Auto CPAP system profile information
AssigneeUniversity Technologies International Inc.
InventorsJohn Edward Remmers, Thomas Richard Feroah
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention relates to systems and methods for automatically and continuously regulating the level of nasal pressure to an optimal value during OSA treatment. OSA therapy is implemented by a device which automatically re-evaluates an applied pressure and continually searches for a minimum pressure required to adequately distend a patient's pharyngeal airway. For example, this optimal level varies with body position and stage of sleep throughout the night. In addition, this level varies depending upon the patient's body weight and whether or not alcohol or sleeping medicine has been ingested.
Claims18
Method for adaptively providing continuous positive airway pressure in an upper airway system comprising the steps of:
- detecting airflow in the upper airway system in predetermined increments of time;
- averaging said airflow information over a second period of time;
- distinguishing respiratory and non-respiratory components of said airflow using said averaged information;
- identifying periods of inspiration and expiration using said non-respiratory flow information;
- extracting features of said upper airway system during at least one of said periods of inspiration;
- identifying airflow profiles based on said detected airflow and said extracted features;
- determining a critical pressure which produces a first predetermined airflow profile;
- introducing incremental pressure increases to determine a second pressure, greater than said first critical pressure, which produces a second predetermined airflow profile;
- and
- setting pressure in said upper airway system using said second pressure.
Method for adaptively providing continuous positive airway pressure in an upper airway system comprising the steps of:
- detecting airflow in the upper airway system;
- averaging said airflow information over a predetermined period of time;
- determining respiratory and non-respiratory components of said airflow using said averaged information;
- identifying periods of inspiration and expiration using said non-respiratory flow information;
- and
- incrementally adjusting pressure in said upper airway system in response to airflow information detected during said period of inspiration.
System for providing continuous positive airway pressure in an upper airway system comprising:
- means for detecting airflow in an upper airway system of a patient;
- means for generating pressure in said upper airway system in response to a command pressure;
- means for adaptively controlling said pressure generating means in response to said detecting means to automatically provide continuous positive airway pressure, said adaptive control means introducing incremental pressure perturbations for setting a command pressure relative to a predetermined critical pressure,
- means for averaging airflow information over a predetermined period of time and for determining non-respiratory flow using said averaged information;
- and
- means for identifying periods of inspiration and expiration using said non-respiratory flow information.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.