System for automatically weaning a patient from a ventilator, and method thereof

• US 6,668,829 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2002
• Issued: 12/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bernoulli Enterprise, Inc. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Cardiopulmonary Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Lockhorn, Nancy, Reynolds, Robert, Biondi, James W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo, Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): MITCHELL, TEENA KAY
• Application Number:
  US10/260,796
• Publication Number:
  US 20030037786A1
• Time in Patent Office: 456 Days
• Field of Search: 128/200.24, 128/898, 128/204.18, 128/204-1-2, 128/204.26, 128/204.29, 128/205.23, 128/207.14, 128/203-2-2, 128/203.27, 600/300, 600/301, 600/529, 600/538
• US Class Current: 128/204.21
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/00 Devices for influencing the respiratory system of patients by gas treatment, e.g. mouth-to-mouth respiration; Tracheal tubes stimulating the respiratory movement by mechanical, pneumatic or electrical means, iron lungs combined with gas breathing means A61H31/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0009 with sub-atmospheric pressure, e.g. during expiration
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0012 by Venturi means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0051 with alarm devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0078 Breathing bags
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0081 Bag or bellow in a bottle
• 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 16/1015 using a gas flush valve, e.g. oxygen flush valve
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0021 with a proportional output signal, e.g. from a thermistor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0027 pressure meter
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0039 in the inspiratory circuit
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0042 in the expiratory circuit
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/505 Touch-screens; Virtual keyboard or keypads; Virtual buttons; Soft keys; Mouse touches

Abstract

A patient ventilator system for automatically weaning a patient from a ventilator.

Claims

1. A method for automatically adjusting pressure support to a patient connected to a ventilator, the method comprising:

providing pressure support to a patient;

inputting values for a breath rate range;

measuring a current breath rate of the patient;

measuring an average breath rate of the patient;

comparing the current breath rate to the average breath rate to determine a lesser spontaneous breathing rate of the patient;

comparing the lesser spontaneous breathing rate to the breath rate range; and

automatically increasing the pressure support to the patient when the lesser spontaneous breathing rate falls below the breath rate range.

2. A method for automatically adjusting pressure support to a patient connected to a ventilator, the method comprising:

providing pressure support to a patient;

inputting values for a breath rate range and a frequency tidal volume ratio limit;

measuring a current breath rate of the patient;

measuring an average breath rate of the patient;

comparing the current breath rate to the average breath rate to determine a lesser spontaneous breathing rate of the patient;

comparing the lesser spontaneous breathing rate to the breath rate range;

measuring a current frequency tidal volume ratio of the patient;

comparing the current frequency tidal volume ratio to the frequency tidal volume limit; and

automatically increasing the pressure support to the patient when

(a) the lesser spontaneous breathing rate exceeds the breath rate range, and

(b) the current frequency tidal volume limit exceeds the frequency tidal volume limit.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the pressure support to the patient is increased by a rate between about 1% and about 20%.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising setting a low tidal volume alarm limit.

5. A method for automatically adjusting pressure support to a patient connected to a ventilator, the method comprising:

providing pressure support to a patient;

inputting values for a breath rate range and a frequency tidal volume ratio limit;

measuring a current breath rate of the patient;

measuring an average breath rate of the patient;

comparing the current breath rate to the average breath rate to determine a lesser spontaneous breathing rate of the patient;

comparing the lesser spontaneous breathing rate to the breath rate range;

measuring a current frequency tidal volume ratio of the patient;

comparing the current frequency tidal volume ratio to the frequency tidal volume limit; and

automatically decreasing the pressure support to the patient when

(a) the lesser spontaneous breathing rate falls within the breath rate range, and

(b) the current frequency tidal volume limit does not exceed the frequency tidal volume limit.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the pressure support to the patient is decreased by a rate between about 0.01% and about 0.1%.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising setting a low tidal volume alarm limit.