U.S. patent application number 17/326883 was filed with the patent office on 2021-10-21 for design and implementation of a low-cost breathing support device.
This patent application is currently assigned to Ujala Technologies, Inc.. The applicant listed for this patent is Ujala Technologies, Inc.. Invention is credited to Muhammad Mujeeb-U-Rahman, Saad Pasha.
Application Number | 20210322716 17/326883 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005685034 |
Filed Date | 2021-10-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20210322716 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Mujeeb-U-Rahman; Muhammad ;
et al. |
October 21, 2021 |
Design and Implementation of a Low-Cost Breathing Support
Device
Abstract
Respiratory diseases affect a large part of world population,
especially in developing world. In this invention, we present a
breathing support system to provide life-saving support to such
patients. The system automates and regulates the use of a bag valve
mask (commonly known as an ambu bag). The system uses mechanical
actuators, sensors and a smart feedback control mechanism to
automate and regulate the operation of the ambu bag to implement
core functions of mechanical ventilation for life-saving
applications. The system can also be used to provide better
breathing support to newborns (e.g. to prevent hypoxia). The system
can be used to save hundreds of thousands of lives in the
developing world, in emergencies and during transportation
globally.
Inventors: |
Mujeeb-U-Rahman; Muhammad;
(Irvine, CA) ; Pasha; Saad; (Lahore, PK) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Ujala Technologies, Inc. |
Cincinnati |
OH |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Ujala Technologies, Inc.
Cincinnati
OH
|
Family ID: |
1000005685034 |
Appl. No.: |
17/326883 |
Filed: |
May 21, 2021 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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16132360 |
Sep 15, 2018 |
11045621 |
|
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17326883 |
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62559631 |
Sep 17, 2017 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61M 2202/0208 20130101;
A61M 16/0078 20130101; A61M 16/0003 20140204; A61M 16/202 20140204;
A61M 2016/0033 20130101; A61M 16/06 20130101; A61M 2205/502
20130101; A61M 2016/0027 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A61M 16/20 20060101
A61M016/20; A61M 16/00 20060101 A61M016/00; A61M 16/06 20060101
A61M016/06 |
Claims
1. A mechanical ventilator to treat patients with respiratory
disease comprising: a user-interface designed to receive desired
breathing parameters for a patient from a medical practitioner
inclusive of ventilator mode selected from the group comprising
continuous mandatory ventilation (CMV) and assist-control
ventilation (ACV) and to display device status; a gas volume
generator for storing air, oxygen or their mixture; a mechanical
actuation unit comprising a pair of compressors that are moved by
an electric motor to compress the gas volume generator to force a
breath to the patient and generate the desired breathing
parameters; a sensing unit through which on the way to the patient
the breath generated by the mechanical actuation unit's compression
of the gas volume generator passes comprising pressure and flow
sensors; a device control unit that, considering signals from the
pressure and flow sensors of the sensing unit as well as the
desired breathing parameters from the medical practitioner through
the user-interface, generates signals to control the mechanical
actuation unit's compression of the gas volume generator; a
battery; and a power management unit comprising a regulator and
switching management circuitry to provide seamless switching
between a mains power source and the battery to provide
uninterrupted power to the user interface, mechanical actuation
unit, sensing unit, and device control unit.
2. The mechanical ventilator to treat patients with respiratory
disease of claim 1, wherein the gas volume generator is a bag of a
bag valve mask.
3. The mechanical ventilator to treat patients with respiratory
disease of claim 1, wherein the device control unit comprises a
micro-controller to process the signals from the gas flow and
pressure sensors as well as the desired breathing parameters from
the medical practitioner and to generate the signals to control the
mechanical actuation unit.
4. The mechanical ventilator to treat patients with respiratory
disease of claim 2, wherein the pair of compressors of the
mechanical actuation unit are a pair of rounded jaws.
5. The mechanical ventilator to treat patients with respiratory
disease of claim 1 that supports a respiratory rate of 0 to 100
breaths per minute.
6. The mechanical ventilator to treat patients with respiratory
disease of claim 2, wherein the bag of the bag valve mask can
support gas volumes from 1 milli-liters to 2000 milli-liters.
7. The mechanical ventilator to treat patients with respiratory
disease of claim 1, wherein the gas flow and pressure sensors are
configured to determine the flow rate, gas volume, and pressure
during device operation.
8. The mechanical ventilator to treat patients with respiratory
disease of claim 1, wherein the power management unit mains power
source is an alternating current source.
9. The mechanical ventilator to treat patients with respiratory
disease of claim 8, wherein the user interface is designed to
additionally receive a desired breathing parameter of set positive
end-expiratory pressure and the mechanical ventilator further
comprises a solenoid valve through which patient exhalation passes
which receives signals generated by the device control unit to
maintain the set positive end-expiratory pressure considering
signals from the pressure and flow sensors as well as the desired
breathing parameters received for the patient from the medical
practitioner.
10. The mechanical ventilator to treat patients with respiratory
disease of claim 9, wherein the user interface comprises a display
for breath waveforms.
11. The mechanical ventilator to treat patients with respiratory
disease of claim 10, wherein the display is an LCD.
12. The mechanical ventilator to treat patients with respiratory
disease of claim 10, wherein the display is a touch screen.
13. The mechanical ventilator to treat patients with respiratory
disease of claim 10, wherein the user interface is designed to
additionally receive a desired breathing parameter of synchronous
intermittent mandatory ventilation.
14. The mechanical ventilator to treat patients with respiratory
disease of claim 1, wherein the sensing unit further comprises an
oxygen sensor connected to the device control unit.
15. The mechanical ventilator to treat patients with respiratory
disease of claim 1, wherein the electric motor comprises an encoder
connected to the device control unit.
16. The mechanical ventilator to treat patients with respiratory
disease of claim 14, wherein the power management unit further
comprises recharging circuitry and voltage measurement
circuitry.
17. The mechanical ventilator to treat patients with respiratory
disease of claim 16, wherein the battery is a rechargeable battery
selected from the group consisting of lead-acid, lithium ion, and
lithium polymer.
18. The mechanical ventilator to treat patients with respiratory
disease of claim 2, wherein atmospheric air passes through a filter
before entering the bag of the bag valve mask through a bag valve
mask air inlet.
19. The mechanical ventilator to treat patients with respiratory
disease of claim 3, wherein the microcontroller is Arm based.
20. The mechanical ventilator to treat patients with respiratory
disease of claim 19, further comprising an encrypted wireless
communication link.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application is a continuation of U.S.
application Ser. No. 16/132,360, filed Sep. 15, 2018, entitled
"DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A LOW-COST BREATHING SUPPORT DEVICE,"
currently pending; which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional
application No. 62/559,631 entitled A SMART, LOW-COST HARDWARE AND
SOFTWARE SOLUTION FOR A PORTABLE VENTILATOR, filed on Sep. 17,
2017, which is incorporated herein by reference in its
entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates with the design and
implementation of a medical device to assist patients with
breathing difficulties.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Respiratory diseases affect a significant portion of world
population, especially in the developing world due to environment.
For example, around 71,000 children die of pneumonia annually in
Pakistan. Similarly, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
affects 2.1 percent of Pakistani population aged 40 years and above
[1]. Almost 33% of these patients are hospitalized due to their
COPD symptoms while 27% of them visit emergency room each year.
Similarly, nearly 20 million adult Pakistanis are already suffering
from asthma and it is increasing at an alarming rate of 5% annually
[2]. Around twenty to thirty percent of these patients are children
between 13 and 15 years of age [2]. Furthermore, many patients
(mostly aged and children) get seasonal respiratory diseases and
need acute treatment in emergency conditions. Last year alone,
dozens of children died due to unavailability of ventilators in
hospitals across Pakistan alone. Low-cost and easy to repair
life-saving devices can provide a solution to such large-scale
problems [3].
[0004] A mechanical ventilator is often required to treat patients
with respiratory problems [4]. This treatment can be acute or
chronic (for months) depending upon patient condition. According to
healthcare standards, hospitals should have at least 50% of beds
with ventilators always available for emergency patients [5].
Furthermore, these devices should be available at all levels i.e.
districts and tehsils so that patients can be treated closer to
their family without having to travel long distance. However, this
number becomes too large for dense population in many parts of the
developing world. Furthermore, most of the public hospitals don't
have the infrastructure to provide such facilities to the large
population. Moreover, the current ICU ventilators are big and are
designed for developed world hospitals (require extensive hospital
infrastructure and trained staff) and aren't optimized for
developing and underdeveloped countries for large scale use. There
are some smaller units available, however those devices are still
expensive and difficult to maintain in large numbers.
[0005] In consideration of difficulties associated with access to
life-saving ventilators in many areas of developing world, we have
developed a smart, affordable, and accessible breathing support
device that can act as an alternative to a traditional hospital
ventilator for life saving cases and can be maintained in
low-resource settings. This new device will not only provide the
function of a life-saving ventilator but will also be equipped with
remote monitoring capabilities allowing for a smarter use and data
collection and decision-making process. The smart wireless
interface will allow real-time data collection and prediction to
match population needs and resources in an efficient manner. The
device uses the approved Ambu bag (also known as Bag Valve Mask)
technology for easy adoption by the medical community. We have
successfully implemented our system and have tested it on human
patients under the supervision of senior doctors. This system has
the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives throughout the
world in emergencies and during transportation.
SUMMARY
[0006] A mechanical ventilator is often required to treat patients
with respiratory diseases and can save lives if readily available
[3]. These devices should be available at all levels so that
patients can be treated closer to their homes without having to
travel long distance. Current state-of-the-art ventilator systems
are expensive and difficult to use (require infrastructure and
trained staff) and hence have proven to be inefficient for the
scale of problem [6]. Experts believe that local maintenance and
optimization of ventilator systems is the ultimate solution for
these problems [7].
[0007] Traditional medical instruments are not designed to have
wireless connectivity for safety and simplicity reasons. However,
current wireless protocols have performance characteristics
acceptable and allowed by regulatory authorities and hence wireless
connectivity has started to become a standard in medical device
community [8]. Hence, our goal is to develop smart systems that can
be seamlessly integrated with other information and communication
technologies and thus provide real-time monitoring and usage
information without having to retrofit other devices. The data
gathered can be analysed for trend analysis that would make the
healthcare system simpler, smarter and scalable.
[0008] Local development of important healthcare solutions can
provide sustainable solution to large scale problems such as the
respiratory disorders in developing countries [9]. In some cases,
such systems can be used in developed world as well for emergency
situations [10]. Although efforts have been made in realizing
low-cost portable ventilators [11], such systems have been limited
to academic exercises and have not resulted in real systems that
can be used in actual clinical applications.
[0009] The specific ventilator design presented in this invention
is built upon existing breathing technologies used by the medical
community to facilitate adoption. It uses a Bag Valve Mask (BVM)
that, in under-served communities is used manually by patient's
caregivers for hours, or days and sometimes weeks and is clearly
not an efficient and reliable solution to provide breathing support
to patients who are too sick to maintain their own respiration.
However, its use is acceptable clinically and it has proven to be a
life-saving resource when more advanced ventilators are not
available. Present invention removes the limitations associated
with use of the BVM (also known as the Ambu bag) manually by
automating its operation and by using sensors to regulate such use
to make is safer and more effective.
[0010] The invention presented here describes a novel breathing
support device design using a simple architecture that conforms to
the medical safety and efficacy requirements for life-saving
applications. This is achieved by realizing an efficient feedback
control mechanism based upon pressure and flow sensors [12]. We use
accurate pressure and flow sensors with proper specifications to
measure system state, using similar standards that are used in
hospital ventilator systems [13].
[0011] The presented device is designed to be powered by AC current
or with a battery which allows for long-term field use where AC
power may be unavailable or intermittent. This also allows for
bedside use in hospital settings where AC power may not be
available for all devices during epidemic or emergency conditions
or use in emergency vehicles.
[0012] The proposed system uses a modular design which allows
low-cost and simpler maintenance. The system has an internal
diagnostic capability to determine which module(s) need replacement
during maintenance. The minimizes need for expensive diagnostic
instruments and repairs.
[0013] In a typical operation, the system works in Assist-Control
(AC) mode in which a breath cycle may be started by patient or
otherwise by internal controller based upon Inhalation to
Exhalation Ratio (I:E) and number of breaths required per minute.
After breath cycle starts, continuous monitoring of air flow rate
and tidal volume is done using different sensors. After providing
the tidal volume set by the user, exhalation cycle starts, and
system again wait for patient or internal timers to trigger next
inhalation cycle.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES
[0014] FIG. 1 shows the high-level block diagram illustrating the
hardware design of the ventilator system. It has a user interface
(1) i.e. a human-machine interface (HMI) where a doctor or nurse
can enter required breathing parameters and in return can see the
resultant parameters. The system has a system control unit (CU) (2)
which takes input from user interface (1) and then controls the
mechanical actuation unit (MAU) (3). The MAU (3) actuates the gas
volume generator (GVG) (4) which has the mixture of gasses for
current breath. The breath generated by the GVG (4) passes through
a sensing unit (SU) (5). The SU (5) is used for feedback control in
the CU (2). After the SU, the gas mixture reaches the patient.
Additionally, there could be a humidity and temperature control
unit between the SU and the patient to adjust humidity and
temperature of the gas mixture. A power management unit (PMU) (6)
takes input from AC mains or from batteries (in the absence of AC
mains) and distributes the power to every unit according to its
requirement. The PMU (6) is also responsible to switch from AC
mains to batteries, and vice versa, uninterruptedly.
[0015] FIG. 2 shows the detailed hardware design of the system. The
atmospheric air passes through a filter and enters the GVG via its
air inlet. Oxygen from a cylinder enters the GVG via its oxygen
inlet. Oxygen flow is controlled via a manual flow gauge attached
to the oxygen cylinder or oxygen port. An air-oxygen mixture or
air-oxygen blender can also be used to control the concentration of
oxygen in delivered breath. A typical example of a GVG is a bag
valve mask (BVM). When the BVM is compressed via MAU, which is
actuated by a motor, the air goes through an optional oxygen
concentration sensor, inhalation valve and the out to the
inhalation duct of standard medical breathing circuit. An optional
temperature and humidity controller, usually as separate unit, can
also be installed in inhalation duct. The air passes through a flow
rate sensor and a pressure sensor just outside the patient's mouth
for accurate measurements. After flow and pressure sensor, air
passes through a filter and enters patient's lungs via a face mask
or an endotracheal tube (E 1'1). The exhaled air passes through the
same flow rate and pressure sensor and enters exhalation duct of
breathing circuit. Exhalation duct can have an optional carbon
dioxide concentration sensor to monitor exhaled carbon dioxide. At
the end of exhalation duct there is exhalation valve. The
exhalation valve stays closed during inhalation. All sensor outputs
and user input (e.g. via a keypad or knob) are provided to the CU
(typically a microcontroller) which then controls the valves and
motor operation (via a motor driver) and displays the breath
parameters on a display (e.g. LCD).
[0016] FIG. 3 shows the high-level diagram of the proposed
decision-flow architecture. Breath cycle starts by patient
inhalation attempt or by internal timers based upon breaths per
minute (BPM) required. During inhalation, flow rate, tidal volume
and peak inspiratory pressure is monitored to minimize ventilator
induced lung injury (VILI). After delivering set tidal volume or
achieving set pressure in given inhalation time, exhalation
starts.
[0017] FIG. 4 is the block diagram illustrating the detailed
decision-flow architecture (also termed as software architecture).
The CU (e.g. microcontroller) detects the patient's inhalation
attempt and starts the breathing cycle. Inhalation can also be
started on the base of internal timers of the microcontroller.
Internal timer is set according to respiratory rate i.e. number of
breaths required in a minute. During the inhalation cycle, breath
is continuously monitored and measured by different sensors, the
main two sensors are flow rate sensor and pressure sensor. If
volume-targeted ventilation is used, inhalation ends when breath
volume is achieved, where breath volume is calculated by
integrating flow rate. If pressure-targeted ventilation is used,
inhalation ends when breath pressure is achieved, where breath
pressure is measured by pressure sensor. Inhalation can also be
terminated by the internal timers according to the inhalation to
exhalation ratio (I:E) set by the doctor. Software architecture
also provides the safety by detecting patient's exhale attempt
while system is delivering a breath. If during inhalation, patient
tries to exhale, system will detect the pressure surge and will
allow patient to exhale immediately. Similarly, during inhalation,
if peak pressure crosses the allowable peak pressure set by the
doctor, system will exhale immediately and turn on the alarm. After
exhalation is completed, Positive End Expiratory Pressure PEEP is
maintained by the controller and then system go back to start the
breath cycle again.
[0018] FIG. 5 illustrate high level operation of the system. At the
beginning, the doctor enters required breath parameters
(respiratory rate, volume, pressure, etc.) by user interface. The
CU then controls patient's respiration depending upon set
parameters. The CU starts inhalation by actuating the MAU via
actuating a motor. The CU controls breath parameters by controlling
motor operation via Pulse Width Modulation (PWM). During
inhalation, the CU keeps inhalation valve open whereas it keeps
exhalation valve closed. As soon as required volume is delivered or
set pressure is developed, the MAU stops, and inhalation valve is
closed. After an optional time delay, exhalation starts. During
exhalation, microcontroller keeps exhalation valve open and keeps
monitoring pressure to maintain PEEP. As soon as pressure drops to
set PEEP pressure, microcontroller closes the exhalation valve.
During exhalation and PEEP maintenance, microcontroller restore the
MAU as well as GVG, both in parallel to exhalation and PEEP
maintenance. After that, microcontroller starts the next cycle.
[0019] FIG. 6 illustrates the synchronization scheme of the
presented system's breathing cycle with that of the patient's.
Breathing cycle can be triggered in two ways, patient-triggered and
time-triggered. Time triggering depends upon number of breaths per
minute required. Patient-triggering depends on patient, when
patient wants to take a breath. Pressure-drop and flow rate surge
is continuously measured to detect patient inhale attempt. As the
pressure becomes less than a threshold or flow rate become greater
than the threshold, patient-triggered inhalation starts. During
inhalation, pressure is again continuously measured and
differentiated to stop inhalation if patient attempts exhalation.
If pressure gradient becomes greater than a threshold, pressure is
detected which is a sign of positive pressure by patient i.ie
exhalation. So, the system exhale immediately.
[0020] FIG. 7 represents the display used for the ventilator. An
LCD is used to display different ventilation parameters including
but not limited to Tidal Volume, Inhalation: Exhalation Ratio
(I:E), Peak Pressure, Breaths per Minute, Peak Flow Rate,
Inhalation Time and PEEP. A touch screen can also be used, and
breath waveforms can also be shown including all above mentioned
breath parameters.
[0021] FIG. 8 gives an overview of the device structure; the
detailed design and description of each part is provided in later
figures. The internal structure of the device is covered by a
medical grade plastic, metal, or polymer body (90). A Bag Valve
Mask BVM (4) is the main component of the device and acts as gas
volume generator GVG (4) (FIG. 1) or a source of air-reservoir for
mechanical breaths. There is a one-way valve (95) which acts as
air-inlet to the BVM (4) and hence air-inlet to the device. This
one-way valve (95) is a built-in part of every Bag Vale Mask BVM
(4). In the absence of main power supply, device is powered by a
12V or 24V maintenance-free sealed battery (89) like Lead-Acid,
Li-Ion and Li--Po. Bag Valve Mask BVM (4) is compressed by a
mechanical actuation unit MAU (3) actuated by a DC geared motor
(102) whose input voltage is controlled by control unit CU (2),
typically a microcontroller and its electronics, in a feedback
manner. Feedback is taken from sensing unit (5) comprised of two
sensors just outside the patient mouth; flowrate sensor (99) and
pressure sensor attached to the small opening (100). Upon
compressing Bag Valve Mask (4) by mechanical actuation unit (3),
air goes out from the system through the internal piping circuitry
(97) which contains a pressure sensor, solenoid operated ON-OFF
valve and a pressure relief valve (explained in later figures).
This air reaches the patient mouth which is connected at the outlet
(86) via inhalation limb (84) of standard medical vent-to-patient
tube. Inhaled air is then exhaled by the exhalation limb (85) of
the standard medical patient-to-vent tube. These two tubes (84) and
(85) collectively called breathing-circuit (85) and available as
one unit. Breathing circuits are made with different materials and
may be disposable or reusable, and always are flexible. At outlet
(86), patient can be interfaced via an Endotracheal Tube ETT or a
face mask.
Breath flowrate, delivered-volume and lung-pressure is measured
just outside the patient mouth via two sensors; an air flowrate
sensor (99) and a pressure sensor attached to the small opening
(100). Motor input voltage which is controlled by Pulse width
Modulation PWM, depends on the feedback from these two sensors.
Breath flowrate and delivered air volume is measured via medical
grade 6 to 24-Volt MEMS based hot-wire air flow sensor (99). Flow
sensor range is about -50 liters per minute (LPM) to +50 liters per
minute (LPM). The range -50 LPM to 0 LPM (i.e. flow direction is
from patient to device) is to measure the exhalation flowrate and
volume whereas the range 0 LPM to +50 LPM (i.e. flow direction is
from device to patient) is to measure inhalation flowrate and
volume. Sensor electrical output could be analog or digital I2C and
standard medical mechanical interfaces are easily available. Breath
pressure is measured by the medical grade MEMS based pressure
sensor attached to the small opening (100) via any means e.g. a
small plastic tube or direct interface. Pressure sensor range is
about -10 cmH2O to +70 cmH2O. The pressure range -10 cmH2O to 0
cmH2O is used to detect the pressure drop generated by the
patient's attempt for inhalation. Special ventilator-oriented MEMS
based medical grade flow, pressure, humidity and temperature
sensors all built in one single package with standard medical
interfaces can be used to simplify the sensing unit (SU).
[0022] FIG. 9 shows the base mechanical structure of the ventilator
which holds all of the electromechanical structures. There is a 10
mm thick base plate (94) on which all structure and components
rest. This plate is a part of outer body of the ventilator and
could me made with any medical grade material like Teflon, acrylic,
aluminum, or PVC. Size of base plate (94) is 25.times.28 cm, where
28 cm is along the pillars situated on the base plate (94). There
are two pillars situated on the base plate used to hold the Bag
Valve Mask BVM (4) (FIG. 11). One pillar acts as back support (92)
and other pillar acts as front support (93). Back support (92) may
be 5-10 mm thick depending upon the thickness of outer covering
body which used to cover the ventilator's electromechanical
structures. Its width is 82 mm and depends on the size and diameter
of BVM inlet (4) (FIG. 12). The back-support width is larger than
the diameter of inlet (95) (FIG. 12) from both sides by 10 mm.
Front support (93) is 10 mm thick and has width of 20 mm and can be
up to 50 mm. This support holds BVM as well as piping circuitry
(97) (FIG. 11). The distance between two supports (92) and (93) is
20 cm, equals to the length of the BVM (4) (FIG. 11). Front
support's width is larger than the outlet (96) of BVM by 5 mm each
side (FIG. 11).
The diameters of semicircles on back (92) and front (93) support
are 62 mm and 42 mm respectively and depends on the diameters of
inlet (95) and outlet (96) of BVM (4) (FIG. 12). The semicircle of
front support (93) has long arms (124) of 2 cm each to hold the
BVM. Height of both supports from their centers of semicircles is
12 cm. There is a plate namely gear plate (108) situated on the
base plate with two holes (121) and (122). Gear plate (108) holds
two meshing gears (115) and (116) (FIG. 12) via two ball bearings
(111) and (112) (FIG. 11). These two ball bearings sit in the two
holes (121) and (122) in the gear plate (108). In a typical case,
the thickness of gear plate (108) is about 10 mm and depends on the
thickness of the ball bearings used. In a typical case, the
dimension of gear plate (108) is 7 cm-by-13.5 cm. There is one
round extrusion (119) from the gear plate of 8 mm diameter and 3 cm
length and used as a mechanical stopper or limiter (FIG. 12). This
mechanical stopper (119) can be made as integral part of base plate
or by simply inserting a nut in the base plate. There are two small
seats (114) and (123) of size 1.times.1 cm at the both ends of gear
plate with 3-5 mm thickness. These two seats (114) and (123) are
used to hold/adhere Hall Effect Sensor's ICs to electronically
detect the extreme positions of two meshing gears (FIG. 12) by
sensing the magnets (120) attached to each gear (FIG. 12). The
positions of seats are exactly in the center of the gear plate
(108) when measured from the base plate (94). There is one metallic
or nonmetallic support (104) for motor. Its size depends on the
motor being used. It must be placed such that motor output shaft
can be coupled with one of the gear.
[0023] FIG. 10 shows one implementation of the MAU. A pair of
mechanical jaws (105) and (106) is used to press the BVM. Jaws are
spherical in shape and have smooth surface made with rust free hard
material e.g. stainless steel. Diameter of a jaw can be up to 20 cm
depending on the size and shape of the BVM. Each jaw (105) and
(106) is connected to a rod (107) and (125) made with same material
e.g. stainless steel. Each rod is connected to gear shaft (109) and
(110) and gears (115) and (116). Machining or welding can be used
to build this assembly. Diameter of each gear shaft (109) and (110)
is 17 mm and depends on the internal diameter of the gears. Length
of the gear shaft (109) is 35 mm and that of (110) is 40 mm. The
size of the gear shaft depends on the diameter of jaw's rods,
thickness of the gears, thickness of the ball bearings and
thickness of mechanical metallic locks (113) and (126). Mechanical
metallic locks are used to hold the gear shaft from one side of
ball bearings (111) and (112), the other side is held by the welded
gears. The internal diameter of metallic locks is 15 mm and depends
on the diameter of gear shaft. Central distance between the centers
of gears can be up to 80 mm. Gears are made with mild steel and can
be made with any other medical grade material including polymers.
Depending upon the size of BVM and spherical spoons, gears size and
internal distance between the gears can be changed. Gear tooth
should be capable of transferring 80-120 kgcm of torque.
Both gears are held by gear plate (108) via corresponding ball
bearings (111) and (112). Their internal diameter is 17 mm and
depends on the diameter of gear shafts (109) and (110). Their outer
diameter is 35 mm and thickness is 10 mm. Depending on the diameter
of gear shafts, size of ball bearings can be changed. The 8 mm hole
(127) in 40 mm gear shaft (110) is to insert motor shaft. Diameter
of hole (127) depends on the diameter of motor shaft. A nut (129)
is used to tighten the motor shaft with gear shaft (110). Through
this coupling, motor can drive the mechanism to press the BVM to
deliver a breath. There are two magnets (120) and (128) attached to
each gear to give signals to Hall Effect Sensors (114) and (123) to
detect extreme positions.
[0024] FIG. 11 shows a typical mechanical design of the ventilator.
Gas Volume Generator GVG or Bag Valve Mask BVM (4) is the main
component of this system and is universally accepted as a hand-held
manual resuscitator. Usually BVM is made with Silicone. From its
both ends, BVM is supported by two supports, back support (92) and
front support (93). At the inlet (95) of BVM, there is a built-in
one-way valve which lets air in when BVM expands. Outlet of the BVM
(96) is supported by the front support (93) and attached to a
piping circuitry (97) through which the air goes out from the
device. Outer diameter of piping circuitry is 25 mm and depends on
the inner diameter of outlet (96) of the BVM. Internal diameter of
piping circuitry is between 15 mm to 22 mm, which are medically
used diameters for breathing circuits. Piping circuitry can be made
using any medical grade material e.g. Teflon, Acrylic or PVC or can
be made using berating-circuit tubes (83) after cutting them in
small lengths. A plunger-type, 12 or 24-Volt solenoid operated
ON-OFF inhalation valve (98) with 10 mm to 15 mm orifice diameter
is used to cut-off the air flow when required volume is delivered
by the BVM. It may be used to build pressure, which is measured by
a pressure sensor attached to the port (118), at the start of
breath to achieve some of the ventilator flow and pressure
waveforms. This inhalation solenoid valve also act as a one-way
valve allowing air to go from BVM to outlet port (101) and never
let air to return to BVM. If exhaled breath reaches the BVM, it
will contaminate the BVM which either will require a new BVM or to
sterilize the old BVM to use the device again. The pressure bearing
value of solenoid valve is about 50-70 cmH2O.
At the end of internal piping circuitry (97), there is a standard
ventilator interface (101) which connects the ventilator outlet
port to the patient via breathing circuit's (83) (FIG. 8)
inhalation limb (84) (FIG. 8). The exhalation limb (85) (FIG. 8) is
connected to the inlet port (136) of the device. The Inlet port
(136) is connected to a plunger type 12/24V solenoid operated
ON-OFF valve (117). This is called exhalation valve or PEEP valve
which is used to control the Positive End-Expiratory Pressure PEEP.
PEEP is simply the pressure needs to be maintained in the lungs
after exhalation and its typical value is between 0 cmH20 to +10
cmH2O. During inhalation, inhalation solenoid valve (98) gets
opened and the exhalation solenoid valve (117) gets closed allowing
air to flow in the lungs. After completing breath, inhalation stops
and inhalation solenoid valve (98) gets closed whereas exhalation
solenoid valve (117) gets opened allowing air to go to the
atmosphere. During exhalation, exhalation solenoid valve (117) gets
closed as soon as the lung pressure being measured by the pressure
sensor at the small opening (100) (FIG. 8) becomes equal to the set
value of PEEP. Mechanism of breath delivering is achieved by
pressing the BVM via Mechanical Actuation Unit MAU, explained in
FIG. 10, whose actuating part is a DC geared motor (102) with a
gear box (103) and supported by a metallic support (104). Any
long-life DC geared motor with 20-200 kgcm torque, 5-100 RPM,
12/24-Volt input voltage with 25-60 Watt input power, small sized
and lightweight can be used.
[0025] FIG. 12 shows another view of a typical implementation of
the device. Bag Valve Mask BVM (4) is supported by two supports,
back support (92) and front support (93). Both supports are
connected to the 10 mm thick base plate (94). At the inlet of BVM,
there is a built in one-way valve (95) which lets air in when BVM
expands. Outlet of the BVM (96) is attached to a piping circuitry
(97) through which the air goes out of the device. In piping
circuitry, there is one plunger-type solenoid operated ON-OFF valve
(98) which is called inhalation valve. At the end of piping
circuitry, there is a standard medical interface (101) which is the
device inhalation port and connects the device to the patient via
breathing circuit (83). Device exhalation port (136) is connected
to breathing circuit's (83) (FIG. 8) exhalation limb (85) (FIG. 8).
Exhalation port (136) is connected to a 12/24 volt solenoid
operated ON-OFF valve (117) or PEEP valve. Mechanism of breath
delivering is achieved by pressing the BVM via Mechanical Actuation
Unit MAU, whose actuating part is a DC geared motor (102) with a
gear box (103) and supported by a metallic support (104). Motor
press the Bag Valve Mask BVM by two mechanical jaws (105) and
(106). Each spherical jaw is mounted on rods (107) and (125).
[0026] FIG. 13 represents the actual ventilator after all the
designs are implemented. Bag Valve Mask BVM or Gas Volume Generator
GVG (4), Mechanical Actuation Unit MAU (3), Motor and all other
parts are enclosed in the enclosure/body (90). Enclosure front has
user interface (1) consisting of an LCD (135) and a keypad input
(130). A touch screen with a simple knob like conventional ICU
ventilators can also be used. The enclosure (90) also has some
indictor LEDs (132) indicating Power, Main, ON and Battery. A
typical device name (e.g. The "Ambulator") is also displayed (133)
on the enclosure (90). Device inhalation port (101) is connected to
the inhalation limb (84) of standard medical breathing circuit.
Device exhalation port (136) is connected to the exhalation limb
(85) of standard medical breathing circuit. The breath from the
device reaches to the patient mouth, which is attached at the
patient outlet (86) at the end of breathing circuit via
Endotracheal Tube ETT or a mask, through device inhalation port
(101), inhalation limb (84) of breathing circuit, flowrate sensor
(99), pressure sensor (100), one or two filters (131) and L-shaped
patient outlet (86). Exhalation air passes through the pressure
sensor (100), flowrate sensor (99), exhalation limb (85) of
breathing circuit and exhalation port (136) of the device. After
entering exhalation port, air passes through the PEEP valve and
then to atmosphere. The set of wires (134) going along the
breathing circuit, is to power up flowrate (99) and pressure (100)
sensor and to take their signals to the control unit (2) present in
the device. Breathing circuit (83), filters (131), patient outlet
(86) and ETT all are available in each and every hospital. They all
are just needed to attach to the device in the same manner as to a
conventional ICU ventilator. Flowrate sensor (99) and pressure
sensor (100) are needed to attach to the breathing circuit just
like D-Lite tube used in conventional ICU ventilators to measure
flowrate, volume and pressure.
[0027] FIGS. 14A, 14B, 14C, 14D, 14E, and 14F show the results from
clinical testing of the ventilator shown. FIGS. 14A and 14B show
the improvement in control on tidal volume and flow rate,
respectively, when the automatic breathing machine is used versus
when the ambu bag is manually actuated. FIGS. 14C, 14D, 14E, and
14F represent different parameters measured during field testing.
The tidal volume and inhalation time as shown in FIG. 14C and FIG.
14D, respectively, are ventilator-controlled parameters. Peak
flowrate and peak pressure as shown in FIG. 14E and FIG. 14F,
respectively, are patient dependent and are not controlled by the
device. It shows that our ventilator can maintain the tidal volume
and inhalation time to the set numbers while the system provides
air to an actual patient.
[0028] FIG. 15A and FIG. 15B show two different views, i.e.,
isometric in FIG. 15A and front side in FIG. 15B, of another
implementation (SECOND implementation) of the Mechanical Actuation
Unit MAU (3). This implementation uses a rack-and-pinion mechanism
to press the BVM (4) where two racks (301) are moved to-and-fro by
pinion (302) in the machined-slidings (303) which act as sliding
bearings for racks. Slidings (303) are machined in a support (304)
which holds both racks as well as DC motor (not shown). Pinion is
coupled with a DC motor (not shown). The two racks (301) are
connected to two jaws (305). Theses jaws (305) then press the Bag
Valve Mask (not shown) when racks (301) are forced to move forward
by pinion (302) which is being rotating by the DC motor.
[0029] FIG. 16A and FIG. 16B show two different views, i.e., front
side in FIG. 16A and isometric in FIG. 16B, of another (THIRD)
implementation of the MAU (3). This implementation has rope-pulley
mechanism where two ropes (306) connected to two jaws (307) which
are pivoted at points (308) on a support (309) with the help of
bearings. When the pulley (310) is rotated via a DC motor (311),
which is being hold by motor support (312), ropes (306) started to
rap on the pulley (310), thus pulling the jaws (307) and
compressing the Gas Volume Generator or Bag Valve Mask BVM (4)
present between them.
[0030] FIG. 17 represents high level diagram of Power Management
Unit PMU (6) that regulates power transfer to the entire system. It
uses a rectifier (601) to convert AC mains to DC voltage that is
then used to power the system and to charge the batteries.
Batteries (603) are charged via battery charging management circuit
(602). A switching management circuitry (604) ensure uninterrupted
power by seamlessly switching between AC mains power source and the
battery power. A regulator (605) is used to stabilize the generated
DC supply before routing it to power part of a system. Different
regulators are used for different system components.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0031] The design philosophy behind the presented breathing support
device is to make a low-cost design that uses already acceptable
components which will allow for easy development and regulatory
approval. Hence, the main component of the system is the ambu bag
or bag valve mask (BVM) which is already used for mechanical
respiration. The disclosed system is designed to automate the
actuation of the BVM and to regulate its safe use through
monitoring of breathing gas flow rate and pressure. It is to be
noted that the BVM is one example of gas volume generator (GVG).
Other example could be an electrically operated pneumatic pump or a
bellow.
[0032] The system uses a combination of mechanical components (e.g.
for actuation of BVM), electrical components (e.g. for automation
for actuation), pneumatic components (e.g. to provide breathing
gas). Each part is designed to minimize cost while providing
reliability required for medical applications.
[0033] The design philosophy for the actuator part of the system is
to minimize the number of moving parts in the system and to avoid
difficult machining or assembly process. We compared different
methods of actuation including electromagnetic actuation using
electromagnets, linear actuation using linear actuators, rotary
actuation using motors, cam shafts etc. We implemented different
mechanisms for actuation and compared their advantages and
disadvantages.
[0034] The actuation mechanism replicates the manual actuation from
human hands as the BVM is designed for manual actuation. One
example of mechanical actuation is a pair of rounded metal pieces
on top and bottom side of the ambu bag to compress and release it.
An electrical motor is used for automation of the actuation
process. The mechanical assembly is coupled to the actuation
mechanism (e.g. motor) using some sort of circular-to-translinear
motion converter. An example is the use of a gear assembly
connected with rounded jaws to achieve this (FIG. 10). The motor is
also connected with an encoder to provide feedback of its position
to the system to compensate for any anomaly or error in the
actuation. Different actuation assemblies can be made and tested
using rapid prototyping techniques like milling, drilling and
CNC.
[0035] The electrical part of the system mainly consists of a
combination of printed circuit boards. One main board (like a
motherboard in a personal computer) is designed to house these
printed circuit boards in a modular format. Each board contains the
components for a certain function required for system operation.
For example, a system control unit (CU) PCB is designed to utilize
a high-performance microcontroller (e.g. Arm Cortex M0) for
controlling system operation. Another design can use a PIC18F
microcontroller along with typical electrical I/O (switches, LEDs,
relays, connectors) commonly known to a person skilled in the art
as a microcontroller for the CU.
[0036] To get desired torque to move the actuation assembly, high
current motor drivers are used in a motor driver circuit. Typical
current requirements are from 100 mA to 3 A depending upon the
motor which in turn depends upon the size of the BVM. The motor
drivers use heat sink to minimize thermal damage during use. The
motor driver is used between the CU and the motor.
[0037] The device is powered by a power management unit (PMU). The
PMU is designed like laptop computers i.e. the AC mains power (from
wall outlet) is used to power the system as well as to charge
system batteries. The backup power source in the form of one or
more batteries is useful in case of power interrupts and for
portable use as in ambulances and in remote areas with shortage of
continuous power supply. Hence, the system is designed to work with
both power sources. The system can also be charged by a small
portable generator that can run on liquid fuels or operated
manually using a rotary or foot peddle. The efficient system design
allows for hours of continuous operation with a suitable battery
[17]. Normally, two different batteries are used, one (bigger) for
the motor and other (smaller) for the rest of the system. Different
type of batteries can be used in the system e.g. lead-acid
batteries, dry cell batteries. or Lithium polymer (LiPo) batteries.
Lead-acid batteries are normally cheaper but heavier and require
some maintenance. Dry cell and LiPo batteries are expensive but are
lighter and require less maintenance. The unit contains portable
batteries with recharging circuitry (e.g.KR-7000F from Panasonic),
voltage measurement circuit to determine the requirement of
recharging (e.g. STM6904 from ST Microelectronics), and voltage
regulators (e.g. ADP150 from Analog Devices) to provide stable
voltage to allow for a smooth operation of the entire system. The
system uses LEDs and alarms to indicate battery status (e.g.
charging level).
[0038] The PMU can use both AC mains and internal battery as power
source. It uses a rectifier to convert AC mains into DC voltage.
This rectified DC voltage is then fed to battery charging
management and switching circuitry. If AC mains is available,
batteries will be charged by the charging management circuitry.
Also, if AC mains is available, switching circuitry will use that
to power the system. If AC mains is not available, switching
circuitry will switch to using batteries without any interruption.
Also, if system is operating on batteries and AC mains becomes
available, switching circuitry will switch the system back to AC
mains without any interruption and batteries will start to charge.
After switching management, DC voltage is stepped-down via voltage
regulators and distributed to each module according to its
requirements.
[0039] For the sensing unit (SU), temperature, pressure, humidity
and oxygen sensors are used to ensure safe and accurate operation
of the system. A spirometer/flow-rate sensor is used to measure the
flow of air provided to the patient. Similarly, a pressure sensor
is used to measure the pressure of the air flow to the patient. The
pressure depends upon the condition of the patient and the
percentage of natural respiration process that may be present.
Also, during the course of actual use, patient's self-respiration
can change, and sensor feedback is essential to adjust the system
accordingly [14]. The design incorporates optional valves to adjust
air/oxygen ratio as required in some applications [16]. In some
cases, the ratio is automatically selected based upon the house
supply and hence is directly used. Humidity is also controlled
automatically by passing the air intake through a water/steam
chamber. Example of sensors include flow sensors (e.g.
HAFUHH0050L4AXT Analog Airflow sensor from Honeywell), Pressure
Sensors (SSCSANN001PGAA5 Analog Pressure Sensor from Honeywell) and
composition sensors (e.g. Oxygen sensor such as KGZ-10 Series from
Honeywell).
[0040] The system can also include a wireless interface providing
status information to a smart-phone or a similar system. Different
algorithms and alarms can be used to process this data allowing
direct feedback to the medical practitioner/caregiver. This allows
for scaling up this solution for many patients observed by a single
medical practitioner (e.g. a Nurse). The data from the ventilators
can be processed at individual level to predict patient health
patterns and suggest treatment pathways. The data from a larger
number of such devices can help in determining trends at population
levels and outbreak of epidemics as well as in registering the
correct use of such devices and their actual deficiency. It also
helps to design a resource management system whereby patients can
be directed towards the closest facility with available ventilators
so that they don't lose time during travel and figuring out their
next possible destination if the patient is in critical need of a
ventilator.
[0041] The device can use Bluetooth Low energy and Wireless LAN for
wireless link with a smart hub within a hospital ward. The central
hub can communicate with a smart phone or tablet using WiFi. It can
also be used to communicate data to a central service providing
availability and usage statistics. The wireless communication
scheme uses encryption based upon international standards. User
interface design ensures that medical practitioners are able to
work with it and are comfortable with it. The unit is implemented
by including a wireless connectivity module/chipset in the system.
An example is the BLE chipset from microchip (RN4020). The
functionality is provided in the form of a wireless connectivity
kit that can be connected to a standard port (e.g. serial, usb)
available on the electrical circuit board for such
functionality.
[0042] The presented breathing support device is designed to have a
decision-flow architecture (also termed as the software
architecture) to run it in different modes. As an example, a
typical implementation will have a simple, normal and a smart mode.
The simple mode simply automates ambu bag actuation without using
any feedback control i.e. it operates in open-loop. It can be used
on patients with no effort of their own and provides `ambu bag
like` operation but without the need for a human operator. The
normal mode uses the data from different sensors to achieve the
desired volume, pressure etc. by considering patient efforts as
well. This mode is safer than commonly used ambu bag since it
synchronizes the actuation of the ambu bag with patient's breathing
pattern to minimize the possibility of pressure build-up that can
cause ventilator induced lung injury. In the smart mode, the
ventilator uses adaptive learning to adjust its operation based
upon a training algorithm that is used to optimize its operation
for each patient. The smart mode uses data from all the different
sensors used in the ventilator and at exhale and inhale port near
the patient. It allows system to converge to optimal flow, pressure
and humidity ranges compared to the normal mode. For patients with
varying breathing effort, the smart mode is most optimal.
[0043] The system uses sensor's feedback and user settings to use
one of several different modes. For example, it can use
volume-controlled modes mode by integrating the flow rate sensor's
data to determine the volume (tidal volume) delivered to the
patient. The examples of modes that can be implemented using this
technique include continuous mandatory ventilation (CMV),
assist-control ventilation (ACV), or synchronous intermittent
mandatory ventilation (SIMV). The system uses pressure sensor
measurements in this mode to ensure that the system operate within
the safety limits. The system can use a
Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controllers to implement all
these modes as well as pressure-controlled modes as it provides
more control. In advanced implementations, the system can use a
machine-learning based approach to adjust its operation to the
patient's conditions based upon results gather from large pool pd
earlier patient data. This can enable an intelligent use of system
that will enable performance levels not obtained from traditional
ventilators or ambu bag.
[0044] The system can use a humidity and temperature control unit
between the system output and the patient, if longer term
ventilation is desired. This component essentially uses water to
create moisture through which the breathing gas passes. A humidity
sensor is used to control the amount of moisture (via heat) and
hence the level of humidity in the passing air. Similar mechanism
can also be used to adjust the temperature of the breathing gas to
be close to body temperature.
[0045] We have built our ventilator and have tested it in the field
with very good results. Although other portable ventilator designs
have been presented before [11], our design utilize unique features
consisting of (i) design of mechanical actuation based upon pulley
or gear system, (ii) sensing based feedback for an ambu bag based
system to enable safe and effective use in different modes, (iii)
use of dual power mode to allow the system to run on both AC mains
and battery, (iv) use of humidity and temperature control to allow
long term use from the otherwise restricted ambu bag based
resuscitator, (v) the use of smart algorithms to adjust the
operation in run-time, (vi) use of data collection via wireless
link to enable remote monitoring enabling smart decision making by
medical staff. A comparison of one implementation of the presented
device with a commercial system in table I shows the range of
different parameters for both. It shows the suitability of the
presented system for many cases.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE I Comparison between the Ambulator and a
conventional ICU Ventilator Ambulator Typical SERVO-i Parameter
Name Capacity Value Capacity Unit Tidal Volume 100 to 800 400 100
to Millileters (mL) (Vt) 4000 Inhalation-Time 1:1 to 1:4 1:2 1:1 to
Seconds:Seconds to Exhalation- 1:4 Time Ratio (I:E) Pressure
Support 0 to 50 15 0 to 120 Centimeters of Water (cmH2O)
Respiratory Rate 1 to 25 12 4 to 150 Breaths per Minute (RR) (BPM)
Pressure -20 to 0 -2 -20 to 0 Centimeters of Water Triggering
(cmH2O) Flow Triggering 0 to 20 5 0 to 20 Liters per Minute (LPM)
Positive End- 0 to 50 5 0 to 50 Centimeters of Water Expiratory
(cmH2O) Pressure (PEEP)
[0046] In summary, we present a unique and innovative design of a
low-cost ventilator that is based upon automation of the already
accepted manual resuscitator i.e. the ambu bag by using electrical
motors and sensors-based feedback control system to provide safe
and regulated operation when expensive ventilators aren't
available. The system doesn't provide the advanced functions of big
ICU ventilators but can provide lifesaving support for majority of
cases till the patient recovers or a better alternative becomes
available. Hence, it can save thousands of lives each year if used
at large scale.
[0047] Each of the following References is hereby incorporated by
reference herein, in its entirety: [0048] 1.
http.//www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/countries/pakistan/pdf/pakistan_factsheet-
.pdf [0049] 2.
http.//www.chiesipakistan.com/index.php?page=Respiratory+Diseases
[0050] 3.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/1050073/short-of-facilities-petition-filed-
-against-pims-over-lack-of-ventilators/ [0051] 4. `The epidemiology
of mechanical ventilation use in the United States`, Wunsch H,
Linde-Zwirble W T, Angus D C, Hartman M E, Milbrandt E B, Kahn J
M., Crit Care Med. 2010 October; 38(10):194753. [0052] 5. `ICU
occupancy and mechanical ventilator use in the United States`,
Wunsch H, Wagner J, Herlim M, Chong D H, Kramer A A, Halpern S D,
Critical Care Med. 2013 December; 41(12):27129 [0053] 6. `Systems
for the management of respiratory disease in primary care--an
international series: Pakistan`, Yusuf M O, Prim Care Respir J.
2009 March; 18(1):3-9 [0054] 7. `Local Production and Technology
Transfer to Increase Access to Medical Devices. Addressing the
barriers and challenges in low- and middle-income countries`, World
Health Organization, 2015 [0055] 8. `Building a Reliable Wireless
Medical Device Network`, David Hoglund and Vince Varga, BEST
PRACTICES [0056] 9. `Medical Devices Making in India--A Leap for
Indian Healthcare`, Deloitte Research report [0057] 10.
`Development of Field Portable Ventilator Systems for Domestic and
Military Emergency Medical Response`, Charles W. Kerechanin II,
Protagoras N. Cutchis, Jennifer A. Vincent, Dexter G. Smith, and
Douglas S. Wenstrand, JOHNS HOPKINS APL TECHNICAL DIGEST, VOLUME
25, NUMBER 3 (2004) [0058] 11. `Design and Prototyping of a
Low-cost Portable Mechanical Ventilator`, Abdul Mohsen Al Husseini
et al., Proceedings of the 2010 Design of Medical Devices
Conference, Apr. 13-15, 2010, Minneapolis, Minn., USA [0059] 12.
`Sensors and Flexible Heaters in Ventilator Applications`,
Honeywell Application Note [0060] 13. `Ventilator/Respirator
Hardware and Software Design Specification`, Freescale Technical
Document
[0061] Other embodiments are within the scope and spirit of the
invention. For example, due to the nature of software, functions
described above can be implemented using software, hardware,
firmware, hardwiring, or combinations of any of these. Features
implementing functions may also be physically located at various
positions, including being distributed such that portions of
functions are implemented at different physical locations.
[0062] Further, while the description above refers to the
invention, the description may include more than one invention.
* * * * *
References