US-20260124418-A1 - PATIENT INTERFACES

US20260124418A1US 20260124418 A1US20260124418 A1US 20260124418A1US-20260124418-A1

Abstract

A mask assembly can include a mask seal. In some configurations, the mask assembly can be configured to be fully positioned lower than a bridge of a nose of a face of a user and to provide an exposed bridge of the nose of the user. The mask seal can comprise a nasal region comprising at least one nasal opening, a first paddle on a first side of the nasal region and a second paddle on a second side of the nasal region. The first paddle is configured to contact one side of the nose of the user and the second paddle is configured to contact the other side of the nose of the user.

Inventors

Roheet Patel
Michael John Henri Cox
Max Leon BETTERIDGE
Bruce Michael Walls
Ronan Leahy
Matthew James PEDERSEN
Jae Yun Lim

Assignees

FISHER & PAYKEL HEALTHCARE LIMITED

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251014

Claims (12)

1 . (canceled)
2 . A nasal-oral mask seal for an interface assembly, comprising: an oral seal portion, including: an oral opening; and a nasal region, including: a nasal opening; a right nasal sealing surface; and a left nasal sealing surface; the right and left nasal sealing surfaces extending outwardly from the nasal opening; wherein: the left nasal sealing surface and the right nasal sealing surface form a V-shape when viewed from a front or a rear of the nasal-oral mask seal, and an angle between the left nasal sealing surface and the right nasal sealing surface increases in a direction from the rear to the front of the nasal-oral mask seal; and the left nasal sealing surface and the right nasal sealing surface are angled away from each other in a direction from the front to the rear of the nasal-oral mask seal when viewed from a top of the nasal-oral mask seal.
3 . The nasal-oral mask seal of claim 2 , wherein the left nasal sealing surface and the right nasal sealing surface form a generally triangular shape configured to accommodate or generally match a geometry of a user's nose.
4 . The nasal-oral mask seal of claim 2 , wherein the angle between the left nasal sealing surface and the right nasal sealing surface increases from approximately 57 degrees to approximately 88 degrees in the direction from the rear to the front of the nasal-oral mask seal.
5 . The nasal-oral mask seal of claim 2 , wherein a depth of the nasal region decreases in the direction from the rear to the front of the nasal-oral mask seal.
6 . The nasal-oral mask seal of claim 2 , wherein the left nasal sealing surface and the right nasal sealing surface are relatively flat laterally adjacent to the nasal opening.
7 . The nasal-oral mask seal of claim 2 , wherein the left nasal sealing surface and the right nasal sealing surface are angled outwardly and upwardly away from each other, and from a central vertical plane of the nasal-oral mask seal, in a direction from a bottom to the top of the nasal-oral mask seal.
8 . The nasal-oral mask seal of claim 2 , wherein a curvature of the left nasal sealing surface and the right nasal sealing surface is approximately linear as the left nasal sealing surface and the right nasal sealing surface extend radially outward from the nasal opening.
9 . The nasal-oral mask seal of claim 8 , wherein the curvature is approximately linear to approximately a midpoint of the left nasal sealing surface and the right nasal sealing surface.
10 . The nasal-oral mask seal of claim 8 , wherein the curvature of the left nasal sealing surface and the right nasal sealing surface increases as the left nasal sealing surface and the right nasal sealing surface extend radially outward beyond approximately a midpoint of the left nasal sealing surface and the right nasal sealing surface.
11 . The nasal-oral mask seal of claim 8 , wherein the curvature of the left nasal sealing surface and the right nasal sealing surface increases in the direction from the rear to the front of the nasal-oral mask seal.
12 . The nasal-oral mask seal of claim 2 , wherein a curvature of the left nasal sealing surface and the right nasal sealing surface is approximately linear as the left nasal sealing surface and the right nasal sealing surface extend radially outward from the nasal opening to approximately a midpoint of the left nasal sealing surface and the right nasal sealing surface.

Description

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE TO ANY PRIORITY APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/820,854, filed Aug. 18, 2022, pending, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/335,414, filed Mar. 21, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,452,833, issued Sep. 27, 2022, which is a national stage application under 35 U.S.C. § 371(c) of PCT Application No. PCT/IB 2017/056136, filed Oct. 5, 2017, expired, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/413,604, filed Oct. 27, 2016, expired, U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/413,280, filed Oct. 26, 2016, expired, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/404,341, filed Oct. 5, 2016, expired, the entireties of which are incorporated by reference herein and made a part of the present disclosure. Any and all applications for which a foreign or domestic priority claim is identified in the Application Data Sheet as filed with the present application are hereby incorporated by reference herein. BACKGROUND Field The present disclosure relates to interface assemblies for respiratory therapy. In particular, the present disclosure relates to under-nose interface assemblies that do not cover the bridge of the user's nose. Description of Related Art In patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), muscles that normally keep the upper airway open relax during slumber to the extent that the airway is constrained or completely closed off, a phenomenon often manifesting itself in the form of snoring. When this occurs for a period of time, the patient's brain typically recognizes the threat of hypoxia and partially wakes the patient in order to open the airway so that normal breathing may resume. The patient may be unaware of these waking episodes, which may occur as many as several hundred times per session of sleep. This partial awakening may significantly reduce the quality of the patient's sleep, over time potentially leading to a variety of symptoms, including excessive daytime sleepiness, chronic fatigue, elevated heart rate, elevated blood pressure, weight gain, headaches, irritability, depression and anxiety. Obstructive sleep apnea is commonly treated with the application of positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy. PAP therapy involves delivering a flow of gas to a patient at a therapeutic pressure above atmospheric pressure that will reduce the frequency and/or duration of apneas, hypopneas, and/or flow limitations. The therapy is often implemented by using a positive airway pressure device to deliver a pressurized stream of air through a conduit to a patient through a patient interface or mask positioned on the face of the patient. One common type of patient interface assembly used with PAP therapy or other respiratory therapies involving the administration of gas includes a seal that contacts the bridge of the nose of a user of the interface assembly. The bridge of the nose is sensitive to pressure applied by the seal of the interface assembly. More recently, interface assemblies have become available that do not contact the bridge of the nose. Such interface assemblies can be referred to as “under-nose” interface assemblies. A need exists to provide improved under-nose interface assemblies with improved comfort and/or sealing performance, or to provide the public with a useful choice. SUMMARY The systems, methods and devices described herein have innovative aspects, no single one of which is indispensable or solely responsible for their desirable attributes. Without limiting the scope of the claims, some of the advantageous features will now be summarized. In some configurations, an interface for use in providing positive pressure respiratory therapy comprises a mask assembly having a mask seal. The mask assembly is configured to be fully positioned lower than a bridge of a nose of a face of a user and to provide an exposed bridge of the nose of the user. The mask seal comprises a nasal region comprising at least one nasal opening. The mask seal comprises a first paddle on a first side of the nasal region and a second paddle on a second side of the nasal region. The first paddle is configured to contact one side of the nose of the user and the second paddle is configured to contact the other side of the nose of the user. The first paddle comprises a first cutout region extending from a front side of the first paddle to a rear side of the first paddle. The second paddle comprises a second cutout region extending from a front side of the second paddle to a rear side of the second paddle. In some configurations, the mask seal further comprises a support structure configured to support the nasal region of the mask seal. In some configurations, the mask seal comprises a recessed front surface including an upper recessed front surface configured to receive a frame paddle. In some configurations, the first cutout region comprises a reduced wall thickness. In some configurations, the first cutout region compri