Integrated Respiratory Pressure Therapy With Sensor-Ready Venting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing respiratory pressure therapy (RPT) devices face challenges in comfort, noise, ease of use, efficacy, size, weight, manufacturability, cost, and reliability, particularly in medical applications, and data management processes for compliance are costly, time-consuming, and error-prone.
Innovation Solution
A respiratory pressure therapy system with a patient interface and pressure generator supported on the head, featuring a plenum chamber, seal-forming structure, positioning and stabilizing structure, blower, vent assembly, and sensor port, along with a blower design including an impeller with specific shroud and stator configurations, and a vent assembly with flexible membranes, to enhance comfort, reduce noise, and improve compliance through automated data management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a respiratory pressure therapy device is designed with integrated pressure generator and patient interface, then device portability and ease of use are improved, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the pressure generator, plenum chamber, seal-forming structure, and positioning structure into a single integrated respiratory pressure therapy device. This merging of previously separate components into one unified device improves portability and ease of use for patients while maintaining all necessary therapeutic functions.
2Ease of operation
If the pressure generator is supported on the patient's head, then patient comfort and ease of use are improved, but the weight and size requirements of the device increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a positioning and stabilizing structure with adjustable components that can adapt to different patient head shapes and sizes. This dynamic adjustment capability allows the device to be comfortably supported on various patients' heads while distributing weight appropriately, addressing both comfort and weight constraints.
3Measurement precision
If automated data management is implemented to monitor compliance, then measurement precision and reliability are improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates sensors that automatically monitor respiratory parameters and generate compliance data. This feedback mechanism provides precise measurement of patient compliance with therapy recommendations, enabling automated data management that improves measurement precision while the integration into the existing device structure minimizes additional complexity.
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 system provides improved patient comfort, reduced noise, enhanced ease of use, and increased compliance by ensuring therapeutic pressure maintenance and efficient data management, addressing the limitations of existing RPT devices.
Implementation Method 1
A respiratory pressure therapy (RPT) system may be used to pressurize a supply of air for delivery to an entrance to the airways
Implementation Method 2
a vent assembly configured to discharge gas from the plenum chamber to atmosphere, the vent assembly having an open position to allow gas to be discharged to atmosphere through the vent assembly and a closed position to prevent gas from being discharged to atmosphere through the vent assembly
Data Source
AI summary
A respiratory pressure therapy (RPT) system may include a housing portion forming a plenum chamber pressurizable to a therapeutic pressure; a seal-forming structure constructed and arranged to with a region of the patient's face; a positioning and stabilising structure constructed and arranged to provide an elastic force to hold the seal-forming structure in a therapeutically effective position on the patient's head; a blower configured to pressurize the plenum chamber to the therapeutic pressure; a vent assembly configured to discharge gas from a plenum chamber to atmosphere; a sensor port positioned downstream of the vent assembly such that the sensor port is in pneumatic communication with the air within the plenum chamber in any position of the vent assembly; and a sensor in pneumatic communication with the air within the plenum chamber via the sensor port.