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Intermittent gas-insufflation apparatus

  • US 5,697,364 A
  • Filed: 06/07/1995
  • Issued: 12/16/1997
  • Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1995
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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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:

  • (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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