RIP Belts for Non-Invasive Respiratory Effort Estimation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for diagnosing sleep disorders, particularly obstructive sleep apnea, lack a non-invasive means to measure respiratory effort and associated airway pressure, relying on invasive techniques that are cumbersome and limited in their ability to capture the full scope of respiratory events during sleep.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing Respiratory Inductance Plethysmography (RIP) belts to non-invasively estimate respiratory effort by measuring thoracoabdominal movements, correlating these with esophageal pressure to derive airway pressure and respiratory model parameters, allowing for the identification of obstructive sleep apnea and other sleep disorders.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If invasive measurement techniques are used to measure respiratory effort and airway pressure, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and ease of operation deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses RIP belts as intermediary devices that indirectly measure respiratory effort through thoracoabdominal movements. Instead of directly inserting sensors into the respiratory system, the belts wrap around the chest and abdomen to detect external movements, which are then correlated with internal respiratory parameters through mathematical modeling. This intermediary approach maintains measurement precision while eliminating invasive procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical invasive pressure measurement system with an electrical sensing system. RIP belts use inductance changes to detect thoracoabdominal movements, converting mechanical respiratory effort into electrical signals that can be processed and correlated with airway pressure without physical intrusion into the respiratory tract.
2Measurement precision
If invasive sensors are used to measure airway pressure, then measurement precision is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The RIP belts serve as external mediators that capture respiratory movements without requiring insertion into the body. The belts are simply wrapped around the thorax and abdomen, making application straightforward and non-invasive, while the collected movement data is used to infer internal airway pressure through correlation algorithms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a surrogate measurement system that copies the information obtained from invasive pressure sensors using non-invasive means. By measuring thoracoabdominal movements and correlating them with respiratory effort, the system produces a copy of the pressure information that would be obtained from direct measurement, but through much simpler application.
3Ease of operation
If non-invasive RIP belts are used to measure respiratory effort, then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs feedback mechanisms where the RIP belt measurements are continuously correlated with reference measurements during calibration. The system uses feedback loops to adjust and refine the correlation between external belt movements and internal respiratory parameters, improving measurement precision over time while maintaining the ease of non-invasive operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the raw RIP belt signals into meaningful respiratory effort measurements by changing parameters through mathematical correlation. By establishing relationships between belt movement parameters and physiological parameters during calibration, the system converts simple movement data into precise respiratory effort estimates without requiring invasive sensors.
4Reliability
If invasive techniques are used for sleep disorder diagnosis, then reliability of diagnosis is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal diagnostic system that can identify multiple types of sleep disorders using the same non-invasive RIP belt technology. The system analyzes respiratory effort patterns to detect obstructive sleep apnea, central sleep apnea, and other breathing disorders without requiring different invasive sensors for each condition, maintaining diagnostic reliability while reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The RIP belts act as universal intermediaries that can diagnose various sleep disorders through non-invasive respiratory effort measurement. By correlating belt movement data with characteristic patterns of different sleep disorders, the system maintains diagnostic reliability across multiple conditions while avoiding the complexity of invasive procedures for each specific disorder.
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
Enables accurate, non-invasive estimation of respiratory effort and airway pressure, improving diagnosis and scoring of sleep studies, and providing clinicians with more comprehensive data for diagnosing sleep disorders without the need for invasive sensors.
Implementation Method 1
A system utilizing Respiratory Inductance Plethysmography (RIP) belts to non-invasively estimate respiratory effort by measuring thoracoabdominal movements
Data Source
AI summary
A non-invasive method and system is provided for determining an internal component of respiratory effort of a subject in a respiratory study. Both a thoracic signal (T) and an abdomen signal (A) are obtained, which are indicators of a thoracic component and an abdominal component of the respiratory effort, respectively. A first parameter of a respiratory model is determined from the obtained thoracic signal (T) and the abdomen signal (A). The first parameter is an estimated parameter of the respiratory model that is not directly measured during the study. The internal component of the respiratory effort is determined based at least on the determined first parameter of the respiratory model. The first model parameter is determined based on the thorax signal (T) and the obtained abdomen signal (A) without an invasive measurement.