Systems and methods for ambulatory generation of nitric oxide

Inventors

HALL, Gregory W. • Cedrone, Kevin • Silkoff, Philip E. • Scholz, Wolfgang

Assignees

Third Pole Inc

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for portable and compact nitric oxide (NO) generation that can be embedded into other therapeutic devices or used alone. In some embodiments, an ambulatory NO generation system can be comprised of a controller and disposable cartridge. The cartridge can contain filters and scavengers for preparing the gas used for NO generation and for scrubbing output gases prior to patient inhalation. The system can utilize an oxygen concentrator to increase nitric oxide production and compliment oxygen generator activity as an independent device. The system can also include a high voltage electrode assembly that is easily assembled and installed. Various nitric oxide delivery methods are provided, including the use of a nasal cannula.

Core Innovation

The invention relates to monitoring patient respiration and controlling gas delivery using respiration sensors of a gas delivery system. The method receives at least one respiratory measurement value measured by at least one respiration sensor, determines a respiratory event requiring gas delivery based at least in part on the at least one respiratory measurement value, and determines a delivery duration for a delivery of a gas to the patient. The method instructs the gas delivery system to perform the delivery via a delivery device during the delivery duration.

A key aspect is that the method suspends and then resumes respiratory-event determination to coordinate with the delivery timing. The method suspends the determination of respiratory events requiring gas delivery for a detection suspension period based on the delivery duration and a variable delivery delay, and resumes the determination upon completion of the detection suspension period. The detection suspension period is variable, and the variable delivery delay is determined based at least in part on a respiratory rate or on prior inspiration duration of one or more prior inspirations.

In additional embodiments, the variable delivery delay is determined using timing derived from prior respiratory events. The method determines the variable delivery delay based at least in part on a prior inspiration duration of each prior inspiration defined by a time between onset of inspiration and end of inspiration of one or more prior inspirations, and defines the detection suspension period based at least in part on the delivery duration and the variable delivery delay. Another embodiment receives an inspiration indicator indicating a respiratory event from at least one external device and instructs a nitric oxide (NO) delivery system to deliver at least one of NO gas or a purge gas with a delivery duration.

Claims Coverage

The document contains five independent method claims. The main inventive features are respiratory-event monitoring, delivery timing using delivery duration and a variable delivery delay, and a variable respiration detection suspension period that suspends and later resumes determination of respiratory events requiring gas delivery.

Overall, the claims cover methods that monitor respiration, determine respiratory events requiring gas delivery, compute delivery duration and a variable delivery delay using respiratory rate or prior inspiration/breath-period timing, and suspend and then resume respiratory-event determination using a variable respiration detection suspension period coordinated with the delivery timing. An external-device embodiment further instructs a nitric oxide (NO) delivery system to deliver NO gas and/or purge gas based on an inspiration indicator.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications

No documented applications found