Aerosol Nebulizers

Abstract

This invention relates to nebulizers designed to introduce aerosols into the respiratory systems of persons suffering from respiratory ailments.

Description

Such a nebulizer includes a container for holding a liquid medicant and a tubular body member connected to the container. The body member has a venturi tube at one end thereof and has a plurality of vents adjacent to the venturi tube. Oxygen is passed through the venturi tube, which creates a partial vacuum and causes air to be drawn into the injector through the vents and mixed with the oxygen. Oxygen is also supplied to the medicant-holding container and passes through a restrictive orifice and around a baffle member whereby some of the medicant is nebulized and enters the body member. Thus, a mixture of air, oxygen and a medicant is created in the body member. A mouthpiece affixed to the exit end of the body member may be used to convey the mixture of air, oxygen and medicant from the nebulizer into the patient's mouth and lungs. If desired, the mouthpiece may be replaced by a mask which is affixed to a patient's face so that the air-oxygen-medicant mixture can be inhaled by the patient.

In the drawings, FIG. 1 is a vertical, axial section of a nebulizer embodying the invention, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary view showing a nebulizing tube and a bridge member which assist in nebulizing a medicant.

The nebulizer shown in the drawing comprises a tubular member 10, the outer (left-hand) end of which is designed to be connected to a mouthpiece or a mask (not shown) of known design. A mouthpiece or a mask permits a patient to inhale a nebulized medicant flowing from the tubular member 10.

The inner (right-hand) end of the tubular member 10 is inserted into the left-hand end of a tubular portion of a body member 12. A venturi tube 14 is secured in the right-hand end of the body member 12, and an annular member 15 having a projecting boss 17 on the outer side thereof abuts the venturi tube 14. The boss 17 has a plurality of vents 19-19 therethrough to permit air to be drawn into the venturi tube 14.

A T-shaped coupling 21 engages the boss 17 and has a central bore 22 through most of the horizontal leg 23 thereof. The left-hand end of the bore 22 connects with a smaller concentric bore 24 which leads to and is concentric with an orifice 25 in the venturi tube 14. Because of its restricted size, the bore 24 acts as an injector and causes a gas to enter the venturi tube 14.

Another central bore 26 is provided in a vertical leg 27 of the coupling 21. A hose 28 is connected to the outer end of the horizontal leg 23 of the coupling 21 and another hose 30 is connected to the lower end of the vertical leg 27. Oxygen flows through the hose 28 and some of the oxygen passes through the horizontal bores 22 and 24 into the venturi tube 14. The rest of the oxygen flows through the tube 30 and into the bottom of a container 31 which holds a medicant that can be nebulized.

The container 31 comprises a body member 32 having a circular flange 33 at the bottom thereof. The flange 33 is threaded and is screwed into a threaded coupling 34 having a nipple 36 which projects downwardly therefrom and is engaged by the hose 30. Preferably the container 31 is made of a transparent material, such as glass or a clear plastic, so that the medicant in the container may be seen.

A tube 38 is secured vertically within the nipple 36 and projects upwardly so that oxygen from the hose 30 can flow therethrough and into the container 31. A bridge 42 is provided at the upper end of the tube 38. The bore of the tube 38 is restricted at its upper end so as to form a restricted orifice 41 which causes an injection action to occur at the upper end of the tube 38. The bridge 42 (FIG. 2) positioned above the open end of the tube 38 acts as a baffle to break up the stream of oxygen emerging from the tube 38 into a plurality of small streams. Due to the injection effect created by the restricted orifice at the end of the tube 38, the oxygen strikes the bridge 42 at a high velocity and the oxygen is dispersed around the bridge 42 in a plurality of streams having whirling patterns. This action causes rapid nebulization of the liquid medicant in the container 31.

A tubular cap 50 having an external depending rim 51 fits snugly over the top of the container 31. The cap 50 has a central tubular member 52 thereon, which projects downwardly into the container 31. It is important that the coupling 34, the bore at the upper end of the tube 38, the tubular member 52 and the hole 47 at the top of the nebulizer all have the same centerline. This construction permits the nebulized medicant to flow upwardly without impediment and with little deviation from its intended path toward the tubular member 10.

The mixture of oxygen and air emerging from the venturi tube 14 also enters the body member 12 and flows into the connector 10 under pressure. Thus, when the mixture of nebulized medicant and oxygen emerging from the container 31 reaches the connector 10, it is joined by the stream of oxygen and air entering the connector 10 through the venturi tube 14. The nebulized medicant mixed with oxygen passes upwardly under pressure from the container 31 through a coupling member 45 into the body member 12 and then enters the connector 10. The resulting mixture of nebulized medicant, oxygen and air enters the connector 10 under positive pressure and passes under pressure into either a mouthpiece or a mask which a patient uses to inhale the mixture.

An opening 47 is formed in the top of the body member 12 to control the flow of the mixture of medicant, oxygen and air into the mouthpiece, or mask, used to convey the mixture into the patient's respiratory system. When the maximum flow of these gases is desired, the patient closes off the opening 47 entirely by placing a finger over the opening. The patient may vary the amount of gaseous material he inhales by removing his finger only partially from the opening 47, or by removing his finger totally therefrom.

Claims

I claim:

1. An aerosol nebulizer comprising a tubular body member having one end open, a venturi tube positioned at the opposite end of the tubular member, a closure member having a plurality of openings therein positioned at the outer end of the venturi tube for the aspiration of air, a T-shaped oxygen inlet member mounted adjacent to the outer end of the venturi tube and having intersecting central bores therein forming a T-shaped passage, a tube connected to the end of an arm of a T-shaped member for supplying oxygen thereto, a container depending from the body member for holding a medicant, a tube at the bottom of the container, a second hose connected to the end of the transverse arm of the T-shaped member and to the tube at the bottom of the container for supplying oxygen to the container, a tubular connector joining the container with the body member, a nebulizer tube at the bottom of and extending into the container and having a restricted orifice at its upper end, and a baffle positioned at the upper end of the nebulizing tube for intercepting and breaking up the stream of oxygen emerging from the nebulizing tube.