A patient interface formed from a textile construction and including a stiffened portion to provide for customization
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing respiratory therapy systems, particularly patient interfaces and RPT devices, face challenges such as discomfort, poor fit, and reduced compliance due to obtrusive, aesthetically undesirable, and difficult-to-use designs. Additionally, current systems often require complex setups and maintenance, which can deter patient adherence to therapy.
Innovation Solution
The development of a patient interface that incorporates a plenum chamber, a seal-forming structure, and a positioning and stabilizing structure, which are configured to provide improved comfort and ease of use. This interface allows for the patient's mouth to remain uncovered and includes adaptive materials that adjust based on usage conditions, such as tension, heat, and moisture, to enhance sealing and patient comfort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a patient interface is designed to be comfortable and aesthetically pleasing, then patient compliance improves, but the structural complexity increases to achieve custom fit and adaptability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by incorporating stiffeners that modify the mechanical properties of the patient interface. These stiffeners change the rigidity parameter of specific regions, allowing the interface to maintain its shape and provide custom fit while remaining comfortable for extended wear, thereby improving patient compliance without excessive structural complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining flexible textile construction with stiffener elements. This creates a hybrid structure where the textile provides comfort and flexibility while the stiffeners provide structural support and customizability, resolving the contradiction between comfort and structural requirements
2Reliability
If a patient interface provides a custom fit through stiffened portions, then sealing effectiveness improves, but the ease of manufacture decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the patient interface into distinct regions with different stiffness characteristics. Stiffeners are placed in specific segments where structural support is needed for sealing, while other segments remain flexible for comfort. This segmented approach maintains sealing effectiveness while simplifying the manufacturing process compared to fully custom-molded solutions
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by providing stiffened portions only in specific areas of the patient interface where structural support is required for effective sealing. The rest of the interface maintains its flexible, comfortable characteristics. This localized approach to stiffening achieves reliable sealing without the complexity of uniformly rigid structures
3Adaptability or versatility
If a patient interface uses textile construction with stiffeners, then adaptability to different patients improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by creating a patient interface that can adapt its shape and stiffness characteristics based on the patient's anatomy. The stiffeners are positioned to provide structural support where needed while allowing flexibility in other areas, enabling the interface to conform to different patient faces. This dynamic adaptability is achieved through strategic stiffener placement rather than complex adjustable mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses parameter changes by modifying the mechanical properties of the patient interface through strategically placed stiffeners. These stiffeners change the rigidity parameter in specific regions, allowing the interface to adapt to different patient anatomies while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure. The textile construction with localized stiffening provides versatility without excessive device complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A patient interface includes a plenum chamber, a seal-forming structure, and a positioning and stabilizing structure. The plenum chamber is pressurisable to a therapeutic pressure. The seal-forming structure is constructed and arranged to seal with a region of a patient's face surrounding an entrance to a patient's airways. The seal-forming structure maintains the therapeutic pressure in the plenum chamber throughout a patient's respiratory cycle in use. The positioning and stabilizing structure holds the seal-forming structure in a therapeutically effective position on a patient's head. The patient interface allows the patient to breathe from ambient in the absence of a flow of pressurised air. The positioning and stabilizing structure includes headgear, and at least a portion of the headgear and the seal forming structure is formed from a one piece construction of textile material.