Ventilation Humidification With Atomized Water to Reduce Rainout
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical ventilator humidifiers often over- or under-humidify breathing gases, leading to rainout, which can cause circuit interference and patient infection, and do not effectively deliver nebulized medicines.
Innovation Solution
A humidification system using a hollow cone atomizer and heating element, controlled by sensors and processors, that adjusts water and temperature to achieve desired humidity levels and vaporizes water droplets for efficient humidification, while also serving as a nebulization system for medicine delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If traditional humidifiers are used to humidify breathing gases, then humidity is added to improve patient comfort, but rainout occurs causing circuit interference and patient infection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes phase transition by atomizing liquid water into fine droplets that rapidly evaporate in the warm breathing gas stream, transitioning from liquid to vapor phase. This controlled evaporation adds humidity without creating liquid condensation (rainout) in the circuit, as the water is introduced as aerosol rather than liquid that could condense on cooler surfaces
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical humidification systems (heating elements, flow-through chambers) with an atomization-based system. The atomizer creates fine water droplets that are carried by the gas flow itself, eliminating the need for complex mechanical humidification mechanisms while achieving more precise humidity control and preventing rainout
2Quantity of substance
If water is added to humidify breathing gases, then patient comfort is improved, but filter saturation increases
Solution Approach 1:
By transitioning water from liquid to vapor phase through atomization and evaporation, the system adds humidity in gaseous form that passes through filters without causing liquid saturation. The fine aerosol droplets evaporate before reaching filters, preventing the liquid accumulation that would otherwise saturate filter media
3Quantity of substance
If a single humidifier system is used, then humidification is provided, but nebulized medicine delivery is not effective
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies multi-functionality by designing a single device that performs both humidification and nebulized medicine delivery. The atomizer can be configured to deliver either water for humidification or medicated solutions for nebulization, or both simultaneously, making the system versatile for multiple therapeutic functions without requiring separate devices
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs dynamic control where the atomizer parameters (flow rate, pressure, frequency) can be adjusted in real-time based on patient needs. This allows the same hardware to dynamically switch between humidification mode and medicine delivery mode, or adjust the mixture ratio, providing adaptability for different clinical requirements
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
Reduces rainout, minimizes filter saturation, and effectively delivers nebulized medicines by precisely controlling humidity and temperature in breathing gases, enhancing patient comfort and safety.
Implementation Method 1
delivering, via the atomizer, the amount of water in bursts of atomized water directly into a flow path of the breathing gases
Implementation Method 2
vaporizing the atomized water upon contact of the water with a heating tube in the flow path downstream of the atomizer to form humidified breathing gases
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure describes systems and methods for humidifying ventilator delivered breathing gases. These systems and methods utilize a hollow cone atomizer (e.g., a pressure swirl atomizer) and/or a heating element associated with a heating circuit and/or a heating tube. In some aspect, the systems and methods utilize received flow, temperature, and/or humidity information to determine an amount of water to add to breathing gases to reach a desired humidity of the breathing gases delivered to the patient. In further aspects, the humidification system can serve as a nebulization system for delivering nebulized medicine.