Apparatus and method for the treatment of an upper airway flow limitation

• US 20060150975A1
• Filed: 03/13/2006
• Published: 07/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Australian Centre For Advanced Medical Technology Pty Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Australian Centre For Advanced Medical Technology Pty Ltd.
• Inventors: Sullivan, Colin
• Granted Patent: US 7,607,432 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 128/204.230
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/024 including calculation means, e.g. using a processor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0039 in the inspiratory circuit
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/50 with microprocessors or computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/04 Heartbeat characteristics, e.g. ECG, blood pressure modulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/10 Electroencephalographic signals

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for the treatment of an upper airway flow limitation, the apparatus including a means to detect an interruption in an upper airway inspiratory flow rate of the patient and further including a treatment means which treats the upper airway flow limitation on detection of the interruption cycle.

Claims

1. An apparatus for the treatment of an upper airway flow limitation in a patient, the apparatus including:

(a) a means to detect at least one interruption cycle in an upper airway inspiration flow rate of the patient wherein the interruption cycle is characterized by a decrease in upper airway inspiratory flow rate followed by an increase in the upper airway inspiratory flow rate; and

(b) a treatment means which treats the upper airway flow limitation on detection of said at least one interruption cycle in the upper airway inspiratory flow rate.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the detection means is adapted to detect a plurality of interruption cycles.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 when used in the treatment of hypertension caused by pre-eclampsia.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means to detect the at least one interruption cycled includes a means for measuring vibrations in a patient'"'"'s airway.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the means to detect the at least one interruption cycle further includes a means for identifying those measured airway vibrations which indicate an upper airway flow limitation.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means to detect the at least one interruption cycle includes a flow rate measurement means which measures the air flow intake rate in the airway of the patient.

21. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the treatment means is a device which applied continuous positive airway pressure to the airway of the patient.

22. The apparatus of claim 1, claim 7 or claim 8 wherein the treatment means has two modes of treatment, a first treatment mode when the patient is awake and a second treatment mode when the patient is asleep.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 herein, in the first treatment mode, a relatively minimally intrusive continuous positive airway pressure is delivered to the airway of the patient.

24. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein, in the second treatment mode, a relatively higher continuous positive airway pressure is delivered to the airway of the patient than in the first treatment mode, the continuous positive airway pressure being set so as to be sufficient to treat the upper airway flow limitation in the patient.

25. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein the treatment means further includes a sleep sensor which determines whether the patient is asleep or awake.

26. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the sleep sensor emits a signal upon sensing whether the patient is asleep or upon sensing that the patient is awake.

27. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein the treatment means further includes a switching means and whereupon receiving a signal from the sleep sensor, the switching means causes the treatment means to switch from one treatment mode to the other treatment mode.

28. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the sleep sensor senses that the patient is asleep when there is a reduced average airflow into the airway of the patient.

29. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein the sleep sensor further includes a movement detector which detects the respiration effort in the patient.

30. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein the sleep sensor senses that the patient is asleep when there is a reduced respiration effort in the patient.

31. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the sleep sensor includes an electrocardiograph.

7. An apparatus for the treatment of hypertension caused by pre-eclampsia, the apparatus including:

(a) a flow rate measurement means which measures an air flow intake rate in an airway of a patient; and

(b) a treatment means which treats an upper airway flow limitation in the patient in response to detecting an interruption cycle in the air flow intake rate, said interruption cycle characterized by a decrease in the air flow intake rate followed by an increase in the airflow intake rate so as to alleviate hypertension caused by pre-eclampsia.

8. An apparatus for the treatment of hypertension caused by pre-eclampsia, the apparatus including:

(a) a measuring means for measuring airway vibrations in the patient;

(b) identification means which identifies those measured airway vibrations which are indicative of an interruption cycle in an upper airway; and

(c) treatment means which treats the upper airway flow limitation in the patient upon detection of the interruption cycle.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 when used for the treatment of hypertension caused by pre-eclampsia.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein airway vibrations in the frequency range of about 0.2 to about 10 Hz are identified by the identification means as indicative of the upper airway flow limitation.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein airway vibrations in the frequency range of about 0.5 to about 5 Hz are identified by the identification means as indicative of the upper airway flow limitation.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the identification means is capable of generating a signal representative of the breathing cycle of the patient.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the identification means includes a comparator means which compares the signal representative of the breathing cycle with a signal representative of the airway vibrations and produces an output signal representative of the comparison.

14. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the measuring means is selected from the group consisting of a pressure detector comprising a piezoelectric transducer and an accelerometer comprising an integrated circuit containing a floating piezoelectric transducer.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the pressure detector or accelerometer is placed on or under a bed on which a patient sleeps.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein a further pressure detector or accelerometer is attached to the bed frame or incorporated into a pillow.

17. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the pressure detector or accelerometer is attached to a hearing aid placed in an ear of the patient.

18. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the measuring means is a pressure detector comprising a piezoelectric transducer and further wherein the pressure detector comprises one or a plurality of sheets of piezoelectric plastic material.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the piezoelectric plastic material is attached to a firm rubber or plastic backing sheet.

20. The apparatus of claim 18 or 19 wherein the pressure detector detects both sub-audible vibrations of the patient'"'"'s airway and low frequency movements of the breathing cycle of the patient.

32. A method of treating an upper airway flow limitation in a patient including the steps of:

(a) detecting at least one interruption cycle in an upper airway respiratory flow rate of the patient wherein the interruption cycle is characterized by a decrease in upper airway inspiratory flow rate followed by an increase in the upper airway inspiratory flow rate; and

(b) treating the upper airway flow limitation on detection of an interruption cycle in the upper airway inspiratory flow rate.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the detecting step comprises detecting a plurality of interruption cycles in the upper airway inspiratory flow rate.

34. The method of claim 32 or claim 33 wherein hypertension caused by pre-eclampsia is treated.

41. The method of claim 32 or 35 or 36 wherein the step of treating the upper airway flow limitation includes applying continuous positive airway pressure to the airway of the patient.

42. The method of claim 41 wherein the step of treating the patient is carried out in two modes, a first treatment mode when the patient is awake and a second treatment mode when the patient is asleep.

43. The method of claim 42 further including the step of determining whether the patient is asleep or awake.

44. The method of claim 43 further including the step of switching between the two modes of treatment upon determining whether the patient is asleep or awake.

45. The method of claim 44 wherein whether the patient is asleep or awake is determined by the average airflow into the airway of the patient and further wherein a reduced average airflow in the airway of the patient indicates that the patient is sleeping.

46. The method of claim 43 wherein whether the patient is asleep or awake is determined by the respiration effort of the patient and further wherein a reduced respiration effort indicates that the patient is asleep.

47. The method of claim 43 wherein whether the patient is awake or asleep is determined by analysis of an electrocardiogram of the patient.

35. A method of treating a patient for hypertension caused by pre-eclampsia, the method including the steps of:

measuring an air flow intake rate in an airway of the patient in response to an interruption cycle in the air flow intake rate, said interruption cycle characterized by a decrease in the airflow intake rate followed by an increase in the airflow intake rate so as to alleviate hypertension caused by pre-eclampsia.

36. A method of treating a patient for hypertension caused by pre-eclampsia, the method including the steps of:

(a) measuring airway vibrations in the patient;

(b) identifying those measured airway vibrations which are indicative of an interruption cycle in an upper airway; and

(c) on identification or an interruption cycle in an upper airway, treating the upper airway flow limitation in the patient.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein airway vibrations identified in the frequency range of about 0.2 to about 10 Hz are taken as indicative of the upper airway flow limitation.

38. The method of claim 36 wherein airway vibrations identified in the frequency range of about 0.5 to about 5 Hz are taken as indicative of the upper airway flow limitation.

39. The method of claim 36 further including a step of identifying movements indicative of the breathing cycle of the patient.

40. The method of claim 39 further including the step of comparing movements indicative of the breathing cycle with the measured airway vibrations.