Nasal Cannula with Non-Sealing Nozzle and Integrated Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Nasal cannulas for respiratory gas delivery lack information on crucial treatment parameters like pressure, flow rate, and carbon dioxide build-up, and may create an undesirable seal with the user's nares, potentially harming the user.
Innovation Solution
A nasal cannula design featuring a base portion with a nozzle and a conduit system that allows for gas delivery while preventing a seal with the nares, incorporating sensors to monitor gas parameters like pressure, flow rate, and carbon dioxide content, and using elongate extensions or nozzles that remain outside the nares to avoid sealing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a nasal cannula creates a seal with the user's nares to deliver therapeutic gas, then gas delivery effectiveness is improved, but harmful effects on the user's health occur
Solution Approach 1:
The nasal cannula is divided into separate functional components: a non-sealing external portion that interfaces with the nares and an internal portion that extends into the nasal passage. This segmentation allows the external portion to avoid sealing while the internal portion delivers therapy, resolving the contradiction between effective gas delivery and avoiding harmful sealing effects.
Solution Approach 2:
An intermediary structure (the external portion of the cannula) is introduced between the gas delivery system and the user's nares. This intermediary prevents direct sealing contact while still enabling effective gas delivery through the internal portion, thus eliminating harmful effects while maintaining therapy effectiveness.
2Quantity of substance
If prior art nasal cannula designs are used for neonatal oxygen therapy, then oxygen delivery is achieved, but an undesirable seal is created with the user's nares
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of designing the cannula to seal with the nares (traditional approach), the invention inverts the approach by designing the external portion to explicitly avoid sealing contact. The sealing function is eliminated and replaced with a non-contact interface, while oxygen delivery is maintained through the internal portion extending into the nasal passage.
3Measurement precision
If treatment parameters are monitored accurately, then treatment efficacy can be judged and controlled, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The internal portion of the cannula serves multiple functions: it delivers therapeutic gas and simultaneously houses sensing capabilities for monitoring treatment parameters. This multi-functionality allows accurate parameter monitoring without proportionally increasing device complexity, as the same structural element performs both delivery and monitoring functions.
Data Source
AI summary
A gas delivery conduit adapted for fluidly connecting to a respiratory gases delivery system in a high flow therapy system. In one embodiment, a nasal cannula includes a base portion defining a first therapeutic gas passageway, a nozzle disposed adjacent the base portion and defining a second therapeutic gas passageway, the first passageway being in gaseous communication with the second passageway and a conduit configured to facilitate sensing that has an inlet side that is independent of and axially spaced apart from an outlet side of the nozzle. The conduit inlet side can extend beyond the nozzle outlet side of the nasal cannula. Additionally, the nasal cannula has a feature adapted to prevent one of the conduit and the nozzle from creating a seal with a user's rare and a feature adapted to prevent one of the conduit and the nozzle from creating a seal with a user's nare.