Administration of CPAP treatment pressure in presence of APNEA

A method for the administration of CPAP therapy comprising the steps of:

• supplying breathable gas to a patient's airway at a treatment pressure;
• determining a measure of respiratory airflow;
• determining the occurrence of an apnea from a reduction in the measure of respiratory airflow below a threshold and, in response to the presence of an apnea, (i) determining the duration of the apnea, and (ii) increasing the treatment pressure by an amount which is an increasing function of the duration of the apnea;
• and
• decreasing the pressure following a time interval during which there was no apnea.

A method for the administration of CPAP therapy comprising the steps of:

• supplying breathable gas to a patient's airway at a treatment pressure;
• determining a measure of respiratory airflow;
• determining the occurrence of an apnea from a reduction in the measure of respiratory airflow below a threshold and, in response to the presence of an apnea, (i) determining the duration of the apnea;
• and (ii) increasing the treatment pressure by an amount which is an increasing function of the duration of the apnea and a decreasing function of the treatment pressure immediately before the apnea;
• and
• decreasing the pressure following a time interval ring which there was no apnea.

CPAP treatment apparatus comprising:

• a controllable flow generator operable to provide breathable gas at a pressure elevated above atmospheric;
• a gas delivery tube coupled to said flow generator;
• a patient mask coupled to said gas delivery tube to receive breathable gas from said flow generator and to provide said gas, at a desired treatment pressure, to a patient's airway;
• a controller operable to receive an input signal and to control the magnitude of the treatment pressure provided by said flow generator;
• and
• sensor means to sense patient respiratory airflow and to generate an input signal to said controller;
• said controller being programmed to determine the onset of an apnea from a reduction in said respiratory airflow below a threshold, in response to the onset of an apnea to cause said flow generator to increase the treatment pressure by an amount which is a decreasing function of the treatment pressure immediately prior to said apnea, and to decrease the pressure following a time interval during which there was no apnea.

CPAP treatment apparatus comprising:

• a controllable flow generator operable to provide breathable gas at a pressure elevated above atmospheric;
• a gas delivery tube coupled to said flow generator;
• a patient mask coupled to said gas delivery tube to receive breathable gas from said flow generator and to provide said gas, at a desired treatment pressure, to a patient's airway;
• a controller operable to receive an input signal and to control the magnitude of the treatment pressure provided by said flow generator;
• and
• sensor means to sense patient respiratory airflow and to generate a signal input to said controller;
• said controller being programmed to determine the occurrence of an apnea from a reduction in said respiratory airflow below a threshold, in response to the presence of an apnea to determine the duration of said apnea and to cause said flow generator to increase the treatment pressure by an amount which is an increasing function of said apnea duration, and to decrease the pressure following a time interval during which there was no apnea.

CPAP treatment apparatus comprising:

• a controllable flow generator operable to provide breathable gas at a pressure elevated above atmospheric;
• a gas delivery tube coupled to said flow generator;
• a patient mask coupled to said gas delivery tube to receive breathable gas from said flow generator and to provide said gas, at a desired treatment pressure, to a patient's airway;
• a controller operable to receive an input signal and to control the magnitude of the treatment pressure provided by said flow generator;
• and
• sensor means to sense patient respiratory airflow and to generate a signal input to said controller;
• said controller being programmed to determine the occurrence of an apnea from a reduction in said respiratory airflow below a threshold, in response to the presence of an apnea to determine the duration of said apnea and to cause said flow generator to increase the treatment pressure by an amount which is an increasing function of said apnea duration and a decreasing function of the treatment pressure immediately prior to said apnea, and to decrease the pressure following a time interval during which there was no apnea.

CPAP treatment apparatus comprising:

• a controllable source of breathable gas to be provided to a patient at a treatment pressure elevated above atmospheric;
• and
• a controller operable to receive input signals representing patient respiratory airflow, and to control the magnitude of the treatment pressure provided by said source of breathable gas;
• said controller being programmed to determine the onset of an apnea from a reduction in said respiratory airflow below a threshold, in response to the onset of an apnea to cause said flow generator to increase the treatment pressure by an amount which is a decreasing function of the treatment pressure immediately prior to said apnea, and to decrease the pressure following a time interval during which there was no apnea.

CPAP treatment apparatus comprising:

• a controllable source of breathable gas to be provided to a patient at a treatment pressure elevated above atmospheric;
• and
• a controller operable to receive input signals representing patient respiratory airflow, and to control the magnitude of the treatment pressure provided by said source of breathable gas;
• said controller being programmed to determine the occurrence of an apnea from a reduction in said respiratory airflow below a threshold, in response to the presence of an apnea to determine the duration of said apnea and to cause said flow generator to increase the treatment pressure by an amount which is an increasing function of said apnea duration, and to decrease the pressure following a time interval during which there was no apnea.

CPAP treatment apparatus comprising:

• a controllable source of breathable gas to be provided to a patient at a treatment pressure elevated above atmospheric;
• and
• a controller operable to receive input signals representing patient respiratory airflow, and to control the magnitude of the treatment pressure provided by said source of breathable gas;
• said controller being programmed to determine the occurrence of an apnea from a reduction in said respiratory airflow below a threshold, in response to the presence of an apnea to determine the duration of said apnea and to cause said flow generator to increase the treatment pressure by an amount which is an increasing function of said apnea duration and a decreasing function of the treatment pressure immediately prior to said apnea, and to decrease the pressure following a time interval during which there was no apnea.