A ventilator includes electronic control circuitry configured to control a supply of breathing gas for a plurality of respiratory cycles, measure a volume received by the patient in each of the plurality of respiratory cycles, and determine, for each cycle of the plurality of respiratory cycles, a cycle score corresponding to a deviation between the volume of the cycle and a predetermined target volume. The determined cycle score can be selected from a predetermined number of cycle scores that span positive and negative numbers based on the deviation. A pressure step value can be determined based on a plurality of cycle scores corresponding to the plurality of respiratory cycles, and a current pressure of the breathing gas is adjusted by an amount corresponding to the determined pressure step value. The pressure step value may be generated by dividing a sum of the plurality of cycle scores by a sample size.

A patient interface includes a plenum chamber pressurisable to a therapeutic pressure, and a seal-forming structure constructed and arranged to seal with a region of a patient's face surrounding an entrance to a patients airways. The seal-forming structure is constructed and arranged to maintain the therapeutic pressure in the plenum chamber throughout a patients respiratory cycle in use. The patient interface also includes a positioning and stabilizing structure configured to hold the seal-forming structure in a therapeutically effective position on a patients head. The positioning and stabilizing structure includes a rear strap arranged to contact an occiput of the patients head. The rear strap is constructed from a first material is arranged to contact a temporal region of the patients head, and a second material arranged to contact the occiput of the patients head. The second material is silicone.

A reusable apparatus, such as a medical instrument or tool, is decontaminated by applying pressure waves with direct contact of the pressure wave applicator to the reusable apparatus in an open bath in a sufficient dosage to remove contamination but without adversely affecting the ability to reuse the apparatus.

The present invention provides a system (10) for humidification of a pressurized flow of breathable gas delivered to a patient, the system comprising; a ventilator (12) for generating a pressurized flow of breathable gas; a patient circuit (14) in fluid communication with the ventilator and connectable to the respiratory system of a patient; and an aerosol generator (18). The patient circuit defines an internal space (26) for transporting the flow of breathable gas which internal space accommodates the outflow opening (20) of the aerosol generator. This enables to prevent so-called rainout and a relatively light weight portable system. The invention also relates to an insert (30) that is connectable to the patient circuit and that accommodates the aerosol generator.

A respiratory therapy apparatus is operable to deliver multiple types of therapy to a patient. The apparatus includes a main housing and a nebulizer tray that selectively attaches to a bottom of the main housing. The apparatus also includes a filter housing unit having an antenna surrounding a pneumatic passage and a transponder chip coupled to the antenna. The main housing has also has an antenna that surrounds a respective pneumatic passage of a main outlet port of the apparatus. The main housing includes a reader that controls communication between the antennae. The main housing of the apparatus also has a pivotable hose support plate, a firmware upgrade port underneath part of the top wall of the housing, and a graphical user interface (GUI) that displays various user inputs for control of the apparatus and that displays various alert conditions that are detected.

The principles and embodiments of the present invention relate to methods and systems for safely providing NO to a recipient for inhalation therapy. There are many potential safety issues that may arise from using a reactor cartridge that converts NO.sub.2 to NO, including exhaustion of consumable reactants of the cartridge reactor. Accordingly, various embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods of determining the remaining useful life of a NO.sub.2-to-NO reactor cartridge and/or a breakthrough of NO.sub.2, and providing an indication of the remaining useful life and/or breakthrough.

An aspect provides a ventilation manifold for a ventilator, the manifold comprising a fluid flow path, the flow path comprising: bifurcated end paths, a constriction path and a compressed breathable gas chamber fluidly coupled to a compressed breathable gas source, the manifold having a manifold axis defined by the constriction path; a source path of the bifurcated ends coupled to an outlet conduit for a ventilator to present the compressed breathable gas at a source angle to one side of the manifold axis; and a vent path at a vent angle to the manifold axis for an exhaust flow, the vent path acting to provide a fluid pressure valve upon an inlet compressed breathable gas from the constriction path to urge flow towards the source path and a by-pass for returned outlet spent gas flow from the source path against the inlet compressed breathable gas at the constriction path, the fluid pressure valve and the by-pass dependent upon the relative magnitudes of the source angle and the vent angle to the manifold axis and/or each other along with the configuration of the constriction path and/or the configuration of the source path and/or the vent path.

Methods and devices for blending of fluids are disclosed. A fluid blender has a fluid inlet to receive a fluid, a nozzle with a convergent shape tapering down towards a nozzle end, a mixing chamber with holes arranged on a wall, and a mixture outlet having a divergent shape. In some aspects, a rotary sleeve is externally placed around the wall. The rotary sleeve has slits with a variable shape along its lateral extension. In other aspects the fluid blender has inlet tubes with check valves and a blending tube. An inlet tube has an adjustable orifice to adjust flow inside the blender.

A face mask (90) comprises an instrument shielding apparatus (91) which comprises an instrument shielding device (92) which is connected to the face mask (90) by an adapter (89). The adapter (89) comprises an instrument accommodating housing (15) through which an instrument bore (25) extends therethrough. The instrument accommodating housing (15) terminates at one end in a first main port (20) engageable with an instrument port (7) of the face mask (90), and in the other end in a second main port (23). The instrument shielding device (92) comprises a shielding sleeve (95) a first end (96) of which is secured by a coupling ring (98) to the second main port (23) of the adapter (89), and a second end (97) of which is secured in a storage chamber (94) of a sleeve storing housing (93) of the instrument shielding device (92). The sleeve storing housing (93) is sealably engageable with a proximal end (58) of an endoscope (10), and the shielding sleeve extends from a collapsed stored state in the storage chamber (94) to the adapter (89) for shielding the endoscope (10).

PEEP-valves configured to be placed inline with the exhalation path of a ventilator and ahead of the exhalation valve. The PEEP-valve functions as a resistor that can provide a higher PEEP value for any given PIP, lung compliance, and respiratory rate combination compared to a standard PIP to PEEP ratio.