JP2007510505A - Moisture-heat exchanger - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a patient-tidal water-heat exchange device. The device includes a housing (42, 43) arranged for air to flow through. A filter (44) having the ability to absorb moisture and remove the absorbed moisture is disposed in the housing (42, 43). According to the present invention, a rotary valve (48, 49) arranged in the housing (42, 43) to provide two alternative flow paths for air passing through the housing (42, 43). There is. The first flow path necessitates the air to flow through the filter (44) and the second flow path passes through the housing (42, 43) without the air passing through the filter. Inevitably flow.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a patient tidal volume moisture-heat exchange device, the moisture-heat exchange device comprising a housing arranged for air to flow therethrough and a filter arranged in the housing, The filter has the ability to absorb moisture and remove the absorbed moisture.

  The invention also relates to a method of operating such a moisture-heat exchange device.

  For patients undergoing treatment with a ventilator or other similar breathing assistance device, it has long been known to provide a moisture-heat exchanger in a pipe that couples the patient to the ventilator. Due to the fact that a filter in such a moisture-heat exchange device absorbs moisture from exhaled air and returns it to inspiration, the moisture and heat carried by the same filter is returned to the patient. Therefore, the patient is prevented from getting dry in his throat and trachea.

  However, such moisture-heat exchange devices may contain several drawbacks. An example of this is when it is necessary to supply a drug formulation of a type that is supplied in the form of an aerosol. Here, the drug formulation is composed of a substance dissolved in a liquid, usually water, and the water is converted to mist in the nebulizer before the substance is delivered to the patient. Often this is related to the treatment of anesthetized patients.

  If such an aerosol is delivered to a patient connected to a ventilator via a moisture-heat exchanger, the same moisture-heat exchanger will absorb the aerosol. This entails the risk that the drug supply will not be uniform and regulated and the moisture-heat exchange device will begin to clog.

  To avoid this, the moisture-heat exchange device is removed from the ventilator and then the patient is coupled to an aerosol supply. When delivery is complete, the moisture-heat exchange device is reattached to the patient and the ventilator. This is quite complex and includes the risk of incorrect operation and contamination.

  Therefore, devices and methods have been developed to facilitate switching between coupling a patient to a treatment device.

  US Pat. No. 5,505,768 already discloses a moisture-heat exchange device arranged in a housing, according to which the housing comprises a joint for the patient's pipe and the artificial respiration. It has one joint for the device. The housing has two compartments arranged adjacent to each other, and in a normal position a filter is placed in one of the same compartments that are joined.

  When the patient is treated with an aerosol drug formulation, the filter is replaced with another area of the housing. Thereby, a free passage through the first region of the housing is provided so that the provision of aerosol is not disturbed by the filter.

  This device is relatively complicated to operate and cumbersome due to the fact that the filter must be moved when the type of treatment has to be switched.

  Furthermore, according to EP 1 192 968, a water-heat exchange device in the pipe between the ventilator and the patient can be provided and the aerosol can be provided without a passage through the filter of the water-heat exchange device. Devices with bypass pipes arranged in this way are already known. The bypass pipe is coupled at one end of the device to a pipe between the ventilator and the moisture-heat exchange device, and at the other end of the device, a pipe between the ventilator and the patient. Combined with In the latter combination, a valve may be arranged to control whether the flow passes through the moisture-heat exchange device or the bypass pipe.

  The equipment consists of parts including the moisture-heat exchange device, the valve and the bypass pipe, and these parts are composed of a system that must be combined in a correct manner by the operator. It is relatively complicated.

  Furthermore, from WO 02/26306, a device is already known in which a bypass is formed in the filter of the device when gas is supplied for treatment. This is achieved by reciprocating the valve means, but it has a relatively complicated structure and requires valve operation on the input side as well as on the output side.

It is an object of the present invention to switch between breathing assistance alone and the delivery of a pharmaceutical formulation aerosol against such a background, thereby eliminating the disadvantages associated with conventional devices and methods in this field. It is to provide a simple solution that can.
US Pat. No. 5,505,768 European Patent No. 1192968 International Publication No. 02/26306

Summary of invention

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, the intended object is that a moisture-heat exchange device of the type defined in the preamble of claim 1, wherein the moisture-heat exchange device is two two passing through the housing. A rotary valve (48, 49) is provided in the housing (42, 43) to provide an alternative air passage, the first flow path necessarily entrains the air into the filter (44). And the second flow path is achieved by the fact that it necessarily includes the feature that the air flows through the housing without passing through the filter (44).

  The fact that the moisture-heat exchange device itself allows an alternative flow path eliminates the need for external bypass pipes and special valves for the flow control. Furthermore, the device of the present invention entails that the filter can be maintained in one and the same position during various handling configurations. Furthermore, since the valve is a rotary valve, the risk of erroneous operation is greatly reduced, and switching can be achieved by a simple rotational movement. Thus, the device of the present invention minimizes the risk of medical errors and makes operation surprisingly simple and easy. In addition, manufacturing is less expensive because it requires fewer and simpler components.

  According to a preferred embodiment, the two flow paths are arranged concentrically with each other.

  This inevitably produces the device in a concise manner and allows the two channels to be established with very little change of direction.

  Furthermore, according to a preferred embodiment, the filter is arranged in the radially outer channel.

  Usually, the flow path passing through the filter requires a larger flow area than the free flow area. By maximally placing the filter on the outside, the device can be made with a smaller diameter than the opposite device. This is for hydrodynamic reasons, and it is impossible for the gap between the walls of the flow path to be too small.

  According to an additional preferred embodiment, the valve comprises a first unit and a second unit which are rotatable relative to each other and are adjacent to each other, the first unit comprising an even number of circumferentially arranged compartments. Each compartment includes a wall member and an opening; in every other compartment, the opening is located radially outward of the wall member; in every other compartment, the opening is the wall Arranged radially inside the member, the second unit includes an even number of circumferentially arranged parts, every other part with a complete covering wall, every other part is With an opening.

  Such a configuration of the valve is a simple and easy-to-use solution for distributing flow to either one of two concentric channels.

  According to an additional preferred embodiment, the number of compartments is greater than or equal to 8, the number of parts is equal to the number of compartments, each compartment and each part being substantially triangular and each opening And each wall member) is substantially triangular or trapezoidal.

  By having a relatively large number of sections and sections, an efficient and evenly distributed distribution is achieved in the circumferential direction.

  According to an additional preferred embodiment, each of the units is conical.

  Therefore, the plurality of walls are inclined in the direction of flow, reducing the resistance caused by the flow of the valve.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the intended object is that a method of the kind defined in the preamble of claim 7 is used to pass a tidal flow through the housing by means of a rotary valve. A special method of guiding one of the two flow paths to one of the two flow paths, one of the two flow paths necessarily guiding the air to flow through the filter, the other being the air being the filter Achieved by the fact that it does not flow through.

  According to a preferred embodiment of the method of the invention, the same is performed using the device according to the invention.

  The method of the present invention provides a type of effect corresponding to that described above for the apparatus of the present invention and similar preferred embodiments.

  DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying detailed description of advantageous embodiments and the attached drawings.

Detailed Description of the Invention

  FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a schematic view of an embodiment of the present invention. The housing is composed of a first member 42 and a second member 43, and each member is connected to the artificial respirator 6 and the patient side pipe 7 by openings 46 and 47, respectively. The housing members 42 and 43 are rotatable relative to each other, and a filter 44 is disposed on the right housing member 43. A similar filter is formed as a hollow cylinder having a through hole 45.

  A first flat plate 48 is fixed to the housing member 42, and a second flat plate 49 is fixed to the housing member 43. Each flat plate is provided with a plurality of openings, and when the flat plates are rotated relative to each other to the first rotation position, the flow through the central through-hole 45 is blocked while the filter 44 is in contact. The flow path through is formed. In the second rotational position, the plurality of openings are finally positioned such that the flow path of the central through-hole 45 is formed while the flow through the filter 44 is blocked. It can be seen from FIGS. 2 and 3 how the openings in the flat plates 48 and 49 are arranged in order to achieve the same plurality of flow paths that cause a gradual change.

  FIG. 2 is a sectional view through the flat plate 48 in the left housing member 42. The flat plate 48 is composed of eight parts, and each part is composed of 45 ° sections. Every other portion 50 consists of a wall that completely forms part of the flat plate. Every other portion 51 consists essentially of an opening.

  FIG. 3 is a sectional view through the flat plate 49 in the right housing member 43. The flat plate 49 is composed of eight sections, and each section is composed of 45 ° sections. Every other compartment 52 is composed of a radially inward portion consisting of walls 54 and a radially outward portion consisting of openings 55. Every other compartment 53 is composed of a radially inner portion made up of openings 56 and a radially outer portion made up of walls 57.

  In the first rotational position, the flat plates 48 and 49 are arranged such that the plurality of portions 51 and the plurality of sections 52 cover each other, and the plurality of portions 50 and the plurality of sections 53 cover each other. Yes. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, a pattern in which a plurality of openings and a wall overlap is generated, and a hatched portion represents a wall. In this way, a flow path through the outer portion in the radial direction, for example, a flow path passing through the filter 44 (FIG. 1) is established.

  In the second rotation position of 45 ° from the position shown in FIG. 4, the flat plates 48 and 49 cover the plurality of portions 51 and the plurality of sections 57 with each other, and the plurality of portions 50 and the plurality of portions are covered with each other. The compartments 52 are arranged so as to cover each other. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, a pattern in which a plurality of openings and a wall overlap each other is generated, and a hatched portion represents a wall. Thus, a flow path through the inner portion in the radial direction, for example, a flow path passing through the hole 45 (FIG. 1) is established.

  The flat plates 48, 49 may advantageously be replaced by a conical member having a plurality of openings and corresponding directions of the wall member. 6 to 10 show such different embodiments.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of 1st Example of this invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a first detail of the device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a first detail of the device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 shows the relationship between the details shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 at two different positions. FIG. 4 shows the relationship between the details shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 at two different positions. It is a perspective view of the other Example of this invention. It is a perspective view of the other Example of this invention. FIG. 7 is an exploded view of FIG. 6. FIG. 9 is a perspective view from the inside of the housing of the detail of FIG. 8 in a first valve position. FIG. 15 is a perspective view from the inside of the housing of the detail of FIG. 14 in a second valve position.

Claims (8)

A patient tidal volume moisture-heat exchanger comprising a housing (42, 43) arranged for air flow and a filter (44) arranged in said housing (42, 43), The moisture-heat exchange device, wherein the filter has the ability to absorb moisture and remove absorbed moisture, wherein the moisture-heat exchange device prepares two alternative air passages that pass through the housing. And a rotary valve (48, 49) disposed in the housing (42, 43), the first flow path inevitably causes the air to flow through the filter (44), and the second flow path The moisture-heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the air flow inevitably flows through the housing without passing through the filter (44). The moisture-heat exchange device according to claim 1, wherein the two flow paths are arranged concentrically with each other. The moisture-heat exchange device according to claim 2, characterized in that the filter (44) is arranged in a radially outer channel. The valve (48, 49) includes a first unit (49) and a second unit (48) that are rotatable relative to each other and adjacent to each other, and the first unit (49) is disposed in a circumferential direction. An even number of compartments (52, 53), each compartment (52, 53) comprising wall members (54, 57) and openings (55, 56), in every other compartment (52) The opening (55) is arranged radially outward of the wall member (54), and in every other compartment (53), the opening (56) is arranged radially inward of the wall member (57). The second unit (48) includes an even number of circumferentially arranged parts (50, 51), every other part with a complete covering wall (50), every one Every other part is provided with an opening (51). The moisture-heat exchange device according to claim 2 or claim 3 to be performed. The number of the plurality of sections (52, 53) is eight or more, the number of the plurality of portions (50, 51) is equal to the number of the sections (52, 53), and each section (52, 53) and each section The portions (50, 51) are substantially triangular, and the openings (51, 55, 56) and the wall members (50, 54, 57) are substantially triangular or trapezoidal. 5. The moisture-heat exchange device according to claim 4, 6. The moisture-heat exchange device according to claim 4 or 5, wherein each of the units has a substantially conical shape. A method for operating a moisture-heat exchange device with a tidal volume, the device comprising a housing (42, 43) arranged for the flow of air and a filter arranged in the housing (42, 43) ( 44), the filter has the ability to absorb moisture and remove the absorbed moisture, and the tidal flow through the housing is the flow of two flow paths through the housing by a rotary valve. One of the two flow paths is inevitably guided so that the air flows through the filter and the other prevents the air from flowing through the filter. And how to. 8. A method according to claim 7, characterized in that the same is carried out by the moisture-heat exchange device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

Images