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Apparatus and method for measuring respiratory airway resistance and airway collapsibility in patients

  • US 5,720,709 A
  • Filed: 08/01/1996
  • Issued: 02/24/1998
  • Est. Priority Date: 10/25/1995
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for measuring airways resistance of a person by occluding inhalation of said person during a short interval and for measuring collapsibility of the airways of the person by gradually increasing flow resistance through said apparatus, said apparatus comprising:

  • a face mask of a solid material adapted to be tightly attached to face portions of the person and surrounding at least a nose of the person, said mask having a plenum close to the face portions, continued by a passage of smaller dimensions and an inlet channel and an outlet channel extending from said passage towards a respective inlet and outlet opening,a pneumotachograph positioned in said passage and communicating with a pressure measuring device through openings provided in said mask to both sides of said pneumotachograph,indicating and recording means attached to said pressure measuring device, and configured to indicate pressure before, during and immediately after each total occlusion, as well as air flow through said pneumotachograph,an outlet valve mounted in said outlet channel,an elastic balloon completely filled with a liquid and positioned in a portion of circular cross section of said inlet channel, said elastic balloon configured to be inflated until there is total occlusion of said inlet channel, to be completely deflated for free air flow through said inlet channel, as well as to be partly inflated to cause a predesignated air flow resistance in said inlet channel, anda hand-operated syringe including a cylinder and a piston, remote from said face mask and communicating with said balloon through inelastic piping, both said syringe and piping being completely filled with liquid, said syringe being configured to inflate and to deflate said balloon in accordance with a position of said piston in said cylinder.

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