High flow therapy and related systems and methods

Abstract

The present technology relates to systems and methods for reducing the amount of oxygen used during high flow therapy. For example, the present technology includes systems and methods of (1) delivering oxygen to a patient at a flow rate between 15 lpm and 60 lpm during an inspiratory phase of breathing, and (2) delivering air to the patient at a flow rate between 15 lpm and 60 lpm during an expiratory phase of breathing. Thus, the systems and methods may maintain high flow to the patient during both inspiration and expiration phases, but may vary the type of gas delivered to the patient during each phase to conserve oxygen.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present technology relates generally to systems and methods for providing respiratory therapy, and particularly to systems and methods for providing high flow therapy with reduced oxygen consumption. Background Art

[0002] Standard oxygen therapy is used as the primary treatment for hypoxic patients. Standard oxygen therapy includes administering oxygen to the patient at a relatively low flow rate (such as up to 15 liters / minute (lpm)) using devices such as nasal cannula, non-rebreathing masks, and bag-masks. The inspired oxygen concentration (FiO2) obtained using these devices varies with the patient's breathing pattern, peak inspiratory flow rate, delivery system, and mask characteristics. High flow oxygen therapy is an alternative to standard oxygen therapy. In high flow oxygen therapy, oxygen is heated and humidified before being delivered to the patient. Because the oxygen is heated and humidified, oxygen can be delivered at a higher flow rate of up to 60 lpm, and the FiO2 value is close to 100%. Depending on the patient, high flow oxygen therapy can provide many physiological benefits, including greater comfort and tolerance, more effective oxygenation in some cases, and improved breathing patterns accompanied by an increase in tidal volume and a reduction in respiratory rate and dyspnea. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0003] Many aspects of the present technology may be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. Instead, emphasis is placed on clearly illustrating the principles of the present technology.

[0004] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a standard system used to deliver high-flow oxygen therapy.

[0005] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a system for providing high flow therapy and configured in accordance with an embodiment of the present technology.

[0006] Figure 3 It is shown that the use Figure 2 Graphs of various aspects of high flow therapy administered to a patient according to an embodiment of the present technology and the system shown in FIG.

[0007] Figure 4 is a flow chart of a method for delivering high flow therapy in accordance with an embodiment of the present technology. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0008] High flow oxygen therapy is an alternative to standard oxygen and typically includes heating and / or humidifying the oxygen before delivering it to the patient. Because the oxygen is heated and / or humidified, the patient can tolerate an increased flow rate, such as between 15 lpm and 60 lpm. High flow oxygen therapy may be beneficial for certain patients who require a larger volume of oxygen delivery and / or do not respond well to standard low flow oxygen therapy. However, because high flow oxygen therapy provides oxygen at a high flow rate, high flow oxygen therapy consumes oxygen at a much faster rate than standard low flow oxygen therapy. Therefore, there is a need to improve high flow oxygen therapy to retain the benefits provided by high flow therapy while minimizing the amount of oxygen used during treatment.

[0009] The present technology relates to systems and methods for reducing the amount of oxygen used during high flow therapy. For example, the present technology includes the following systems and methods: (1) delivering oxygen to a patient at a flow rate between 15 lpm and 60 lpm during the inspiratory phase of breathing, and (2) delivering air to a patient at a flow rate between 15 lpm and 60 lpm during the expiratory phase of breathing. In some embodiments, the delivery of oxygen is stopped during the expiratory phase and the delivery of air is stopped during the inspiratory phase, but in other embodiments, a combination of oxygen and air can be delivered during the inspiratory phase and / or the expiratory phase so that the total flow rate is between 15 lpm and 60 lpm. Regardless, the systems and methods described herein can maintain high flow to a patient during both the inspiratory phase and the expiratory phase to provide the advantages associated with high flow therapy, while also changing the type or amount of gas delivered to the patient during each phase to save oxygen. Therefore, the present technology is expected to reduce the amount of oxygen used during high flow therapy by at least reducing the amount of oxygen delivered to the patient during the expiratory phase and thus "wasted". Without being bound by theory, this may reduce the cost of high flow oxygen therapy, reduce oxygen waste during high flow oxygen therapy, and / or extend the life of certain high flow therapy systems. Other aspects and advantages of the apparatus, methods, and uses will become apparent from the ensuing description, which is given by way of example only.

[0010] The terms used in the description presented below are intended to be interpreted in their broadest reasonable manner, even when used in conjunction with the detailed description of certain specific embodiments of the present technology. Certain terms may even be emphasized below; however, any term that is intended to be interpreted in any restricted manner will be clearly and specifically defined in this detailed description. In addition, the present technology may be included within the scope of the claims or examples but not with respect to Figure 1-4 Other embodiments are described in detail.

[0011] References throughout this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present technology. Thus, the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" appearing in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, particular features or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0012] Relative terms mentioned in this specification, such as "usually", "about" and "approximately" are used herein to represent the value ± 10%. The term "substantially" or its grammatical variants refers to at least about 50%, such as 75%, 85%, 95% or 98%.

[0013] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a standard high flow therapy system 100 ("system 100") for delivering high flow oxygen therapy. System 100 includes an oxygen source 110 for providing oxygen 112 to a humidifier 120, which heats and humidifies oxygen 112. Oxygen 112 then passes through a patient circuit 130 (e.g., a bellows, etc.) before being delivered to a patient P via a patient connection 135 (such as a nasal cannula, etc.). During standard high flow therapy, oxygen 112 is delivered to the patient at a constant or substantially constant flow rate regardless of the breathing phase. For example, oxygen 112 can be delivered at a flow rate of up to 60 lpm during the inspiratory phase and the expiratory phase of breathing. During the inspiratory phase, oxygen 112 is introduced into the patient's lungs and upper airways to fill the patient's alveoli and provide oxygenated breaths to the user. During the expiratory phase, oxygen 112 is introduced into the patient's upper airways to help remove carbon dioxide (CO2) included in the patient's exhaled gas. This is advantageous because it reduces the re-breathing of CO2 during subsequent breathing. However, due to the substantially constant high flow values ​​necessary to achieve these advantages of high flow therapy during both inspiration and exhalation, relatively large amounts of oxygen are consumed (e.g., up to 60 liters of oxygen per minute if oxygen is delivered at a flow rate of 60 lpm).

[0014] The present technology is directed to systems and methods that contemplate reducing the amount of oxygen required to perform high flow therapy while retaining the advantages associated with high flow therapy. Figure 22 is a schematic diagram of a high flow therapy system 200 ("system 200") for delivering high flow therapy and configured in accordance with selected embodiments of the present technology. System 200 may include both an oxygen source 210 and an air source 215. Oxygen source 210 may provide oxygen 212 (e.g., concentrated oxygen greater than 21% O2, such as between about 80% and about 100% O2). Air source 215 may provide air 216 (e.g., ambient air, pressurized air, or other gas). In some embodiments, oxygen source 210 and air source 215 are contained within the same housing 241, such that oxygen source 210 and air source 215 are part of the same device 242 (e.g., a portable oxygen concentrator, a portable multi-function ventilator, a high flow therapy device, etc.). In other embodiments, one or both of oxygen source 210 and air source 215 may be or form part of a separate device. For example, oxygen source 210 may be an external oxygen source, such as an oxygen tank.

[0015] The oxygen source 210 is configured to deliver oxygen 212 to an oxygen delivery lumen 232 (also referred to simply as "oxygen lumen 235"). In embodiments where the oxygen source 210 is contained within a housing 241, the oxygen source 210 may deliver oxygen 212 to the oxygen lumen 232 via an oxygen outlet port 214 in the housing 241. The oxygen lumen 232 directs the oxygen 212 to a patient connection piece 235, which delivers the oxygen 212 to the patient P. The oxygen lumen 232 may be any suitable oxygen delivery circuit, such as a bellows or another suitable conduit (e.g., a tube extending from a nasal cannula). The patient connection piece 235 may be any suitable interface for delivering oxygen 212 to a patient, such as a nasal cannula, a nasal mask, a mouthpiece, a mask, a mouthpiece, an endotracheal tube, a tracheostomy tube or interface, etc. In some embodiments, the oxygen lumen 232 and the patient connection piece 235 are a single component (e.g., a nasal cannula).

[0016] The system 200 may optionally include a first humidifier 220a positioned between the oxygen source 210 and the oxygen lumen 232 or otherwise fluidly coupled between the oxygen source 210 and the oxygen lumen 232. Thus, the first humidifier 220a may heat and / or humidify the oxygen 212 before the oxygen 212 is delivered to the patient P at the patient connection 235. Although the first humidifier 220a is shown as being "upstream" of the oxygen lumen 232, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the system 200 may be configured such that the first humidifier 220a is positioned elsewhere, such as along the length of the oxygen lumen 232, between the oxygen lumen 232 and the patient connection 235, and / or within the housing 241 of the device 242. In some embodiments, the first humidifier 220a may be omitted, and the oxygen may optionally be heated / humidified by the oxygen lumen 232.

[0017] The air source 215 is configured to deliver air 216 to an air delivery lumen 234 (also referred to simply as "air lumen 234"). In embodiments where the air source 215 is contained within a housing 241, the air source 215 may deliver air 216 to the air lumen 234 via an air outlet port 218 in the housing 241. The air lumen 234 directs the air 216 to a patient connection 235, which delivers the air 216 to the patient P. The air lumen 234 may be any suitable air delivery circuit, such as a bellows or another suitable conduit (e.g., a tube extending from a nasal cannula). Notably, the air lumen 234 is fluidly isolated from the oxygen lumen 232 until within or proximate to the patient connection 235 (e.g., within 16 inches, within 12 inches, within 10 inches, within 8 inches, within 6 inches, within 4 inches, within 3 inches, within 2 inches, within 1 inch, or at the distal end of the patient connection 235 that releases the oxygen 212 and air 216 into the patient P). Thus, the oxygen 212 and air 216 do not mix until proximate to and / or at the patient connection 235. In some embodiments, the air lumen 234 and the patient connection 235 are a single component (e.g., a nasal cannula).

[0018] In some embodiments, the oxygen lumen 232 and the air lumen 234 can form a single gas delivery circuit to reduce the number of system components. For example, the system 200 can include a patient circuit 230, which includes an oxygen lumen 232 and an air lumen 234. In such embodiments, the patient circuit 230 can include a multi-lumen tube, a multi-lumen catheter, etc., which includes an oxygen lumen 232 and an air lumen 234. The oxygen lumen 232 and the air lumen 234 can have a side-by-side arrangement, where the two lumens are simply joined together along their length (e.g., glued, molded, tied, etc.). The oxygen lumen 232 and the air lumen 234 can also both be positioned within a larger catheter of the patient circuit 230. In other embodiments, the oxygen lumen 232 and the air lumen 234 can have a coaxial configuration, where one of the oxygen lumen 232 and the air lumen 234 is positioned inside the other. An example of a multi-lumen patient circuit that may be used with the present technology is described in U.S. Pat. No. 11,191,915, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. It is contemplated that combining the oxygen lumen 232 and the air lumen 234 into a single component (e.g., the patient circuit 230) is advantageous because it reduces the number of components necessary to operate the system 200, and thus reduces the burden on the patient during transport and mobility, and reduces the likelihood that one of the lumens will become tangled or inadvertently caught by a foreign object. However, in some embodiments, the oxygen lumen 232 and the air lumen 234 are separate or substantially separate components. In such embodiments, the oxygen lumen 232 and the air lumen 234 are typically not coupled along their respective lengths (excluding a simple connection made by the patient or physician, such as connecting the oxygen lumen 232 and the air lumen 234 via a zip tie). Maintaining the oxygen lumen 232 and the air lumen 234 as separate components may be advantageous because if one of the oxygen lumen 232 or the air lumen 234 needs to be repaired or replaced, the other of the oxygen lumen 232 or the air lumen 234 does not need to be repaired or replaced.

[0019] The system 200 may optionally include a second humidifier 220b positioned between the air source 215 and the air lumen 234, or otherwise fluidly coupled between the air source 215 and the air lumen 234. Thus, the second humidifier 220b may heat and / or humidify the air 216 before the air 216 is delivered to the patient P at the patient connection 235. Although the second humidifier 220b is shown as being "upstream" of the air lumen 234, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the system 200 may be configured such that the second humidifier 220b is located elsewhere, such as along the length of the air lumen 234, between the air lumen 234 and the patient connection 235, and / or within the housing 241 of the device. In some embodiments, the second humidifier 220b is omitted, and the air 216 may optionally be heated / humidified by the air lumen 234.

[0020] In some embodiments, the first humidifier 220a and the second humidifier 220b can be contained within a single humidifier assembly 225. For example, the humidifier assembly 225 can have a single housing that encloses both the first humidifier 220a and the second humidifier 220b. In such an embodiment, certain components of the first humidifier 220a and the second humidifier 220b can be shared (e.g., a heater) to reduce the number of components required to operate the humidifier assembly 225. In an embodiment in which the first humidifier 220a and the second humidifier 220b are contained within the humidifier assembly 225, the humidifier assembly 225 is still configured to keep the oxygen 212 and the air 216 fluidly isolated. Therefore, the humidifier assembly 225 provides two discrete flow paths: a first flow path between the oxygen source 210 and the oxygen lumen 232 to heat and / or humidify the oxygen 212, and a second flow path between the air source 215 and the air lumen 234 to heat and / or humidify the air 216. In other embodiments, the humidifier assembly 225 is omitted, and the first humidifier 220a and the second humidifier 220b are separate components. In other embodiments, the system 200 includes only the first humidifier 220a, and the second humidifier 220b is omitted. In such embodiments, the air 216 may not be heated or humidified before being delivered to the patient P. In other embodiments, the humidifier assembly 225 is omitted, and the oxygen lumen 232 and / or the air lumen 234 heat / humidify the concentrated oxygen 212 and the air 216, respectively.

[0021] In some embodiments, the oxygen lumen 232 and the air lumen 234 can be fluidly joined at or near the patient connection 235 such that the oxygen 212 and the air 216 flow along a common portion of the patient circuit 230 at their distal-most portions. In such embodiments, a humidifier (not shown) can be positioned along the common portion downstream of the junction between the oxygen lumen 232 and the air lumen 234 such that a single humidifier can humidify both the air 216 received via the air lumen 234 and the oxygen 212 received via the oxygen lumen 232. However, even in embodiments where the air lumen 234 and the oxygen lumen 232 are merged into a common portion, the oxygen 212 and the air 216 remain fluidly isolated along substantially the entire length of the patient circuit 230, mixing just prior to entering the humidifier and being delivered to the patient P.

[0022] Return to Figure 2 In the illustrated embodiment, the system 200 further includes a first flow sensor 202a and a second flow sensor 202b (collectively referred to as "flow sensors 202"), the first flow sensor 202a being configured to measure the flow rate of oxygen 212 exhausted from the oxygen source 210, and the second flow sensor 202b being configured to measure the flow rate of air 216 exhausted from the air source 215. The flow sensors 202 may be positioned within the housing 241 near the oxygen source 210 and the air source 215, or along the oxygen lumen 232 and the air lumen 234. As described below, the flow sensors 202 may be configured to measure the flow rate during treatment. The measured flow rate may be used as part of an automatic control mechanism of the system 200 and / or may be displayed to a patient or other user (e.g., via a display screen; not shown).

[0023] The system 200 may also include one or more pressure sensors configured to measure pressure within one or more portions of the system 200. For example, the system 200 may include a first pressure sensor 204 positioned within the housing 241, such as between the air source 215 and the air outlet port 218. Alternatively or additionally, the system 200 may include a second pressure sensor 206 positioned within or near the patient connection 235 and / or the patient circuit 230. As described in more detail below, the pressure sensors may sense pressure changes indicative of phase changes in the patient's breathing.

[0024] The system 200 also includes a controller 205 for controlling the operation of the system 200. The controller 205 is configured to receive input from one or more of the flow sensor 202, the first pressure sensor 204, and / or the second pressure sensor 206. The controller 205 is also configured to control the oxygen source 210 and the air source 215, for example, based on the input received from the flow sensor 202, the first pressure sensor 204, and / or the second pressure sensor 206. For example, based on the input received from the flow sensor 202, the controller 205 can direct the oxygen source 210 and / or the air source 215 to maintain a given flow rate, control the oxygen source 210 or the air source 215 to increase the flow rate, control the oxygen source 210 or the air source 215 to reduce the flow rate, etc. Based on the input received from the first pressure sensor 204 and / or the second pressure sensor 206, the controller 205 can also control the oxygen source 210 and the air source 215 to discharge oxygen 212 and air 216, respectively, or stop discharging oxygen 212 and air 216, as described below.

[0025] In operation, the system 200 delivers oxygen 212 during the patient's inhalation phase and delivers air 216 during the patient's exhalation phase. Figure 3 is a graph illustrating various aspects of high flow therapy administered to a patient using system 200 according to an embodiment of the present technology. In particular, Figure 3 Two complete breathing cycles of patient P are shown, each cycle having an inspiratory phase I and an expiratory phase E. Line 350 shows the pressure within system 200 in cmH2O (e.g., as measured by first pressure sensor 204 and / or second pressure sensor 206). Line 360 ​​illustrates the flow within system 200 in lpm (e.g., as measured by flow sensor 202).

[0026] The controller 205 can control the system 200 to deliver oxygen 212 during the inhalation phase I and to deliver air 216 during the exhalation phase E. For example, when the pressure within the system 200 (e.g., at the patient connection 235 and / or in the patient circuit 230) indicates that the patient P is inhaling, the controller 205 can control the oxygen source 210 to discharge oxygen 216 at a target flow rate (e.g., a flow rate between 15 lpm and 60 lpm). When the pressure within the system 200 indicates that the patient P is exhaling, the controller 205 can (1) direct the oxygen source 210 to stop delivering oxygen 212, and (2) direct the air source 215 to deliver air 216 at the target flow rate. Figure 3 As shown, this may be repeated for any number of breathing cycles such that the system 200 alternates between delivering oxygen 212 during the inhalation phase I and delivering air 216 during the exhalation phase.

[0027] In some embodiments, the pressure changes from a negative value during inspiration to a positive value during exhalation. In such embodiments, detecting a change in pressure from a negative value to a positive value indicates that the patient P has transitioned from inspiration to exhalation, and detecting a change in pressure between a positive value and a negative value indicates that the patient P has transitioned from exhalation to inspiration. In other embodiments, the pressure changes from a first negative value during inspiration to a second negative value during exhalation, or from a first positive value during inspiration to a second positive value during exhalation. In such embodiments, the system 200 can be calibrated so that the controller 205 can still determine the transition between the inspiration phase I and the exhalation phase E, for example, by the sensed pressure exceeding a predetermined threshold that indicates the transition between the inspiration phase I and the exhalation phase E.

[0028] As best shown by line 360, the total flow rate administered to patient P during inspiratory phase I and expiratory phase E can remain substantially constant, regardless of whether oxygen 212 or air 216 is delivered. For example, system 200 can administer oxygen 212 at 60 lpm during inspiratory phase I and air 216 at 60 lpm during expiratory phase E. Thus, the flow rate provided to patient P between inspiratory phase I and expiratory phase E does not change (or at least does not substantially change) even if the type of gas delivered changes. Of course, in some embodiments, the flow rates during inspiratory and expiratory phases can be set so that the flow rate during inspiratory phase I is different from (e.g., greater than or less than) the flow rate during expiratory phase E.

[0029] Thus, the system 200 administers oxygen 212 at a high flow rate during the patient's inspiration, similar to a standard high flow therapy system. As a result, during inspiration, oxygen 212 is blown into the patient's lungs, filling the patient's alveoli and providing oxygenated breathing to the patient P. However, unlike the standard high flow therapy system, air 216 is delivered to the patient during exhalation. As described above, the main benefit of delivering gas to the patient during exhalation is to promote the removal of CO2, which otherwise may be trapped in the patient's airway. However, there is no need to use oxygen to remove CO2 because during exhalation, the gas is not used to provide oxygenated breathing to the user. Therefore, air 216 can promote the removal of CO2 from the patient's airway as effectively as oxygen. Therefore, by administering air 216 (e.g., instead of oxygen 212) during the patient's exhalation, it is expected that the system 200 uses less oxygen than a standard high flow therapy system. For example, in some embodiments, the system 200 can use an amount of oxygen that is less than 75%, 50%, 40%, 30%, or 20% of the amount of oxygen used in standard high flow therapy. As a specific example provided only for clarity of explanation, a standard high flow therapy at 60 lpm administering oxygen for one minute uses 60 liters of oxygen. In contrast, high flow therapy at 60 lpm as described herein may use, for example, 20 liters of oxygen for one minute, with the remaining 40 liters comprising air administered during exhalation. In the foregoing example, the same high flow therapy (e.g., 60 lpm) is administered to the patient, but only 1 / 3 of the oxygen is used.

[0030] In some embodiments, the system 200 may administer oxygen 212 in combination with air 216 during the inspiratory phase I. For example, the system 200 may administer oxygen 212 for a first preset period (e.g., 0.5 seconds, 0.75 seconds, 1 second, etc.) at the beginning of the inspiratory phase, and then deliver air 216 to the patient for the remainder of the inspiratory phase I. The oxygen 212 delivered to the patient P at the beginning of the inspiratory phase I occupies the patient's lungs and provides oxygenated breaths to the user, while the air 216 provided at the end of the expiratory phase does not reach the patient's lungs and therefore does not affect the FIO2 value. This is expected to further reduce the amount of oxygen 212 used by the system 200 while maintaining the advantages of high flow therapy.

[0031] In some embodiments, the system 200 may administer oxygen 212 in combination with air 216 during the exhalation phase E. For example, the system 200 may administer oxygen 212 at 30 lpm and air 216 at 30 lpm, such that the administered flow rate is 60 lpm. Of course, oxygen 212 and air 216 may be administered at other ratios during exhalation, such as 3:1, 2:1, 1:2, 1:3, or other suitable ratios. In such embodiments, even though some oxygen is delivered during exhalation, by replacing some of the oxygen that would normally be delivered during exhalation with air 216, oxygen consumption is still reduced relative to standard high flow therapy.

[0032] Figure 4 4 is a flow chart of a method 400 for delivering high flow oxygen therapy to a patient according to an embodiment of the present technology. The method 400 may begin in block 402 by detecting the onset of an inspiratory phase of breathing. One or more pressure sensors (e.g., Figure 2 In some embodiments, the method 400 may include detecting the start of the inspiratory phase by using the first pressure sensor 204 or the second pressure sensor 206 shown in ) or via another suitable technique. In response to detecting the start of the inspiratory phase, the method 400 may also include delivering oxygen to the patient during the inspiratory phase. For example, oxygen may be delivered to the patient at a flow rate between 15 lpm and 60 lpm, such as between 30 lpm and 60 lpm, or between 45 lpm and 60 lpm, or another suitable high flow rate (e.g., as adjusted for pediatric patients). This provides oxygenated breathing to the patient.

[0033] Method 400 may continue in block 406 by detecting the onset of the exhalation phase of breathing. One or more pressure sensors (e.g., Figure 2 ) or via another suitable technique to detect the start of the exhalation phase. In response to detecting the start of the exhalation phase, method 400 may further include delivering air to the patient during the exhalation phase. For example, air may be delivered to the patient at a flow rate between 15 lpm and 60 lpm, such as between 30 lpm and 60 lpm, or between 45 lpm and 60 lpm, or another suitable high flow rate. This promotes the removal of CO2 from the patient's airway. In some embodiments, air may be delivered to the patient during the exhalation phase at the same or approximately the same flow rate as the oxygen delivered to the patient during the inhalation phase. In other embodiments, air may be delivered to the patient at a flow rate different from that of oxygen. The operations in boxes 402-408 may be repeated for any number of cycles or for any duration to provide high flow therapy to the patient with reduced oxygen consumption relative to standard high flow oxygen therapy.

[0034] Example

[0035] Several aspects of this technique are illustrated in the following examples:

[0036] 1. A high flow treatment system comprising:

[0037] an oxygen source configured to provide oxygen to the oxygen delivery lumen at a first flow rate between 15 lpm and 60 lpm;

[0038] an air source configured to provide air to the air delivery lumen at a second flow rate between 15 lpm and 60 lpm; and

[0039] a controller configured to (i) direct the oxygen source to provide oxygen to the oxygen delivery lumen at the first flow rate during an inspiratory phase of respiration, and (ii) direct the air source to provide air to the air delivery lumen at the second flow rate during an expiratory phase of respiration.

[0040] 2. The system of Example 1, wherein the controller is further configured to (iii) direct the oxygen source to stop delivering oxygen during the exhalation phase of the breathing, and (iv) direct the air source to stop delivering air during the inhalation phase of the breathing.

[0041] 3. The system of Example 1, wherein the controller is configured to direct the oxygen source to provide oxygen to the oxygen delivery lumen during a first period of the inhalation phase, and wherein the controller is further configured to direct the air source to provide air to the air delivery lumen during a second period of the inhalation phase.

[0042] 4. A system as described in any of Examples 1-3, wherein the first flow rate is between 30 lpm and 60 lpm, and wherein the second flow rate is between 30 lpm and 60 lpm.

[0043] 5. A system as described in any of Examples 1-4, wherein the first flow rate and the second flow rate are approximately the same.

[0044] 6. The system of any of Examples 1-5, further comprising a pressure sensor, wherein the controller is configured to identify an inhalation phase and / or an exhalation phase based at least in part on one or more inputs from the pressure sensor.

[0045] 7. The system of any of Examples 1-6 further comprising a first flow sensor configured to measure an oxygen flow rate from an oxygen source and a second flow sensor configured to measure an air flow rate from an air source.

[0046] 8. The system of any one of Examples 1-7 further comprises a shell, wherein the oxygen source and the air source are located within the shell.

[0047] 9. The system of any one of Examples 1-8, further comprising a patient circuit, the patient circuit comprising the oxygen delivery lumen and the air delivery lumen, wherein the oxygen delivery lumen and the air delivery lumen are fluidically isolated.

[0048] 10. The system of Example 9, wherein the oxygen delivery lumen is coupled to the air delivery lumen.

[0049] 11. The system of any of Examples 1-10, further comprising:

[0050] a first humidifier configured to heat and / or humidify oxygen; and

[0051] A second humidifier is configured to heat and / or humidify the air.

[0052] 12. The system of Example 11 further includes a humidifier assembly, the humidifier assembly including a first humidifier and a second humidifier, and wherein the humidifier assembly is configured to isolate oxygen from air.

[0053] 13. A method for delivering high flow therapy to a patient, the method comprising:

[0054] detecting the onset of an inspiratory phase of the patient's respiration;

[0055] delivering oxygen to the patient at a first flow rate between 15 lpm and 60 lpm during the inspiratory phase;

[0056] detecting the onset of an expiratory phase of the breathing of the patient; and

[0057] Air is delivered to the patient at a second flow rate between 15 lpm and 60 lpm during the exhalation phase.

[0058] 14. The method of Example 13 further comprises:

[0059] ceasing the delivery of air during the inspiratory phase of breathing; and

[0060] The delivery of oxygen is stopped during the exhalation phase of breathing.

[0061] 15. The method of example 13 or 14, wherein the first flow rate is between 30 lpm and 60 lpm, and wherein the second flow rate is between 30 lpm and 60 lpm.

[0062] 16. A method as described in any of Examples 13-15, wherein the first flow rate and the second flow rate are approximately the same.

[0063] 17. The method of any of Examples 13-16, wherein the oxygen is delivered through a first lumen and the air is delivered through a second lumen, wherein the first lumen is isolated from the second lumen fluid along a majority of the first lumen and the second lumen.

[0064] 18. The method of any of Examples 13-17 further comprises humidifying the oxygen prior to delivering the oxygen to the patient during the inhalation phase.

[0065] 19. The method of any of Examples 13-18 further includes humidifying the air before delivering the air to the patient during the exhalation phase.

[0066] 20. The method of any of Examples 13-19, wherein delivering oxygen to the patient during an inhalation phase delivers oxygenated respiration to the client, and wherein delivering air to the patient during an exhalation phase removes carbon dioxide from the patient's airway.

[0067] in conclusion

[0068] The systems and methods described herein can be implemented with a computing architecture and / or distributed across computing architectures. For example, many systems described herein include memory for storing data, software modules, instructions, etc. The memory described herein may include one or more of various hardware devices for volatile and non-volatile storage, and may include both read-only and writable memory. For example, the memory may include random access memory (RAM), various caches, CPU registers, read-only memory (ROM), and writable non-volatile memory, such as flash memory, hard drives, floppy disks, CDs, DVDs, magnetic storage devices, tape drives, device buffers, etc. The memory is not a propagation signal separated from the underlying hardware; therefore, the memory is non-transitory. In some embodiments, the memory is a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores, for example, programs, software, data, etc.

[0069] As those skilled in the art will understand from the disclosure herein, various components of the above-described system may be omitted without departing from the scope of the present technology. Likewise, additional components not explicitly described above may be added to the system without departing from the scope of the present technology. For example, it should be understood that specific embodiments of the present technology have been described herein for illustrative purposes, but well-known structures and functions are not shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of the embodiments of the present technology. In addition, although specific embodiments and examples of the present technology are described above for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications may be made within the scope of the present technology as will be appreciated by those skilled in the relevant art. For example, although steps are presented in a given order, alternative embodiments may perform steps in a different order. The various embodiments described herein may also be combined to provide further embodiments. Therefore, the present technology is not limited to the configurations explicitly identified herein, but covers variations and modifications of the described systems and methods.

[0070] In addition, although advantages associated with some embodiments of the present technology have been described in the context of those embodiments, other embodiments may also exhibit such advantages, and not all embodiments must exhibit such advantages to fall within the scope of the present technology. Therefore, the present disclosure and associated technology may encompass other embodiments not explicitly shown or described herein.

[0071] Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and examples, the words "including", "comprising", etc. should be interpreted as inclusive, rather than exclusive or exhaustive; that is, in the sense of "including but not limited to". As used herein, the term "connection", "coupling" or any variation thereof means any direct or indirect connection or coupling between two or more elements; the coupling of the connection between the elements may be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. In addition, when used in this application, the words "herein", "above", "below" and words of similar meanings shall refer to this application as a whole, rather than any particular part of this application. Where the context permits, the words in the above-mentioned specific embodiments using the singular or plural may also include the plural or singular, respectively. As used herein, the phrase "and / or" as in "A and / or B" refers to A alone, B alone, and A and B. In addition, where specific integers with known equivalents in the field to which the embodiments are referred to are mentioned herein, these known equivalents are considered to be incorporated herein as if they were set forth separately.

Claims

1. A high flow treatment system comprising: an oxygen source configured to provide oxygen to the oxygen delivery lumen at a first flow rate between 15 lpm and 60 lpm; an air source configured to provide air to the air delivery lumen at a second flow rate between 15 lpm and 60 lpm; and a controller configured to (i) direct the oxygen source to provide oxygen to the oxygen delivery lumen at the first flow rate during an inspiratory phase of respiration, and (ii) direct the air source to provide air to the air delivery lumen at the second flow rate during an expiratory phase of respiration.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The controller is further configured to (iii) direct the oxygen source to cease delivering oxygen during an exhalation phase of the respiration, and (iv) direct the air source to cease delivering air during an inhalation phase of the respiration.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The controller is configured to direct the oxygen source to provide oxygen to the oxygen delivery lumen during a first period of the inspiratory phase, and wherein the controller is further configured to direct the air source to provide air to the air delivery lumen during a second period of the inspiratory phase.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The first flow rate is between 30 lpm and 60 lpm, and wherein the second flow rate is between 30 lpm and 60 lpm.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The first flow rate and the second flow rate are substantially the same.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a pressure sensor, wherein: The controller is configured to identify the inhalation phase and / or the exhalation phase based at least in part on one or more inputs from the pressure sensor.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a first flow sensor configured to measure a flow rate of oxygen from the oxygen source and a second flow sensor configured to measure a flow rate of air from the air source.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a housing, wherein the oxygen source and the air source are positioned within the housing.

9. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a patient circuit comprising the oxygen delivery lumen and the air delivery lumen, wherein the oxygen delivery lumen and the air delivery lumen are fluidly isolated.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein: The oxygen delivery lumen is coupled to the air delivery lumen.

11. The system of claim 1 , further comprising: a first humidifier configured to heat and / or humidify oxygen; and A second humidifier is configured to heat and / or humidify the air.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising a humidifier assembly, the humidifier assembly comprising the first humidifier and the second humidifier, and wherein the humidifier assembly is configured to isolate the oxygen from the air.

13. A method for delivering high flow therapy to a patient, the method comprising: detecting the onset of an inspiratory phase of the patient's respiration; delivering oxygen to the patient at a first flow rate between 15 lpm and 60 lpm during the inspiratory phase; detecting the onset of an expiratory phase of the respiration of the patient; and Air is delivered to the patient at a second flow rate between 15 lpm and 60 lpm during the exhalation phase.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising: Stopping the delivery of air during the inspiratory phase of breathing; and The delivery of oxygen is stopped during the exhalation phase of breathing.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein: The first flow rate is between 30 lpm and 60 lpm, and wherein the second flow rate is between 30 lpm and 60 lpm.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein: The first flow rate and the second flow rate are substantially the same.

17. The method according to claim 13, wherein: The oxygen is delivered through a first lumen and the air is delivered through a second lumen, wherein the first lumen is fluidly isolated from the second lumen along a majority of the first lumen and the second lumen.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising humidifying the oxygen prior to delivering oxygen to the patient during the inspiratory phase.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising humidifying the air prior to delivering the air to the patient during the exhalation phase.

20. The method according to claim 13, wherein: Delivering oxygen to the patient during the inhalation phase delivers oxygenated respiration to a user, and wherein delivering air to the patient during the exhalation phase removes carbon dioxide from the patient's airway.

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