Apparatus and method for the treatment of an upper airway flow limitation
AssigneeAustralian Centre for Advanced Medical Technology Ltd.
InventorColin Sullivan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus and a method for the treatment of an upper airway flow limitation, the apparatus including a means to detect an interruption in an upper airway inspiratory flow rate of the patient and further including a treatment means which treats the upper airway flow limitation on detection of the interruption cycle.
Claims47
An apparatus for the treatment of an upper airway flow limitation in a patient, the apparatus including:
- (a) a means to detect at least one interruption cycle in an upper airway inspiration flow rate of the patient wherein the interruption cycle is characterized by a decrease in upper airway inspiratory flow rate followed by an increase in the upper airway inspiratory flow rate;
- and
- (b) a treatment means which treats the upper airway flow limitation on detection of said at least one interruption cycle in the upper airway inspiratory flow rate.
An apparatus for the treatment of hypertension caused by pre-eclampsia, the apparatus including:
- (a) a flow rate measurement means which measures an air flow intake rate in an airway of a patient;
- (b) a means to detect at least one interruption cycle in an upper airway inspiration flow rate of the patient wherein the interruption cycle is characterized by a decrease in upper airway inspiratory flow rate followed by an increase in the upper airway inspiratory flow rate;
- and
- (c) a treatment means which treats an upper airway flow limitation in the patient in response to detecting an interruption cycle in the air flow intake rate, said interruption cycle characterized by a decrease in the air flow intake rate followed by an increase in the airflow intake rate so as to alleviate hypertension caused by pre-eclampsia.
An apparatus for the treatment of hypertension caused by pre-eclampsia, the apparatus including:
- (a) a measuring means for measuring airway vibrations in the patient;
- (b) identification means which identifies those measured airway vibrations which are indicative of an interruption cycle in an upper airway;
- (c) a means to detect at leas one interruption cycle in an upper airway inspiration flow rate of the patient wherein the interruption cycle is characterized by a decrease in upper airway inspiratory flow rate followed by an increase in the upper airs ay inspiratory flow rate;
- and
- (d) treatment means which treats the upper airway flow limitation in the patient upon detection of the interruption cycle.
A method of treating an upper airway flow limitation in a patient including the steps of:
- (a) detecting at least one interruption cycle in an upper airway respiratory flow rate of the patient wherein the interruption cycle is characterized by a decrease in upper airway inspiratory flow rate followed by an increase in the upper airway inspiratory flow rate;
- and
- (b) treating the upper airway flow limitation on detection of an interruption cycle in the upper airway inspiratory flow rate.
A method of treating a patient for hypertension caused by pre-eclampsia, the method including the steps of:
- measuring an air flow intake rate in an airway of the patient in response to an interruption cycle in the air flow intake rate, said interruption cycle characterized by a decrease in the airflow intake rate followed by an increase in the airflow intake rate so as to alleviate hypertension caused by pre-eclampsia.
A method of treating a patient for hypertension caused by pre-eclampsia, the method including the steps of:
- (a) measuring airway vibrations in the patient;
- (b) identifying those measured airway vibrations which are indicative of an interruption cycle in an upper airway, where the interruption is characterized by a decrease in upper airway inspiratory flow rate followed by an increase in the upper airway inspiratory flow rate;
- and
- (c) on identification of the interruption cycle in an upper airway, treating the upper airway flow limitation in the patient.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.