Positive airway pressure therapy management module

• US 7,717,112 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2004
• Issued: 05/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Curative medical technology (suzhou) ltd.
• Original Assignee: Jianguo Sun
• Inventors: Sun, Jianguo, Miles, Laughton E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Douglas; Steven O
• Assistant Examiner(s): DIXON, ANNETTE FREDRICKA
• Application Number:
  US11/017,566
• Publication Number:
  US 20050188991A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,975 Days
• Field of Search: 128/204.18, 128/204.21, 128/204.22, 128/204.26, 128/200.24, 128/204.23, 128/205.11, 128/5.25, 128/206.12, 128/206.21, 128/207.11
• US Class Current: 128/204.23
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/411 Detecting or monitoring allergy or intolerance reactions to an allergenic agent or substance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4806 Sleep evaluation A61B5/4821 takes precedence; devices for inducing sleep A61M21/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/024 including calculation means, e.g. using a processor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/06 Respiratory or anaesthetic masks
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0633 with forehead support
• 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 2205/3569 sublocal, e.g. between console and disposable
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3592 using telemetric means, e.g. radio or optical transmission
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/04 Heartbeat characteristics, e.g. ECG, blood pressure modulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/205 partial oxygen pressure (P-O2)
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/40 Respiratory characteristics

Abstract

A positive airway pressure therapy management module includes a user interface, a controller and memory. The module may include ports that capture data from a PAP device and/or from sensors. The user interface may display information and questions, and may receive answers. The controller may store data while offline from the network, and may respond to requests over the network while online with the network. A software product includes instructions that, under control of a computer, perform steps for managing positive airway pressure therapy of a patient. A method for managing positive airway pressure therapy of a patient captures data and communicates the data over a network. The method may capture data from a PAP device and/or from sensors, display questions and receiving answers, and calculate indices and/or metrics, perform a pressure titration, and/or relay commands to a PAP device in response to commands from the network.

Claims

1. A positive airway pressure therapy management module, comprising:

a data port for capturing data from a PAP device that is separate from the management module;

one or more sensor ports configured with the management module and also separate from a PAP device, for direct interface with one or more sensors that generate sensor data;

a user interface for capturing prompted data;

a controller for processing one or more of the prompted data, the sensor data and the PAP device data and for communicating one or more of the prompted data, the sensor data and the PAP device data as positive airway pressure therapy data over a network; and

memory for storing the prompted data, the sensor data and the PAP device data.

2. The module of claim 1, wherein the user interface is configured to display information and questions, and to receive answers, as prompted data.

3. The module of claim 1, wherein the controller stores the positive airway pressure therapy data while offline from the network, and wherein, when the controller is online with the network, the controller responds to a request over the network to communicate stored positive airway pressure therapy data over the network.

4. The module of claim 1, wherein the controller communicates the positive airway pressure therapy data over the network to a remote interface, in real time.

5. The module of claim 1, the controller comprising firmware that is upgradeable over the network.

6. The module of claim 1, further comprising a therapy mask having:

a forehead support for securing the mask to a patient'"'"'s face, and;

an oximeter sensor configured with the forehead support, for contacting the patient'"'"'s forehead to provide real-time oxygen saturation data of the patient when the mask is worn during positive airway pressure therapy,

wherein the controller processes the prompted data and the oxygen saturation data and communicates the prompted data and the oxygen saturation data as the positive airway pressure therapy data.

7. The module of claim 6, the oximeter sensor configured with the forehead support such that the oximeter sensor rests proximate the patient'"'"'s supraorbital artery when the mask is worn by the patient;

the module further comprising a pneumatic subsystem for regulating pressure of the SpO2 sensor against the forehead of the patient.

8. The module of claim 7, the sensor selected from the group of a flow sensor, a forehead pressure sensor and an air pressure sensor.

9. The module of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more additional sensor ports comprises one of a pressure sensor port, a flow sensor port, an EKG sensor port, an SpO₂ sensor port, a respiration effort sensor port and a snore sensor port.

10. The module of claim 1, the controller configured to calculate one or more of an Apnea Hypopnea Index, a Respiratory Disturbance Index and a patient compliance metric as positive airway pressure therapy data.

11. The module of claim 1, the controller configured to perform a pressure titration using the PAP device.

12. The module of claim 11, the controller responsive to commands from the network to initiate performance of the pressure titration.

13. The module of claim 1, the controller configured to analyze the positive airway pressure therapy data to identify one or both of mask leaks and partial upper airway obstruction, and to display an indication of mask leak occurrence through the user interface.

14. The module of claim 1, the controller being responsive to signals over the network to relay commands to the PAP device.

15. A system for managing positive airway pressure therapy of a patient, comprising:

a PAP device; and

a management module separate from and communicatively connected with (1) the PAP device, for capturing and storing PAP device data from the PAP device, and (2) one or more sensors that are also separate from the PAP device, for directly capturing data of the patient from the sensors as positive airway pressure therapy data;

the management module configured for communicating the positive airway pressure therapy data to a remote interface, separate from the PAP device, over a network.

16. A software product comprising instructions, stored on computer-readable media, wherein the instructions, when executed by a computer, perform steps for managing positive airway pressure therapy of a patient, comprising:

instructions for capturing PAP device data from a PAP device;

instructions for operating a user interface to present information and to capture subjective quality of life responses as prompted data;

instructions for capturing sensor data directly from one or more sensors not associated with the PAP device;

instructions for storing data in memory and retrieving data from memory; and

instructions for communicating PAP device data, prompted data and sensor data over a network.

17. The software product of claim 16, further comprising instructions for calculating one or more of an Apnea Hypopnea Index, a Respiratory Disturbance Index, and a pressure titration.

18. A method for managing positive airway pressure therapy of a patient, comprising:

providing a therapy management module, the module having (1) a data port for connection with a separate PAP device, and (2) at least one sensor port configured with the management module and also separate from the PAP device, for connecting with one or more patient-worn sensors;

capturing sensor data directly from the one or more patient-worn sensors via the at least one sensor port;

communicating the sensor data as positive airway pressure data over a network, to a remote location;

accepting a treatment command from the remote location over the network, at the management module; and

modifying therapeutic conditions supplied by the PAP device, according to the treatment command, when the management module connects with the PAP device via the data port.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising capturing data from a PAP device as PAP device data;

and

communicating the PAP device data and the sensor data to the remote location as the positive airway pressure data.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising

storing at least one of the PAP device data and the sensor data as stored positive airway pressure therapy data, and

wherein communicating comprises communicating the stored positive airway pressure therapy data over the network when the management module is online with the network.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of communicating the positive airway pressure therapy data over the network occurs in response to a query from the network to the management module.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein capturing the sensor data from the one or more sensors connected to the patient comprises one or more of:

capturing airway pressure sensor data;

capturing flow sensor data;

capturing EKG sensor data;

capturing SpO₂ sensor data;

capturing respiration effort sensor data; and

capturing snore sensor data.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprising calculating, in response to a calculation command from the remote location, one or more of an Apnea Hypopnea Index, a Respiratory Disturbance Index and a patient compliance metric.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein modifying therapeutic conditions comprises performing a pressure titration in response to the treatment command.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein modifying therapeutic conditions comprises relaying commands from the management module to the PAP device in response to the treatment command from the remote location.

26. The method of claim 18, further comprising prompting for data via a user interface and capturing data entered via the user interface as prompted data.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein capturing prompted data through the user interface comprises displaying questions and receiving answers.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising displaying information through the user interface, the information comprising at least one of information relating to the therapeutic conditions supplied by the PAP device, instructions for utilizing the PAP device and suggestions for utilizing the PAP device.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein communicating comprises communicating the sensor data and the prompted data over the network as the positive airway pressure data.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

storing at least one of the prompted data and the sensor data as stored positive airway pressure data,

wherein communicating comprises communicating the stored positive airway pressure therapy data over the network when the management module is online with the network.

31. A positive airway pressure therapy management module comprising:

a data port for capturing data from a PAP device that is separate from the management module;

at least one sensor in the module and also separate from a PAP device, for sensing a condition of a patient and generating sensor data;

tubing for facilitating pneumatic communication between the sensor and the patient;

a controller for processing one or both of the PAP device data and the sensor data, and for communicating one or more of the sensor data and PAP device data as positive airway pressure therapy data over a network; and

memory for storing the sensor data and the PAP device data.