Medical Device Cough Event Detection for Secretion Accumulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical devices, such as ventilators and anesthesia apparatuses, face challenges in detecting and managing operating situations that lead to disturbances in the supply and removal of breathing gases, particularly due to accumulations of secretion, which can cause elevated airway pressure and discomfort for patients.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that utilize sensor signals to determine pneumatic/fluidic physical states, including airway pressure and flow rates, to detect cough events and determine if an accumulation of secretion is present, providing a control signal for alarm generation and minimizing the frequency of secretion aspiration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If mechanical ventilation is provided to patients with accumulations of secretion, then ventilation function is maintained, but airway pressure increases and patient discomfort increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of secretion accumulation by monitoring cough events and airway pressure trends before critical pressure elevation occurs. By initializing a checking time interval upon detecting the first cough event and counting subsequent coughs, the system identifies accumulation early and can alert clinicians to perform aspiration before airway pressure becomes dangerously high, thus maintaining ventilation reliability while preventing harmful pressure elevation.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If secretion aspiration is performed frequently to remove accumulations, then airway pressure is reduced, but patient discomfort and intervention frequency increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring airway pressure and cough events, comparing the number of coughs during a checking time interval against a threshold. This feedback mechanism allows the system to distinguish between normal coughing and coughing indicative of secretion accumulation, enabling targeted aspiration only when necessary. This reduces unnecessary interventions and patient discomfort while maintaining airway pressure within safe limits.
3Reliability
If alarm systems are implemented to detect operating situations, then patient safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system utilizes self-service by leveraging existing sensors already present in the ventilator (pressure sensors and flow sensors) to detect cough events and secretion accumulation. Rather than adding dedicated new sensors, the system repurposes existing components to monitor airway pressure and flow patterns, thereby improving patient safety through enhanced detection capabilities while minimizing the increase in device complexity.
4Measurement precision
If continuous monitoring of airway pressure and flow rates is performed, then secretion accumulation is detected early, but energy consumption and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs periodic action by implementing a checking time interval that is initialized upon detecting the first cough event. During this interval, the system counts cough events and compares them against a threshold. This periodic monitoring approach, rather than continuous uninterrupted analysis, reduces energy consumption and processing requirements while maintaining sufficient detection accuracy to identify secretion accumulation and alert clinicians in a timely manner.
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
This approach allows for early detection of operating situations indicating secretion accumulation, reducing patient discomfort and the need for frequent aspiration, while ensuring continuous ventilation and improving patient safety by providing timely alarms and alerts.
Implementation Method 1
a pressure sensor arranged in or at the medical device or the connection system and is configured for detecting a measured value of a pressure, which is prevailing in the connection system
Implementation Method 2
a flow sensor arranged in or at the connection system or in or at the medical device and is configured for detecting at least one flow rate measured value of a quantity of breathing gas and a flow direction of the breathing gas
Data Source
AI summary
A medical device determines operating situations and a method determines operating situations in a medical device. Based on pressure measured values (99) and flow measured values (97), it is determined whether an elevation of an airway pressure (105) in a medical device is due to a cough event (113) or to a plurality of cough events (117), which indicate an accumulation of secretion. An outputting (41, 42, 44) of a warning (44) or alarm (41, 42) is provided indicating the accumulation of secretion.