Textile Membrane Patient Interface for Comfortable Pressure Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing respiratory therapies, such as CPAP and NIV, face challenges with patient compliance due to discomfort, poor fit, and difficulty in use, leading to ineffective treatment of respiratory disorders like OSA and CSR.
Innovation Solution
A patient interface with a textile membrane seal-forming structure that is stretchy, tensioned, and designed to maintain a seal without creases or buckles, combined with a plenum chamber for delivering continuous positive air pressure, ensuring a wide fit range and comfort during sleep.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional seal-forming structure is used, then the patient interface can deliver therapeutic pressure, but it causes discomfort and poor fit leading to low patient compliance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a textile membrane as a flexible sealing surface that conforms to the patient's face contours. This textile membrane replaces traditional rigid or less flexible sealing structures, providing both effective sealing for therapeutic pressure delivery and comfort for patient compliance through its ability to adapt to facial geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the physical parameters of the sealing structure by using a textile membrane with specific properties (stretchability, tension characteristics) that differ from traditional materials. The membrane can be tensioned to adjust sealing pressure and fit, changing the mechanical parameters to simultaneously achieve reliable sealing and patient comfort.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the seal-forming structure is made stretchy and tensioned, then it provides a wide fit range and comfort, but it may compromise the ability to maintain seal integrity under pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The textile membrane is pre-tensioned during assembly to establish an initial seal configuration before use. This preliminary tensioning ensures that when the device is worn, the membrane is already in a state optimized for both fit and sealing, eliminating the need for adjustment and ensuring immediate effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The tensioning mechanism provides feedback control for the seal-forming structure. As the membrane stretches to accommodate different face shapes, the tensioning system adjusts to maintain optimal sealing force, ensuring that seal integrity is preserved across a wide range of fits.
3Ease of operation
If the textile membrane has holes for air delivery, then it enables breathability and therapy delivery, but it creates potential leak paths that compromise seal effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The textile membrane has different properties in different regions: areas with holes for breathability and therapy delivery, and areas without holes for sealing. This local differentiation allows the single structure to simultaneously provide both functions - the holed regions enable airflow while the solid regions maintain seal integrity.
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
Enhances patient compliance by providing a comfortable and effective seal that maintains therapeutic pressure throughout the respiratory cycle, improving treatment efficacy for sleep disordered breathing.
Implementation Method 1
a seal-forming structure having a textile membrane constructed and arranged to form a seal with a region of the patient's face... the textile membrane being stretchy, tensioned
Implementation Method 2
delivering a flow of air at a continuously positive pressure with respect to ambient air pressure to an entrance to a patient's airways... maintain a therapy pressure in a range of about 4 cmH2O to about 30 cmH2O above ambient air pressure
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 1C
AI summary
A patient interface comprises a support structure and a seal-forming structure. The support structure is arranged to support the sealing portion and is configured to connect to the frame. The sealing portion comprises textile and is attached to the support structure along an outer perimeter of the sealing portion such that in use the sealing portion may be in tension due to reactive stress of the support structure and/or a resilient stretch characteristic of the textile such that the sealing portion exerts a force against the patient's face.