CPAP Two-Way Feedback Control for Personalized Therapy Adherence

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing respiratory therapies, such as CPAP and NIV, face challenges with patient compliance due to discomfort, difficulty of use, aesthetics, and high cost, while data management for therapy compliance is costly and time-consuming.

Innovation Solution

A respiratory pressure therapy system that includes a flow generator, sensors, and a computing device for adjusting therapy settings based on patient feedback, with two-way communication for tailored coaching and personalized therapy, using demographic and subjective questions via web or mobile applications, and remote processing for improved comfort and efficacy.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If respiratory pressure therapy is provided to treat respiratory disorders, then therapy effectiveness is improved, but patient compliance deteriorates due to discomfort and difficulty of use

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetherapy effectivenessVSAvoidpatient compliance
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements two-way communication between the medical device and remote processing system. The device transmits patient data (demographic information, subjective feedback, compliance data) to the remote system, which analyzes the data and sends back tailored coaching programs and personalized therapy adjustments. This continuous feedback loop enables real-time optimization of therapy parameters based on actual patient response, improving both effectiveness and compliance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system enables patients to actively participate in their own therapy optimization by providing subjective feedback through the device interface. Patients can report comfort levels, symptoms, and compliance issues directly to the system, which then automatically adjusts therapy parameters or provides coaching guidance without requiring manual intervention from healthcare providers for every adjustment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Reliability

If data management for therapy compliance is performed manually, then therapy monitoring is achieved, but cost and time consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetherapy monitoringVSAvoiddata management time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The medical device automatically collects and transmits compliance data, demographic information, and therapy parameters to the remote processing system without requiring manual data entry by healthcare providers. The system self-manages data collection, transmission, and initial processing, significantly reducing the time and resources needed for compliance monitoring.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system replaces manual data management processes with automated electronic data transmission and remote processing. Instead of healthcare providers manually collecting, entering, and analyzing compliance data, the device automatically transmits data electronically to the remote system, which performs automated analysis and generates recommendations, eliminating the mechanical burden of manual data management.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Stability of the object's composition

If standardized therapy protocols are used, then treatment consistency is improved, but personalized treatment effectiveness deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetreatment consistencyVSAvoidpersonalized treatment effectiveness
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system maintains standardized therapy protocols as a baseline for consistency but enables dynamic adjustment of therapy parameters based on individual patient responses. The remote processing system analyzes patient-specific data and automatically adjusts coaching programs and therapy settings to create personalized treatment plans that evolve over time based on actual patient needs and responses.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system applies different levels of personalization to different aspects of therapy. Core therapy parameters maintain standardized protocols for consistency, while coaching programs, comfort settings, and adjunctive recommendations are customized locally for each patient based on their demographic information, subjective feedback, and compliance patterns.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP3969086B1Two-way communication in a medical device
Publication Date: 2025.11.05 RESMED PTY LTD
  • EP3969086B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3969086B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3969086B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A system for providing continuous positive air pressure therapy is provided. The system includes a flow generator, a sensor, and a computing device. The computing device is configured to control operation of the flow generator based on sensor data. The computing device is further configured to display, on a display device, one or more questions relating to demographic and/or subjective feedback; responsive to displaying the one or more questions, receive one or more inputs indicating answers to the one or more questions; transmit the answers to a remote processing system; receive, from the remote processing system, settings determined based on the transmitted answers; and adjust control settings of the system based on the received settings.