EP-4736923-A2 - PLENUM CHAMBER INSERT FOR PATIENT INTERFACE

Abstract

The present invention relates to a plenum chamber insert for a patient interface for providing a flow of air at a therapeutic pressure to a patient for breathing. The plenum chamber insert comprises: a heat and moisture exchanger (HMX) material configured to receive and retain water from gas exhaled by the patient and to desorb retained water into the flow of air at the therapeutic pressure passing through the HMX material during use; and a frame, which comprises a plenum chamber insert port; an anterior insert frame and a posterior insert frame attached to the anterior insert frame, and the HMX material being secured between the anterior insert frame and the posterior insert frame; and an anterior insert frame spacer extending from the anterior insert frame and contacting the HMX material to space the HMX material away from the anterior insert frame such that a gap is formed between the anterior insert frame and the HMX material.

Inventors

• GUPTA, Tumul
• Hogg, Michael Christopher
• STANISLAS, Luke Andrew
• TEH, Lang Eng Siang
• ENGSTROM, Hans Christer Henric
• EBERL, LORENZ
• APALAKIS, Adrian
• Franko, Balint

Assignees

• ResMed Pty Ltd

Dates

Publication Date

20260506

Application Date

20200318

Claims (15)

1. A plenum chamber insert for a patient interface for providing a flow of air at a therapeutic pressure to a patient for breathing, the plenum chamber insert comprising: a heat and moisture exchanger (HMX) material configured to receive and retain water from gas exhaled by the patient and to desorb retained water into the flow of air at the therapeutic pressure passing through the HMX material during use; and a frame comprising: a plenum chamber insert port; an anterior insert frame and a posterior insert frame attached to the anterior insert frame, and the HMX material being secured between the anterior insert frame and the posterior insert frame; and an anterior insert frame spacer extending from the anterior insert frame and contacting the HMX material to space the HMX material away from the anterior insert frame such that a gap is formed between the anterior insert frame and the HMX material.
2. The plenum chamber insert of claim 1, wherein the plenum chamber insert port is formed through the anterior insert frame.
3. The plenum chamber insert of claim 1 or 2, wherein the frame further comprises an exterior surface and a first channel that is recessed into the frame and below the exterior surface, and wherein the first channel extends radially inward along the exterior surface and towards the plenum chamber insert port to form a flow path that allows air to travel around the frame without passing through the HMX material.
4. The plenum chamber insert of claim 3, wherein the exterior surface is configured to be positioned inside of a plenum chamber of the patient interface to face an interior surface of the plenum chamber in use.
5. The plenum chamber insert of claim 3 or 4, wherein the first channel extends radially inward from an outer periphery of the frame.
6. The plenum chamber insert of claim 5, further comprising a second channel recessed into the frame and below the exterior surface, the second channel extending radially inward from the outer periphery of the frame and towards the plenum chamber insert port.
7. The plenum chamber insert of claim 5 or 6, wherein the HMX material comprises a corrugated structure constructed from paper, and the corrugated structure forms flow channels through the HMX material.
8. The plenum chamber insert of any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein the first channel is recessed into the anterior insert frame.
9. The plenum chamber insert of any one of claims 3 to 8, wherein the posterior insert frame comprises a plurality of posterior insert frame openings such that a portion of the HMX material is exposed through the posterior insert frame.
10. The plenum chamber insert of any one of claims 3 to 9, wherein the posterior insert frame comprises an orientation indicator configured to visually and/or tactilely indicate the orientation of the plenum chamber insert.
11. The plenum chamber insert of any one of claims 3 to 10, wherein a posterior insert frame protrusion extends from the posterior insert frame to contact the HMX material and hold the HMX material in position between the anterior insert frame and the posterior insert frame.
12. The plenum chamber insert of any one of claims 3 to 11, wherein the anterior insert frame comprises a catch or a detent and the posterior insert frame comprises the other of the catch or the detent, and wherein the catch and the detent are configured to retain the anterior insert frame and the posterior insert frame together.
13. The plenum chamber insert of any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the anterior insert frame comprises a rim surrounding the plenum chamber insert port.
14. The plenum chamber insert of claim 13, wherein the anterior insert frame comprises an annular channel surrounding the rim and recessed into the anterior insert frame, and wherein annular channel vent holes are formed through the anterior insert frame at the annular channel.
15. A patient interface comprising: a plenum chamber pressurisable to a therapeutic pressure of at least 4 cmH2O greater than ambient air pressure, said plenum chamber including a plenum chamber 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 contact and seal against a region of the patient's face surrounding an entrance to the patient's airways, said seal-forming structure having a hole therein such that the flow of air at said therapeutic pressure is delivered to at least the patient's nares, the seal-forming structure constructed and arranged to maintain said therapeutic pressure in the plenum chamber throughout the patient's respiratory cycle in use; a positioning and stabilising structure configured 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 of the tie overlies a region of the patient's head superior to the patient's corresponding otobasion superior in use; a vent structure comprising a plurality of vent holes configured to allow a continuous flow of gases exhaled by the patient from an interior of the plenum chamber to ambient, the plurality of vent holes being sized and shaped to maintain the therapeutic pressure in the plenum chamber in use; and the plenum chamber insert of any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the patient interface is configured to allow the patient to breathe from ambient through their mouth in the absence of a flow of pressurised air through the plenum chamber port, or the patient interface is configured to leave the patient's mouth uncovered.

Description

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 This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/820,098, filed March 18, 2019, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/969,747, filed February 4, 2020, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference. 2 BACKGROUND OF THE TECHNOLOGY 2.1 FIELD OF THE TECHNOLOGY 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 The respiratory system of the body facilitates gas exchange. The nose and mouth form the entrance to the airways of a patient. 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. A range of respiratory disorders exist. Certain disorders may be characterised by particular events, e.g. apneas, hypopneas, and hyperpneas. Examples of respiratory disorders include Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), Cheyne-Stokes Respiration (CSR), respiratory insufficiency, Obesity Hyperventilation Syndrome (OHS), Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Neuromuscular Disease (NMD) and Chest wall disorders. Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), a form of Sleep Disordered Breathing (SDB), is characterised by events including occlusion or obstruction of the upper air passage during sleep. It results from a combination of an abnormally small upper airway and the normal loss of muscle tone in the region of the tongue, soft palate and posterior oropharyngeal wall during sleep. The condition causes the affected patient to stop breathing for periods typically of 30 to 120 seconds in duration, sometimes 200 to 300 times per night. It often causes excessive daytime somnolence, and it may cause cardiovascular disease and brain damage. The syndrome is a common disorder, particularly in middle aged overweight males, although a person affected may have no awareness of the problem. See US Patent No. 4,944,310 (Sullivan). Cheyne-Stokes Respiration (CSR) is another form of sleep disordered breathing. CSR is a disorder of a patient's respiratory controller in which there are rhythmic alternating periods of waxing and waning ventilation known as CSR cycles. CSR is characterised by repetitive de-oxygenation and re-oxygenation of the arterial blood. It is possible that CSR is harmful because of the repetitive hypoxia. In some patients CSR is associated with repetitive arousal from sleep, which causes severe sleep disruption, increased sympathetic activity, and increased afterload. See US Patent No. 6,532,959 (Berthon-Jones). Respiratory failure is an umbrella term for respiratory disorders in which the lungs are unable to inspire sufficient oxygen or exhale sufficient CO2 to meet the patient's needs. Respiratory failure may encompass some or all of the following disorders. A patient with respiratory insufficiency (a form of respiratory failure) may experience abnormal shortness of breath on exercise. Obesity Hyperventilation Syndrome (OHS) is defined as the combination of severe obesity and awake chronic hypercapnia, in the absence of other known causes for hypoventilation. Symptoms include dyspnea, morning headache and excessive daytime sleepiness. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) encompasses any of a group of lower airway diseases that have certain characteristics in common. These include increased resistance to air movement, extended expiratory phase of respiration, and loss of the normal elasticity of the lung. Examples of COPD are emphysema and chronic bronchitis. COPD is caused by chronic tobacco smoking (primary risk factor), occupational exposures, air pollution and genetic factors. Symptoms include: dyspnea on exertion, chronic cough and sputum production. Neuro