Leak-compensated pressure triggering in medical ventilators

• US 8,272,380 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Issued: 09/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Covidien LP (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Nellcor Puritan Bennett LLC (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Jafari, Mehdi M., Aviano, Jeffrey K., Jimenez, Rhomere S., Upham, Gail F.
• Primary Examiner(s): DOUGLAS, STEVEN O
• Application Number:
  US12/242,756
• Publication Number:
  US 20090241951A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,456 Days
• Field of Search: 128/202.22, 128/204.18, 128/204.21, 128/204.23, 128/204.26, 128/848, 128/205.25, 128/207.18
• US Class Current: 128/204.21
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0057 Pumps therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0063 Compressors
• 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 16/04 Tracheal tubes catheters in general A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/06 Respiratory or anaesthetic masks
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0666 Nasal cannulas or tubing devices for improving normal breathing through the nose A61F5/08; nose filters A62B23/06; outside holding devices A61M25/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0875 Connecting tubes
• 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 2016/0033 electrical
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/15 Detection of leaks
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/502 User interfaces, e.g. screens or keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/52 with memories providing a history of measured variating parameters of apparatus or patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/46 Resistance or compliance of the lungs

Abstract

This disclosure describes systems and methods for compensating for inelastic and elastic leaks in a ventilation system. The disclosure describes a model-based enhancement to conventional pressure triggering methodology that optimizes the timing and patient work of pressure triggering performance. The methods and systems described herein compensate for the additional effort a patient has to exert to generate the same amount of airway pressure drops compared to no leak condition. One method described includes calculating an elastic leakage and an inelastic leakage based on current measurements of pressure and flow in the ventilation system and then compensating a pressure threshold for the effects of the inelastic and elastic leaks in the system.

Claims

1. A method of compensating for leakage in a ventilation system during delivery of gas from a medical ventilator to a patient comprising:

estimating leakage from the ventilation system during delivery of gas to the patient based on measurements of at least one of pressure and flow;

modeling the leakage as a first leakage component through a first orifice of a fixed size and a second leakage component through a second orifice of a varying size, wherein the first and second leakage components are different functions of one or more of instantaneous pressure and instantaneous flow in the ventilation system;

estimating instantaneous lung flow of gas exhaled or inhaled by the patient during an exhalation phase;

identifying a target pressure trigger threshold indicative of patient inspiratory effort;

monitoring an instantaneous pressure at a location in the ventilation system based on one or more measurements of instantaneous pressure or instantaneous flow in the ventilation system;

generating a leak-compensated pressure trigger condition based on the monitored instantaneous pressure, the target pressure trigger threshold, the estimated instantaneous lung flow and the second leakage component; and

using the leak-compensated pressure trigger condition to determine when the patient has begun to initiate an inhalation.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein using comprises:

triggering an inhalation cycle of the medical ventilator based on the leak-compensated pressure trigger condition.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein monitoring the instantaneous pressure further comprises:

generating an estimate of the instantaneous pressure drop at a patient interface based on one or more measurements taken at a different location in the ventilation system.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating the leak-compensated pressure trigger condition based on the estimated instantaneous lung flow, the monitored instantaneous pressure, the target pressure trigger threshold, the second leakage component and the first leakage component.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

in a subsequent breath, repeating one or more of the operations of claim 1 to generate a revised leak-compensated pressure trigger condition.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

estimating leakage from the ventilation system during delivery of gas to the patient based on measurements of at least one of pressure and flow taken from a previous breath.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

estimating leakage from the ventilation system during delivery of gas to the patient based on measurements of at least one of pressure and flow taken over a plurality of previous breaths.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

estimating an attribute indicative of compliance or resistance of the ventilation system; and

generating the leak-compensated pressure trigger condition based on the estimated instantaneous lung flow, the monitored instantaneous pressure, the target pressure trigger threshold, the second leakage component and the attribute of the ventilation system.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the target pressure trigger threshold indicative of patient inspiratory effort is estimated based on the estimated instantaneous lung flow of gas inhaled by the patient.

10. A method of compensating for leakage in a ventilation system during delivery of gas from a medical ventilator to a patient comprising:

identifying an inelastic leakage in the ventilation system as a first function of at least one of a pressure measurement and a flow measurement in the ventilation system;

identifying an elastic leakage in the ventilation system as a second function of at least one of the pressure measurement and the flow measurement in the ventilation system; and

determining that the patient is initiating an inspiration based on the inelastic leakage, the elastic leakage and the at least one of the pressure measurement and the flow measurement in the ventilation system.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

identifying an initial pressure trigger threshold for use when there is no leakage in the ventilation system; and

generating a leak-compensated pressure trigger condition based on the initial pressure trigger threshold, the inelastic leakage, the elastic leakage and at least one of the pressure measurement and the flow measurement in the ventilation system.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein determining that the patient is initiating an inspiration comprises:

monitoring the pressure measurement in the ventilation system; and

comparing the pressure measurement to the leak-compensated pressure trigger condition.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

based on the comparing operation, triggering an action by the medical ventilator.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the action is initiating an inhalation cycle.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein identifying the leak-compensated pressure trigger condition comprises:

estimating instantaneous lung flow of gas inhaled by the patient during system exhalation phase; and

calculating the leak-compensated pressure trigger condition based on the estimated instantaneous lung flow.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein determining that the patient is initiating an inspiration further comprises:

calculating a leak-compensated pressure trigger condition based on the inelastic leakage, the elastic leakage and the pressure measurement in the ventilation system; and

comparing the leak-compensated pressure trigger condition to the pressure measurement in the ventilation system.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

upon receipt of a pressure measurement, calculating an instantaneous inelastic leakage and an instantaneous elastic leakage based on a received pressure measurement; and

recalculating the leak-compensated pressure trigger condition based on the instantaneous inelastic leakage, the instantaneous elastic leakage and the received pressure measurement.

18. A pressure support system comprising:

a pressure generating system adapted to generate a flow of breathing gas;

a ventilation system including a patient interface device;

one or more sensors operatively coupled to the pressure generating system or the ventilation system, each sensor capable of generating an output indicative of a pressure of the breathing gas;

a processor;

an elastic leak estimation module that identifies an elastic leakage in the ventilation system;

a compensation module that generates a leak-compensated pressure trigger condition based on the elastic leakage and at least one output indicative of a pressure of the breathing gas; and

an inspiration detection module that determines when a patient has begun to inhale based on the leak-compensated pressure trigger condition and an output of at least one sensor.

19. The system of claim 18 further comprising:

an inelastic leak estimation module that identifies an inelastic leakage in the ventilation system; and

wherein the compensation module further generates the leak-compensated pressure trigger condition based on the inelastic leakage.

20. The system of claim 19 further comprising:

a pressure monitoring module that monitors at least one output of the one or more sensors and provides data indicative of the pressure of the breathing gas to the elastic leak estimation module.

21. A controller for a medical ventilator comprising:

a microprocessor; and

a pressure trigger compensation means for adjusting an initial pressure trigger threshold, based on;

identifying an elastic leakage in a ventilation system as a first function of at least one of a pressure measurement and a flow measurement in the ventilation system;

identifying an inelastic leakage in the ventilation system as a second function of at least one of the pressure measurement and the flow measurement in the ventilation system; and

generating a leak-compensated pressure trigger condition based on the initial pressure trigger threshold, the inelastic leakage, the elastic leakage and at least one of the pressure measurement and the flow measurement in the ventilation system.

22. The controller of claim 21 wherein the pressure trigger compensation means further comprises:

an inelastic leak estimation module that identifies the instantaneous inelastic leakage in the ventilation system; and

an elastic leak estimation module that identifies the instantaneous elastic leakage in the ventilation system.

23. The controller of claim 21 wherein the pressure trigger compensation means comprises:

a compensation module that generates the leak-compensated pressure trigger condition based on the instantaneous elastic leakage and at least one sensor output indicative of the pressure measurement in the ventilation system.