Pressure Support Controller with Dynamic Comfort Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pressure support systems for treating disordered breathing, such as obstructive sleep apnea, do not adequately optimize comfort during therapy sessions, leading to suboptimal patient compliance with treatment.
Innovation Solution
A pressure support system that includes a controller programmed to adjust the pressure support level based on a comfort feature function, which modifies the difference between inspiratory and expiratory positive airway pressures dynamically during a therapy session without user intervention, using a preset pressure threshold to determine when to add or change the comfort feature.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional pressure support systems deliver fixed pressure therapy, then treatment effectiveness is maintained, but patient comfort is insufficient leading to suboptimal compliance
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the pressure support level during therapy sessions based on real-time monitoring of patient breathing patterns and physiological parameters. The controller continuously modifies IPAP and EPAP levels to optimize comfort while maintaining treatment effectiveness, transitioning from static fixed pressure to adaptive dynamic pressure delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically monitors patient responses and self-adjusts pressure parameters without requiring manual intervention or user input. The embedded algorithms analyze breathing effort, flow patterns, and physiological signals to autonomously optimize therapy settings, making the system self-regulating and responsive to patient needs.
2Ease of operation
If pressure support level is increased to improve comfort, then patient compliance increases, but risk of over-pressurization and adverse effects increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates continuous feedback loops that monitor patient breathing patterns, physiological parameters, and comfort indicators. The controller uses this feedback to adjust pressure levels in real-time, increasing pressure when comfort is insufficient and decreasing it when over-pressurization risks are detected, maintaining therapy within optimal safety margins.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes multiple pressure parameters including IPAP, EPAP, and pressure support level based on real-time patient responses. By adjusting these parameters adaptively rather than using fixed values, the system optimizes comfort and compliance while preventing harmful over-pressurization through continuous parameter modification based on patient needs.
3Measurement precision
If manual adjustment of pressure parameters is required, then treatment precision can be optimized, but ease of operation decreases and setup time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs automatic titration and self-adjustment of pressure parameters based on patient monitoring data, eliminating the need for manual setup and adjustment by clinicians. The embedded algorithms automatically determine optimal IPAP, EPAP, and pressure support levels, making the system easy to deploy while maintaining high treatment precision through continuous adaptive optimization.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-configures pressure parameters based on initial patient assessments and automatically begins therapy with pre-optimized settings. During the therapy session, the system continues to refine these settings based on real-time data, providing both ease of immediate operation and precise treatment optimization without requiring extensive manual setup time.
Data Source
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AI summary
A pressure support system (30) and method of delivering a flow of gas to a patient's airway via a pressure generating system (32) and a patient circuit (34). A controller receives a treatment set point from an input source and determines an adjusted treatment set point based on the treatment set point and a comfort feature function, which in one embodiment, is not based on a physiological condition of such a patient. In another embodiment, the controller provides a respiratory treatment therapy during a therapy session based on the treatment set point and the comfort feature, which is modified automatically during a therapy session without user intervention based on a comparison of the treatment set point to a treatment set point variable. The controller controls the operation of the pressure generating system based on the adjusted treatment set point or the combination of the treatment set point and the comfort feature.