Portable medical ventilator system using a portable oxygen concentrator

Abstract

A portable medical ventilator that uses pulsed flow from an oxygen concentrator to obtain higher oxygen concentrations, includes a positive pressure source to deliver pressurized air to a patient and a negative pressure source to trigger the oxygen concentrator. A patient circuit attached to a patient interface mask connects the ventilator to the patient. The ventilator includes a controller module configured to generate a signal to the negative pressure device to trigger the concentrator to initiate one or more pulses of oxygen from the oxygen concentrator. The pulses of oxygen are delivered directly to the patient interface through a multi-tube or multi-lumen patient circuit. The oxygen is not mixed with air in the ventilator or patient circuit and bypasses leaks in the patient circuit and / or patient interface.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of Chinese Patent Application No. 201980032011.9, filed on April 11, 2019, entitled “Portable Medical Ventilator System Using Portable Oxygen Concentrator”, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present invention relates generally to medical ventilators and, in particular, to a portable ventilator that improves inhaled oxygen fraction values by integrating a negative pressure trigger device in the ventilator to trigger a pulsed flow and / or multiple pulses from an oxygen concentrator. BACKGROUND

[0003] Oxygen is typically supplied to a portable ventilator by a high flow oxygen concentrator with a constant oxygen flow, compressed gas cylinders, or a fixed medical oxygen piping system. Oxygen is mixed with air in the ventilator to provide the required inhaled oxygen fraction (FIO2) to the patient to effectively treat the medical condition. When such high pressure sources are not available or have limited capacity, a low pressure, low flow oxygen is provided to the ventilator using an oxygen concentrator that typically delivers 1-10 LPM of oxygen by mixing air and oxygen at the inlet or outlet of a blower or compressor.

[0004] In the past, oxygen was added to the inspiratory limb of the patient breathing circuit prior to the inspiratory cycle. As the ventilator delivered breaths, the oxygen enriched gas stored in the inspiratory limb was preferentially delivered to the patient. The proximal location of the inspiratory limb in the ventilator circuit resulted in an elevated inhaled oxygen fraction within the alveolar space of the patient’s lungs. In all cases, prior art ventilators used only a low, continuous oxygen flow setting from a concentrator or other oxygen delivery device. This method could only be used with continuous flow concentrators and could not be used with triggered oxygen concentrators.

[0005] Concentrators have been connected to the inlet of the ventilator compressor. These oxygen gases (plus the air delivered by the ventilator) combine to form a uniform mixture that is then delivered to the patient to create an inhaled oxygen fraction in the patient’s lungs. In this type of configuration, the ventilator cannot trigger the concentrator and can only use a fixed flow concentrator.

[0006] Portable oxygen concentrators, compressed gas cylinders, and liquid oxygen storage devices are also used to provide supplemental oxygen to breathing patients via nasal cannulas to increase inhaled oxygen fraction. In these cases, oxygen delivery is either a low continuous flow or a pulsed flow triggered by a pressure drop in the cannula as the patient inhales. This method does not provide any mechanical ventilation to the patient.

[0007] Individually, these prior art methods are capable of producing sufficient fraction of inspired oxygen for patients to treat some medical conditions when the patient is at home or near a source of high oxygen flow. When a traditional high pressure or high flow oxygen source is not available, not economical or needs to be conserved, there is a need for a system and technology that increases the FIO2 value while conserving oxygen and energy beyond what is currently available.

[0008] Prior art methods can accept a signal from a ventilator by modifying a concentrator to produce a fraction of inspired oxygen from a pulse concentrator. However, there is a need for a portable ventilator to be used with all unmodified concentrators and still be able to deliver oxygen to a nasal pillow interface to increase the FIO2 of a patient.

[0009] Prior art methods are capable of producing FIO2 from a pulse concentrator by modifying the patient circuit to include a Venturi valve or a Venturi tube to produce a negative pressure that triggers the oxygen concentrator. These methods require higher pressure and / or flow from a portable ventilator so that the Venturi tube is able to produce the negative pressure required to trigger the concentrator. Portable ventilators are low in pressure and small in flow, so they cannot be used with a Venturi tube that requires higher pressure and / or flow to produce a negative pressure. In addition, the Venturi tube will leak air at low pressure and / or low flow, which will reduce the flow and / or pressure to the patient. With these methods, the FIO2 will be low because the oxygen pulses are mixed with the flow from the ventilator and a portion of this mixed flow will leak at the patient interface. There is a need for a portable ventilator to be used with all unmodified pulse concentrators and still be able to deliver a higher FIO2 to the patient by bypassing the leaks in the patient circuit and patient interface.

[0010] These prior art methods are not effective when used with a portable ventilator with a portable pulse concentrator. Portable ventilators are limited in pressure and / or flow and they achieve a high level of leaks at the interface, so the fraction of inspired oxygen will not be effective when using a portable pulse concentrator. There is a need for a portable ventilator that is capable of triggering any pulse oxygen concentrator and delivering the oxygen pulses directly to the patient interface and bypassing the leak ports in the patient interface and circuit.

[0011] The present invention has many advantages over known portable ventilators. In particular, the present invention utilizes a method to trigger any portable oxygen concentrator that uses a triggered pulse delivery mechanism. In addition, the oxygen pulses are delivered directly to the patient interface and bypass any leaks in the patient circuit or patient interface. Because of the present invention, patients that need a lighter device can stay outdoors for long periods of time while remaining portable and receiving a higher FIO2. SUMMARY

[0012] According to one aspect of the present invention, a ventilator system connects to a patient breathing circuit of a portable ventilator, similar to a ventilator typically used in conjunction with a nasal pillow interface. The portable ventilator is capable of triggering an oxygen pulse from a portable oxygen concentrator and delivering the oxygen pulse directly to the patient interface. In one embodiment, the ventilator is designed to trigger any portable concentrator when a negative pressure is generated in the ventilator. The negative pressure connects to the concentrator and triggers the concentrator to deliver an oxygen pulse to the patient interface. In other embodiments, an electromechanical negative pressure device is placed in the ventilator to generate a negative pressure at any time during ventilation and this negative pressure is used to trigger the concentrator to dispense one and / or multiple pulses of oxygen to the patient during inspiration and / or expiration.

[0013] Another aspect of the present invention relates to the design of the nasal passages within the pillow interface and a method of delivering oxygen pulses directly to the patient by bypassing potential leaks in the patient circuit and interface. A multi-tube or multi-lumen tube is used to connect the ventilator to the patient's breathing circuit. The multi-tube or multi-lumen tube includes a gas delivery tube used during inspiration and expiration cycles. The multi-tube or multi-lumen tube also includes a pulse oxygen delivery line and a pressure sensing and / or patient monitoring line.

[0014] One or more embodiments of the above aspects of the present invention include one or more of the following: delivering a continuous flow of oxygen to an oxygen cannula within the nasal pillow interface; triggering an oxygen source to deliver a bolus of oxygen; triggering the oxygen source includes triggering the oxygen source based on the start of an inspiration phase and / or at any point during inspiration and / or expiration phases; triggering the oxygen source includes triggering the oxygen concentrator using an electromechanical negative pressure device inside the ventilator; generating a negative pressure multiple times within the ventilator during inspiration and / or expiration to trigger the oxygen source. Triggering the oxygen source includes a microprocessor in the ventilator sending a signal to the electromechanical negative pressure device to generate a negative pressure that is detected by the portable concentrator to deliver the pulsed delivery of the bolus of oxygen. The triggering event causes the triggering of the oxygen source for the delivery of the bolus of oxygen and the timing of the triggering event is set by the user to be at the start of inspiration or at any time during inspiration / expirations. The method of triggering the POC using the negative pressure device is not affected by positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) and the method is not affected by ventilator bias flow; this is due to the use of a check valve downstream of the negative pressure device.

[0015] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a medical ventilator system that uses a multi-tube or multi-lumen patient circuit tube to increase the fraction of inspired oxygen delivered to a patient's nasal prongs interface. The medical ventilator system includes: a positive pressure blower for delivering breaths to a patient during an inspiration cycle and controlling pressure during an expiration cycle; an electromechanical negative pressure device for triggering a POC; a multi-tube or multi-lumen patient circuit for connecting the ventilator to a patient, the patient circuit including an air flow delivery tube line, an oxygen delivery tube line, and a pressure sensing and / or monitoring tube line; a ventilator triggering mechanism for detecting a patient effort based on a flow or pressure sensor integrated in the ventilator.

[0016] One or more embodiments of the above aspects of the present invention include one or more of the following: the ventilator mechanism includes a sensor that senses positive inspiratory pressure at the patient and is located in the nasal prongs interface; the triggering mechanism of the ventilator includes a flow sensor and / or a pressure sensor located inside the ventilator; the ventilator includes an oxygen source triggering mechanism and the triggering mechanism is in communication with the oxygen source for pulsed delivery of oxygen boluses; the triggering mechanism triggers the oxygen source by creating a negative pressure that triggers the oxygen source; the ventilator triggering event causes the triggering mechanism to trigger the oxygen source for oxygen bolus delivery; and the triggering of negative pressure is synchronized by a microprocessor of the ventilator and is set by a user to trigger one or more pulses at any set time of the breath.

[0017] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a system for increasing at least one of the fraction of inspired oxygen delivered by a medical ventilator via a ventilator multi-tube or multi-lumen circuit and through an oxygen cannula within a nasal prongs interface to a patient's nares. Further, the ventilator circuit includes a means for delivering pressurized air to the patient through the nasal prongs and measuring pressure in the vicinity of the patient. The medical ventilator system includes an oxygen source triggering mechanism; a verbal speed blower; a negative pressure device for triggering the oxygen source to pulse oxygen boluses from the ventilator to a location in the vicinity of the patient's nares or interface, thereby increasing the fraction of inspired oxygen delivered to the patient.

[0018] One or more embodiments of the above aspects of the present invention include one or more of the following: the ventilator delivers a continuous flow rate of air to the patient circuit; the triggering mechanism includes a sensor that senses a patient triggering effort; the triggering mechanism includes a negative pressure device located in the ventilator; the ventilator includes a triggering mechanism that sends a negative pneumatic signal to an oxygen source for pulsed delivery of oxygen boluses; the ventilator circuit includes separate lines for delivering pressurized air to the patient, oxygen delivery, and pressure sensing and / or monitoring.

[0019] Another aspect of the invention relates to a portable medical ventilator that allows for the use of pulsed flow from an oxygen concentrator to achieve a higher oxygen concentration. The ventilator includes a positive pressure source for delivering pressurized air to the patient and a negative pressure source for triggering the oxygen concentrator. A patient circuit connected to a nasal occiput interface mask connects the ventilator to the patient. The ventilator includes a controller module configured to signal the negative pressure device to trigger the concentrator to initiate one or more oxygen pulses from the oxygen concentrator. The oxygen pulses are delivered directly to the patient's nasal occiput interface or patient interface via a multi-tube or multi-chamber patient circuit. The oxygen is not mixed with air in the ventilator or patient circuit. The nasal occiput interface or patient interface includes an oxygen nasal cannula (or oxygen connection tube) to deliver the oxygen pulses directly to the occiput cavity (or nasal occiput interface). Activation of the negative pressure source is initiated by a microprocessor and can be configured by the user of the ventilator. The portable medical ventilator works with any portable concentrator.

[0020] Another aspect of the invention relates to a medical ventilator for delivering pressurized breathing to a patient and triggering an oxygen source to increase the FiO2 delivered to the patient, comprising: a ventilation delivery interface including one or more mixing chambers; a positive pressure source; a negative pressure source; and a ventilator circuit for connecting the ventilator to the ventilation delivery interface, the ventilator circuit including a multi-chamber circuit for delivering pressurized air and pulsed oxygen upon triggering pressurized breathing, wherein the ventilation delivery interface includes a first cavity and a second cavity, the first cavity being an air delivery cavity for delivering air to the one or more mixing chambers, and the second cavity being an oxygen delivery cavity for delivering oxygen to the one or more mixing chambers to be mixed with air before delivery to the patient, and bypassing any interface leakage without pre-mixing in the ventilator or ventilator circuit.

[0021] One or more embodiments of the present invention described above include one or more of the following: an oxygen source delivering a continuous flow of oxygen to a ventilator; the oxygen source being a pulsed oxygen concentrator that delivers pulses of oxygen clumps to the ventilator; the ventilator being configured to trigger the oxygen source by generating negative pressure in the ventilator at any time during the patient's inspiration and expiration; the ventilator being configured such that the negative pressure source causes multiple triggering of the oxygen source for oxygen clump delivery during inspiration; a ventilation delivery interface being an element selected from the group consisting of one or more cannulas, non-rebreathing masks, partial rebreathing masks, full-face masks, total masks, nasal cannulas, nasal masks, and nasal pillows; and / or the ventilation delivery interface further includes a third cavity, the third cavity being at least one of a trigger cavity and a monitoring cavity.

[0022] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a method for delivering pressurized breathing to a patient using the aforementioned medical ventilator and triggering an oxygen source to increase the FiO2 delivered to the patient, comprising: triggering the delivery of a first medical gas and a second medical gas using a third cavity; mixing the first medical gas and the second medical gas in one or more mixing chambers of a ventilation delivery interface before delivery to the patient, and bypassing any interface leakage, without pre-mixing in the ventilator or ventilator circuit.

[0023] Another aspect of the invention relates to a nasal pillow interface for delivering multiple gases to a patient, comprising: a pillow sealing the patient's nostrils for delivering pressurized mixed medical gases; one or more mixing chambers; a first inner cavity and a second inner cavity, the first inner cavity being a first medical gas delivery cavity for delivering a first medical gas to the patient, and the second inner cavity being a second medical gas delivery cavity for delivering a second medical gas to the patient, wherein the first and second inner cavities are configured to deliver the first and second medical gases to the one or more mixing chambers to mix the first and second medical gases before delivery to the patient, and to bypass any interface leakage without pre-mixing in the ventilator or ventilator circuit.

[0024] One or more embodiments of the foregoing aspects of the present invention include one or more of the following: a first cavity is an air delivery cavity for delivering air to a patient, a second cavity is an oxygen delivery cavity for delivering oxygen to a patient, and the first and second cavities are configured to deliver air and oxygen to one or more mixing chambers to mix the air and oxygen prior to delivery to the patient and to bypass any interface leakage without pre-mixing in the ventilator or ventilator circuit; and / or one or more mixing chambers include a corresponding mixing chamber in the pillow.

[0025] Another aspect of the invention relates to a method for delivering multiple gases to a patient using the nasal pillow described above, wherein the nasal pillow interface includes a third cavity, the third cavity being at least one of a trigger cavity and a monitoring cavity, the method comprising: triggering the delivery of a first medical gas and a second medical gas using the third cavity; mixing the first medical gas and the second medical gas in one or more mixing chambers of the nasal pillow interface prior to delivery to the patient, and bypassing any interface leakage without pre-mixing in the ventilator or ventilator circuit.

[0026] One or more embodiments of the above aspects of the present invention include one or more of the following: a ventilator including an internal trigger flow sensor, the method comprising: triggering the delivery of a first medical gas and a second medical gas with the internal trigger flow sensor; mixing the first medical gas and the second medical gas in one or more mixing chambers at a nasal pillow interface prior to delivery to a patient, bypassing any interface leakage, without pre-mixing in the ventilator or ventilator circuit; and / or one or more mixing chambers comprising a corresponding mixing chamber in a pillow.

[0027] Another aspect of the invention relates to a ventilation delivery interface for delivering multiple gases from a ventilator circuit and a ventilator to a patient, comprising: one or more mixing chambers; a first cavity and a second cavity, the first cavity being a first medical gas delivery cavity for delivering a first medical gas to the patient, and the second cavity being a second medical gas delivery cavity for delivering a second medical gas to the patient, wherein the first cavity and the second cavity are configured to deliver the first medical gas and the second medical gas to the one or more mixing chambers to mix the first medical gas and the second medical gas before delivery to the patient, and to bypass any interface leakage without pre-mixing in the ventilator or ventilator circuit.

[0028] One or more embodiments of the above aspects of the present invention include one or more of the following: the ventilation delivery interface is an element selected from the group consisting of one or more cannulas, non-rebreathing masks, partial rebreathing masks, full-face masks, total masks, nasal cannulas, nasal masks and nasal pillows; and / or a third cavity, the third cavity being at least one of a trigger cavity and a monitoring cavity.

[0029] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a method for delivering pressurized breathing to a patient using the aforementioned ventilation delivery interface and triggering an oxygen source to increase the FiO2 delivered to the patient, comprising: triggering the delivery of a first medical gas and a second medical gas using a triggering chamber; mixing the first medical gas and the second medical gas in one or more mixing chambers of the ventilation delivery interface prior to delivery to the patient, and bypassing any interface leakage, without pre-mixing in the ventilator or ventilator circuit.

[0030] Another aspect of the invention relates to a method for delivering pressurized breathing to a patient using the aforementioned ventilation delivery interface and triggering an oxygen source to increase the FiO2 delivered to the patient, wherein the ventilator includes an internal trigger flow sensor, the method comprising: triggering the delivery of a first medical gas and a second medical gas using the internal trigger flow sensor; and mixing the first medical gas and the second medical gas in one or more mixing chambers of the ventilation delivery interface prior to delivery to the patient, bypassing any interface leakage, without pre-mixing in the ventilator or ventilator circuit.

[0031] The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent when the following description, claims and drawings are taken into account. Attached Figure Description

[0032] To gain a more complete understanding of the invention, reference is now made to the following detailed description of embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0033] Figure 1 shows an example of a typical prior art medical ventilator system, in which an oxygen concentrator is connected to the inlet of a ventilator;

[0034] Figure 2 shows an example of a typical prior art medical ventilator system, in which an oxygen concentrator and a medical ventilator are connected via a signal connection;

[0035] Figure 3 shows an example of a typical prior art medical ventilator in which a venturi tube is added to the patient circuit to trigger the oxygen concentrator;

[0036] Figure 4 An embodiment of a medical ventilator is shown;

[0037] Figure 5 This is an example diagram illustrating a method of delivering an oxygen pulse during the inhalation time;

[0038] Figure 6 This is an example diagram illustrating a method of delivering multiple oxygen pulses during the inhalation time;

[0039] Figure 7 This is a system block diagram of one embodiment of a medical ventilator;

[0040] Figure 8 This is an embodiment of a pillow-nose interface with a feed tube;

[0041] Figure 9A This is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment with an integrated nasal cannula and a occipital-nasal interface.

[0042] Figure 9B It has Figure 9B A front view of the occipital-nasal interface of the integrated nasal cannula, which is shown being applied to the patient's nostril.

[0043] Figure 10 An example infrastructure according to one embodiment is shown, wherein one or more processes described herein can be implemented;

[0044] Figure 11 An example processing system according to one embodiment is shown, by which one or more processes described herein can be performed. Detailed Implementation

[0045] The topics described herein are taught through illustrative examples. Various details have been omitted for clarity and to avoid obscuring the subject matter. The examples shown below relate to devices, apparatus, and methods for increasing the fractional oxygen inhaled by a patient (FIO2). Other features and advantages of this subject matter should be apparent from the following description.

[0046] After reading this specification, it will become apparent to those skilled in the art how the invention can be implemented in various alternative embodiments and applications. However, not all various embodiments of the invention will be described herein. It should be understood that the embodiments presented herein are by way of example only and are not intended to be limiting.

[0047] The terminology used herein is for describing specific embodiments only and is not intended to limit the invention. Therefore, the detailed description of various alternative embodiments should not be construed as limiting the scope or breadth of the invention.

[0048] A system and method for increasing the fractional oxygen inhaled (FIO2) in a patient or user (e.g., a spontaneously breathing patient, a non-spontaneously breathing patient) in a medical ventilator that uses a pulsed flow instead of a continuous flow of oxygen from a low-pressure oxygen source (e.g., the oxygen concentrator described above). Other oxygen sources, such as oxygen concentrators, compressed oxygen tanks, thin-film oxygen generators, chemical oxygen generators, liquid oxygen systems, or any oxygen delivery system that requires patient effort to initiate the pulsed and / or flow delivery of oxygen, can be used in the same manner.

[0049] Figure 1 illustrates a typical prior art medical ventilator 20. The medical ventilator 20 includes a positive pressure source 30, a patient circuit 40 for providing a user with a mixture of oxygen and air, a pillow user interface 50, and a portable oxygen source 70.

[0050] The conditions of the medical ventilator 20 (e.g., flow rate, oxygen concentration level, etc.) can be constant, manually controllable, and / or automatically controllable for the system. For example, the medical ventilator 20 may include a user interface that allows users, providers, doctors, etc., to input information such as prescribed oxygen levels, flow rates, etc., to control the oxygen output of the ventilator system 10. The oxygen flow mixed with air is delivered from the medical ventilator 20 to the patient during each breath via the breathing or user circuit 40 during the inspiratory phase and ceases during the expiratory phase. It should be noted that some ventilators have a small flow rate during the expiratory phase to maintain positive pressure during expiration; therefore, in these cases, the flow is not completely interrupted during the expiratory phase. A small, continuous flow of oxygen may also be introduced during this phase.

[0051] The control module of the ventilator 20 may take any form known in the art and includes a central microprocessor or CPU that communicates with the components of the ventilator 20 described herein via one or more interfaces, controllers, or other loop elements for controlling and managing the medical ventilator 40. The ventilator system 20 may include a user interface as part of or coupled to the control module 60 for allowing users, providers, physicians, etc., to input information such as prescribed oxygen levels, flow rates, activity levels, etc., to control the ventilator.

[0052] Figure 2 illustrates a prior art medical ventilator system including an oxygen source (e.g., an oxygen concentrator / preservation device) 110, a medical ventilator 120, and a breathing circuit 140 between the ventilator 120 and a patient 150. In one embodiment, the oxygen concentrator 110 includes a controller / control module (e.g., a controller that processes one or more modules stored in a memory to perform the functions described herein) configured to generate a trigger signal 160 to initiate the distribution of oxygen pulses (or oxygen pulse bundles) from the oxygen concentrator 110. In some embodiments, the preservation device may be used in conjunction with the oxygen concentrator 110 to control the distribution of oxygen to the breathing circuit 140. In other embodiments, the preservation device may be independent of the oxygen concentrator 110. A controller module for generating a trigger signal to initiate the distribution of oxygen pulses from the oxygen concentrator 110 may be included in the oxygen concentrator 110 and / or the preservation device. In the prior art, oxygen concentrators need to be improved to accept trigger signals from the ventilator.

[0053] Figure 3 illustrates a prior art medical ventilator system including an oxygen source (e.g., an oxygen concentrator / preservation device) 110, a medical ventilator 120, and a breathing circuit 140 between the ventilator 120 and a patient 150. In one embodiment, the oxygen concentrator 110 is connected to the negative port of a venturi tube 170 located in the breathing circuit 140. The venturi tube 170 is configured to generate a negative pressure connected to the concentrator to initiate the distribution of an oxygen pulse (or oxygen pulse bundle) from the oxygen concentrator 110. The patient circuit needs to be improved to include the venturi tube 170. The venturi tube 170 requires a higher pressure and / or flow rate than that generated by a portable ventilator. The concentrator can use this method to deliver a pulse, thereby reducing FIO2. When using a B1 ventilation method or PEEP during exhalation, the venturi tube will generate a negative pressure during the inspiratory and expiratory cycles, which will cause the concentrator to miss triggering, thereby reducing the patient's FIO2.

[0054] refer to Figure 4An embodiment of a medical ventilator 210 will be described. The medical ventilator 210 includes a positive pressure source 230 and a negative pressure source 220. The positive pressure source 230 generates an airflow that creates positive pressure at the patient, and the negative pressure source 220 generates negative pressure to trigger an oxygen source (e.g., an oxygen concentrator) 280. The medical ventilator 210 is connected to a patient / breathing circuit 250 via a multi-lumen or multi-chamber tubing. The multi-lumen tubing contains three lumens: one for pressurized air for the ventilator, one for oxygen flow, and one for pressure sensing. The breathing circuit 250 is connected to a pillow interface 260, which is connected to a patient 270. The ventilator 210 can be used with any oxygen concentrator 280 currently used to deliver oxygen to a mobile patient via nasal cannula. Triggering of oxygen pulses by the oxygen concentrator 280 is controlled by a negative pressure device within the ventilator 210. Negative pressure can be generated during inspiratory and / or expiratory cycles to initiate one or more oxygen pulses.

[0055] The patient / breathing circuit 250 includes a special connector for medical ventilators. The breathing circuit 250 includes three tubes or a three-lumen tube: 1) pressurized air, 2) oxygen flow and / or pulses, and 3) a pressure sensing line. The three tubes or three-lumen tube connect to the nasal occiput interface 260.

[0056] The negative pressure device 220 generates negative pressure in the ventilator 210, which triggers the concentrator 280 to deliver an oxygen pulse to the ventilator's oxygen inlet. The oxygen pulse is then delivered directly to the oxygen cannula in the nasal bolster interface 260 via the patient / breathing circuit 250.

[0057] In another embodiment, a small, continuous flow of oxygen can also be supplied when no delivery pulse is available to help boost FIO2.

[0058] In one embodiment, oxygen concentrator 280 provides a pulsed flow to ventilator 210 to achieve a higher FIO2 value. Medical ventilator 210 may include one or more output sensors to sense one or more conditions of user 270, pressure, flow rate, leakage, respiratory rate, activity environment, etc., to monitor the patient during ventilation.

[0059] Figure 5 An example waveform diagram is shown, which identifies the patient pressure signal 300 and airflow 320, as well as an oxygen pulse 330 delivered from the concentrator to the ventilator 330. The x-axis represents time in seconds in the patient or breathing circuit, and the y-axis represents pressure in cm H2O 310. In one embodiment, the ventilator airflow 320 is shown, and an oxygen pulse is shown in the same graph 330.

[0060] Figure 6An example waveform diagram is shown that identifies patient pressure signal 300 and airflow 320, as well as multiple oxygen pulses 350 delivered by the ventilator. The x-axis represents time in seconds within the patient or breathing circuit 250, and the y-axis represents pressure in cmH2O 310. In one embodiment, the ventilator airflow 320 and two oxygen pulses 350 are shown in the same graph.

[0061] refer to Figure 7 Embodiments of the control unit 400 may take any form known in the art and include a central microprocessor or CPU 410 that communicates with components of the system described herein via one or more interfaces, controllers, or other loop elements for controlling and managing the system. The system may include a user interface, as part of or coupled to the control unit, for allowing users, providers, physicians, etc., to input information such as oxygen pulse count, inspiratory positive pressure, expiratory positive pressure, flow rate, activity level, etc., to control the system.

[0062] refer to Figure 8 An embodiment of a patient-worn occipital-nose interface 450 will be described. Interface 450 includes an oxygen cannula 440 integrated into the interface to deliver one or more pulses of oxygen to the patient, thereby increasing FIO2. Feed tube 420 includes a connector 415 to connect the interface to a patient / breathing circuit 250. Feed tube 420 may be a thin, flexible tube made of an inert material (e.g., polyurethane), silicone, or other materials known in the art. It should be noted that all components of the interface may be made of medically biocompatible materials. Medical ventilator 210 forces a gas such as air and / or oxygen through tube 420. Medical ventilator 210 may provide the patient with a therapeutic treatment delivered through the interface in terms of volume and / or pressure type.

[0063] refer to Figure 9A and Figure 9B An embodiment of the pillow interface 450 will be described in more detail below. Pressurized air from the air delivery cavity 454 (from the ventilator 330) and oxygen from the oxygen cannula / oxygen delivery cavities 458, 470 are mixed in the mixing chamber 462 of the pillow 466. Cavity 474 is the trigger cavity. In an alternative embodiment, the oxygen cannula / oxygen delivery cavity 458 may be an opening in a tube and does not extend all the way into the chamber 462 of the pillow 466. The pillow 466 seals at the nostril 478 of the patient 482 and delivers the mixed gas from the chamber 462 of the pillow 466 to the patient 482.

[0064] System Overview

[0065] Infrastructure

[0066] Figure 10 An example system 500 according to one embodiment is illustrated, which may, for example but not limited to, control unit 400 for controlling and / or communicating with ventilator 210. The infrastructure may include platform 510 (e.g., one or more servers) that hosts and / or performs one or more of the various functions, processes, methods, and / or software modules described herein. Platform 510 may include dedicated servers or may include cloud instances utilizing shared resources of one or more servers. These servers or cloud instances may be co-located and / or geographically distributed. Platform 510 may also include or communicatively connect to server application 512 and / or one or more databases 514. Furthermore, platform 510 may communicatively connect to one or more user systems 530 via one or more networks 520. Platform 510 may also communicatively connect to one or more external systems 540 (e.g., other platforms, websites, etc.) via one or more networks 520.

[0067] Network 520 may include the Internet, and platform 510 may communicate with user system 530 via the Internet using standard transport protocols (e.g., Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), HTTP Secure (HTTPS), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), FTP Secure (FTPS), Secure Shell FTP (SFTP), etc.) as well as proprietary protocols. Although platform 510 is shown connected to various systems via a single set of networks 520, it should be understood that platform 510 may connect to various systems via different sets of one or more networks. For example, platform 510 may connect to a subset of user systems 530 and / or external systems 540 via the Internet, but may connect to one or more other user systems 530 and / or external systems 540 via an intranet. Furthermore, although only a few user systems 130 and external systems 540, a server application 512, and a set of databases 514 are shown, it should be understood that the infrastructure may include any number of user systems, external systems, server applications, and databases.

[0068] User system 530 may include any type of computing device capable of wired and / or wireless communication, including but not limited to desktop computers, laptop computers, tablet computers, smartphones or other mobile phones, servers, game consoles, televisions, set-top boxes, electronic kiosks, point-of-sale terminals, ATMs, etc.

[0069] Platform 510 may include a web server hosting one or more websites and / or web services. In embodiments providing websites, the websites may include a graphical user interface, including one or more screens (e.g., web pages) generated, for example, in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) or other languages. Platform 510 transmits or serves one or more screens of the graphical user interface in response to a request from user system 530. In some embodiments, these screens may be served in a wizard-like manner, in which case two or more screens may be provided sequentially, and the sequence of screens may depend on the user or user system 530's interaction with one or more preceding screens. Requests to platform 510 and responses (including screens of the graphical user interface) from platform 510 may be transmitted via network 520, which may include the Internet, using standard communication protocols (e.g., HTTP, HTTPS, etc.). These screens (e.g., web pages) may include a combination of content and elements, such as text, images, videos, animations, references (e.g., hyperlinks), frames, inputs (e.g., text boxes, text areas, checkboxes, radio buttons, drop-down menus, buttons, forms, etc.), and scripts (e.g., JavaScript), including elements containing or derived from data stored in one or more databases (e.g., database 514) accessible locally and / or remotely by platform 510. Platform 510 may also respond to other requests from user system 530.

[0070] Platform 510 may also include one or more databases 514, be communicatively coupled to, or access one or more databases 514. For example, platform 510 may include one or more database servers that manage one or more databases 514. User system 530 or server application 512 executing on platform 510 may submit data (e.g., user data, form data, etc.) to be stored in database 514, and / or request access to data stored in database 514. Any suitable database may be used, including but not limited to MySQL. TM Oracle TM IBM TM Microsoft SQL TM Access TM This includes cloud-based databases and proprietary databases. Data can be sent to platform 510, for example, using a well-known POST request supported by HTTP via FTP, etc. This data, along with other requests, can be processed by server-side networking technologies, such as those performed by platform 510, for example, servlets or other software modules (e.g., included in server application 512).

[0071] In embodiments providing network services, platform 510 may receive requests from external system 540 and provide responses in Extensible Markup Language (XML), JavaScript Object Notation (JSON), and / or any other suitable or desired format. In such embodiments, platform 510 may provide an application programming interface (API) defining how user system 530 and / or external system 540 can interact with the network service. Therefore, user system 530 and / or external system 540 (which may themselves be servers) may define their own user interfaces and rely on the network service to implement or otherwise provide the backend processes, methods, functions, storage, etc., described herein. For example, in such embodiments, client application 532 executing on one or more user systems 530 may interact with server application 512 executing on platform 510 to perform one or more or a portion of the various functions, processes, methods, and / or software modules described herein. Client application 532 may be “thin,” in which case processing is primarily performed on the server side by server application 512 on platform 510. A basic example of a thin client application is a browser application that simply requests, receives, and renders web pages on user system 530, while a server application on platform 510 is responsible for generating web pages and managing database functions. Alternatively, the client application can be “thick,” in which case processing is primarily performed on the client by user system 530. It should be understood that, depending on the design goals of a particular implementation, client application 532 may perform a certain amount of processing relative to server application 512 on platform 510 at any point along the range between “thin” and “thick.” In any case, the application described herein may reside entirely on platform 510 (e.g., in this case, server application 512 performs all processing) or user system 530 (e.g., in this case, client application 532 performs all processing) or distributed between platform 510 and user system 530 (e.g., in this case, both server application 512 and client application 532 perform processing), and may include one or more executable software modules that implement one or more functions, processes, or methods of the application described herein.

[0072] Example Processing Device

[0073] Figure 11This is a block diagram illustrating an example wired or wireless system 600, which can be used in conjunction with various embodiments described herein, such as, but not limited to, the control unit 400 of a ventilator 210. For example, system 600 can be used as, or in conjunction with, one or more functions, processes, or methods described herein (e.g., to store and / or execute an application or one or more software modules of an application), and can represent components of platform 510, user system 530, external system 540, and / or other processing means described herein. System 600 can be a server or any conventional personal computer or any other processor-enabled device capable of wired or wireless data communication. Other computer systems and / or architectures can also be used, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0074] System 600 preferably includes one or more processors, such as processor 610. Additional processors may be provided, such as auxiliary processors for managing input / output, auxiliary processors for performing floating-point mathematical operations, dedicated microprocessors (e.g., digital signal processors) with architectures suitable for fast execution of signal processing algorithms, slave processors (e.g., back-end processors) subordinate to the main processing system, additional microprocessors or controllers for dual- or multi-processor systems, and / or coprocessors. Such auxiliary processors may be discrete processors or may be integrated with processor 610. Examples of processors that may be used with system 600 include, but are not limited to, those mentioned above. Processor, Core processor and The processors, all of which are available from Intel Corporation in Santa Clara, California.

[0075] Processor 610 is preferably connected to communication bus 605. Communication bus 605 may include a data channel for facilitating information transfer between storage devices and other peripheral components of system 600. Furthermore, communication bus 605 may provide a set of signals for communicating with processor 610, including a data bus, address bus, and / or control bus (not shown). Communication bus 605 may include any standard or non-standard bus architecture, such as an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA), Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA), Micro Channel Architecture (MCA), Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) local bus, or bus architectures conforming to standards issued by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) (including IEEE 488 Universal Interface Bus (GPIB), IEEE 696 / S-100, etc.).

[0076] System 600 preferably includes main memory 615, and may also include slave memory 620. Main memory 615 provides storage for instructions and data for programs executed on processor 610, such as one or more functions and / or modules discussed herein. It should be understood that programs stored in memory and executed by processor 610 can be written and / or compiled in any suitable language, including but not limited to C / C++, Java, JavaScript, Perl, Visual Basic, .NET, etc. Main memory 615 is typically a semiconductor-based memory, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and / or static random access memory (SRAM). Other semiconductor-based memory types include, for example, synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), Rambus dynamic random access memory (RDRAM), ferroelectric random access memory (FRAM), etc., including read-only memory (ROM).

[0077] The memory 620 may optionally include internal media 625 and / or removable media 630. The removable media 630 can be read from and / or written to in any known manner. The removable storage media 230 may be, for example, a magnetic tape drive, an optical disc (CD) drive, a digital versatile disc (DVD) drive, other optical drives, flash memory drives, etc.

[0078] Slave memory 620 is a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable code (e.g., a publicly disclosed software module) and / or other data stored thereon. Computer software or data stored on slave memory 620 is read into main memory 615 and executed by processor 610.

[0079] In an alternative embodiment, the slave memory 620 may include other similar means that allow computer programs or other data or instructions to be loaded into the system 600. Such means may include, for example, a communication interface 640 that allows software and data to be transferred from an external storage medium 645 to the system 600. Examples of the external storage medium 645 may include an external hard disk drive, an external optical disk drive, an external magneto-optical disk drive, etc. Other examples of the slave memory 620 may include semiconductor-based memories, such as programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable read-only memory (EEPROM), and flash memory (a block-oriented memory similar to EEPROM).

[0080] As described above, system 600 may include communication interface 640. Communication interface 640 allows the transfer of software and data between system 600 and external devices (e.g., printers), networks, or other information sources. For example, computer software or executable code may be transferred from a network server (e.g., platform 510) to system 600 via communication interface 640. Examples of communication interface 640 include built-in network adapters, network interface cards (NICs), PCMCIA network cards, card bus network adapters, wireless network adapters, Universal Serial Bus (USB) network adapters, modems, wireless data cards, communication ports, infrared interfaces, IEEE 1394 FireWire, and any other means capable of connecting system 600 to a network (e.g., network 520) or another computing device. The communication interface 640 preferably implements industry-issued protocol standards, such as Ethernet IEEE 802 standard, Fibre Channel, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL), Frame Relay, Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), Personal Communication Service (PCS), Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP), Serial Line Internet Protocol / Point-to-Point Protocol (SLIP / PPP), etc., but it can also implement customized or non-standard interface protocols.

[0081] Software and data transmitted via communication interface 640 are typically in the form of electrical communication signals 655. These signals 655 can be provided to communication interface 640 via communication channel 650. In one embodiment, communication channel 650 can be a wired or wireless network (e.g., network 520) or any other kind of communication link. Communication channel 650 carries signals 655 and can be implemented using a variety of wired or wireless communication means, including wired or cable, fiber optic, traditional telephone line, cellular telephone link, wireless data communication link, radio frequency (“RF”) link, or infrared link, to name just a few.

[0082] Computer-executable code (e.g., computer programs such as the disclosed application programs or software modules) is stored in main memory 615 and / or secondary memory 620. The computer program may also be received via communication interface 640 and stored in main memory 615 and / or secondary memory 620. When executed, such a computer program enables system 600 to perform various functions of the disclosed embodiments described elsewhere herein.

[0083] In this specification, the term "computer-readable medium" is used to refer to any non-transitory computer-readable storage medium used to provide computer-executable code and / or other data to or within system 600. Examples of such media include main memory 615, slave memory 620 (including internal memory 625, removable medium 630, and external storage medium 645), and any peripheral device (including a network information server or other network device) communicatively coupled to communication interface 640. These non-transitory computer-readable media are means for providing executable code, programming instructions, software, and / or other data to system 600.

[0084] In embodiments implemented in software, the software may be stored on a computer-readable medium and loaded into system 600 via removable medium 630, I / O interface 635, or communication interface 640. In such embodiments, the software is loaded into system 600 in the form of an electrical communication signal 655. When executed by processor 610, the software preferably causes processor 610 to perform one or more processes and functions described elsewhere herein.

[0085] In one embodiment, I / O interface 635 provides an interface between one or more components of system 600 and one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of input devices include, but are not limited to, sensors, keyboards, touchscreens or other touch-sensitive devices, biometric sensing devices, computer mice, trackballs, pen-based pointing devices, etc. Examples of output devices include, but are not limited to, other processing devices, cathode ray tubes (CRTs), plasma displays, light-emitting diode (LED) displays, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), printers, vacuum fluorescent displays (VFDs), surface-conducting electron emission displays (SEDs), field emission displays (FEDs), etc. In some cases, input and output devices may be combined, for example, in the case of touch panel displays (e.g., in smartphones, tablets, or other mobile devices).

[0086] System 600 may also include one or more optional wireless communication components (e.g., in the case of user system 530) to facilitate wireless communication over voice and / or data networks. The wireless communication components include antenna system 670, radio system 665, and baseband system 660. In system 600, under the control of radio system 665, antenna system 670 transmits and receives radio frequency (RF) signals over the air.

[0087] In one embodiment, antenna system 670 may include one or more antennas performing switching functions and one or more multiplexers (not shown) for providing transmit and receive signal paths for antenna system 670. In the receive path, received RF signals may be coupled from the multiplexer to a low-noise amplifier (not shown), which amplifies the received RF signals and transmits the amplified signals to radio system 665.

[0088] In an alternative embodiment, radio system 665 may include one or more radio devices configured to communicate over various frequencies. In one embodiment, radio system 665 may combine a demodulator (not shown) and a modulator (not shown) in an integrated loop (IC). The demodulator and modulator may also be separate components. In the incoming path, the demodulator strips the RF carrier signal, leaving a baseband-received audio signal, which is transmitted from radio system 665 to baseband system 660.

[0089] If the received signal contains audio information, the baseband system 660 decodes the signal and converts it into an analog signal. The signal is then amplified and sent to a speaker. The baseband system 660 also receives analog audio signals from a microphone. These analog audio signals are converted into digital signals and encoded by the baseband system 660. The baseband system 660 also encodes the digital signals for transmission and generates a baseband transmission audio signal that is routed to the modulator section of the radio system 665. The modulator mixes the baseband transmit audio signal with the radio frequency carrier signal to generate a radio frequency transmit signal, which is routed to the antenna system 670 and can pass through a power amplifier (not shown). The power amplifier amplifies the radio frequency transmit signal and routes it to the antenna system 670, where the signal is switched to the antenna port for transmission.

[0090] The baseband system 660 is also communicatively coupled to a processor 610, which may be a central processing unit (CPU). The processor 610 can access data storage areas 615 and 620. The processor 610 is preferably configured to execute instructions (i.e., computer programs, such as the disclosed application program or software module), which may be stored in main memory 615 or slave memory 620. The computer program may also be received from the baseband processor 660 and stored in main memory 610 or slave memory 620, or executed upon receipt. When executed, such a computer program enables the system 600 to perform various functions of the disclosed embodiments.

[0091] The above description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to construct or use the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention, and the general principles described herein can be applied to other embodiments. Therefore, it should be understood that the description and drawings given herein represent currently preferred embodiments of the invention, and thus represent a broad range of topics considered in the invention. It should also be understood that the scope of the invention fully encompasses other embodiments that will be obvious to those skilled in the art, and therefore the scope of the invention is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A medical ventilator for delivering pressurized breathing to a patient and triggering an oxygen source to increase the FiO2 delivered to the patient, comprising: Ventilation conveying interface; A positive pressure source, configured to deliver intake gas; A negative pressure source, located within the ventilator and configured to generate negative pressure on an oxygen source to trigger the oxygen source to deliver oxygen to the ventilator; A ventilator circuit for connecting the ventilator to the ventilation delivery interface, the ventilator circuit including a multi-chamber circuit for delivering the inhaled gas and the oxygen upon triggering pressurized breathing. The ventilator circuit includes a first inner cavity and a second inner cavity. The first inner cavity is an inhaled gas delivery cavity for delivering the inhaled gas to the ventilation delivery interface, and the second inner cavity is an oxygen delivery cavity for delivering the oxygen to the ventilation delivery interface. The second inner cavity bypasses any leakage points in the ventilator, the ventilator circuit, and the ventilation delivery interface.

2. The medical ventilator according to claim 1, wherein, The oxygen source delivers a continuous flow of oxygen to the ventilator.

3. The medical ventilator according to claim 1, wherein, The oxygen source is a pulse oxygen concentrator that delivers pulses of oxygen to the ventilator.

4. The medical ventilator according to claim 3, wherein, The negative pressure source is configured to trigger the oxygen source by generating negative pressure in the ventilator at any time during the patient's inhalation and exhalation.

5. The medical ventilator according to claim 3, wherein, The ventilator is configured such that the negative pressure source causes multiple triggerings of the oxygen source for oxygen mass delivery during inhalation.

6. The medical ventilator according to claim 1, wherein, The ventilation delivery interface includes one or more cannulas, non-rebreathing masks, partial rebreathing masks, full-face masks, total masks, nasal cannulas, nasal masks, and / or nasal pillows.

7. The medical ventilator according to claim 1, wherein, The ventilator circuit further includes a third cavity, wherein the third cavity is at least one of a trigger cavity and a monitoring cavity.

8. The medical ventilator according to claim 1, wherein, The ventilation delivery interface includes one or more mixing chambers, wherein the first and second cavities are configured to deliver the inhaled gas and the oxygen to the one or more mixing chambers for mixing before delivery to the patient, without pre-mixing in the ventilator or the ventilator circuit.

9. A medical ventilator system, comprising: A ventilator having: (a) a positive pressure source configured to generate positive pressure for inhaled gas; and (b) a negative pressure source configured to generate negative pressure and transmit it to an oxygen source to trigger the oxygen source to deliver an oxygen bolus to the ventilator; and A patient circuit having a first lumen and a second lumen, wherein the patient circuit is configured to be connected to the ventilator; The system is further configured such that positive pressure routing of inhaled gas is routed through a first inner cavity of the patient circuit, and the oxygen mass is routed through a second inner cavity of the patient circuit.

10. The medical ventilator system according to claim 9, wherein, The negative pressure source is an electromechanical negative pressure device.

11. The medical ventilator system according to claim 9, wherein, The positive pressure source is a blower.

12. The medical ventilator system of claim 11 further includes a controller configured to provide a signal to a negative pressure source to cause the negative pressure source to generate negative pressure.

13. The medical ventilator system according to claim 9, wherein, The ventilator also includes a ventilator oxygen inlet configured to receive an oxygen mass from an oxygen source before the oxygen mass is routed through the second cavity.

14. A medical ventilator, comprising: A positive pressure source, configured to direct the positive pressure of inhaled gas into the patient circuit for delivery to the patient; and A negative pressure source is configured to generate negative pressure and transmit it to an oxygen source to trigger the oxygen source to direct the oxygen mass to the patient circuit for delivery to the patient.

15. The medical ventilator according to claim 14, wherein, The negative pressure source is an electromechanical negative pressure device.

16. The medical ventilator according to claim 14, wherein, The positive pressure source is a blower.

17. The medical ventilator of claim 14 further includes a controller configured to provide a signal to a negative pressure source to cause the negative pressure source to generate negative pressure.

18. The medical ventilator of claim 14 further includes a ventilator oxygen inlet configured to receive an oxygen stream from an oxygen source.

19. A medical ventilator, comprising: Ventilation delivery interface; A positive pressure source configured to deliver inhaled gas to the patient; as well as A negative pressure source is located inside the ventilator and configured to generate negative pressure against the oxygen source to trigger the oxygen source to deliver oxygen to the ventilator.

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