Ventilation Interface Seal and Exhaust Vent Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current non-invasive ventilation systems face challenges in providing effective and comfortable respiratory support, particularly in maintaining a secure seal and reducing skin necrosis due to pressure points, while also allowing for easy access to the respiratory opening for medical procedures without disrupting ventilation.
Innovation Solution
The development of a non-invasive ventilation system with a patient interface that incorporates a compliant nose bridge seal, flexible facial skin interface, and interchangeable inserts, which includes features like corrugated flexible seals, nasal passage openers, and self-sealing tube insertion regions, allowing for adjustable bladders and filter media to manage pressure and airflow, ensuring comfort and ease of access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a rigid seal structure is used to maintain a secure seal, then sealing reliability is improved, but skin necrosis and pressure points increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible seal structure that conforms to the patient's facial contours, distributing pressure evenly across the skin surface. The flexible material adapts to facial movements and irregularities while maintaining an effective seal, eliminating rigid pressure points that cause skin necrosis.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal structure incorporates varying degrees of flexibility and compliance in different regions to match local facial characteristics. Areas requiring higher sealing force use more compliant materials, while other regions maintain structural integrity, optimizing both seal reliability and skin protection.
2Reliability
If the patient interface is made secure and sealed, then ventilation effectiveness is improved, but access to respiratory opening for medical procedures becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a removable access port or opening in the patient interface that can be temporarily removed or opened to allow medical procedures such as suctioning or medication administration. After the procedure, the access port is replaced to restore the sealed ventilation system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patient interface includes a dynamic access mechanism that can be quickly opened or removed during ventilation. This allows medical personnel to access the respiratory opening when needed while maintaining effective ventilation during normal operation. The system transitions between sealed and accessible states as required.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If vents are provided for exhaled gas escape, then carbon dioxide clearance is improved, but fresh respiratory gas leakage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The vent structure incorporates directional flow characteristics and localized positioning to channel exhaled gases containing carbon dioxide away from the patient's inhalation path. The vents are strategically placed and designed to exploit natural airflow patterns, allowing CO2-rich exhaled gas to escape while minimizing the escape of fresh oxygenated respiratory gas.
Solution Approach 2:
The vent system acts as an intermediary pathway that selectively facilitates the removal of harmful exhaled gases while maintaining the retention of beneficial fresh respiratory gases. The vent design creates a pressure differential and flow direction that preferentially allows CO2-rich gases to exit while preventing significant leakage of oxygen-rich inhalation gases.
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
The system provides improved patient comfort by reducing skin necrosis and pressure points, while enabling simultaneous ventilation and access to the respiratory opening for medical procedures, maintaining effective gas exchange and filtration.
Implementation Method 1
The anti-asphyxia valve is configured to open to the atmosphere in response to a detected asphyxiation condition within the patient interface
Data Source
AI summary
A non-invasive ventilation patient interface comprises a fresh gas entry port, an exhaust gas vent port, and a filter media disposed in the exhaust gas vent port. The fresh gas entry port is configured for coupling with a fresh gas supply. The exhaust gas vent port is configured for allowing expulsion of exhaust gas from the patient interface in response to exhalation of a patient. The filter media is configured for filtering contagious from the exhaust gas, diffusing the exhaust gas, and controlling an expulsion flow of the exhaust gas through the exhaust gas vent port.