EP2374509A1 - Respiratory cycle device - Google Patents

Abstract

The breathing cycle device (1) has a breathing gas line (2) to form a breathing cycle system (5). A cooling device (7) is equipped with a cooling element (8) for cooling a respiratory gas guided through the breathing gas line. The cooling element is separated from the breathing gas by a wall (12). The wall is designed as a deformable wall to create a direct contact between the cooling element and the wall. A carbon dioxide absorber (6) is equipped for withdrawal of carbon dioxide from the breathing cycle system, where an oxygen tank (9) is provided for storage of oxygen.

Description

The present invention relates to a breathing circuit device according to the preamble of claim 1.

Breathing circuit devices can provide respiratory air or breathing gas to a respirator of the breathing circuit device over a longer period of time. In this case, in the breathing circuit device exhaled by the respiratory expiratory gas by means of a carbon dioxide absorber, the carbon dioxide withdrawn and fed oxygen from an oxygen tank. This can of the small in construction and compact breathing circuit device with a small volume of pure oxygen in the oxygen tank over a longer period, eg. B. 4 hours, provided for the respirator breathing gas.

The carbon dioxide absorber generally contains soda lime or alkali that absorbs the carbon dioxide in the exhaled expiratory gas exhaled by the respirator. In this chemical reaction moisture and heat is released, which leads to a corresponding warming and humidification of the inspiratory gas, because the exhaled by the respiratory expiratory gas is provided in a breathing circuit back to the respiratory carrier as inspiration gas available. This is contrary to a physiologically acceptable respiratory climate, so that cooling and dehumidification of the expiratory gas after passing through the carbon dioxide absorber is required. For this purpose, the breathing circuit device is provided with a cooling element for cooling and thus also for draining the respiratory gas. By means of the cooling element, the expiratory gas is cooled and thereby cooled below the dew point, so that the moisture contained in the respiratory gas condenses. As cooling elements, various facilities are used, such as water ice, a latent heat storage or a zeolite cooler.

From the DE 40 29 084 A1 is a cooling device for breathing gas cooling in a respirator with a respiratory gas flow exposed heat collector known. The heat collector is formed as a reservoir for an evaporable liquid and connectable to an evacuated adsorbent container so that the liquid is vaporized by absorbing heat of vaporization and its vapor is adsorbed to an adsorbent in the adsorbent container adsorbing heat and heat of condensation, the adsorbent as an outside of the breathing gas flow is arranged, designed to deliver the heat to the environment provided heat sink.

In the breathing circuit apparatuses known from the prior art, it is not possible to arrange different cooling elements on the respiratory circuit device with a good heat conduction from the respiratory gas to the cooling element at the same time. Different cooling elements have different surfaces, so that an adaptation to these different surfaces is required for a good heat conduction from the breathing gas to the cooling element.

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a breathing circuit device in which different cooling elements can be used easily and reliably with good heat conduction from the breathing gas to the cooling element.

This object is achieved with a breathing circuit device comprising at least one breathing gas line for forming a breathing circuit, a carbon dioxide absorber for removing carbon dioxide from the breathing gas passed through the breathing circuit, preferably a cooling device with a cooling element for cooling the breathing gas passed through the breathing circuit, wherein the Cooling element is separated with a wall from the breathing gas in the at least one breathing gas line, an oxygen tank for storing oxygen, an oxygen addition unit for introducing oxygen from the oxygen tank into the breathing gas, wherein the wall deformable wall is, so that by means of a deformation of the deformable wall, a direct contact between the cooling element and the deformable wall can be produced for adaptation to different cooling elements. The deformable wall can adapt to the different surface structure of the cooling element, so that even with a use of different cooling elements in the breathing circuit device, a large-area direct contact between the deformable wall and the cooling element and thus good heat conduction from the to be cooled and dehumidifying breathing gas the cooling element is ensured. This can be used in an advantageous manner in the breathing circuit device different cooling elements, for example with water ice, a latent heat storage or an evaporator of a zeolite cooler. The breathing circuit device can thus be used flexibly for different applications with different cooling devices or cooling elements.

In particular, a pressure on a first side of the wall with the cooling element is greater than on a second side, so that due to the pressure difference between the first and second side, the deformable wall is pressed onto the cooling element. The pressure on the first side of the wall corresponds to a respiratory gas pressure, wherein the pressure on the second side of the wall corresponds to an ambient pressure. Due to the pressure difference and the higher pressure on the first side of the deformable wall thus the deformable wall is pressed by the breathing gas pressure on the surface of the cooling element, so that there is a large-area direct contact between the deformable wall and the cooling element due to the deformability of the deformable wall , Thus, the heat can be transferred to a sufficient extent of the breathing gas on the deformable wall and then from the deformable wall to the cooling element for cooling and dehumidifying the respiratory gas at the deformable wall.

In a further embodiment, the cooling element lies directly on the deformable wall. Due to the direct contact between the Cooling element and the deformable wall is thus a good heat transfer from the deformable wall to the cooling element possible.

In a supplementary embodiment, the breathing gas is in direct contact with the second side of the deformable wall.

Preferably, a thermal insulation is arranged on the outside of the cooling element and / or the respiratory gas is directly or indirectly in contact with the deformable wall or is in thermal communication. The thermal insulation prevents the cold provided by the cooling element from escaping into the environment of the breathing circuit device to a greater extent, so that the cooling provided by the cooling element essentially serves to cool and dehumidify the breathing gas in the breathing circuit system with the at least one Breathing gas line is used. In direct contact or an immediate thermal connection between the breathing gas and the deformable wall, the breathing gas is passed directly to the deformable wall. In an indirect contact or an indirect thermal connection between the respiratory gas and the deformable wall, a further device is arranged between the respiratory gas and the deformable wall, so that the heat is conducted by the respiratory gas to the device and then to the deformable wall. This device may for example be a further wall or a container with a liquid or a gel.

In one variant, the breathing circuit device has a breathing bag as part of the at least one breathing gas line and / or the deformable wall forms an outer wall of the breathing circuit device, in particular a housing of the breathing circuit device.

Suitably, the cooling element is at least partially, in particular completely, disposed within the breathing bag and the deformable wall separates the cooling element of the breathing gas in the breathing bag.

In a further embodiment, a part of the breathing bag wall of the breathing bag forms the deformable wall, on which the cooling element rests directly.

In particular, a liquid or gel is enclosed in a container having walls and at least one wall of the container is formed by the deformable wall and the cooling element rests against the deformable wall of the container.

In a further embodiment, a heat side of the container with the breathing gas in thermal contact and on the deformable wall of the container is as a cold side of the container, the cooling element. The heat of the breathing gas is thus indirectly passed through the container with the gel to the deformable wall. On the deformable wall, the cooling element is located on the cold side. The liquid or gel in the container may change during phase change, i. from a solid to a liquid state, deform and thus allows a deformation of the deformable wall to adapt to different surface structures of the cooling element.

In a supplementary variant, the deformable wall is a foil and / or a two-dimensional bendable surface part and / or a tissue.

In a further variant, the cooling element is a cooling container with water ice or with a latent heat storage or with a liquid to be evaporated of a sorption cooler, in particular zeolite cooler.

In an additional embodiment, the deformable wall at least partially, in particular completely, made of plastic.

The breathing circuit device expediently comprises an inspiratory line and an expiratory line.

In a further variant, the breathing circuit device has a Y-piece.

In a supplementary variant, the inspiratory and expiratory lines are connected to the Y-piece.

Preferably, in each case a check valve are arranged on the inspiratory and expiratory line.

Fig. 1

eine vereinfachte Darstellung eines Atemkreislaufgerätes in einer ersten Ausführung,

Fig. 2

eine vereinfachte Darstellung des Atemkreislaufgerätes in einer zweiten Ausführung und

Fig. 3

eine vereinfachte Darstellung des Atemkreislaufgerätes in einer dritten Ausführung.

Show it:

Fig. 1

a simplified representation of a breathing circuit device in a first embodiment,

Fig. 2

a simplified representation of the breathing circuit device in a second embodiment and

Fig. 3

a simplified representation of the breathing circuit device in a third embodiment.

An in Fig. 1 illustrated breathing circuit device 1 provides a respiratory carrier, not shown, of the breathing circuit device 1 breathing gas or breathing air available. The breathing circuit device 1 has a housing 18 made of plastic and / or metal. Within the housing 18, breathing gas conduits 2 are arranged as an inspiratory conduit 3 and as an expiratory conduit 4. Through the expiratory line 4 exhaled by the respiratory expiratory gas 20 flows into the breathing circuit device 1 and through the inspiratory line 3, the inspiration gas 21 flows out of the breathing circuit device 1 and is inhaled by the respirator. The breathing gas lines 2 form a preferably completely closed breathing circuit system 5, so that no air is introduced from the surroundings of the breathing circuit device 1 into the breathing gas lines 2. The expiratory gas 20 is after flowing into the expiratory line 4 according to Fig. 1 fed to a carbon dioxide absorber 6 above. The carbon dioxide absorber 6 is designed as a soda lime container containing soda lime. In the soda lime container with soda lime, carbon dioxide is thus extracted from the expiration gas 20. In this chemical reaction The soda lime in the soda lime container heats up and also gives off part of the heat to the expiration gas 20. The effluent from the carbon dioxide absorber 6 breathing gas 22 is then fed to a breathing bag 13. This respiratory gas 22 supplied to the breathing bag 13 is substantially purified of carbon dioxide and has a temperature, for example, in the range of 55 ° C. Thus, the exhaled gas was heated from 30 ° C after exhaling the respirator to a temperature of 55 ° C and has a relative humidity in the range of 100%.

An oxygen container 9 arranged inside the housing 18, an oxygen addition unit 10, for example designed as a valve, and an oxygen line 11 serve to supply oxygen from the oxygen container 9 to the breathing gas in the breathing bag 13. Thus, the expiratory gas 20 is replaced with oxygen, d. H. the oxygen content in the expiratory gas 20 is increased, so that it can again be supplied as inspiratory gas 21 with a sufficient oxygen content to the respirator of the breathing circuit device 1.

The breathing bag 13 has deformable breathing bag walls 32. Within the breathing bag 13, a partition wall 24 is formed, so that within the breathing bag 13, a channel 23 is formed. A part of the breathing bag wall 32 forms an outer wall of the breathing circuit device 1 or a part of the wall of the housing 18. At this, the housing 18 forming part of the breathing bag wall 32, is a cooling element 8 as part of a cooling device 7. The cooling element 8 is a container filled with water ice. On the cooling element 8, a thermal insulation 17 is also externally attached. At the respiratory bag wall 32, two springs 19 are arranged, which are connected to both the breathing bag wall 32 and the housing 18. The springs 19 bring thereby a small pressure force on the breathing bag wall 32, so that the respiratory gas pressure within the breathing bag 13 is slightly greater than the ambient pressure outside the breathing circuit device 1. This is outside of the breathing bag 13, a lower pressure than within the breathing bag 13. Das In the breathing bag 13 introduced breathing gas 22 flows through the channel 23 and then after the Flow through the channel 23 from the breathing bag 13 back into the inspiratory line 3. That part of the breathing bag wall 32, on which the cooling element 8 rests, thereby forming a deformable wall 12. The deformable wall 12 has a first side 15, which with breathing gas 22 is in direct contact. The deformable wall 12 also has a second side 16 against which the cooling element 8 rests. The above-described pressure difference between the breathing gas 22 within the breathing bag 13 and the ambient pressure outside the breathing bag 13 causes the deformable wall 12 is pressed onto the cooling element 8. The cooling element 8 is releasably attached to the breathing circuit device 1, in particular the housing 18 of the breathing circuit device 1, by means of at least one fastening device (not shown). This at least one fastening device is designed such that different cooling elements 8 can be attached to the breathing circuit device 1.

Formed as a film deformable wall 12 thus allows due to the existing pressure difference that on the breathing circuit device 1, a cooling element 8 can be attached with a different surface structure and thereby due to the deformability of the wall 12 and the existing pressure difference, a large area immediate contact area between the deformable wall 12 and the surface of the cooling element 8 is made. As a result, even when different cooling elements 8 with different surface structures are used, the heat can be conducted sufficiently well by the respiratory gas 22, through the deformable wall 12, to the cooling element 8. At the deformable wall 12 thus the breathing gas 22 is cooled within the breathing bag 13 and also condenses moisture here. Thus, the humidity of the inspiratory gas 21, which flows out of the breathing bag 13, can be lowered to physiologically acceptable levels.

The contact area between the deformable wall 12 and the cooling element 8 is in the range of about 600 cm ² . Preferably, this contact surface is greater than 300 cm ² , 400 cm ² , 600 cm ² or 800 cm ² , so that even when using different cooling elements 8 a sufficiently good heat transfer from the breathing gas 22 to the cooling element 8 is ensured.

In Fig. 2 a second embodiment of the breathing circuit device 1 is shown. In the following, essentially only the differences from the first embodiment will be according to FIG Fig. 1 described. The cooling device 1 is a sorption cooler 25 designed as a zeolite cooler 26. The cooling element 8 used is an evaporator 27. The evaporator 27 is a container with an evaporable liquid, in particular water. The evaporator 27 is connected through a steam line 28 to a valve 29 with a sorbent container 30 formed as a zeolite container 31. In the zeolite container 31, zeolite is disposed within a container. Upon opening of the valve 29, the liquid evaporates in the evaporator 27 and the evaporator 27 thereby cools and thus can cool and dehumidify the breathing gas 22 in the channel 23 through the deformable wall 12. The vapor generated in the evaporator 27 is passed through the steam line 28 to the zeolite in the zeolite container 31 and adsorbed there. Heat is generated in the zeolite within the zeolite container 31, which is dissipated to the environment. The thermal insulation 17 on the evaporator 27 as a cooling element 8 prevents that the heat provided by the evaporator 27 is dissipated to a greater extent to the environment of the breathing circuit device 1 and thus substantially for cooling and dehumidifying the respiratory gas 22 in the channel 23rd can be used.

In Fig. 3 a third embodiment of the breathing circuit device 1 is shown. In the following, essentially only the differences from the first embodiment will be according to FIG Fig. 1 described. The replaceable cooling element 8 is arranged inside the breathing bag 13. The cooling element 8 is separated by means of the deformable wall 12 as a film of the breathing gas 22 within the breathing bag 13. Due to the pressure difference between the respiratory gas within the breathing bag 13 and the surroundings of the breathing bag 13, which also encloses the space within the deformable wall 12 with the cooling element 8, the deformable wall 12 is pressed onto the cooling element 8. Only a small part the surface of the cooling element 8 is arranged on the outside in the region of the housing 18, so that only a small surface of the cooling element 8 needs to be thermally insulated from the environment by the thermal insulation 17. In this way, the cold provided by the cooling element 8 can be provided substantially completely for cooling and dehumidifying the respiratory gas 22 within the breathing bag 13.

As a cooling element 8, for example, a latent heat storage with paraffin, salt hydrate, or a cooling element 8 as part of a Peltier cooler or a heat pump or refrigeration system, wherein in the heat pump or refrigeration system, the cooling element 8 represents the evaporator of a refrigeration circuit with a compressor and a condenser ,

Overall, significant advantages are associated with the breathing circuit device 1 according to the invention. On the breathing circuit device 1 cooling elements 8 can be arranged with a different surface structure, so that in a flexible manner with a basic unit of the breathing circuit device 1 different cooling elements 8 can be used for different applications of the breathing circuit device 1. This can be provided with different cooling elements 8 for a variety of applications with a low-cost manufactured basic unit of the breathing circuit device 1, a breathing circuit device.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

Breathing circuit device

2

Breathing gas line

3

inspiratory line

4

expiratory

5

Breathing circuit

6

Carbon dioxide absorbers

7

cooler

8th

cooling element

9

oxygen tank

10

Oxygen supply unit

11

oxygen line

12

Deformable wall

13

breathing bag

15

First side of the wall with cooling element

16

Second side of the wall with breathing gas

17

Thermal insulation

18

Housing of the breathing circuit device

19

feather

20

expiration gas

21

inspiration gas

22

breathing gas

23

Canal in breathing bag

24

Partition in breathing bag

25

sorption

26

Zeolithkühler

27

Evaporator

28

steam line

29

Valve

30

sorption

31

zeolite container

32

Atembeutelwandung

Claims (14)

Breathing circuit device (1), comprising
a breathing gas line (2) for forming a breathing circuit system (5),
a cooling device (7) with at least one cooling element (8) for cooling a breathing gas conducted through the breathing gas line (2), the at least one cooling element (8) having a wall (12) being separated from the respiratory gas,
characterized in that
the wall (12) is a deformable wall (12), so that a direct contact between the at least one cooling element (8) and the deformable wall (12) can be produced by means of a deformation of the deformable wall (12). A breathing circuit device according to claim 1, characterized in that a pressure on a first side (15) of the deformable wall (12) with the cooling element (8) is greater than on a second side (16), so that due to the pressure difference between the first and the second side (15, 16) the deformable wall (12) is pressed onto the cooling element (8). Respiratory circuit device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the cooling element (8) rests directly on the deformable wall (12). A breathing circuit device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the breathing gas is in direct contact with the first side (15) of the deformable wall (12). Breathing cycle device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that
on the cooling element (8) on the outside a thermal insulation is arranged and / or the respiratory gas with the deformable wall (12) is directly or indirectly in thermal communication. Breathing cycle device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the breathing circuit device (1) has a breathing bag (13) as part of the breathing gas line (2) and / or the deformable wall (12) an outer wall of the breathing circuit device (1), in particular one Housing (18) of the breathing circuit device (1), forms. Respiratory circuit device according to claim 6, characterized in that the cooling element (8) at least partially, in particular completely, within the breathing bag (13) is arranged and the deformable wall (12) separates the cooling element (8) from the breathing gas in the breathing bag (13) , Respiratory circuit device according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that a part of the breathing bag wall (32) of the breathing bag (13) forms the deformable wall (12) on which the cooling element (8) rests directly. A breathing circuit device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that a liquid or gel is enclosed in a container with walls and at least one wall of the container is formed by the deformable wall (12) and the cooling element (8) on the deformable wall ( 12) of the container rests, A breathing circuit device according to claim 9, characterized in that a heat side of the container is in thermal contact with the breathing gas and rests on the deformable wall (12) of the container as a cold side of the container, the cooling element (8). Breathing cycle device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the deformable wall (12) is a film and / or a two-dimensional bendable surface part and / or a tissue. Breathing cycle device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cooling element (8) is a cooling container with water ice or with a latent heat storage or with a liquid to be evaporated sorbent cooler, in particular zeolite cooler. Breathing cycle device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the breathing circuit device comprises a carbon dioxide absorber (6) for the withdrawal of carbon dioxide from the respiratory gas passed through the breathing circuit system (5). Breathing circuit device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the breathing circuit device has an oxygen container (9) for storing oxygen and an oxygen addition unit (10) for introducing oxygen from the oxygen container (9) into the respiratory gas.

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