INTELLIGENT INHALER PROVIDING FEEDBACK TO BOTH PATIENT AND MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL

摘要

The present invention detects how much air is inhaled through the inhaler with what time course (including such derived measurements as how much volume is inspired within the bounds of a given flow range) as well as certain events such as the triggering of the release of aerosol. The system can be set up to compare the resultant time course to either (a) a standard target envelope (e.g., one or more of flow, volume, and time) for that patient programmed into the intelligent inhalation device by a healthcare professional. Based on the comparison, the success or failure of effective inhaler actuation and aerosol inspiration can be signaled to the patient (e.g., visually or through sound) and may be recorded with a time and date stamp for later decoding and evaluation of the invention, the device would also possess the ability to signal the patient to continue post-inspiratory breath holding for use in interpreting the success of medication delivery.