Inspiratory airway pressure system

摘要

An apparatus (10) and method for facilitating the respiration of a patient (36) are disclosed which are particularly useful in treating mixed and obstructive sleep apnea and certain cardiovascular conditions, among others, by increasing nasal air pressure delivered to the patient's respiratory passages just prior to inhalation and by subsequently decreasing the pressure to ease exhalation effort. The preferred apparatus (10) includes a patient-coupled gas delivery device for pressurizing the patient's nasal passages at a controllable pressure, and a controller coupled with the delivery device having a pressure transducer for monitoring the nasal pressure and a microcontroller (20) for selectively controlling the nasal pressure. In operation, the controller (20) determines a point in the patient breathing cycle just prior to inhalation and initiates an increase in nasal pressure at that point in order to stimulate normal inhalation, and subsequently lowers the nasal pressure to ease exhalation efforts.