during an exhalation interval of an immediate breathing cycle and into a subsequent inhalation interval of a successive breathing cycle of the patient, comprising:
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(a) a valve assembly adapted to be disposed between and in fluid communication with the source of gaseous fluid and the entrance into the respiratory system of the patient and operative to actuate between a closed state whereby fluid communication is interrupted so that the gaseous fluid is prevented from flowing from the source of gaseous fluid to the entrance into the respiratory system of the patient and an opened state whereby fluid communication is established so that the gaseous fluid flows from the source of gaseous fluid to the entrance into the respiratory system of the patient; (b) a pressure transducer sensor in fluid communication with the entrance of the respiratory system of the breathing patient and operative to detect changes in breathing pressure of the breathing patient relative to an ambient pressure environment throughout the inhalation and exhalation intervals of the immediate breathing cycle of the patient and to generate sensor signals characteristic of the changes in the breathing pressure of the immediate breathing cycle; and (c) a microprocessor controller coupled to and between said sensor and said valve assembly and operative to receive and process the sensor signals to determine a negative peak pressure value which occurs during the inhalation interval of the immediate breathing cycle and a positive peak pressure value which occurs during the exhalation interval of the immediate breathing cycle, said controller responsive within the exhalation interval of the immediate breathing cycle when a first predetermined percentage of the positive peak pressure value is achieved to actuate said valve assembly into the opened state so that the gaseous fluid flows from the source of gaseous fluid to the entrance into the respiratory system of the patient during the exhalation interval of the immediate breathing cycle and into the subsequent inhalation interval of the successive breathing cycle, said controller further responsive within the subsequent inhalation interval of the successive breathing cycle when a third predetermined percentage of the negative peak pressure value is achieved to further actuate said valve assembly into an enhanced opened state so that an additional quantity of gaseous fluid flows from the source of gaseous fluid to the entrance into the respiratory system of the patient after the exhalation interval of the immediate breathing cycle and before a remaining portion of the subsequent inhalation interval of the successive breathing cycle, and said controller further responsive within the subsequent inhalation interval of the successive breathing cycle when a second predetermined percentage of the negative peak pressure value is achieved to actuate said valve assembly into the closed state so that the gaseous fluid is prevented from flowing from the source of gaseous fluid to the entrance into the respiratory system of the patient. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. An intermittent gas-insufflation apparatus according to claim i wherein the gaseous fluid is selected from a group consisting of oxygen, air, nitrous oxide and ether.
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19. An intermittent gas-insufflation apparatus adapted to be disposed between and in fluid communication with a source of pressurized gaseous fluid and a breathing patient and operative to insufflate a quantity of the gaseous fluid into an entrance of a respiratory system of the patient after an inhalation interval and during an exhalation interval of an immediate breathing cycle and into a subsequent inhalation interval of a successive breathing cycle of the patient, comprising:
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(a) a valve assembly adapted to be disposed between and in fluid communication with the source of gaseous fluid and the entrance into the respiratory system of the patient and operative to actuate between a closed state whereby fluid communication is interrupted so that the gaseous fluid is prevented from flowing from the source of gaseous fluid to the entrance into the respiratory system of the patient and an opened state whereby fluid communication is established so that the gaseous fluid flows from the source of gaseous fluid to the entrance into the respiratory system of the patient; (b) a pressure transducer sensor in fluid communication with the entrance of the respiratory system of the breathing patient and operative to detect changes in breathing pressure of the breathing patient relative to an ambient pressure environment throughout the inhalation and exhalation intervals of the immediate breathing cycle of the patient and to generate sensor signals characteristic of the changes in the breathing pressure of the immediate breathing cycle; and (c) a microprocessor controller coupled to and between said sensor and said valve assembly and operative to receive and process the sensor signals generated by said sensor during the immediate breathing cycle to calculate how much of the quantity of the gaseous fluid is required by the breathing effort of the patient, said controller responsive to the sensor signals to actuate said valve assembly into the opened state so that the calculated quantity of gaseous fluid flows from the source of gaseous fluid to the entrance into the respiratory system of the patient during the exhalation interval of the immediate breathing cycle and into the subsequent inhalation interval of the successive breathing cycle, said controller further responsive to actuate said valve assembly into the closed state during the subsequent inhalation interval of the successive breathing cycle when the calculated quantity of gaseous fluid is delivered to the entrance into the respiratory system of the patient. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. An intermittent gas-insufflation apparatus adapted to be disposed between and in fluid communication with a source of pressurized gaseous fluid and a breathing patient and operative to insufflate a quantity of the gaseous fluid into an entrance of a respiratory system of the patient after an inhalation interval and during an exhalation interval of an immediate breathing cycle and into a subsequent inhalation interval of a successive breathing cycle of the patient, comprising:
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(a) a valve assembly adapted to be disposed between and in fluid communication with the source of gaseous fluid and the entrance into the respiratory system of the patient and operative to actuate between a closed state whereby fluid communication is interrupted so that the gaseous fluid is prevented from flowing from the source of gaseous fluid to the entrance into the respiratory system of the patient and an opened state whereby fluid communication is established so that the gaseous fluid flows from the source of gaseous fluid to the entrance into the respiratory system of the patient; (b) a pressure transducer sensor in fluid communication with the entrance of the respiratory system of the breathing patient and operative to detect changes in breathing pressure of the breathing patient relative to an ambient pressure environment throughout the inhalation and exhalation intervals of the immediate breathing cycle of the patient and to generate sensor signals characteristic of the changes in the breathing pressure of the immediate breathing cycle; and (c) a microprocessor controller coupled to and between said sensor and said valve assembly and operative to receive and process the sensor signals generated during one of the inhalation interval of the immediate breathing cycle, the exhalation interval of the immediate breathing cycle and the inhalation and exhalation intervals of the immediate breathing cycle, said controller responsive within the exhalation interval of the immediate breathing cycle to said sensor signals to actuate said valve assembly into the opened state so that the gaseous fluid flows from the source of gaseous fluid to the entrance into the respiratory system of the patient during the exhalation interval of the immediate breathing cycle and into the subsequent inhalation interval of the successive breathing cycle. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27)
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Specification