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

• US 7,017,574 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2003
• Issued: 03/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bernoulli Enterprise, Inc. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Cardiopulmonary Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Reynolds, Robert, Biondi, James W., Lockhorn, Nancy
• Primary Examiner(s): MITCHELL, TEENA KAY
• Application Number:
  US10/716,896
• Publication Number:
  US 20050051167A1
• Time in Patent Office: 862 Days
• Field of Search: 128/200.24, 128/204.18, 128/204.21, 128/204.22, 128/204.23, 128/204.26, 128/205.23, 128/207.14, 128/898, 600/529, 600/538, 600/300, 600/301
• 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 weaning a patient from a ventilator, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) measuring the patient'"'"'s spontaneous breathing rate;

(b) measuring the patient'"'"'s minute volume;

(c) comparing the patient'"'"'s spontaneous breathing rate to a predetermined range of breathing rates;

(d) comparing the patient'"'"'s minute volume to a predetermined tidal volume; and

(e) weaning the patient from the ventilator in response to the comparisons in steps (c) and (d).

2. The method for automatically weaning a patient from the ventilator of claim 1, the method further comprising the step of:

(f) decreasing the patient'"'"'s pressure support level if;

(i) the patient'"'"'s spontaneous breathing rate falls within the predetermined range of breathing rates, and,

(ii) the patient'"'"'s minute volume exceeds the predetermined minute volume.

3. The method for automatically weaning a patient from the ventilator of claim 1, the method further comprising the step of:

(f) increasing the patient'"'"'s support level if;

(i) the patient'"'"'s spontaneous breathing rate falls outside the predetermined range of breathing rate; and

(ii) the patient'"'"'s minute volume is exceeded by the predetermined minute volume.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising adjusting the amount of pressure support between zero and PEEP.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the patient'"'"'s pressure support level is decreased by a rate between 0.01% and 0.1%.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising setting a low pressure alarm limit.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein measuring the patient'"'"'s spontaneous breath rate further comprises calculating an average breath rate and a current breath rate from patient'"'"'s spontaneous breath rate to obtain the patient'"'"'s breath rate.

8. A ventilator system for automatically weaning a patient from a ventilator, comprising:

a spontaneous breathing rate monitor;

a minute volume flow meter; and

a data processing unit in electrical communication with said breathing rate monitor, and said flow meter, wherein, said data processing unit processes data from said breath rate monitor and said minute flow monitor, assesses the ventilation requirements of the patient from said processed data, and weans the patient from the ventilator according to the assessed ventilation requirements.

9. The ventilator system of claim 8 further comprising a pneumatic system comprising a flexible airway, a source of pressurized gas, a rigid chamber, a flexible chamber and a Venturi valve.

10. The ventilator system of claim 9 further comprising a high speed pneumatically driven, electronically controlled proportional valve and dual Venturi systems.

11. The ventilator system of claim 8 further comprises a touch screen in electrical communication with a display controller processor.

12. The ventilator system of claim 8 wherein said data processing unit comprises a real time data processor in electrical communication with a ventilatory unit processor and an airway processor.

13. A method for automatically weaning a patient from a ventilator, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) determining the patient'"'"'s spontaneous breathing rate;

(b) measuring the patient minute volume;

(c) comparing the patient'"'"'s breath rate to the predetermined breath rate range;

(d) comparing the patient'"'"'s minute volume to the predetermined minute volume;

(e) assessing from steps (a)–

(d) the ventilation requirements of the patient; and

(f) weaning the patient from the ventilator according to the assessed ventilation requirements.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising calculating an average breath rate and a current breath rate to obtain the patient'"'"'s breath rate.