Mechanical chest wall oscillator
OwnerNicholas P. Van Bruntinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A portable high-frequency chest wall oscillation (HFCWO) apparatus for the purposes of airway lung clearance and ventilation includes a circumferential chest band which is placed around a person's chest and a drive which is connected to the chest band for cyclically varying the circumference of the chest band to apply an oscillating compressive force to the chest of the person. The apparatus maintains the oscillating compressive force applied by the chest band to the chest of the person at a substantially constant level such that the person is able to continue chest expansions and contractions during a breathing cycle.
Claims20
A chest wall oscillator comprising
- a chest band for placement around a chest of a person,
- a drive carried by the chest band and operable to vary the circumference of the chest band to apply oscillating compressive force on the chest of the person at an oscillation frequency higher than a breathing frequency of the person, and
- compensation means coupled to the chest band for permitting the chest band circumference to expand and contract at the person's breathing frequency as the person breathes and for maintaining the oscillating compressive force on the chest of the person regardless of the amount of expansion and contraction of the chest band at the person's breathing frequency.
A chest wall oscillator comprising
- a chest band for placement around a chest of a person,
- a drive unit carried by the chest band, the drive unit having a motor and a linkage coupled to the motor and coupled to the chest band, the motor being operable to move the linkage to vary the circumference of the chest band to apply oscillating compressive force on the chest of the person at an oscillation frequency higher than a breathing frequency of the person, the drive unit further having a user control that is accessible to the person to adjust the oscillation frequency.
A chest wall oscillator comprising
- a chest band for placement around a chest of a person,
- a drive carried by the chest band and operable to vary the circumference of the chest band to apply oscillating compressive force on the chest of the person at an oscillation frequency, and
- means for allowing the chest band to expand and contract at the person's breathing frequency as the person breathes, the oscillation frequency being in the range of about 20 times to about 40 times faster than the breathing frequency.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.