Indirect Pressure and Temperature Measurement in Total Liquid Ventilation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The deployment and use of total liquid ventilation (TLV) technology in clinical settings are limited due to challenges in measuring airway pressure and lung temperature accurately, which are crucial for safe application and effective treatment, especially during procedures like moderate therapeutic hypothermia.
Innovation Solution
An analyzer system that uses a combination of pressure and flow measurements, processed through fluid models, to indirectly determine airway pressure and lung temperature in patients undergoing TLV, allowing for real-time monitoring and control of ventilator systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If direct pressure measurement is used in the TLV system, then measurement accuracy is improved, but device complexity and invasiveness increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses an intermediary approach by measuring pressure at a distal location in the liquid circuit and using computational algorithms to estimate the proximal airway pressure. This intermediary measurement point, combined with mathematical modeling, avoids the need for direct invasive sensors in the airway while still providing accurate pressure information through indirect calculation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces direct mechanical pressure sensing in the airway with a computational system that uses fluid dynamics models and measurements from accessible locations. Instead of mechanically inserting pressure sensors into the respiratory tract, the system uses mathematical substitution to derive pressure values from other measurable parameters in the liquid circuit.
2Measurement precision
If direct temperature measurement is used in the lung, then measurement accuracy is improved, but invasiveness and patient risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the temperature of the liquid in the ventilator circuit as an intermediary measurement to infer lung temperature. Rather than placing temperature sensors directly in the lung tissue or airways, the system measures the temperature of the liquid medium that contacts the lungs and uses thermal transfer models to calculate the actual lung temperature, thereby avoiding direct invasive measurement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes direct thermal measurement in the lung with indirect thermal inference through liquid temperature measurement and computational modeling. The system replaces the need for invasive thermocouples or temperature sensors in the respiratory tract with non-invasive liquid temperature sensing combined with heat transfer calculations.
3Measurement precision
If invasive sensors are placed in the patient's respiratory tract, then measurement accuracy is improved, but patient safety and comfort deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs intermediary measurement points in the external liquid circuit that are accessible without invasive procedures. By measuring pressure, temperature, and flow at locations in the ventilator tubing and using computational algorithms, the system derives accurate physiological parameters without placing sensors inside the patient's respiratory tract, thus eliminating the risk of trauma or infection from invasive instrumentation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes invasive mechanical sensing with non-invasive computational sensing. Instead of physically inserting sensors into the trachea or bronchi, the system uses mathematical models and measurements from the liquid circuit to infer respiratory parameters, replacing the invasive mechanical approach with a non-invasive computational one.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method, connector and system for obtaining an indirect measurement of a parameter in a patient with a total liquid ventilation (TLV) system. At least one parameter measurement is obtained of a liquid taken in the TLV system comprising an endotracheal tube having a distal end inserted in a patient's trachea. At least one flow measurement is obtained of a liquid taken in the TLV system. Considering a fluid model of the TLV system, the at least one parameter measurement and the least one flow measurement are processed into the indirect measurement of the parameter in the patient. The indirect measurement may be a temperature or pressure. The temperature can be a lung temperature, a blood temperature or an organ temperature. The pressure may be a tracheal pressure or an alveolar pressure.