Patient interface systems for ensuring effective seal
AssigneeResMed Pty Ltd
InventorsMatthew Eves, Adam Francis Barlow, Gerard Michael Rummery
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A patient interface system for delivering breathable gas to a patient includes a patient interface configured to sealingly engage the patient's face. A mechanism may be provided to ensure that an effective seal is maintained between the patient interface and the patient's face by preventing, reducing, minimizing or limiting effects of disruptive forces, such as tube drag, on the patient interface.
Claims26
A patient interface for delivering pressurized gas to a patient, comprising:
- a patient contacting side of the patient interface adapted to, in use, sealingly engage the patient's face by a compressive force;
- a non-patient contacting side opposite the patient contacting side;
- and
- a chamber extending from a seal-side portion on the patient contacting side to a non-seal side portion on the non-patient contacting side, the chamber including a predetermined amount of fluid,
- wherein, in use, the fluid flows between the seal-side portion of the chamber and the non-seal side portion of the chamber in accordance with a magnitude of the compressive force,
- wherein the seal-side portion includes an upper inner wall and an upper outer wall, the upper inner wall being configured to directly contact the patient's face in use,
- wherein the upper inner wall has a thickness that is smaller than a thickness of the upper outer wall to facilitate the flow of the fluid between the seal-side portion of the chamber and the non-seal side portion of the chamber, and
- wherein the non-seal side portion includes a lower inner wall, and
- wherein the upper inner wall forms a continuous wall structure with the lower inner wall, the upper inner wall and the lower inner wall being formed of a same material.
A patient interface for delivering pressurized gas to a patient, comprising:
- a patient contacting side of the patient interface adapted to, in use, sealingly engage the patient's face by a compressive force;
- a non-patient contacting side opposite the patient contacting side;
- and
- a chamber extending from a seal-side portion on the patient contacting side to a non-seal side portion on the non-patient contacting side, the chamber including a predetermined amount of fluid,
- wherein the fluid flows between the seal-side portion of the chamber and the non-seal side portion of the chamber in accordance with a magnitude of the compressive force,
- wherein the seal-side portion includes an upper inner wall and an upper outer wall, the upper inner wall comprising a material that is elastic,
- wherein, in use, the material of the upper inner wall is configured to elastically expand as fluid flows from the non-seal side portion to the seal-side portion,
- wherein the non-seal side portion includes a lower inner wall and a lower outer wall, the lower outer wall comprising a material that is elastic, and
- wherein the upper inner wall forms a continuous wall structure with the lower inner wall, the upper inner wall and the lower inner wall being formed of a same material.
A method of sealing a patient interface with a patient's face, the patient interface configured to deliver pressurized gas to the patient, the patient interface comprising a patient contacting side adapted to sealingly engage the patient's face, a non-patient contacting side opposite the patient contacting side, and a chamber filled with a predetermined amount of fluid that extends from a seal-side portion of the chamber on the patient contacting side of the patient interface to a non-seal side portion of the chamber on the non-patient contacting side of the patient interface, the method comprising:
- engaging the patient contacting side of the patient interface with the patient's face thereby applying a compressive force to the patient interface;
- forming at least a partial seal between the patient interface and the patient's face;
- and
- expanding the seal-side portion of the chamber by causing fluid to flow from the non-seal side portion to the seal-side portion of the chamber in response to a decrease in the compressive force,
- wherein the seal-side portion includes an upper inner wall and an upper outer wall, the upper inner wall comprising a material that is elastic,
- wherein, in use, the material of the upper inner wall is configured to elastically expand as fluid flows from the non-seal side portion to the seal-side portion,
- wherein the non-seal side portion includes a lower inner wall and a lower outer wall, the lower outer wall comprising a material that is elastic, and
- wherein the upper inner wall forms a continuous wall structure with the lower inner wall, the upper inner wall and the lower inner wall being formed of a same material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.