Modular CPAP Headgear Clips for Custom Nasal and Oro-Nasal Fit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing respiratory treatment systems, such as CPAP therapy, face challenges with patient compliance due to discomfort, difficulty of use, and poor fit, leading to ineffective treatment of conditions like obstructive sleep apnea and other respiratory disorders.
Innovation Solution
A modular patient interface with a nasal and oro-nasal mask configuration, featuring adjustable headgear clips and cushions designed to fit various facial shapes, along with a CPAP system for delivering pressurized air, enhancing comfort and ease of use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed-design patient interface is used, then manufacturing and inventory management are simplified, but it cannot accommodate various facial shapes leading to poor fit and discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The patient interface is divided into modular components including headgear sections, clips, and cushions that can be independently selected and combined. This segmentation allows customization for different facial shapes while maintaining manageable complexity through standardized connection interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular components are designed with universal connection mechanisms that allow the same basic elements to serve multiple functions across different patient populations. The headgear sections, clips, and cushions can be reconfigured to accommodate various facial geometries, making the system universally applicable.
2Ease of operation
If traditional headgear is used, then the structure is simple, but it causes discomfort and difficulty of use leading to poor patient compliance
Solution Approach 1:
The headgear incorporates adjustable elements including variable-position clips and flexible cushions that can be dynamically configured to match patient anatomy. This dynamic adaptability improves ease of use by allowing quick adjustments without requiring complex assembly procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular design enables patients to perform self-adjustments of the headgear components without requiring professional assistance. The standardized interfaces and simple connection mechanisms allow users to independently optimize their own fit, improving ease of operation.
3Reliability
If a one-size-fits-all patient interface is used, then inventory and distribution are simplified, but treatment efficacy is reduced due to discomfort and poor fit
Solution Approach 1:
The modular components are designed with specific local characteristics optimized for different facial regions. Cushions, headgear sections, and clips have differentiated geometries and materials suited to their specific contact points, ensuring optimal local fit that contributes to overall treatment efficacy.
Data Source
AI summary
A patient interface to deliver air at a positive pressure to a patient's airways, including nasal and mouth cushions; a positioning and stabilizing structure to provide a force to hold the nasal seal-forming structure or the nasal seal and the mouth seal-forming structure in position on a patient's head, the positioning and stabilizing structure comprising nasal and oro-nasal headgear configurations and including left and right headgear sections, a pair of nasal headgear clips to connect the nasal headgear to the left and right headgear sections at a first angle and/or position applying nasal headgear forces to the nasal seal-forming structure, and a pair of oro-nasal headgear clips connecting the oro-nasal headgear to the left and right headgear sections at a second angle and/or position applying oro-nasal forces to the mouth seal forming structure in the oro-nasal configuration. The first angle and/or position is different than the second angle and/or position.