TODAY’S PATENT – MECHANICAL BREATHING AID WITH ADAPTIVE EXPIRATION CONTROL

The Mechanical breathing aid with adaptive expiration control was invented by Joachim Sallvin. which the patent was granted by USPTO on 8^th August 2006 bearing patent no. US7086098B2. This patent has been assigned to Maquet Critical Care AB.

This invention provides an arrangement for adaptive expiration control in a mechanical breathing aid, which is achieved by having an inspiratory sensor measure the tidal volume and pressure of the breathing gas during an inspiration phase, an expiratory pressure regulator regulates gas pressure within an expiration flow path, an expiratory pressure sensor sense an actual gas pressure within the expiration flow path, and a control unit connected to the expiratory pressure regulator and to the expiratory pressure sensor for calculating a target pressure and generating a regulatory signal dependent on a magnitude of the difference between the target pressure and the actual pressure.

The control of the expiration phase is modified by the condition of the patient’s respiratory system, which can be done on a breath-by-breath basis. The controller can regulate the pressure within the expiratory line to allow it to fall below Positive End Expiratory Pressure (PEEP), reducing breathing effort and promoting greater breathing comfort.