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EP-4735085-A1 - RESPIRATORY PRESSURE THERAPY SYSTEM WITH VAPORIZING HUMIDIFIER

EP4735085A1EP 4735085 A1EP4735085 A1EP 4735085A1EP-4735085-A1

Abstract

A respiratory pressure therapy (RPT) system may be configured to direct a flow of air to a therapeutic pressure above atmospheric pressure to a patient interface worn by a patient to treat a respiratory disorder. The RPT system may include: a component that at least partly forms a passage for the flow of air at the therapeutic pressure, the component being one of the patient interface, a flow generator including a blower, an air circuit, or a humidifier; and a vaporization device that includes: a vaporization module including a vaporizer and a heating element; and a reservoir attached to the vaporization module, and the reservoir being configured to store water and provide water to the vaporizer for vaporization during use, wherein at least a portion of the vaporizer is exposed to the passage for the flow of air at the therapeutic pressure.

Inventors

  • MAURER, DIMITRI MARCO
  • Valiyambath, Mohankumar Krishnan
  • OZOLINS, ANGELENE MARIE
  • WORKMAN, JEREMY WILLIAM
  • BERRIMAN, Garth Alan
  • DENT, Michael James
  • TSAI, ERNIE WEI-CHIH
  • SCHERMERHORN, RORY
  • WAGNER, STEWART JOSEPH

Assignees

  • ResMed Pty Ltd
  • ResMed Inc.
  • ResMed Asia Pte. Ltd.

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20240628

Claims (20)

  1. 1. A patient interface comprising: a plenum chamber pressurisable to a therapeutic pressure of at least 6 cmlLO above ambient air pressure, the plenum chamber including a plenum chamber inlet port sized and structured to receive a flow of air at the therapeutic pressure for breathing by a patient; a seal-forming structure constructed and arranged to seal with a region of the patient’s face surrounding an entrance to the patient’s airways, the seal-forming structure having a hole therein such that the flow of air at the therapeutic pressure is delivered to at least an entrance to the patient’s nares, and the seal -forming structure constructed and arranged to maintain the therapeutic pressure in the plenum chamber throughout the patient’s respiratory cycle in use; a positioning and stabilising structure to provide a force to hold the seal-forming structure in a therapeutically effective position on the patient’s head, the positioning and stabilising structure comprising a tie, the tie being constructed and arranged so that at least a portion overlies a region of the patient’s head superior to an otobasion superior of the patient’s head in use; a connection port configured to be connected to an air circuit to receive the flow of air at the therapeutic pressure and direct the flow of air at the therapeutic pressure to the plenum chamber for breathing by the patient; a vaporizer configured to contain water and comprising a heating element configured to vaporize water contained in the vaporizer; and a vent structure comprising one or more vent holes configured to allow a continuous flow of gases exhaled by the patient from an interior of the plenum chamber to ambient, the one or more vent holes being sized and shaped to maintain the therapeutic pressure in the plenum chamber in use; wherein the patient interface is configured to leave the patient’s mouth uncovered, or if the seal-forming structure is configured to seal around the patient’s nose and mouth, the patient interface is configured to allow the patient to breath from ambient in the absence of a flow of pressurised air through the plenum chamber inlet port.
  2. 2. The patient interface of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the vaporizer is positioned inside the plenum chamber to vaporize water into the flow of air at the therapeutic pressure in the plenum chamber.
  3. 3. The patient interface of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the vaporizer is positioned inside the connection port to vaporize water into the flow of air at the therapeutic pressure in the plenum chamber.
  4. 4. The patient interface of claim any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a first sensor positioned on the plenum chamber and exposed to the interior of the plenum chamber to detect any one of pressure, temperature, humidity, or flow rate of the flow of air at the therapeutic pressure inside the plenum chamber.
  5. 5. The patient interface of claim any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a second sensor positioned on the connection port and exposed to the interior of the connection port to detect any one of pressure, temperature, humidity, or flow rate of the flow of air at the therapeutic pressure inside the connection port.
  6. 6. The patient interface of claim any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the positioning and stabilizing structure further comprises a pair of tubes, each of the tubes being fluidly connected at a distal end to the connection port and at a proximal end to the plenum chamber to direct the flow of air at the therapeutic pressure to the plenum chamber for breathing by the patient, and wherein a third sensor is positioned on at least one of the tubes and is exposed to the interior of the corresponding tube to detect any one of pressure, temperature, humidity, or flow rate of the flow of air at the therapeutic pressure inside the corresponding tube.
  7. 7. The patient interface of claim any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a reservoir configured to store water, the reservoir being in fluid communication with the vaporizer to provide water for vaporization during use.
  8. 8. The patient interface of claim 7, wherein the reservoir is permanently attached to the vaporizer or the reservoir is removably attached to the vaporizer.
  9. 9. The patient interface of claim 7 or 8, further comprising a wicking material configured to transport water from the reservoir to the vaporizer.
  10. 10. The patient interface of claim any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the reservoir is constructed from rubber or polymer and is configured to collapse when empty or filled to less than a maximum volume.
  11. 11. The patient interface of claim any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the vaporizer comprises a first porous material configured to contain water and thermally connected to the heating element to be heated by the heating element to vaporize water in the porous material.
  12. 12. The patient interface of claim 11, wherein the first porous material is any one of ceramic, metal, sintered metal, quartz, a polymer, or a fibrous material.
  13. 13. The patient interface of claim 11 or 12, wherein the first porous material is structured to transport water via capillary force.
  14. 14. The patient interface of any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the vaporizer comprises a second porous material configured to contain water and fluidly connected to the first porous material to transport water from the second porous material to the first porous material.
  15. 15. The patient interface of claim 14, wherein the second porous material is any one of ceramic, metal, sintered metal, quartz, a polymer, or a fibrous material.
  16. 16. The patient interface of claim 14 or 15, wherein the second porous material is structured to transport water via capillary force.
  17. 17. The patient interface of claim any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the heating element is an electric resistance heater.
  18. 18. The patient interface of claim any one of claims 1 to 17, further comprising a power supply configured to power the heating element.
  19. 19. The patient interface of claim 18, wherein the power supply is a battery.
  20. 20. The patient interface of claim any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the heating element is configured to be electrically connected to an RPT device comprising a blower to pressurize the flow of air to the therapeutic pressure, and the heating element being configured to be powered by the RPT device.

Description

RESPIRATORY PRESSURE THERAPY SYSTEM WITH VAPORIZING HUMIDIFIER [0001] A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in Patent Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. 1 CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/511,318, filed June 30, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 2 BACKGROUND OF THE TECHNOLOGY 2. 1 FIELD OF THE TECHNOLOGY [0003] The present technology relates to one or more of the screening, diagnosis, monitoring, treatment, prevention and amelioration of respiratory-related disorders. The present technology also relates to medical devices or apparatus, and their use. 2.2 DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART 2.2.1 Human Respiratory System and its Disorders [0004] The respiratory system of the body facilitates gas exchange. The nose and mouth form the entrance to the airways of a patient. [0005] The airways include a series of branching tubes, which become narrower, shorter and more numerous as they penetrate deeper into the lung. The prime function of the lung is gas exchange, allowing oxygen to move from the inhaled air into the venous blood and carbon dioxide to move in the opposite direction. The trachea divides into right and left main bronchi, which further divide eventually into terminal bronchioles. The bronchi make up the conducting airways, and do not take part in gas exchange. Further divisions of the airways lead to the respiratory bronchioles, and eventually to the alveoli. The alveolated region of the lung is where the gas exchange takes place, and is referred to as the respiratory zone. See “Respiratory Physiology” , by John B. West, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 9th edition published 2012. [0006] A range of respiratory disorders exist. Certain disorders may be characterised by particular events, e.g. apneas, hypopneas, and hyperpneas. [0007] Examples of respiratory disorders include Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), Cheyne-Stokes Respiration (CSR), respiratory insufficiency, Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome (OHS), Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Neuromuscular Disease (NMD) and Chest wall disorders. 2.2.2 Therapies [0008] Various respiratory therapies, such as Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy, Non-invasive ventilation (NIV), Invasive ventilation (IV), and High Flow Therapy (HFT) have been used to treat one or more of the above respiratory disorders. 2.2.2.1 Respiratory pressure therapies [0009] Respiratory pressure therapy is the application of a supply of air to an entrance to the airways at a controlled target pressure that is nominally positive with respect to atmosphere throughout the patient’s breathing cycle (in contrast to negative pressure therapies such as the tank ventilator or cuirass). [0010] Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy has been used to treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). The mechanism of action is that continuous positive airway pressure acts as a pneumatic splint and may prevent upper airway occlusion, such as by pushing the soft palate and tongue forward and away from the posterior oropharyngeal wall. Treatment of OSA by CPAP therapy may be voluntary, and hence patients may elect not to comply with therapy if they find devices used to provide such therapy one or more of: uncomfortable, difficult to use, expensive and aesthetically unappealing. [0011] Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) provides ventilatory support to a patient through the upper airways to assist the patient breathing and/or maintain adequate oxygen levels in the body by doing some or all of the work of breathing. The ventilatory support is provided via a non-invasive patient interface. NIV has been used to treat CSR and respiratory failure, in forms such as OHS, COPD, NMD and Chest Wall disorders. In some forms, the comfort and effectiveness of these therapies may be improved. [0012] Invasive ventilation (IV) provides ventilatory support to patients that are no longer able to effectively breathe themselves and may be provided using a tracheostomy tube or endotracheal tube. In some forms, the comfort and effectiveness of these therapies may be improved. 2.2.3 Respiratory Therapy Systems [0013] These respiratory therapies may be provided by a respiratory therapy system or device. Such systems and devices may also be used to screen, diagnose, or monitor a condition without treating it. [0014] A respiratory therapy system may comprise a Respiratory Pressure Therapy Device (RPT device), an air circuit, a humidifier, a patient interface, an oxygen source, and data management. 2.2.3.1 Patient Interface [0015] A patient interface may be used to interface respiratory equipment to its wearer, for example b