Small Animal Oxygen Therapy System

Abstract

To provide an oxygen therapy system for small animals that has a simple configuration and can provide appropriate oxygen therapy. [Solution] The oxygen therapy system 10 for small animals integrally comprises an oxygen concentrator 12 that produces concentrated oxygen, an oxygen hose 22 connected to the oxygen concentrator 12, a cage 14 for housing a small animal, a blender 16 that is connected to the oxygen hose 22 and inserted into the cage 14 to mix air with the concentrated oxygen supplied from the oxygen concentrator 12 and flow it inside the cage 14, and a concentration display unit 17 that displays the oxygen concentration or carbon dioxide concentration inside the cage 14.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an oxygen therapy system for small animals, for example, using an oxygen concentrator. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventional oxygen therapy devices for small animals consist of an oxygen concentrator containing zeolite and a cage for housing the small animal. The cage is an open-type cage with holes connecting the inside and outside, and the holes are sized to enable the oxygen-containing air inside the cage to be released to the outside in response to the supply of oxygen-containing air from the oxygen concentrator, so that the oxygen concentration inside the cage can be maintained at what is considered to be optimal for intensive oxygen therapy for small animals without the need to provide an oxygen concentration adjustment means in the cage, and so that the air inside the cage can be replaced with fresh oxygen-containing air from the oxygen concentrator (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5130307 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the above-mentioned oxygen therapy device for small animals, the oxygen concentration and carbon dioxide gas (carbon dioxide) concentration inside the cage may fluctuate depending on the usage environment, and it is difficult to reliably control these by only changing the size of the through holes.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention is intended to solve the above problems, and has an object to provide an oxygen therapy system for small animals that has a simple configuration and can provide appropriate oxygen therapy. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention is an oxygen therapy system for small animals which comprises a cage for housing small animals, an oxygen concentrator that produces concentrated oxygen, a hose connected to the oxygen concentrator, a blender that is connected to the hose and inserted into the cage to mix air with the concentrated oxygen supplied from the oxygen concentrator and flow it inside the cage, and a concentration display unit that displays at least one of the oxygen concentration or carbon dioxide concentration inside the cage.

[0007] It is preferable to adjust at least one of the oxygen concentration and the flow rate of the concentrated oxygen (air flow, concentrated oxygen flow) supplied from the oxygen concentrator based on the display result of the concentration display unit. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, appropriate oxygen therapy can be provided with a simple configuration. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the principle of supplying concentrated oxygen to a small animal in an embodiment of the oxygen therapy system of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the principle of a blender (Venturi mask) used in the oxygen therapy system for small animals according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] This figure shows the results of measuring carbon dioxide concentration inside cages that are widely used in Japan. [Figure 4] 1 is a block diagram of an oxygen therapy system for small animals according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 5] 1 is a diagram showing an example of an oxygen concentrator constituting an oxygen therapy system for small animals according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 6] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a cage constituting an oxygen therapy system for small animals according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a blender constituting an oxygen therapy system for small animals according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8]FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an O2 / CO2 monitor constituting an oxygen therapy system for small animals according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An oxygen therapy system for small animals according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] As shown in Figures 1 and 4, small animal oxygen therapy system 10 is a medical system specialized for oxygen therapy for small animals, which organically and integrally comprises oxygen concentrator 12 that produces concentrated oxygen, a cage 14 for housing small animal A such as a dog or cat, a blender 16 (see Figure 1, not shown in Figure 4) that mixes the concentrated oxygen supplied from oxygen concentrator 12 with air and flows it into cage 14, and a concentration display unit 17 (see Figure 4, not shown in Figure 1) that displays the oxygen concentration or carbon dioxide concentration in cage 14.

[0012] As shown in Figures 1 and 5, the oxygen concentrator 12 is a device that, as is well known, separates nitrogen gas and oxygen gas in the air, removes the nitrogen gas, and supplies high-concentration oxygen gas. This gas separation method can be broadly classified into a "membrane type" method that uses a molecular membrane to obtain a relatively low concentration of oxygen, and a "PAS type" that uses zeolite to obtain a high concentration of oxygen. Either type of oxygen concentrator 12 can be used, but the "PAS type" oxygen concentrator 12 has the effect of obtaining a large flow rate. An oxygen hose 22 (hose) through which concentrated oxygen flows is connected to the oxygen concentrator 12.

[0013] Oxygen concentrator 12 may include a liquid crystal display unit 13 for displaying the oxygen concentration and flow rate of the air flow (concentrated oxygen flow) supplied from oxygen concentrator 12, the temperature inside oxygen concentrator 12, humidity, and the like.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 6, the cage 14 is large enough to accommodate a small animal, has an opening (not shown) that is open on the front, and has a door 18 that closes the opening. The cage 14 is made of transparent plastic so that the inside can be seen through. The cage 14 has a housing made of, for example, a 5 mm thick acrylic resin plate. The cage 14 does not have a through hole large enough to control the oxygen concentration or carbon dioxide (carbon dioxide) concentration inside, but has a minimum necessary gap 20. The gap 20 is, for example, a through hole formed in the cage 14 or the door 18, and exists in any position (for example, the upper and lower parts) of the cage 14. It goes without saying that the formation of the gap 20 in the lower part of the cage 14 increases the discharge function of heavy carbon dioxide gas.

[0015] A blender 16 is inserted into a portion of the cage 14. The blender 16 may be, for example, a Venturi mask (Venturi tube).

[0016] A concentration display unit 17 housing various sensors is installed on the top surface of the cage 14. The concentration display unit 17 is an O2 / CO2 monitor for displaying the oxygen concentration, carbon dioxide concentration, temperature, and humidity inside the cage 14.

[0017] 1 and 7, the tip of an oxygen hose 22 connected to the oxygen concentrator 12 is removably attached to the blender 16, and the blender 16 is inserted into the cage 14. In this way, in the blender 16, concentrated oxygen supplied from the oxygen concentrator 12 via the oxygen hose 22 is mixed with several times the volume of air and sent to the inside of the cage 14.

[0018] Here, there are standards for the carbon dioxide concentration that is acceptable in the human living environment. Specifically, the building standards for houses and the like state that it is 1000 ppm. The Ministry of Culture's recommended value for school classrooms is 1500 ppm, and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's standard for an 8-hour work day is 5000 ppm. According to this embodiment, by using a blender for mixing oxygen and outside air, it is possible to ventilate the cage with a large amount of outside air. As a result, it is possible to reduce high concentrations of carbon dioxide and obtain measurement values ​​that meet these standards.

[0019] The blender 16 can not only reduce the carbon dioxide concentration, but also adjust the oxygen concentration within the range of 25 to 50%.

[0020] 1 and 8, the concentration display unit 17 is an O2 / CO2 monitor for displaying the oxygen concentration, carbon dioxide concentration, temperature, and humidity inside the cage 14. The concentration display unit 17 has an oxygen concentration meter, a carbon dioxide concentration meter, a thermometer, and a hygrometer, and measures and displays the oxygen concentration, carbon dioxide concentration, temperature, and humidity inside the cage 14 in real time. The concentration display unit 17 may be installed on the top surface of the cage 14, or may be installed at a location away from the cage 14. The concentration display unit 17 may also be built into the cage 14.

[0021] Next, the operation of the oxygen therapy system for small animals according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0022] 1 and 4 to 8, a small animal A is housed inside a cage 14, and concentrated oxygen with a predetermined oxygen concentration is supplied from an oxygen concentrator 12. The concentrated oxygen passes through an oxygen hose 22, enters and passes through the inside of a blender 16, and mixes with outside air as it passes through the blender 16. As a result, the concentrated oxygen and air are mixed together to form a mixture, which is then supplied to the inside of the cage 14.

[0023] As shown in Figure 2, a Venturi mask (Venturi tube) called blender 16 is used, which can create the Venturi effect. The Venturi effect allows oxygen and air to be mixed and the oxygen concentration to be adjusted to a set level. The Venturi effect is a principle in which a jet stream is created by making the outlet small and letting oxygen flow forcefully, creating negative pressure around the jet stream and drawing in air.

[0024] In particular, the blender 16 can be easily assembled by connecting it to the tip of the oxygen hose 22 and inserting it into the cage 14, and a mixer of a predetermined concentration can be supplied inside the cage 14. For example, by preparing multiple types of blenders for different settable oxygen concentrations, the internal environment of the cage 14 can be adjusted to various oxygen concentrations. It is preferable to form the blenders in different colors to distinguish the settable oxygen concentrations.

[0025] Inside the cage 14, a large amount of the mixture of air and outside air fills the cage with a high concentration of oxygen, and the air inside the cage is stirred and discharged to the outside through the gap 20. The mixture supplied to the inside of the cage 14 has an increased amount of air because the blender 16 takes in outside air. By supplying the mixture with an increased amount of air to the inside of the cage 14, the air inside the cage 14 is diffused, and carbon dioxide gas, ammonia gas, etc. (gases generated by the breathing of small animals) that have been retained inside the cage are forcefully discharged to the outside of the cage 14 through the gap 20. In this way, the oxygen concentration of the air inside the cage can be increased, and at the same time, the discharge effect of carbon dioxide gas, etc. retained inside the cage can be increased, and the concentrations of carbon dioxide gas and ammonia gas inside the cage can be reduced.

[0026] In particular, since the oxygen concentration inside the cage is not maintained by the size of the through holes formed in the cage 14, the gap 20 can be kept to a necessary minimum. Therefore, the cage is less affected by the usage environment, and the oxygen concentration inside the cage can be maintained at an optimal concentration.

[0027] In conventional oxygen therapy devices for small animals, the oxygen concentration inside the cage is controlled by the size of the through holes formed in the cage to maintain the oxygen concentration at an optimal concentration, but in this embodiment, the oxygen concentration inside the cage can be maintained at an optimal concentration and carbon dioxide gas inside the cage can be discharged to the outside by simply discharging air to the outside through gap 20 present in cage 14, rather than by the size of the through holes. In particular, since the size of gap 20 is the minimum necessary, hot or cold air from an air conditioner or cooler, for example, is less likely to penetrate into the cage, and the cage is less susceptible to the effects of the usage environment in which cage 14 is installed.

[0028] The effectiveness of use is significantly improved when the oxygen concentrator 12, cage 14, blender 16, and concentration display unit 17 are used in an organic and integrated manner, as in the oxygen therapy system for small animals 10 of the present invention.

[0029] For example, if the oxygen concentration inside the cage does not increase, and if the oxygen concentration is normal from the oxygen concentrator 12, it can be determined whether the door of the cage 14 is left partially open or whether there is too much of a gap 20.

[0030] For example, the blender 16 has been used for several decades as a product called a "Venturi mask" for human oxygen inhalation, but in human treatment, it was used with 100% oxygen concentration. However, in veterinary hospitals, oxygen concentrators 12 are used, and if the oxygen concentration of the air flow (concentrated oxygen flow) supplied from the oxygen concentrator 12 drops, the expected oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations in the cage 14 will not be achieved even if the blender 16 is used. For this reason, by installing a concentration display unit 17 and measuring the oxygen concentration, carbon dioxide concentration, temperature, and humidity in the cage 14 in real time, at least one of the oxygen concentration or flow rate of the air flow (concentrated oxygen flow) supplied from the oxygen concentrator 12 can be appropriately controlled. As a result, the cage 14 can be maintained in an optimal environment for oxygen treatment of small animals.

[0031] Next, an experimental example of the oxygen therapy system for small animals according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0032] First, we measure the carbon dioxide concentration inside the cages commonly used in Japan.

[0033] The oxygen supply was 3 L / min (oxygen concentration 90%) from an oxygen concentrator. When the oxygen concentration in the cage reached 40%, the oxygen supply was stopped, and when it fell below 40%, the oxygen supply was started again to maintain the oxygen concentration in the cage at a constant concentration of 40%.

[0034] The amount of carbon dioxide gas supplied was 100-120ml from a carbon dioxide gas cylinder under the following conditions: 10ml / kg for the dog's tidal volume, 100ml for a body weight of 10kg, and 2,000ml for a respiratory rate of 20 breaths per minute. Of the 2,000ml ventilation volume (exhaled air), the carbon dioxide concentration is about 4% (80ml), but in the experiment this was increased by 25-50% and set at 100-120ml / min.

[0035] As shown in Figure 3, when the oxygen concentration reaches the set value of 40%, the oxygen supply stops, and when it falls below 40%, the oxygen supply resumes, but the cage is not ventilated during the time when the oxygen supply is stopped, so carbon dioxide accumulates inside the cage. When the oxygen supply is resumed, the cage is ventilated and the carbon dioxide concentration drops, but the accumulated carbon dioxide cannot be completely eliminated, so it gradually accumulates inside the cage and continues to increase.

[0036] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the principle of this system is an application of Bernoulli's law in fluid mechanics. For example, there is a nebulizer, which is something we are familiar with. Nebulizers, which were widely used in the past, suck in the liquid medicine at the bottom of the bottle when compressed air from a compressor is blown through a thin nozzle, turning it into a fine mist that can be inhaled by the patient, but when there is no liquid medicine, outside air is sucked in.

[0037] In this embodiment, oxygen from the oxygen concentrator is passed through a special blender instead of a nebulizer. By changing the structure of the blender, the amount of outside air drawn in changes, and the amount of ventilation in the cage changes. Therefore, the oxygen concentration and carbon dioxide concentration can be changed by using several types of blenders.

[0038] According to the blender of this embodiment, the oxygen sent from the oxygen concentrator 12 is mixed with 3 to 10 times as much outside air (e.g., room air) and supplied to the cage 14, so that the internal environment of the cage 14 is close to the temperature and humidity of an air-conditioned room. Furthermore, odors and the like inside the cage are exhausted to the outside, creating a favorable environment inside the cage. In other words, the method of this embodiment makes it possible to set the oxygen concentration even in a simple cage in which the oxygen concentration cannot be adjusted.

[0039] The above configuration shows one embodiment of the present invention, and the scope of the utility model registration claim is not intended to be limited to the above configuration. The technical idea of ​​the present invention should be protected as the scope of the right, and the degree of design changes made by a person skilled in the art should be included in the scope of the utility model registration claim. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 10. Oxygen Therapy System for Small Animals 12 Oxygen concentrator 13 LCD display section 14 Cage 16. Blender 17 Concentration display section 18 Doors 20 Gap 22 Oxygen hose (hose) A small animal

Claims

1. An oxygen therapy system for small animals comprising: a cage for housing a small animal; an oxygen concentrator that produces concentrated oxygen; a hose connected to the oxygen concentrator; a blender that is connected to the hose and inserted into the cage to mix air with the concentrated oxygen supplied from the oxygen concentrator and flow it inside the cage; and a concentration display unit that displays at least one of the oxygen concentration or carbon dioxide concentration inside the cage.

2. 2. The oxygen therapy system for small animals according to claim 1, further comprising: a control unit for controlling an oxygen concentration or a flow rate of the concentrated oxygen supplied from the oxygen concentrator based on the display result of the concentration display unit.

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