Apparatus for measuring properties of gases supplied to a patient

A system which provides a stream of heated and humidified gas to a patient through a nasal cannula, the system comprising:

• a controller;
• a blower;
• a humidifier;
• a nasal cannula;
• at least one delivery conduit removably connectable between the nasal cannula and the humidifier, the delivery conduit is configured to deliver heated and humidified gas to the nasal cannula for administration to a user, the delivery conduit including a heater wire for heating the stream of gas within the delivery conduit, the heater wire extending from at or near a first end of the delivery conduit to at or near a second end of the delivery conduit;
• a sensor configured to provide an indication of at least one property of the stream of gases, wherein the sensor is included as part of an electrical circuit including the heater wire, and wherein the controller is configured to determine the at least one property of the stream of gases using the indication from the sensor;
• and
• a moulding enclosing at least part of the sensor, the moulding extending into a region conveying the stream of gases through the delivery conduit.

A respiratory therapy system configured to provide respiratory gases to a COPD patient, the respiratory therapy system comprising:

• a blower comprising a fan;
• a humidifier in fluid communication with the blower and configured to receive a flow of gases from the blower and the humidifier configured to humidify the flow of gases, the humidifier comprising:
• a heater plate;
• and
• a humidification chamber, the chamber formed at least partially from a plastics material and including a heat conductive base formed of a different material that is configured to be positioned in direct contact with the heater plate,
• the heater plate configured to heat water within the humidification chamber to generate water vapour that is passed to the flow of gases from the blower to humidify the flow of gases;
• wherein the flow of gases comprises a proportion of oxygen;
• a controller configured to control the humidifier and the blower;
• a gases outlet in fluid communication with the blower, the gases outlet configured to receive a flow of humidified gases from the humidification chamber, the gases outlet further comprising at least two electrical contacts;
• a delivery conduit configured to convey the flow of gases to the patient;
• and
• a nasal cannula removably connectable to the delivery conduit, wherein the flow of gases are passed to the patient from the delivery conduit by way of the nasal cannula;
• the delivery conduit further comprising:
• a wall defining a lumen, a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end being closer to the patient;
• a heater wire configured to heat the flow of gases passing though the delivery conduit;
• and
• an electrical circuit connected to the heater wire, the electrical circuit configured to provide a signal to a controller through the heater wire indicative of at least one property of the flow of gases, the controller configured to determine the at least one property of the flow of gases;
• the electrical circuit including a gases property sensor to sense a property of the flow of gases within the delivery conduit and other interconnected parts, wherein the electrical circuit including the sensor is positioned in a plastic housing, and the plastic housing protruding from the wall of the delivery conduit and extending into the flow of gases within conduit;
• wherein the delivery conduit is configured to removably connect to the gases outlet and receive power from the gases outlet and provide measurement signals from the electrical circuit to the gases outlet via the electrical contacts.