System for handling and monitoring respiratory waste streams

A system for handling and disposing of respiratory waste expired from a respiratory circuit of a patient, comprising:

• means for providing an output path for expired respiratory waste from a respiratory circuit of a patient;
• means for filtering and handling the expired respiratory waste coupled to said means for providing an output path for filtering and handling, said means comprising:
• (a) means for separating a gas from liquids, solids and viscous fluids in the expired respiratory waste, including:
• (1) a filter housing having a first open chamber and containing a filter media, said filter housing having a first side and also including an input port directing expired respiratory waste into said first open chamber on said first side of said filter media, said filter media separating the gas from the liquids, solids and viscous fluids;
• (2) a first output port receiving the liquids, solids and viscous fluids passed through said first open chamber on said first side of said filter media;
• (3) a second side of said filter media having a second open chamber;
• and
• (4) a second output port on said second side of said filter media outputting said gas passed through said filter media;
• and
• (b) an injection port means for inputting pressurized fluid into said means for filtering and handling, means for causing preferential flow through at least part of solids and viscous fluids retained by said filtering and handling means during use of the system, said means for causing preferential flow forcing the pressurized fluid and at least part of the retained solids and viscous fluids to flow out through said first output port;
• and
• said means for causing preferential flow includes said filter housing having a passageway geometry which comprises an opening having one dimension substantially less than the other two dimensions characterizing said passageway geometry.

A device for filtering liquids, solids and viscous fluids from a respiratory waste stream expired from a patient's respiratory circuit, comprising:

• a filter housing including a filter media and an input port directing the expired respiratory waste into the filter housing on a first side of said filter media, said filter media separating gas from liquids, solids and viscous fluids, accumulating retained solids and viscous fluids, and becoming occluded dung use of the device;
• a first chamber in the filter housing on said first side of said filter media;
• a first output port on the filter housing receiving said liquids, solids and viscous fluids passing through said first chamber of said first side of said filter media;
• a second side of said filter media in the filter housing having a second open chamber;
• and
• a second output port on the filter housing opening from said second side of said filter media receiving said gas passed through said filter media, an injection port means for receiving pressurized liquid, said first chamber having a geometry forcing said pressurized liquid which has been injected into said filter housing to preferentially flow into said input port across at least part of the surface of said filter media and through said retained solids and viscous fluids occluding said filter media, said pressurized liquid injected into said filter housing clearing and carrying therewith the pressurized liquid, said retained solids and viscous fluids occluding said filter media out said first output port.

A system for analyzing a gas exhaled from a patient's expired respiratory stream, comprising:

• means for providing an output path for the patient's expired respiratory stream which includes (1) a gas and (2) liquids, solids and viscous fluids;
• means coupled to said output path means for sampling at least part of the patient's expired respiratory stream and including means for filtering and handling the patient's expired respiratory stream, comprising:
• (a) a filter housing including a filter media for separating a sample of the gas from the liquids, solids and viscous fluids in the patient's expired respiratory stream and the filter housing including an input port opening to a first side of said filter media and said filter media accumulating on the first side solids and viscous fluids during use of said system;
• (b) a first chamber in the filter housing on said first side of said filter media;
• (c) a first output port on the filter housing on said first side of said filter media for receiving the liquids, solids and viscous fluids accumulated by said first side of said filter media;
• (d) a second side of said filter media in the filter housing, said second side having an associated second chamber;
• and
• (e) a second output port on said second side of said filter media for outputting the gas passed through said filter media;
• said first chamber including means for injecting pressurized liquids into said first chamber of the filter housing for causing preferential flow of the pressurized liquids into said input port to said first output port along a path in contact with a surface of said filter media in said first chamber of the filter housing and through at least part of said accumulated solids and viscous fluids occluding said filter media said pressurized liquid and accumulated solids and viscous fluids flowing out said first output port and clearing a flow path through said filter media to allow the gas to flow through said filter media to said second side of said filter media and into said second chamber and out said second output port at least part of the liquids, the retained solids and viscous fluids flowing out said first output port of the filter housing, said means for causing preferential flow of the pressurized liquids comprising the geometry of said first chamber forming a fluid flow path of least resistance along the surface of said filter media between said input port and said first output port;
• and
• means for performing analysis of the gas output from said second output port.