Cough apparatus for assisting a patient in coughing

A cough apparatus for assisting a patient in coughing, wherein the cough apparatus comprises:

• a blower with a suction opening, a blow-out opening, a drive motor, and a rotor coupled to the drive motor for conveying a gas from the suction opening to the blow-out opening depending on a motor speed of the drive motor;
• a pressure port;
• a patient port for connecting a patient interface;
• a connection channel fluidically connecting the pressure port to the patient port;
• a coupling device switchable between an insufflation position and an exsufflation position and being configured to fluidically couple the pressure port to the blow-out opening in an insufflation position and to the suction opening in an exsufflation position;
• a throttle device switchable between a starting position and a throttle position and being configured to narrow the connection channel when switching to the throttle position;
• a pressure sensor configured to detect a pressure (p) applied at the patient port and to generate a pressure signal indicating the detected pressure (p);
• a control device for controlling an operation of the cough apparatus and being configured to carry out the following insufflation method:
• switching the coupling device to the insufflation position;
• receiving the pressure signal, the pressure signal indicating an insufflation pressure (p) applied at the patient port as the detected pressure (p);
• determining an insufflation pressure deviation between the insufflation pressure (p) and an insufflation pressure setpoint;
• controlling the drive motor to reduce the insufflation pressure deviation;
• switching the throttle device to the throttle position and holding the throttle device in the throttle position in order to cause an additional increase in the motor speed.