Interface accessory for use with an aerosol inhalation system
First Claim
1. An accessory for an aerosol inhalation system comprising:
- a main conduit body having an outlet end for placement close to a mouth of a patient;
a first leg conduit in fluid communication with the main conduit body and including a distal end;
a second leg conduit in fluid communication with the main conduit body and including a distal end, the second leg conduit being spaced apart from the first leg conduit;
a first port formed as part of the first leg conduit for attachment to a device that generates aerosol particles as a means for delivering medication to the patient;
a second port formed as part of the first leg conduit;
a third port formed as part of the second leg conduit;
a holding chamber having a first compartment and a second compartment separated from the first compartment, with the first compartment being sealingly and fluidly coupled to the second port and the second compartment being sealingly and fluidly coupled to the third port; and
an arrangement of valves such that when the patient exhales, the first leg conduit is sealingly closed off from the main conduit body and the second leg conduit resulting in the aerosol particles flowing into and being held in the first compartment of the holding chamber and conversely, when the patient inhales, the first leg conduit is opened to the main conduit body and in fluid communication with the second leg conduit resulting in the aerosol particles delivered through the first port being delivered to the patient,wherein the holding chamber is defined by a reservoir bag with the first and second compartments defined therein and separated from one another by a bi-furcating wall, the reservoir bag being formed of a expandable/collapsible material, wherein the reservoir bag includes a fourth port integrally formed therewith and fluidly in communication with the first compartment and a fifth port integrally formed therewith and fluidly in communication with the second compartment, each of the fourth and fifth ports including fastening features that permit them to be sealingly mated with the second and third ports.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
According to one aspect of the present invention, an accessory for an aerosol inhalation system includes a main conduit body having an outlet end for placement close to a mouth of a patient, and first and second leg conduits that are in fluid communication with the main conduit body. The accessory further includes a holding chamber having a first compartment and a second compartment separated from the first compartment, with the first compartment being sealingly and fluidly coupled to the one port associated with the first leg conduit and the second compartment is sealingly and fluidly coupled to a port associated with the second leg conduit. An arrangement of valves is provided for directing fluid along prescribed flow paths depending on whether the patient inhales or exhales.
-
Citations
27 Claims
-
1. An accessory for an aerosol inhalation system comprising:
-
a main conduit body having an outlet end for placement close to a mouth of a patient; a first leg conduit in fluid communication with the main conduit body and including a distal end; a second leg conduit in fluid communication with the main conduit body and including a distal end, the second leg conduit being spaced apart from the first leg conduit; a first port formed as part of the first leg conduit for attachment to a device that generates aerosol particles as a means for delivering medication to the patient; a second port formed as part of the first leg conduit;
a third port formed as part of the second leg conduit;
a holding chamber having a first compartment and a second compartment separated from the first compartment, with the first compartment being sealingly and fluidly coupled to the second port and the second compartment being sealingly and fluidly coupled to the third port; andan arrangement of valves such that when the patient exhales, the first leg conduit is sealingly closed off from the main conduit body and the second leg conduit resulting in the aerosol particles flowing into and being held in the first compartment of the holding chamber and conversely, when the patient inhales, the first leg conduit is opened to the main conduit body and in fluid communication with the second leg conduit resulting in the aerosol particles delivered through the first port being delivered to the patient, wherein the holding chamber is defined by a reservoir bag with the first and second compartments defined therein and separated from one another by a bi-furcating wall, the reservoir bag being formed of a expandable/collapsible material, wherein the reservoir bag includes a fourth port integrally formed therewith and fluidly in communication with the first compartment and a fifth port integrally formed therewith and fluidly in communication with the second compartment, each of the fourth and fifth ports including fastening features that permit them to be sealingly mated with the second and third ports.
-
-
2. An accessory for an aerosol inhalation system comprising:
-
a main conduit body having an outlet end for placement close to a mouth of a patient; a first leg conduit in fluid communication with the main conduit body and including a distal end; a second leg conduit in fluid communication with the main conduit body and including a distal end, the second leg conduit being spaced apart from the first leg conduit; a first port formed as part of the first leg conduit for attachment to a device that generates aerosol particles as a means for delivering medication to the patient; a second port formed as part of the first leg conduit;
a third port formed as part of the second leg conduit;
a holding chamber having a first compartment and a second compartment separated from the first compartment, with the first compartment being sealingly and fluidly coupled to the second port and the second compartment being sealingly and fluidly coupled to the third port;an arrangement of valves such that when the patient exhales, the first leg conduit is sealingly closed off from the main conduit body and the second leg conduit resulting in the aerosol particles flowing into and being held in the first compartment of the holding chamber and conversely, when the patient inhales, the first leg conduit is opened to the main conduit body and in fluid communication with the second leg conduit resulting in the aerosol particles delivered through the first port being delivered to the patient; and a supplemental gas port in fluid communication with the second compartment and for attachment to a supplemental gas source that delivers a prescribed amount of gas to the second compartment to supplement the flow of the aerosol particles through the first port; wherein the holding chamber is defined by a reservoir bag with the first and second compartments defined therein and separated from one another by a bi-furcating wall, the reservoir bag being formed of a expandable/collapsible material. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
-
-
18. An aerosol inhalation system comprising:
-
at least one device for producing aerosol particles for delivering medication to a patient through a piece of equipment in communication with a respiratory system of the patient; an accessory for interfacing between the at least one device and the piece of equipment, the accessory comprising; a main conduit body having a first end connected to the piece of equipment and a second end, wherein aerosol particles produced by the device flow into the first end and into the main conduit body toward the second leg, the main conduit body including a patient port that is for placement close to a mouth of a patient for delivering the medication thereto; a first leg conduit in fluid communication with the main conduit body and including a distal end; a second leg conduit in fluid communication with the main conduit body and including a distal end, the second leg conduit being spaced apart from the first leg conduit; a holding chamber having a first compartment and a second compartment separated from the first compartment, with the first compartment being sealingly and fluidly coupled to the first leg and the second compartment being sealingly and fluidly coupled to the second leg; and an arrangement of valves including a first valve in the form on an inhalation valve that is disposed along the main conduit body between the first and second legs and between the second leg and the patient port, wherein when the first valve opens, a flow path is created between the device that produces the aerosol particles and the patient port and between the second leg and patient to permit the medication to flow freely through the main conduit body to the patient, wherein when the first valve is closed, medication is prevented from flowing from the device to the patient port and from the second leg to the patient port, thereby resulting in the medication being stored in the second compartment which is open to the main conduit body, wherein a second valve is provided for venting the main conduit body when the patient exhales; wherein the holding chamber is defined by a reservoir bag with the first and second compartments therein and separated from one another by a bi-furcating wall, the reservoir bag being formed of a expandable/collapsible material. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
-
-
26. An accessory for an aerosol inhalation system comprising:
-
a main conduit body having an outlet port for placement close to a mouth of a patient; at least a first leg and a second leg each in fluid communication with the main conduit body and located along a longitudinal length of the main conduit body; a device that generates aerosol particles as a means for delivering medication to the patient through the outlet port, the device being in fluid communication with the main conduit body; a holding chamber having a first compartment and a second compartment separated from the first compartment, with the first compartment being sealingly and fluidly coupled to the first leg and the second compartment being sealingly and fluidly coupled to the second leg; a supplemental gas source that is in fluid communication with the first compartment of the holding chamber for delivering supplemental gas thereto; and an arrangement of valves such that when the patient exhales, the first and second legs are sealingly closed off from the outlet port of the main conduit body resulting in the aerosol particles that enter the main conduit body from the device being directed into and stored within the second compartment until when the patient inhales and a flow path is established between both the device and the outlet port and the second compartment and the outlet port resulting in the aerosol particles being delivered to the patient, wherein the arrangement of valves includes a supplemental gas valve that is located within the first leg and moves between an open position, when the patient inhales, where the supplemental gas flows to the main conduit body and a closed position where the supplemental gas is prevented from flowing into the main conduit body and is stored in the first compartment, the second leg being located along the main conduit body such that the aerosol particles entering the main conduit body can flow to the second compartment without passing though a valve;
wherein the holding chamber is defined by a reservoir bag with the first and second compartments therein and separated from one another by a bi-furcating wall, the reservoir bag being formed of a expandable/collapsible material. - View Dependent Claims (27)
-
Specification