FLOW CONTROL ADAPTER FOR PERFORMING SPIROMETRY AND PULMONARY FUNCTION TESTING

• US 20100031964A1
• Filed: 08/11/2009
• Published: 02/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SURGE INGENUITY CORPORATION
• Original Assignee: SURGE INGENUITY CORPORATION
• Inventors: Toloza, Eric Miguel, Turek, Joseph William
• Granted Patent: US 8,925,549 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 128/207.160
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0873 using optical means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/091 Measuring volume of inspired or expired gases, e.g. to determine lung capacity
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/097 Devices for facilitating collection of breath or for directing breath into or through measuring devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0465 Tracheostomy tubes; Devices for performing a tracheostomy; Accessories therefor, e.g. masks, filters
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0816 Joints or connectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0833 T- or Y-type connectors, e.g. Y-piece
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0841 for sampling
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0858 Pressure sampling ports
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/208 Non-controlled one-way valves, e.g. exhalation, check, pop-off non-rebreathing valves
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0027 pressure meter
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3368 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/502 User interfaces, e.g. screens or keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/583 by visual feedback

Abstract

A breathing circuit for a tracheostomized patient provides respiratory care and pulmonary function testing. The breathing circuit includes a flow control adapter that directs an inspiratory flow of air and an expiratory flow of air. The flow control adapter includes a subject port for coupling to a tracheostomy tube, an inspiratory port for coupling to an incentive spirometer, and an expiratory port. The flow control adapter further includes an adapter body and a one-way valve. The adapter body is configured to define an inspiratory fluid flow path between the inspiratory port and the subject port and to define an expiratory fluid flow path between the subject port and the expiratory port. The one-way valve substantially prevents air that flows generally along the inspiratory fluid flow path from flowing through the expiratory port during inspiration and allows air flowing generally along the expiratory fluid flow path to flow through the expiratory port during expiration.

Claims

1. A flow control adapter comprising:

a subject port adapted to couple to a tracheostomy tube;

an inspiratory port adapted to couple to an incentive spirometer;

an expiratory port;

an adapter body that defines an inspiratory fluid flow path between the inspiratory port and the subject port and that defines an expiratory fluid flow path between the subject port and the expiratory port during use; and

a one-way valve that substantially prevents air that flows substantially along the inspiratory fluid flow path from flowing through the expiratory port during inspiration and allows air flowing substantially along the expiratory fluid flow path to flow through the expiratory port during expiration.

2. The flow control adapter of claim 1, wherein the one-way valve is configured to be in a closed position during inspiration and at least partially open during expiration.

3. The flow control adapter of claim 1, wherein the one-way valve moves from a closed state to an at least partially open state in response to a pressure produced during expiration.

4. The flow control adapter of claim 3, wherein the one-way valve comprises a flow control element that is biased towards the closed state such that the one-way valve is closed when a pressure within the adapter body is below an expiratory pressure.

5. The flow control adapter of claim 1, wherein the one-way valve is positioned within a passageway of the expiratory port.

6. The flow control adapter of claim 5, wherein the one-way valve is fixedly coupled to a wall of the expiratory port defining the passageway.

7. A breathing circuit comprising:

an incentive spirometer;

a tracheostomy tube;

a pulmonary testing device; and

a flow control adapter having an inspiratory mode to fluidically couple the incentive spirometer to the tracheostomy tube while substantially preventing fluid communication between the pulmonary testing device and at least one of the tracheostomy tube and the incentive spirometer, the flow control adapter further having an expiratory mode to fluidically couple the tracheostomy tube to the pulmonary testing device.

8. The breathing circuit of claim 7, wherein the flow control adapter is in the inspiratory mode when a sufficient vacuum is drawn by a subject connected to the tracheostomy tube, the flow control adapter moves from the inspiratory mode to the expiratory mode in response to a pressure change in the flow control adapter caused by the subject.

9. The breathing circuit of claim 7, wherein the flow control adapter defines an inspiratory flow path between the incentive spirometer and the tracheostomy tube and defines an expiratory flow path between the tracheostomy tube and an expiratory port of the flow control adapter, the expiratory port spaced apart from the inspiratory flow path and fluidically coupled to the pulmonary testing device.

10. The breathing circuit of claim 9, wherein the flow control adapter further comprises a subject port coupled to the tracheostomy tube, an inspiratory port coupled to the incentive spirometer, and a one-way valve that substantially prevents air flow through the expiratory port during inspiration and allows air flow through the expiratory port during expiration.

11. The breathing circuit of claim 7, further comprising:

an inspiratory fluid line coupling the incentive spirometer to the flow control adapter; and

a patient line coupling the tracheostomy tube to the flow control adapter.

12. A method for performing spirometry, comprising:

delivering inspiratory air away from an incentive spirometer through a flow control adapter and into a tracheostomy tube while a valve of the flow control adapter is in a closed position;

delivering expiratory air away from a subject connected to the tracheostomy tube and into the flow control adapter;

delivering the expiratory air within the flow control adapter past the valve in an open position; and

delivering the expiratory air that has been delivered past the valve to a pulmonary testing device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein delivering the inspiratory air from the incentive spirometer is caused, at least in part, by inspiration of the subject.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

substantially preventing fluid communication between the pulmonary testing device and at least one of the incentive spirometer and the subject while delivering the inspiratory air away from the incentive spirometer.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein substantially all of the inspiratory air delivered through the flow control adapter and into the tracheostomy tube passes through an inspiratory port of the flow control adapter, the inspiratory port coupled to the incentive spirometer.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein substantially all of the expiratory air flowing out of the flow control adapter during expiration has flowed past the valve when the valve is in the open position.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

moving the valve from the closed position to the open position in response to a pressure change associated with breathing of the subject.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

inhibiting air flow between the incentive spirometer and the tracheostomy tube while delivering the expiratory air to the pulmonary testing device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein inhibiting the air flow is performed using a one-way valve in a closed position.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein inhibiting the air flow comprises substantially preventing any air flow between the incentive spirometer and the tracheostomy tube.

21. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

performing a lung function test using the pulmonary testing device.

22. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

incentive spirometry testing using the inspiratory air delivered away from the incentive spirometer.

23. A method comprising:

providing a breathing circuit including an incentive spirometer, a flow control device, and a pulmonary testing device;

incentive spirometry testing using the incentive spirometer while a patient inhales and the flow control device at least inhibits inspiratory air flow towards the pulmonary testing device; and

pulmonary testing using the pulmonary testing device while the patient exhales causing expiratory air flow through the flow control device towards the pulmonary testing device.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the flow control device has a valve in a closed position during the incentive spirometry testing and an open position during the pulmonary testing.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the patient is tracheostomized.