Medical ventilator triggering and cycling method and mechanism
AssigneeRIC Investments, LLC
InventorsMehdi M. Jafari, Gardner J. Kimm, Karrie McGuigan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A medical ventilator system and method that triggers, cycles, or both based on patient effort, which is determined from cross-correlating patient flow and patient pressure. The medical ventilator is also controlled such that sensitivity to a patient initiated trigger increases as the expiratory phase of the breathing cycle progresses. The present invention also provides adaptive adjustment of cycling criteria to optimize the cycling operation.
Claims35
A system for providing a flow of gas to a patient comprising:
- a pressure generating system adapted to provide a flow of gas responsive to a control signal;
- a patient circuit having a first end coupled to the pressure generating system and adapted to communicate the flow of gas with an airway of a patient;
- a flow monitor operatively coupled to the pressure generating system or the patient circuit;
- a pressure monitor operatively coupled to the patient circuit;
- an exhaust assembly adapted to communicate gas from within the patient circuit to ambient atmosphere;
- and
- a controller that receives a first output from the flow monitor and a second output from the pressure monitor and outputs the control signal that controls the flow of gas delivered to the patient circuit by the pressure generating system and, hence, the flow of gas at a patient's airway, wherein the controller detects onset of an inspiratory phase of a patient's breathing cycle for triggering an inspiratory flow of gas based on such a patient's inspiratory effort, which is determined based on both a flow related parameter determined from the first output and a pressure related parameter determined from the second output.
A method of providing a flow of gas to a patient comprising:
- generating a flow of gas;
- providing the flow of gas to a patient via a patient circuit;
- controlling the flow of gas delivered to a patient responsive to a control signal;
- monitoring the flow of gas in the patient circuit and outputting a first flow signal indicative thereof;
- monitoring a pressure of the flow of gas in the patient circuit and outputting a first pressure signal indicative thereof;
- communicating gas from within the patient circuit to ambient atmosphere;
- and
- detecting onset of an inspiratory phase of a patient's breathing cycle for triggering an inspiratory flow of gas based on such a patient's inspiratory effort, which is determined based on both a flow related parameter determined from the first flow signal and a pressure related parameter determined from the first pressure signal.
A system for providing a flow of gas to a patient comprising:
- gas flow generating means for generating a flow of gas;
- flow communicating means for communicating the flow of gas to a patient;
- flow controlling means for controlling the flow of gas delivered to such a patient;
- flow monitoring means for monitoring a rate of the flow of gas;
- pressure monitoring means for monitoring a pressure of the flow of gas;
- exhausting means for communicating gas from the flow delivering means to ambient atmosphere;
- and
- processing means for detecting onset of an inspiratory phase of a patient's breathing cycle for triggering an inspiratory flow of gas based on such a patient's inspiratory effort, which is determined based on both (1) a flow related parameter determined from an output of the flow monitoring means and (2) a pressure related parameter determined from an output of the pressure monitoring means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.