WO1997001366A1

WO1997001366A1 - Respiratory aid appliance

Info

Publication number: WO1997001366A1
Application number: PCT/SE1996/000763
Authority: WO
Inventors: Gillis Andersson; Roland Friberg
Original assignee: Respaid Ab
Priority date: 1995-06-28
Filing date: 1996-06-12
Publication date: 1997-01-16
Also published as: SE9502354L; SE9502354D0

Abstract

The present invention relates to a respiratory aid appliance for tracheostomised and coniostomised patients, which aid appliance consists of a cylinder shaped valve housing (1) and to its mid part connected nipple (2) whose center line (3) forms a right angle to the center line (4) of the valve housing and which is devised to be mounted on and in the patients trachea inserted cannula. Valve housing and cannula are connected to each other in such a way that a plane through the center line (4) of the valve housing and a thereto parallel plane through the connecting nipple's (2) cnter line (3) reside in separate planes. To enable the patient using his organs of speech, the respiratory aid appliance can according to the invention be equipped with an, onto each valve housing aperture (5 and 6 respectively), attachable clack valve device. The clack valve device is shaped like a bowl formed casing (9, 10) and the clack valve consists of an elastic prestressed plate (11, 12) which at one of its edges (25) is chucked at the bottom of the casing and extends onto a respiratory aperture (18 and 19 respectively) in the bottom of the casing.

Description

RESPIRATORY AID APPLIANCE

The present invention relates to a respiratory aid appliance for tracheostomised and coniosto ised patients, which appliance consists of a cylinder shaped and at both ends open valve housing and a lengthwise cone shaped nipple, which is connected to the valve housing perpendicularly to it's center line whereupon the nipple is destined to be mounted in a into a patients trachea introduced tracheotomy cannula

Respiratory aid appliances for tracheostomised patients are known previously and are used by people who through injury disease or in other ways have difficulties to breathe through the natural respiratory tract. Respiratory aid appliances according to for example the Swedish patent No. 462 367 consists of a valve housing and a to it connected coaxially oriented nipple intended to be fixed onto a tracheotomy cannula. In the valve housing is positioned a filter and a back flow valve with the task of hindering the exhaled air from passing through the valve so that the air instead can be led through the natural respiratory tract and the patient is thereby given the possibility to talk.

One of the disadvantages of this type of respiratory aid appliance and as well of the European patent No. 0431 108 is that the valve housing on both types extends uncomfortably far out from the neck of the patient. The valve housing becomes difficult to hide below for instance a collar or a scarf and thereby attracts embarrassing attention. For instance children who have considerably shorter necks than adults and also for coniostomised patients the use of these respiratory aid appliances is especially inconvenient through the valve housing protruding under the chin when the patient leans forwards with the head.

The object of the present invention is to eliminate these disadvantages through shaping the respiratory aid appliance so that the greater part of it's valve housing comes to be located below the connecting nipple's central line when the latter is fixed onto the cannula located in the patients trachea, whereby the respiratory aid appliances degree of protrusion from the patients neck is brought down to a minimum. The respiratory aid appliance fashioned in this form has shown itself as particularly advantageous for use by besides tracheostomised patients also by coniostomised patients. Furthermore even by children who as a rule have considerably shorter necks than adults. A further object of the invention is to secure the function of the vocal cords, by means of separate clack valve attachments intended to be connected to the rear end openings of the valve housing, so that the patient may retain the capacity of speech.

A still further object of the invention is to fashion the valve shape inside the attachment so that it effectively blocks the outflow of exhaled air through the valve attachment, during the exhalation phase when the patient speaks.

The invention will in the following be described more in detail in connection with the enclosed drawing where Fig 1 shows a longitudinal section through an embodiment of the respiratory aid appliance's valve housing with a clack vale attachment fastened onto the valve housing's both ends, Fig 2 a cross section along the line A-A in Fig 1 , Fig 3 a further embodiment of respiratory aid appliance's valve housing and Fig 4 finally shows an embodiment of a clack valve attachment section in a plane parallel with the direction of flow of air breathed.

The embodiment of the invention shown in Fig 1 consists of a cylinder shaped valve housing open at both ends 1. To it is connected a nipple 2 who's center line 3 forms a right angle with the valve housing's center line 4. In order to adjust the tracheotomy cannula to a standard design the nipple 2 has a conical cut lengthwise with ISO-standard. The nipple is so oriented in relation to the above housing that a plane through the center line 4 of the above housing and a plane parallel there_to through the connecting nipple's 2 center line 3 is lying in separate planes. With this design the valve housing comes to reside further down on and closer to the patients neck, when it is fastened onto the tracheotomy cannula in the patients neck. This is advantageous not only for tracheostomised patients but maybe above all for coniostomised patients and for children. The valve housing will be concealable underneath a blouse or a shirt collar without risk for the respiratory tracts thereby being obstructed and further more there will be no need for a heat shield.

Upon use of the respiratory aid appliance the patient inhales air through the valve housing's 1 both rear openings 5 and 6. To prevent dust and similar air pollutions from coming into the lungs a filter 7 respectively 8 is placed inside the valve housing 1 , one in each of the valve housing's apertures 5 and 6 receptively. It is of the utmost importance that the inhaled air flux coming through the respiratory aid appliance is as well filtered as humidified in a similar way as is taking place when the inhaled air passes through the natural respiratory tracts The exhaled air ts extensively humidified and upon passage out through the filters these are humidified and can in this manner give off humidity to the air inhaled The respiratory aid appliance thereby functions as an air heat exchanger

To enable the patient to use the vocal cords, the exhalation through the respiratory aid appliance must be blocked so that the air can be led via the vocal cords and out through the natural respiratory tracts. According to the invention this can take place by means of two separate valve attachments each consisting of an open bowl shaped casing 9 and 10 in which a valve in the form of a thin plate 1 1 respectively 12 of elastic mateπal is chucked at the bottom of the casing An embodiment of such a valve attachment is shown in Fig 4. The plate is chucked along one of it's edges 25 as is evident from the embodiment according to Fig 4 and is intended to cover a respiratory opening 18 respectively 19, at the bottom of the casing The plate is pre stressed so that it rests in a neutral position onto a sealing πdge 26 formed around the respiration opening

The pre stress tension pressure is thereat chosen so that the plate upon inhalation relinquishes it's sealing position onto the πdge 26 without by the pre stress tension pressure caused flow resistance constituting any inconvenience for the patient during the inhalation phase. The plate automatically reassumes it's sealing position onto the πdge 26 of the breathing aperture as soon as the inhalation phase is completed. It is especially important that the piate efficiently blocks the breathing aperture during the exhalation phase to avoid leaking of air for instance by the plate starting to vibrate with a wheezing sound as the patient starts to speak This is often the case with non pre stressed membranes that are used with respiratory aid appliance of the kinds in question

At the embodiment shown in Fig 4 the ridge of the casing is formed with an inwardly turned ridge 27 The corresponding grooves or ridges 13 and 14 are shaped on the valve housing so that the casings easily can be snapped in place onto the rear parts of the valve housing The casings can also be designed with a thread on the inside thereof with a high gradient and the rear parts of the valve housing with corresponding thread. The requirement on the design of the fastening devices must be such that the casings easily can be removed and fastened by the patient autonomously without there arising any leakage of air between casing and valve housing when the casing is fastened. The ciack valve is disposed in such a manner that it lets through the inhaled air, that then streams into the patients lungs via the filters and the tracheotomy cannula. The exhalation air however is prevented from passing through the clack valve and is instead led through the natural respiratory tracts and secures the patients ability to speak. A portion of the humidified exhalation air circulates through the filters 7 and 8 which are thereby humidified and can give off humidity to the through the inhalation phase incoming air flow. The respiratory aid appliance thus functions as an air heat exchanger even with the clack valve attachments fixed on.

The filters 7 and 8 are placed in the respective valve housing openings when the clack valve attachments are removed, the change of filter takes place under the same conditions. The filters are hindered from being sucked down into the lungs by ring shaped collars 15 and 16 respectively. To the valve housing 1 is connected a oxygen gas nipple 17 which if neededcan be connected to an oxygen source. The nipple is connected to the valve housing and exits in the space between the filters 7 and 8. It is advantageous if this space is so large that the mixing of oxygen and air becomes as effective as optimally possible.

During the inhalation phase, air streams in through the openings 18 and 19 in the respective casings 9 and 10, through the filters 7 and 8 as well as via the nipple 2 and the tracheotomy cannula down into the lungs. During the exhalation phase the openings 18 and 1 9 are blocked through the elastic plates 1 1 and 12 that come to fit up onto the respective rebate seats 20 and 21 , whereby the exhalation air is instead led via the cannula out through the natural respiratory tracts and the patient can speak. At the design of the casing according to Fig 4 the plates 1 1 and 12 respectively come to fit up onto the ridge 26 whereby a more effective blocking of the respiratory apertures 18 and 19 is obtained.

In Fig 3 there is shown an embodiment of the valve housing 1 that results in that it gets even further down and closer to the neck. The waist 22 does actually entail that the space between the filters becomes reduced but the advantage of the valve housing getting closer to the neck can sometimes prevail. In the embodiment according to Fig 3 the casings 9 and 10 are fastened on and above the valve housing apertures by means of bayonet sockets 23 and 24 respectively.

Claims

C l a i m s

1 A respiratory aid appliance for tracheostomised and coniostomised patients, which aid appliance consists of a cylinder shaped, at both ends open valve housing and a pipe shaped nipple connected to the valve housing and intended to be mounted on a tracheotomy cannula fitted in the patients neck, whereat the nipple is oriented in such a way relatively to the valve housing that the nipple's center line forms a right angle to the center line of the valve housing, CHARACTERIZED IN, - that a plane through the valve housing's (1 ) center line (4) and a plane parallel thereto through the connecting nipple's (2) center line (3) is lying in separate planes.

2. Respiratory aid appliance according to claim 1 , CHARACTERIZED IN,

- that a filter (7, 8) is fitted in each valve housing aperture (5 and 6 respectively),

- that the connecting nipple (2) is connected to the valve housing (1 ) between the filters (7 and 8) and - that an oxygen nipple (17) is connected to the same part of the valve housing.

3 Respiratory aid appliance according to claim 2,

CHARACTERIZED IN,

- two separate clack valve attachments each in the shape of a casing (9 and 10) intended to be fastened on and above the valve housing apertures (5 and 6 respectively) and

- a clack valve in the shape of an elastic plate (1 1 and 12 respectively), which is fastened by one of it's edges (25) at the bottom of each of the casing (9 and 10), which plate is pre stressed and has the purpose to during the exhalation phase automatically block a respiratory aperture (1 8 and 1 9 respectively) in the bottom of the casing's (9 and 10 respectively) 4. Respiratory aid appliance according to claim 3 CHARACTERIZED IN ,

- that each clack valve attachment consists of an open bowl shaped casing (9, 10), - that the edge of the casing is shaped with an inwardly bent ridge (27), by means of which the casing can easily be snapped in place fixed onto and above each of the valve housing's (1 ) open rear parts

- that the elastic plate (1 1 ,12) is at one of it's edges (25) fastened to the bottom of the casing and extends onto the breathing aperture (18 and 19 respectively) in the bottom and

- that the breathing aperture at the bottom of the casing is around it's periphery shaped with a ridge (26) onto which the pre stressed plate (1 1 , 12) through it's elasticity automatically comes to be applied during the exhalation phase.