Handheld Pulmonary Expansion Therapy Device for Localized Lung Recruitment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current negative pressure ventilators for treating atelectasis/airway collapse are cumbersome, inhibit patient access, and pose risks such as blood pooling and overinflation of healthy lung tissue, while traditional methods like the Iron Lung and Hayek Chest Cuirass are difficult to set up and use, especially in emergency situations.
Innovation Solution
A handheld pulmonary expansion therapy (PXT) device that generates localized negative pressure fields and provides vibratory/percussion therapy to improve lung expansion, increase ventilation and perfusion, and enhance lung compliance by mimicking the action of respiratory musculature without the need for a sealed compartment around the patient.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a large steel chamber or chest cuirass is used to create negative pressure for lung expansion, then lung recruitment is achieved, but patient access is inhibited and device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the chest cuirass into multiple separate negative pressure zones that can be independently applied to different lung fields. Instead of using a single large chamber, the system employs multiple smaller zones that can be selectively activated, allowing patient access while maintaining effective lung recruitment through distributed negative pressure application.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies negative pressure locally to specific lung fields rather than uniformly across the entire chest. This allows targeted recruitment of collapsed lung segments while preserving access to other areas of the patient's body, and enables differentiation between healthy and diseased lung regions for selective treatment.
2Ease of operation
If positive pressure ventilation is used to recruit collapsed lung fields, then airflow into lungs is simplified, but healthy lung tissue may be overinflated causing barotrauma
Solution Approach 1:
The invention inverts the traditional positive pressure approach by using negative pressure to achieve lung recruitment. Instead of forcing air into the lungs with positive pressure, the system creates negative pressure zones that actively draw air into collapsed lung fields, thereby avoiding overinflation of healthy tissue while still achieving effective recruitment.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies negative pressure selectively to specific lung fields that require recruitment, rather than applying uniform positive pressure to the entire respiratory system. This localized approach ensures that only the collapsed or obstructed areas are targeted, preserving healthy lung tissue from barotrauma while effectively treating the affected regions.
3Reliability
If negative pressure is applied over the abdomen in chest cuirass devices, then lung expansion is achieved, but blood pooling in organs occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segregates the negative pressure application to thoracic regions only, using separate zones for chest and abdomen. By dividing the pressure application areas, the system achieves effective lung expansion through thoracic negative pressure while preventing abdominal organ compression and blood pooling by excluding the abdomen from negative pressure zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies negative pressure locally to specific thoracic regions where lung recruitment is needed, rather than applying uniform negative pressure over the entire chest and abdomen. This localized thoracic application ensures lung expansion effectiveness while avoiding harmful effects on abdominal organs through precise spatial control of the negative pressure field.
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 PXT device effectively increases functional residual capacity and improves lung compliance, allowing for targeted therapy that reduces the risk of overinflation and enhances airway clearance, making it more suitable for emergency and critical care situations.
Implementation Method 1
The device generates negative pressure fields locally to increase the functional residual capacity in underlying lung fields
Implementation Method 2
The PXT device also may provide vibratory/percussion therapy for airway clearance
Implementation Method 3
The PXT device also may provide vibratory/percussion therapy for airway clearance
Data Source
AI summary
A pulmonary expansion therapy (PXT) device may be a handheld device that covers specific lung fields and may generate negative pressure fields locally. The device also may provide vibratory/percussion therapy for airway clearance. The PXT may generate a localized negative pressure field non-invasively to the exterior of the chest wall, thereby increasing the functional residual capacity in underlying lung fields. As a result, increased ventilation and perfusion to the targeted internal lung field may be achieved by creating a decrease in the external barometric pressure relative to the more positive intrinsic airway pressures. The PXT device also may improve lung compliance by enabling a medical professional to grab and elevate the chest wall to compensate for the dysfunction of the respiratory musculature responsible for lifting the chest wall. In some embodiments, once a targeted functional residual capacity (FRC) has been established, vibration or percussion may be applied.