System and method for controlling and monitoring flow in an endotracheal tube

Inventors

Deutsch, Israel • Efrati, Shai • Venkert, Yoav • Azizi, Moshe • Vakrat, Yizhaq • Gelberg, Vitali

Assignees

Hospitech Respiration Ltd

Abstract

A system for controlling and monitoring flow in a cuffed endotracheal tube device is disclosed. The system comprises: a connector panel having at least three connectors adapted for establishing fluid communication with proximal ends of at least a first fluid line, a second fluid line and a cuff inflation line of the endotracheal tube device. The system can further comprise a processing unit and a control unit, wherein the processing unit is configured to instruct the control unit to execute various operations, including at least a rinsing procedure, a suctioning procedure, a cuff inflation procedure, a leak detection procedure and a venting procedure, and to select any of the first and the second fluid lines for any of the rinsing, suctioning, leak detection and venting procedures. In some embodiments, the system exploits the cuff as sensor to sense pulmonary data.

Core Innovation

A system for controlling and monitoring flow in a cuffed endotracheal tube device includes a connector panel having at least three connectors adapted for establishing fluid communication with a first fluid line, a second fluid line, and a cuff inflation line. A processing unit instructs a control unit to execute operations including a rinsing procedure, a suctioning procedure, a cuff inflation procedure, a leak detection procedure, and a venting procedure.

The control unit comprises a cuff inflation and deflation module that measures a cuff pressure within the cuff inflation line to identify cuff pressure variations. The control unit controls the pressure responsively to the identified variations in closed loop control, and when an amplitude of the variation is above a predetermined pressure threshold for a time period above a predetermined time threshold, the control unit instructs the cuff inflation and deflation module to reduce the cuff pressure.

The control unit is configured to temporarily cease the closed loop control when the cuff pressure variations are above a predetermined threshold. In addition, the system maintains a generally constant cuff pressure when variations are below a predetermined value, and ceases that maintenance for a predetermined time-interval during which the processing unit analyzes variations in cuff pressure within the cuff inflation line to identify occlusion, puncture, rupture, or patient coughing, or to calculate tracheal pressure, breathing frequency, blood pulse wave frequency, obstruction level of a main lumen of the endotracheal tube device, and resistance of the main lumen to flow.

Claims Coverage

The independent claim set includes three independent claims: clm-00001, clm-00019, and clm-00020. Across the claims, there are three main inventive features centered on coordinated fluid-line operations, closed-loop cuff pressure variation control with threshold-based reduction and temporary cessation, and analysis during a predetermined time-interval to identify events or calculate quantities.

The claims integrate a connector panel for fluid communication, a processing unit that instructs rinsing, suctioning, cuff inflation, leak detection, and venting procedures, and a control unit that performs closed-loop cuff pressure control by measuring cuff pressure variations, reducing pressure when variation amplitude persists above predetermined thresholds, and temporarily ceasing closed-loop control when variations exceed a predetermined threshold. Additional claim features specify maintaining generally constant cuff pressure and then ceasing that maintenance for a predetermined time-interval, during which cuff pressure variations are analyzed to identify events or calculate selected quantities.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications

No documented applications found