Nasal Therapy System with Real-Time Flow and Pressure Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current high-flow nasal therapy systems lack monitoring capabilities and controlled pressure support, often providing only a fixed flow rate and oxygen concentration without ensuring patient comfort or effective gas exchange, and do not account for variations in patient breathing patterns.
Innovation Solution
A nasal therapy system incorporating a nasal interface, flow sensors, pressure sensors, and a controller that adjusts the gas flow rate and pressure to maintain prescribed settings, allowing for real-time monitoring of breathing performance and detection of leaks or disconnections, while providing blended oxygen therapy and CO2 washing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If high-flow nasal therapy is provided with fixed flow rate and oxygen concentration, then the therapy delivery is simple, but patient comfort and gas exchange effectiveness cannot be ensured due to lack of monitoring and pressure control
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates flow sensors and pressure sensors that continuously monitor gas flow rate and pressure, feeding this information back to a controller. The controller adjusts the valve output setting based on the flow rate difference between prescribed and actual flow rates, ensuring reliable gas exchange while maintaining automated control.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically monitors and adjusts therapy parameters without requiring continuous manual intervention. The controller self-regulates the valve positioning based on sensor feedback, and the system can detect leaks or disconnections autonomously, reducing the burden on healthcare providers while ensuring effective therapy delivery.
2Ease of operation
If real-time monitoring and automated pressure support are added to high-flow nasal therapy systems, then patient comfort and therapy effectiveness are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Pressure sensors provide real-time feedback on the pressure of gas flow, allowing the controller to automatically adjust and maintain prescribed pressure levels. This automated pressure support enhances patient comfort by ensuring consistent, comfortable therapy delivery without requiring manual pressure adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller integrates multiple functions including flow rate monitoring, pressure monitoring, valve control, and leak detection into a single device. This multi-functionality approach consolidates what could be separate complex components into one coordinated system, improving ease of operation while managing overall system complexity.
3Reliability
If the system continuously monitors flow rate and pressure to maintain prescribed settings, then therapy consistency and safety are improved, but energy consumption and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses continuous feedback from flow sensors and pressure sensors to maintain prescribed flow rate and pressure settings. The controller processes sensor data in real-time and adjusts the valve accordingly, ensuring consistent and reliable therapy delivery while automating the control process to reduce manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces manual mechanical adjustment with automated electronic control. The controller uses electronic signals to adjust the valve based on sensor feedback, substituting manual mechanical operations with automated electro-mechanical control. This reduces the energy required for continuous manual monitoring and adjustment while maintaining therapy consistency.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 1C
Figure 2A
AI summary
The present disclosure pertains to a nasal therapy system. In one embodiment, the nasal therapy system includes at least one flow sensor is configured to determine a flow rate of a gas flow to be provided to a patient via a nasal interface; at least one pressure sensor configured to determine an amount of pressure of the gas flow based, at least in part, on a prescribed pressure; a valve operable to control an amount of the gas flow being provided to the nasal interface; and a controller configured to determine a flow rate difference between a prescribed flow rate and the flow rate, and cause an output setting of the valve to be adjusted to control the amount of the gas flow being provided to the nasal interface such that the amount of the gas flow is maintained at the prescribed flow rate and the prescribed pressure.