Self-calibrating supplemental oxygen delivery system

A system for delivering supplemental gas to a patient comprising:

• a. a source of pressurized gas;
• b. a device for providing the gas to the patient;
• c. a pressure transducer;
• d. a transducer line in communication with the pressure transducer and an orifice that is open to atmospheric pressure;
• e. a valve in communication with the device adapted to provide the gas to the patient and adjustable between an open condition where the source of pressurized gas is in communication with the device for providing the gas to the patient and a closed condition where the pressure transducer and transducer line are in communication with the device for providing the gas to the patient;
• and
• f. a controller in communication with the pressure transducer and the valve;
• whereby said pressure transducer senses a pressure in the transducer line when the valve is in the open condition and the sensed pressure is used by the controller as a reference pressure so that the valve is configured in the open condition by the controller when the pressure sensed by the pressure transducer drops to a predetermined pressure below the reference pressure when the valve is in the closed condition.

A method for calibrating a system for providing gas to a patient through a device, where the system has a controller, a pressure transducer and a single valve, comprising the steps of:

• a. exposing the pressure transducer to atmospheric pressure when gas is being delivered to a patient by the system;
• b. reading the atmospheric pressure from the pressure transducer via the controller;
• c. storing the read pressure in the controller as a reference pressure;
• d. exposing the pressure transducer to the device through which gas is provided to the patient when gas is not being provided to the patient;
• and
• e. opening the single valve of the system to deliver gas to the patient when the pressure in the device through which gas is provided to the patient drops to a predetermined pressure that is below the reference pressure.