Respiratory mask with cheek supports
AssigneeFisher & Paykel Healthcare Limited
InventorsAndrew Paul Maxwell Salmon, Jonathan David Harwood
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A respiratory mask can have a frame supporting a sealing arrangement. Various features of the frame and sealing arrangement can improve comfort and reduce the occurrence of pressure sores. The frame can include cheek supports that have a large surface area configured to spread loads over a greater area of the patient's face and therefore reduce the forces applied to the face and the occurrence of point loads. The seal can have a main body that includes a spring with a silicone skin, wherein the spring applies a substantially constant force to the face and/or nares of the patient.
Claims20
A respiratory mask, comprising:
- a sealing arrangement;
- a frame comprising a pair of cheek supports and bridge portion;
- a headgear;
- wherein the frame and the headgear cooperate to define a fixed length loop;
- wherein, the cheek supports have a large contact area configured, in use, to engage non-boney regions of a patient's cheeks, and the bridge portion extends between the cheek supports and supports the sealing arrangement;
- wherein the sealing arrangement comprises a pair of nasal prongs, each comprising a main body and a sealing surface that defines an outlet, wherein the main body comprises an elongated tube having a wall structure comprising a constant-force spring configured to bias the sealing surface towards a nare of the patient, wherein the constant-force spring permits the nasal prong to accommodate patients of varying head circumferences and facial geometry by automatically adjusting in length while applying a constant force to the nare of the patient within an adjustment range.
A respiratory mask, comprising:
- a frame comprising a pair of cheek supports and a bridge portion;
- a sealing arrangement;
- wherein the cheek supports have a large contact area configured, in use, to engage non-boney regions of a patient's cheeks;
- wherein the bridge portion extends between the cheek supports and the sealing arrangement is supported by the bridge portion;
- wherein the sealing arrangement comprises a pair of nasal prongs, each comprising a main body and a sealing surface that defines an outlet, wherein the main body comprises an elongate tube having a wall structure comprising a constant-force spring covered with a thin material, wherein the main body is compressible within a displacement range, wherein the constant-force spring is configured such that the sealing surface applies a constant sealing force to a nare of the patient resulting from compression between 1 to 15 millimeters within the displacement range.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.