Negative Pressure Vest for Respiratory Therapy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current CPAP and negative pressure devices for COPD patients are bulky, limit mobility, and cause discomfort due to the need for a facial interface and power source, leading to poor patient compliance.
Innovation Solution
A negative pressure vest with a fixed interior volume, one-way check and pressure-relief valves, and adjustable features that utilize the user's respiratory motion to generate negative pressure around the thorax, eliminating the need for external compressors and power sources, allowing for increased mobility and comfort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If CPAP devices are used to provide continuous positive airway pressure, then the inspiratory work of breathing is decreased, but the device becomes bulky and patient mobility is limited
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of applying positive pressure to the airways as in traditional CPAP, this invention applies negative pressure to the thorax. The vest creates a partial vacuum around the chest cavity, which passively expands the lungs and decreases inspiratory work of breathing without requiring a bulky positive pressure delivery system.
Solution Approach 2:
The device utilizes the patient's own respiratory motions to generate the necessary pressure changes. During exhalation, the patient's chest wall movement creates negative pressure within the vest, eliminating the need for external compressors or power sources that would add bulk to the device.
2Ease of operation
If traditional negative pressure devices are used with external compressors, then negative pressure therapy is provided, but patient mobility is limited due to power supply requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system is self-powered by the patient's respiratory movements. During exhalation, the chest wall moves inward, creating negative pressure within the sealed vest without requiring any external energy input. The one-way valves maintain this negative pressure throughout the respiratory cycle.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention removes the external compressor and power supply components from the system. By extracting these energy-requiring elements and replacing them with passive one-way valves and a sealed chamber, the device becomes portable and free from power constraints.
3Ease of operation
If CPAP devices use a facial interface such as a mask, then positive airway pressure is delivered, but patient comfort is reduced and compliance is poor
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of delivering pressure directly to the face and airways, the invention applies negative pressure to the thorax. This indirect approach avoids facial contact and discomfort while achieving the therapeutic goal of decreasing inspiratory work of breathing through passive lung expansion.
Solution Approach 2:
The vest acts as an intermediary between the external environment and the respiratory system. By applying negative pressure to the thorax through the vest rather than directly to the airways, the system achieves therapeutic effects without the discomfort of facial masks or interfaces.
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
The vest provides effective negative pressure therapy without the bulkiness and discomfort of traditional devices, enhancing patient mobility and compliance by leveraging the user's respiratory motion to generate the necessary pressure, thus reducing inspiratory work of breathing.
Implementation Method 1
A one-way check valve communicates between the interior volume and an ambient environment surrounding an exterior of the housing. The one-way check valve is openable at a pressure greater than an ambient atmospheric pressure.
Implementation Method 2
A one-way pressure-relief valve communicates between the interior volume and the ambient environment. The one-way intake valve is openable at a predetermined negative pressure.
Implementation Method 3
The vest uses the patient's own respiratory motion to generate the desired negative pressure around the thorax.
Data Source
AI summary
A negative pressure vest includes a housing defining a fixed, minimum interior volume. The housing has a neck opening, a pair of arm openings and a trunk opening. Each of the neck and arm openings includes a sealing member. A one-way check valve communicates between the interior volume and an ambient environment surrounding an exterior of the housing. The one-way check valve is openable at a pressure greater than an ambient atmospheric pressure. A one-way pressure-relief valve communicates between the interior volume and the ambient environment. The one-way intake valve is openable at a predetermined negative pressure. A method of providing negative pressure to the user's thorax is also provided.