Nitric oxide delivery system

• US 8,646,445 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2010
• Issued: 02/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GENO LLC
• Original Assignee: GENO LLC
• Inventors: Fine, David H., Vasquez, Gregory, Johnson, Bryan, Fuller, Jody, Denton, Ryan
• Primary Examiner(s): Yu, Justine
• Assistant Examiner(s): SUL, DOUGLAS YOUNG
• Application Number:
  US12/951,811
• Publication Number:
  US 20110220103A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,177 Days
• Field of Search: 128/202.26, 128/203.12, 128/205.27, 128/204.17, 128/203.26, 128/203.27, 423/210, 423/235, 423/239.1, 423/239.2, 141/2, 141/3, 141/20, 141/31, 141/85, 961/39, 961/52, 553/25, 555/18, 604/13, 604/23, 604/24, 604/27, 422/213, 422/216
• US Class Current: 128/202.26
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 33/00 Medicinal preparations containing inorganic active ingredients
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0057 Pumps therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0066 Blowers or centrifugal pumps
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/104 specially adapted for anaesthetics A61M16/18 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/1075 by influencing the temperature A61M16/1045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/12 by mixing different gases
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/102 Measuring a parameter of the content of the delivered gas
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2202/0208 Oxygen
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2202/0275 Nitric oxide [NO]
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8206 battery-operated

Abstract

An ambulatory or stationary device for delivery of a therapeutic amount of nitric oxide to an individual'"'"'s lungs.

Claims

1. A system for delivering a therapeutic amount of nitric oxide, comprising:

a liquid reservoir containing dinitrogen tetroxide;

a tube coupled to the reservoir;

a first ribbed tube coupled to the tube, wherein the first ribbed tube comprises;

a plurality of hollow ribs,

wherein each rib comprises a volume, a base and a length that is a distance across the base of the rib; and

a surface-active material with a reducing agent, wherein a volume of the surface-active material is within each rib and a height of the surface-active material within each rib is a distance above the base of each rib the surface-active material extends into the rib, and wherein the length of each rib is less than twice the distance above the base of each rib the surface-active material extends into the rib, and the volume of each rib is greater than the volume of the surface-active material within each rib; and

a patient interface coupled to the first ribbed tube, wherein the first ribbed tube is configured to convert nitrogen dioxide in a gas flow into nitric oxide prior to reaching the patient interface.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the tube coupled to the reservoir is a quartz tube.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the tube coupled to the reservoir is silica tube.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the tube coupled to the reservoir has a bore size of about 50 microns.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the tube coupled to the reservoir has a bore size of about 25 microns or less.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the tube coupled to the reservoir has a bore size of 10 microns or less.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the tube coupled to the reservoir is sealed before use.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising an air pump in communication with the reservoir.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the pump is a battery-driven pump.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the patient interface is a mouth piece, nasal cannula, face mask, fully-sealed face mask or an endotracheal tube.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the reservoir contains compressed nitrogen dioxide with or without a diluent gas.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the reservoir further includes nitrogen, air, oxygen-enriched air, or substantially pure oxygen.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the surface-active material is a silica gel.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising a second ribbed tube coupled to the first ribbed tube, the second ribbed tube comprising a surface-active material and a reducing agent.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the patient interface is a delivery tube adapted to deliver the gas flow to the patient'"'"'s mouth or nose or an endotracheal tube attached to a ventilator or an anesthesia machine.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the reservoir is spherical.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the reservoir is a fused silica reservoir.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the reservoir is a non-reactive metal reservoir.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the non-reactive metal is palladium, silver, platinum, gold, aluminum or stainless steel.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the reservoir is an aluminum reservoir.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the reservoir is a stainless steel reservoir.

22. The system of claim 1, further comprising an insulation covering the reservoir and the tube coupled to the reservoir.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the insulation covering further comprises an alkaline solution.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the alkaline solution is calcium oxide, sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, potassium hydroxide, ammonium hydroxide, or sodium silicate.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein the gas is air or oxygen.

26. The system of claim 1, wherein the reducing agent is an antioxidant.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the antioxidant is an aqueous solution of an antioxidant.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the antioxidant is ascorbic acid, alpha tocopherol, or gamma tocopherol.

29. A device for delivering nitric oxide to a patient comprising:

a liquid reservoir containing dinitrogen tetroxide;

a tube coupled to the reservoir, wherein the tube coupled to the reservoir has a bore size of about 25 microns or less;

a first ribbed tube coupled to the tube, the first ribbed tube comprising a surface-active material saturated with an aqueous solution of an antioxidant and a plurality of ribs, wherein the volume within each rib is greater than the a volume of the surface-active material within each rib

a plurality of hollow ribs, wherein each rib comprises a volume, a base and a length that is a distance across the base of the rib; and

a surface-active material saturated with an aqueous solution of an antioxidant, wherein a volume of the surface-active material is within each rib and a height of the surface-active material within each rib is a distance above the base of each rib the surface-active material extends into the rib, and the length of each rib is less than twice the distance above the base of each rib the surface-active material extends into the rib, and the volume of each rib is greater than the volume of the surface-active material within each rib; and

a patient interface coupled to the first ribbed tube, wherein the first ribbed tube is configured to convert nitrogen dioxide in a gas flow into nitric oxide prior to reaching the patient interface.

30. The device of claim 29, comprising an air pump in communication with the reservoir.

31. The device of claim 29, wherein the pump is a battery-driven pump.

32. The device of claim 29, further comprising a nitrogen dioxide and/or a nitric oxide sensor.

33. The device of claim 32, wherein the nitrogen dioxide and/or nitric oxide sensor is calibrated automatically at periodic time intervals.

34. A ribbed tube comprising a body having a first end and a second end, wherein the body comprises

multiple hollow concentric ribs, wherein each rib comprises a base and a length that is a distance across the base of the rib, and each rib comprises a volume;

and

a surface-active material, wherein a volume of the surface-active material is within each rib and a height of the surface-active material within each rib is a distance above the base of each rib the surface-active material extends into the rib, and wherein the length of each rib is less than twice the distance above the base of each rib the surface-active material extends into the rib, and the volume of each rib is greater than the volume of the surface-active material within each rib.

35. The tube of claim 34, wherein the surface-active material is saturated with an aqueous solution of an antioxidant.

36. The tube of claim 34, wherein the surface-active material comprises a silica gel, activated charcoal, activated carbon, activated alumina or calcium sulfate.

37. The tube of claim 34, further comprising a reducing agent.

38. The tube of claim 35, wherein the reducing agent is an antioxidant.