Custom Nasal Interface Geometry for Fit Without Intranasal Seals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing respiratory therapy devices, such as patient interfaces and RPT devices, suffer from discomfort, poor fit, noise, and difficulty in use, leading to reduced patient compliance and ineffective treatment of respiratory disorders.
Innovation Solution
Customization of patient interface components, including frames, sealing elements, and headgear, based on collected patient data, to optimize fit and comfort, along with the development of portable and easy-to-clean RPT devices and humidifiers, enhancing manufacturability and ease of use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If standardized patient interfaces are used, then manufacturing cost and device complexity are reduced, but fit quality and patient comfort deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary scanning of the patient's face geometry before manufacturing the patient interface. This advance measurement allows customization to be done beforehand, ensuring optimal fit quality while maintaining manufacturing efficiency through automated processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the geometric parameters of the patient interface components based on the scanned patient data. By adjusting dimensions, curvature, and shape parameters to match individual patient anatomy, the system achieves customized fit quality without significantly increasing manufacturing complexity.
2Manufacturing precision
If customized patient interfaces are manufactured for each patient, then fit quality and patient comfort are improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The scanning and data processing system serves multiple functions: it captures geometric data, analyzes facial features, determines optimal interface parameters, and generates manufacturing instructions. This multi-functionality consolidates the customization process into a unified system, reducing overall process complexity despite the customized output.
Solution Approach 2:
The system manages customization complexity by focusing changes on specific geometric parameters rather than redesigning entire components. By modifying only the necessary dimensions and shapes based on patient data, the invention achieves customization with controlled complexity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If complex patient interfaces with multiple components are used, then fit adaptability is improved, but ease of cleaning and maintenance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patient interface is divided into separate modular components including the cushion, frame, and headgear. This segmentation allows each component to be independently removed and cleaned, simplifying maintenance while maintaining the adaptability benefits of having multiple adjustable parts.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention incorporates dynamic adjustment mechanisms that allow the interface to adapt to different patient faces. These adjustable features are designed to be simple to operate and clean, with moving parts that can be easily accessed and maintained without disassembling complex mechanisms.
Data Source
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Figure 1C
AI summary
A patient interface for delivery of a supply of pressurised air or breathable gas to an entrance to a patient's airways comprising a frame assembly having walls and configured to be disposed over nares of the patient and extending along a generally elliptical path that covers outer peripheries of the nares including alar sidewalls and a portion of a columella of the patient, the frame assembly defining a plenum chamber between its walls and the patient's skin; and a sealing element capable of forming a seal against skin that surrounds both nares of the patient without being partially located inside the patient's nose, the sealing element being less rigid than the frame assembly and having an adhesive on at least one side of the sealing element, the sealing element being coupleable to an anterior wall of the frame assembly.