External Respiration Appliance Airway Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional treatments for sleep disordered breathing, such as PAP devices and airway resistors, can be uncomfortable and ineffective in supporting the airway during both inhalation and exhalation, leading to reduced compliance and therapeutic efficacy.
Innovation Solution
A respiration appliance with separate inhalation and exhalation valves that provide distinct resistance levels to gas flow, allowing for unimpeded inhalation while generating sufficient exhalation pressure to support the airway, and optionally incorporating a pressurized flow of breathable gas to enhance support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional airway resistors are disposed within the airway during treatment, then airway support during exhalation is provided, but patient comfort is reduced and internal cross-sectional area of nostrils is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The airway support device is extracted from the internal airway placement and repositioned to the external interface (nosepiece or mask), eliminating discomfort and obstruction while maintaining therapeutic function through external resistance to exhaled breath
2Reliability
If airway resistors are disposed within the airway, then airway support during exhalation is achieved, but the internal cross-sectional area of nostrils is reduced which adversely impacts therapy
Solution Approach 1:
The resistance mechanism is extracted from the internal nostril environment and placed externally at the nosepiece or mask interface, preserving the full cross-sectional area of the nostrils while still providing the necessary resistance to generate airway support pressure during exhalation
3Reliability
If conventional airway resistors are used, then exhalation resistance is provided, but inhalation flow is impeded and airway support during inhalation is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The resistance characteristic is made dynamic by linking it to breath direction detection, providing low resistance during inhalation to maintain high flow rates and during exhalation to generate adequate support pressure, thereby adapting the resistance level to the physiological requirements of each breath phase
4Reliability
If PAP devices are used to provide pressurized flow, then airway support is provided, but patient comfort is reduced and compliance is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The device utilizes the patient's own exhaled breath as the energy source to generate airway support pressure, eliminating the need for external pressurized gas delivery systems and complex machinery, thereby significantly improving comfort and compliance while maintaining therapeutic effectiveness
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The appliance ensures comfortable and effective airway support during both inhalation and exhalation, improving compliance and therapeutic outcomes for patients with sleep disordered breathing.
Implementation Method 1
The set of one or more inhalation valves are disposed in the first subset of flow paths, and permit gas to flow relatively freely from ambient atmosphere to one or more external orifices of the airway of the subject within the first subset of flow paths. The one or more inhalation valves significantly resist or seal the flow of gas from the one or more external orifices of the airway of the subject to ambient atmosphere within the first subset of flow paths.
Implementation Method 2
The cumulative resistance to gas flow within the plurality of flow paths formed by the body for gas passing from ambient atmosphere to the one or more external orifices of the airway of the subject is low enough that the subject can inhale freely through the body, and the cumulative resistance to gas flow within the plurality of flow paths formed by the body for gas passing from the one or more external orifices of the airway of the subject to ambient atmosphere is high enough that exhalation by the subject through the body creates a pressure in the airway of the subject that supports the airway during exhalation.
Data Source
AI summary
A respiration appliance (10), system (40), and method (62, 72, 86) for supporting the airway of a subject (12) as the subject (12) breaths. The flow of gas from the lungs of the subject (12) during exhalation is leveraged to provide support to the airway. In particular, a body (14) that encloses one or more external orifices of the subject (12) provides a resistance differential between inhaled gas flows and exhaled gas flows that supports the subject's airway.