Continuous positive airway pressure cpap device with nasal congestion detection/device settings adaptation and method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025222220-A1
Application number	US-202519012042-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 7, 2025
Priority date	Jan 8, 2024
Publication date	Jul 10, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A continuous positive airway pressure CPAP device for providing a pressurized flow of breathable gas to a subject during a sleep disordered breathing treatment comprises a blower, a nasal congestion detection module, and a device settings adaptation module. The blower delivers the pressurized flow via a patient circuit to a patient interface device worn by the subject. The nasal congestion detection module detects a presence of a nasal congestion condition of the subject based upon a combination of input parameters available to the CPAP device. The combination of input parameters is determined at least a predetermined time before delivery, or during delivery, of the pressurized flow of breathable gas. The device settings adaptation module adapts at least one CPAP device setting based on the detection of the condition indicative of nasal congestion for reducing or alleviating nasal congestion during the sleep disordered breathing treatment.

First claim

1 . A computer-implemented method for controlling a respiratory support device, wherein the respiratory support device is adapted to provide a pressurized flow of breathable gas to a subject during a sleep disordered breathing treatment, the method comprises:
receiving a voice signal representative of the voice of a subject; detecting a nasal congestion condition of the subject based on the voice signal; in response to detecting the nasal congestion condition, adapting at least one setting of the respiratory support device to reduce or alleviate the nasal congestion during the sleep disordered breathing treatment.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the respiratory support device comprises a humidifier dapted to humidify the pressurized flow of breathable gas, the method comprising:
controlling the humidifier to humidify the pressurized flow of breathable gas in response to detecting the nasal congestion condition, and controlling the humidifier not to humidify the pressurized flow of breathable gas in an absence of detecting the nasal congestion condition.

3 . The method of claim 1 , comprising
receiving an air flow signal representative of nose breathing or mouth breathing of the subject during the sleep disordered breathing treatment; detecting, in case the nasal congestion condition was detected based on the voice signal, whether the nasal congestion condition is present based on the air flow signal; in response to detecting the nasal congestion condition is not present based on the air flow signal, further adapting the at least one setting.

4 . The method of claim 3 , comprising
determining, based on the air flow signal, whether the nasal congestion condition is present for a period of time greater than a predetermined threshold period of time for at least a single episode of the sleep disordered breathing treatment; in response to determining the nasal congestion is present for the period of time greater than the predetermined threshold period, generating a recommendation signal, wherein the recommendation signal is representative of a mask type recommendation for advising the subject to wear a mask type other than an only nasal mask type.

5 . The method of claim 1 ,
wherein the respiratory support device comprises a decongestant agent dispenser, wherein the method comprises controlling the decongestant agent dispenser to dispense a quantity of at least one nose decongestant agent in response to detecting the nasal congestion condition.

6 . The method of claim 1 , comprising
controlling a head position adapter to tilt a subject's head towards a more vertical position from a more horizontal position in response to detecting the nasal congestion condition, wherein the head position adapter comprises one or more of i) an inflatable head pillow adapted to inflate between the more horizontal position and the more vertical position and ii) a tiltable mattress adapted to tilt between the more horizontal position and the more vertical position.

7 . A respiratory support device for providing a pressurized flow of breathable gas to a subject during a sleep disordered breathing treatment, the respiratory support device comprising:
a blower adapted to deliver the pressurized flow of breathable gas via a patient circuit to a patient interface device to be worn by the subject during the sleep disordered breathing treatment; a controller comprising a voice analysis module, wherein the voice analysis module is adapted to detect the nasal congestion condition based on an analysis of a voice signal of the subject, wherein the controller is configured to adapt at least one setting of the respiratory support device based on the detection of the of nasal congestion, wherein the respiratory support device is adapted to be coupled to a microphone adapted to capture the voice signal; wherein the adaptation of the at least one setting contributes to reducing or alleviating nasal congestion during the sleep disordered breathing treatment.

8 . The respiratory support device of claim 7 , comprising a humidifier adapted to humidify the pressurized flow of breathable gas,
wherein the controller is adapted to control the humidifier to humidify the pressurized flow of breathable gas in response to detecting the nasal congestion condition, wherein the controller is adapted to control the humidifier not to humidify the pressurized flow of breathable gas in an absence of detecting the nasal congestion condition.

9 . The respiratory support device of claim 7 ,
wherein the controller is configured to receive an air flow signal representative of nose breathing or mouth breathing of the subject during the sleep disordered breathing treatment; and configured to detect, in case the nasal congestion condition was detected based on the voice signal, whether the nasal congestion condition is present based on the air flow signal; wherein the controller is configured to further adapt the at least one setting, in response to detecting the nasal congestion condition is not present based on the air flow signal.

10 . The respiratory support device of claim 9 ,
wherein the controller is configured to determine, based on the air flow signal, whether the nasal congestion condition is present for a period of time greater than a predetermined threshold period of time for at least a single episode of the sleep disordered breathing treatment; wherein the controller is configured to generate a recommendation signal, in response to determining the nasal congestion is present for the period of time greater than the predetermined threshold period, wherein the recommendation signal is representative of a mask type recommendation for advising the subject to wear a mask type other than an only nasal mask type.

11 . The respiratory support device of claim 7 , comprising a decongestant agent dispenser configured to dispense a quantity of at least one nose decongestant agent.

12 . The respiratory support device of claim 11 , wherein the at least one setting comprises at least a decongestant agent dispenser setting,
wherein the decongestant agent dispenser setting is set not dispense the quantity of the at least one nose decongestant agent in an absence of the detection of the nasal congestion, and set to dispense the quantity of the at least one nose decongestant agent in response to the detection of the nasal congestion.

13 . The respiratory support device of claim 7 , comprising a head position adapter configured to tilt a subject's head towards a more vertical position from a more horizontal position,
wherein the head position adapter comprises one or more of i) an inflatable head pillow adapted to inflate between the more horizontal position and the more vertical position and ii) a tiltable mattress adapted to tilt between the more horizontal position and the more vertical position, and wherein the at least one setting comprises a head position adapter setting.

14 . The respiratory support device of claim 7 , wherein the patient interface device comprises a nasal mask.

15 . A computer program product, comprising instructions, which when executed by a controller of a respiratory support device, cause the respiratory support device to carry out the computer-implemented method of claim 1 .

16 . A method for providing a pressurized flow of breathable gas to a subject during a sleep disordered breathing treatment via a continuous positive airway pressure CPAP device, the method comprising:
delivering the pressurized flow of breathable gas, via a blower and a patient circuit, to a patient interface

Assignees

• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Lowet Dietwig Jos Clement
• Krans Jan Martijn

Classifications

• A61M16/1075

  by influencing the temperature (A61M16/1045 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61M16/0616

  with face sealing means comprising a flap or membrane projecting inwards, such that sealing increases with increasing inhalation gas pressure · CPC title

• A61B5/0816

  Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency (measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00) · CPC title

• A61M2205/505

  Touch-screens; Virtual keyboard or keypads; Virtual buttons; Soft keys; Mouse touches · CPC title

• A61M2205/52

  with memories providing a history of measured variating parameters of apparatus or patient · CPC title