Nubulizer apparatus and method

• US 20050081844A1
• Filed: 08/12/2004
• Published: 04/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trudell Medical International (Trudell Medical Limited)
• Original Assignee: Trudell Medical International (Trudell Medical Limited)
• Inventors: Nuttall, Michael, Foley, Martin P., Grychowski, Jerry
• Granted Patent: US 7,270,123 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 128/200.140
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 11/002 by flow deviation causing inertial separation of transported particles
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 11/06 of the injector type
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2206/14 Static flow deviators in tubes disturbing laminar flow in tubes, e.g. archimedes screws

Abstract

A nebulizer for efficiently and reliably delivering aerosolized fluid to an inhaling patient is disclosed. The nebulizer, in one embodiment, includes a fluid channel air inlet and fluid channel air inlet valve responsive to either a manual force external of the nebulizer, or a patient'"'"'s breathing, to begin the nebulization process. The nebulizer also includes a fluid return channel to a fluid source, such as a removable vial, containing fluid to be aerosolized.

Claims

1. A nebulizer comprising:

a housing having a chamber for holding an aerosol;

an air outlet communicating with the chamber for permitting the aerosol to be withdrawn from the chamber;

an air inlet in communication with the chamber for allowing a supply of air to enter the chamber;

a pressurized gas inlet adjacent a fluid orifice, the pressurized gas inlet in communication with the chamber and the fluid orifice in communication with a fluid source via a fluid channel; and

a fluid return channel in communication with the chamber and the fluid source wherein a suction force generated by removal of fluid from the fluid source into the nebulizer during nebulization assists in recovering condensed fluid on a wall of the chamber.

2. The nebulizer of claim 1, wherein the fluid source comprises a vial releasably attached to the nebulizer.

3. The nebulizer of claim 2, wherein the vial comprises a nipple portion extending out from a bottom of the vial and configured to surround an end of the fluid channel.

4. The nebulizer of claim 1, further comprising a fluid channel air inlet valve movably disposed across a fluid channel air inlet, wherein the fluid channel air inlet is in communication with the fluid channel and the fluid orifice

5. The nebulizer of claim 1, further comprising a diverter positioned in the chamber adjacent to the pressurized gas inlet.

6. The nebulizer of claim 2, wherein the diverter and the pressurized gas inlet are in a fixed position relative to each other.

7. The nebulizer of claim 4, wherein the fluid channel air inlet valve comprises a flexible membrane.

8. The nebulizer of claim 1, further comprising a fluid return channel shield positioned in the chamber and over a lower portion of the chamber wall, the fluid return channel shield positioned to prevent pressurized gas and aerosol from hindering fluid entering the fluid return channel.

9. The nebulizer of claim 4, wherein the ambient air inlet comprises an ambient air inlet valve.

10. The nebulizer of claim 9, wherein the ambient air inlet valve comprises a one-way valve positioned to permit an intake of ambient air into the chamber and prevent an escape of air from the chamber.

11. The nebulizer of claim 10, wherein the ambient air inlet valve is integrally formed with the fluid channel air inlet valve.

12. The nebulizer of claim 8, further comprising a cone-shaped fluid nozzle positioned coaxially with respect to the pressurized gas inlet.

13. The nebulizer of claim 12, wherein the fluid return channel shield comprises a flange connected to, and extending radially from, the cone-shaped fluid nozzle.

14. The nebulizer of claim 1, wherein the air inlet comprises an ambient air inlet and the supply of air comprises ambient air.

15. A nebulizer for generating an aerosol, the nebulizer comprising:

a housing having a chamber for holding the aerosol;

an air outlet communicating with the chamber for permitting the aerosol to be withdrawn from the chamber;

a pressurized gas inlet located in the chamber;

a fluid orifice positioned at a fixed location in the chamber relative to the pressurized gas inlet, the fluid orifice in communication with a removably attached vial via a fluid channel;

a diverter positioned in the chamber in a fixed position relative to the pressurized gas inlet and the fluid orifice, wherein pressurized gas from the pressurized gas inlet is diverted over the fluid orifice, and wherein the diverter defines an aerosolization plane along which generated aerosol is directed;

a fluid channel air inlet in communication with the fluid channel; and

a fluid channel air inlet valve movably positioned adjacent the fluid channel air inlet, wherein the fluid channel air inlet valve is moveable in response to a patient'"'"'s breathing between a nebulizing position, where the fluid channel air inlet valve seals against the fluid channel air inlet to permit a negative pressure to draw a fluid through the fluid channel, and a non-nebulizing position, wherein the fluid channel air inlet valve permits air to enter the fluid channel air inlet so as to prevent formation of a negative pressure sufficient to draw fluid through the fluid channel; and

wherein the chamber has a first diameter in a plane substantially co-planar with the aerosolization plane and a second diameter in a plane other than the aerosolization plane, and wherein the first diameter is greater than the second diameter.

16. The nebulizer of claim 15, wherein the fluid channel air inlet valve is positioned in the housing having a first side of the valve in contact with ambient air outside the container and a second side of the valve in contact with a body of air inside the chamber, whereby the valve is movable both by physical contact with the first side of the valve and in response to a pressure change in the chamber.

17. The nebulizer of claim 15, wherein a one-way air inlet valve is disposed over the air inlet.

18. The nebulizer of claim 15, further comprising a mouthpiece having at least one one-way exhalation valve configured to allow air to escape the chamber upon exhalation.

19. The nebulizer of claim 18, wherein the mouthpiece is rotatably mounted in the air outlet.

20. The nebulizer of claim 19, wherein the at least one one-way valve comprises a flexible membrane positioned over an opening defined in a wall of the mouthpiece.

21. The nebulizer of claim 15, further comprising an anti-spill skirt positioned in the chamber adjacent the air outlet, wherein fluid from the nebulizer is prevented from escaping the nebulizer through the air outlet when the nebulizer is not actuated and is not in an upright position.

22. The nebulizer of claim 15, further comprising an air inlet in communication with the chamber.

23. The nebulizer of claim 21, wherein the air inlet comprises an ambient air inlet.

24. A nebulizer system comprising:

a source of fluid for nebulization; and

a nebulizer for nebulizing a fluid from the fluid source, the nebulizer comprising;

a housing having a chamber for holding an aerosol;

an air outlet communicating with the chamber for permitting the aerosol to be withdrawn from the chamber;

a pressurized gas inlet adjacent a fluid orifice, the pressurized gas inlet in communication with the chamber and the fluid orifice in communication with a fluid channel, wherein the pressurized gas inlet comprises a cone-shaped gas nozzle and a fluid nozzle comprises a coaxially positioned cone-shaped sleeve around the cone-shaped gas nozzle, and wherein a skirt portion extends radially outward from the cone-shaped fluid nozzle and extends substantially to an inner wall of the chamber;

a fluid reclamation opening defined by the inner wall of the chamber and an outer edge of the skirt portion;

a diverter positioned in the chamber adjacent to the pressurized gas inlet; and

a fluid return channel in communication with the fluid reclamation opening and a fluid return opening in source of fluid, wherein a suction force generated by removal of fluid from the source of fluid into the nebulizer during nebulizaton assists in recovering condensed fluid on a wall of the chamber.

25. The system of claim 24, further comprising a fluid channel air inlet valve movably disposed across a fluid channel air inlet, wherein the fluid channel air inlet is in communication with the fluid channel and the fluid orifice.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the source of fluid comprises a vial detachably connectable with the nebulizer.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the nebulizer further comprises a needle in communication with the fluid channel and removably positionable in an opening of the vial, the needle having a first cross-sectional shape along a first length such that a fluid return gap is defined between an outside of the needle and an inner diameter of an opening in the vial when the first length is positioned in the opening of the vial.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the fluid return gap is in communication with the chamber via a fluid return path that is separate from the fluid channel.

29. The system of claim 24, further comprising an air inlet in communication with the chamber.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the air inlet comprises an ambient air inlet.

31. A nebulizer comprising:

a housing having a chamber for holding an aerosol;

means for permitting aerosol to be withdrawn from the chamber;

means for allowing a supply of air to enter the chamber;

means for nebulizing fluid from a fluid source in communication with the chamber; and

a fluid return means for generating a suction force during nebulization to assist in the recovery of condensed fluid on a wall of the chamber.