Lightweight, portable oxygen concentrators that operate using an ultra rapid, sub one second, adsorption cycle based on advanced molecular sieve materials are disclosed. The amount of sieve material utilized is a fraction of that used in conventional portable devices. This dramatically reduces the volume, weight, and cost of the device. Innovations in valve configuration, moisture control, case and battery design, and replaceable sieve module are described. Patients with breathing disorders and others requiring medical oxygen are provided with a long lasting, low cost alternative to existing portable oxygen supply devices.

Devices and systems provide methods of controlling breathable gas generation such as for a respiratory treatment and/or for controlling ionization of the gas. In an example, a controller of a respiratory treatment apparatus controls generation of a supply of ionized air. The apparatus may include a flow generator to generate a flow of pressurized breathable gas. The flow generator may be adapted for connection with a respiratory interface. The apparatus may also include an ionizer to ionize the flow of gas. The controller may be coupled with the ionizer and the flow generator and be configured to control the ionizer to programmatically change levels of ionization of the gas. Such ionized gas treatments may be suitable for helping users to sleep or improving respiratory oxygen absorption, and may be for patients with, for example, sleep disordered breathing or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

A fluid preconditioning apparatus used to pretreat fluids for an air disbursement machine. A first portion includes a first outlet for a treated gas, a second outlet for a treated liquid, a third outlet for a hose and a cover. A second portion includes a first inlet to receive a gas, a second inlet to receive liquid, a gas treatment chamber, a gas flow generator for moving the gas from the first inlet through the gas treatment chamber and the first outlet. The second portion also includes a liquid treatment chamber that connects to the second inlet, and a liquid flow generator for moving the liquid from the second inlet through the liquid treatment chamber and the second outlet. The gas treatment chamber treats gas by filtering and disinfecting the gas and the liquid treatment chamber creates the treated liquid by filtering and disinfecting the liquid.

Systems and methods are provided for detecting and sequestering waste anesthetic gases released by an anesthetic vaporizer. In one embodiment, a method for an anesthetic vaporizer installed in an anesthesia machine includes detecting an emission of waste anesthetic gases (WAGs) from the anesthetic vaporizer, and responsive to detecting the emission of WAGs, performing at least one of scavenging the WAGs and outputting an alert.

A nasal delivery device for delivering substance to a nasal cavity of a subject, the delivery device comprising: a substance supply unit for supplying a dose of substance to be delivered to the nasal cavity of the subject, the substance supply unit including an inlet and an outlet; a nosepiece unit including a nosepiece for fitting to a nasal cavity of the subject and being in fluid communication with the outlet of the substance supply unit; and a mouthpiece unit including a mouthpiece in fluid communication with the inlet of the substance supply unit and through which the subject in use exhales such as to entrain substance from the container chamber and deliver the same through the nosepiece, and at least one temperature modifier for reducing a temperature of the exhaled air flow such as to reduce the absolute humidity thereof.

A respiratory therapy system can have a flow generator adapted to provide gases to a patient. A gas passageway can be located in-line with the flow generator. The gas passageway can have a first portion adapted to receive a first gas and a second portion adapted to receive a second gas. The gas passageway can have a static mixer downstream of the first and second portions.

An oxygen concentrator includes one or more adsorbent sieve beds operable to remove nitrogen from air to produce concentrated oxygen gas at respective outlets thereof, a product tank fluidly coupled to the respective outlets of the sieve bed(s), a compressor operable to pressurize ambient air, one or more sieve bed flow paths from the compressor to respective inlets of the sieve bed(s), a bypass flow path from the compressor to the product tank that bypasses the sieve bed(s), and a valve unit operable to selectively allow flow of pressurized ambient air from the compressor along the one or more sieve bed flow paths and along the bypass flow path in response to a control signal. The valve unit may be controlled in response to a command issued by a ventilator based on a calculated or estimated total flow of gas and entrained air or % FiO.sub.2 of a patient.

The breathing assistance apparatus of the present invention includes a manifold that is provided with or retrofittable to gases supply and humidifying devices. The manifold allows gases from an oxygen concentrator to be combined with the flow through a gases supply and humidifying device, most usually air. The combined output of oxygen and other breathing gases (air) is then humidified. The breathing assistance apparatus and manifold of the present invention provides a safe method to add oxygen to the input air stream of a gases supply and humidifying device and reduces the amount of accumulation of oxygen within the gases supply device, reducing fire risk should sparking occur within the device.

A diagnostic device is disclosed for characterisation of particles from a patient’s airways, such as a lung, when ventilated by a ventilator, and/or for control thereof, comprising a particle detecting unit configured to be connected to a conduit for passing expiration fluid from said patient, for obtaining data related to particles being exhaled from said patent’s airways.

A portable oxygen delivery system including an oxygen concentrator having a housing, a compressor mounted inside the housing, a sieve module located within the housing and in fluid connection with the compressor, the sieve module containing a zeolite for removing Nitrogen from air through a pressure swing adsorption process for creating concentrated oxygen, a power source attached to the housing and an oxygen controller device for electronically controlling the pressure swing adsorption process. The portable oxygen delivery system also preferably includes a blowing apparatus fluidly connected to the oxygen concentrator having a blower housing, a blower motor mounted inside the blower housing, a blower fan connected to the blower motor, a second power source attached to the blower housing and a blower controller device for electronically controlling the blower.