Systems and methods for opening the eustachian tubes of a subject are provided. Aspects of the systems include: a swallow inducer; a nasal passage seal; a pressure source configured to apply positive pressure to a sealed nasal passage; a sensor configured to detect a parameter indicative of a swallow resultant palate closure; and a controller operably coupled to the pressure source and the sensor, wherein the controller is configured to cause the pressure source to apply positive pressure to a sealed nasal passage upon detection by the sensor of the parameter indicative of a swallow resultant palate closure. Also provide are methods of using the systems to open eustachian tubes. The systems and methods find use in a variety of different applications, e.g., the treatment of a subject for Otitis Media with Effusion (OME).

The present invention relates to an add-on device for a metered dose inhaler, an observance improvement system, and a method for improving observance of use in metered dose inhalers, the add-on device comprising an observance system housing component comprising an observance system with at least one pressure sensor; a mouthpiece component configured to fit, surround and removably engage with an exterior surface of a mouthpiece outlet provided on the metered dose inhaler; wherein said observance system housing is configured to fit and removably engage with said mouthpiece component; and said mouthpiece component is specifically adapted to conform to the exterior surface of the mouthpiece outlet of the metered dose inhaler without obstructing delivery of a dose of drug through said outlet.

A system includes a converter configured to electrically couple to a power source and to a heating element of a vaporizer atomizer. The converter can be further configured to receive a first voltage from the power source and provide a second voltage to the heating element. The converter can be a direct-current to direct-current converter. A power monitor configured to electrically couple to the heating element, measure a current through the heating element, measure a voltage over the heating element, calculate a power and/or resistance, and output a control signal to the converter. The converter can be configured to be controlled by the control signal to vary the second voltage to maintain a target power or a target temperature over the heating element. Related apparatus, systems, techniques and articles are also described.

Disclosed herein are various embodiments of a pump mechanism comprising a rigid structure having an open end and a closed end, a plunger disposed in the open end of the rigid structure, and a flexible, fluid-proof sheet of material attached to an inner wall of the rigid structure and bonded to the head of the plunger such as to form a fluid barrier between the interior of the rigid structure and the plunger. Movement of the plunger toward the closed end of the rigid structure causes a rolling corner to be formed between the head of the plunger and the rigid structure and a fluid contained within the pump chamber to be forced out of the pump chamber via a fluid port defined in the closed end of the rigid structure.

A mist inhaler device (200) for generating a mist for inhalation by a user. The device comprises a mist generator device (201) and a driver device (202). The driver device (202) is configured to drive the mist generator device (201) at an optimum frequency to maximise the efficiency of mist generation by the mist generator device (201).

A therapeutic substance delivery apparatus includes a housing, a reservoir for holding a therapeutic substance disposed at least partially within the housing, a position sensor having at least three states, a plunger which is slidable within the reservoir, and a plunger-sensor engagement interface coupled to the plunger within the reservoir and extending from within the reservoir to outside of the reservoir. The plunger and the position sensor are arranged such that the plunger-sensor engagement interface causes the position sensor to change states as the plunger slides within the reservoir. Control circuitry identifies a new state indication of the apparatus based on (a) a change in state of the position sensor, or (b) a previous or current state of the apparatus in combination with a threshold amount of time having elapsed without the position sensor changing state. Other applications are also described.

A refill assembly configured to be removably coupled to a reusable assembly of a medicinal inhaler is disclosed and includes a patient port, a canister actuable by the reusable assembly to deliver a dose of medicament to the patient port, and a sleeve which is selectively actuable by a user independently of the reusable assembly so as to act on the canister to deliver a dose of medicament. The refill assembly further includes an override element which engages the sleeve, the override element being moveable from a first position in which the sleeve is retained in a first position by the override element and a second position in which the sleeve is permitted to move to a second position upon depression of the sleeve by a user to cause a dose of medicament to be delivered to the patient port.

An example position determining apparatus, includes a power source, position sensors, and a controller. The position sensors are each selectively powered by the power source and configured to provide a respective sensor reading indicating a proximity of a tracked object. The controller is configured to receive respective sensor readings from the position sensors and identify a position sensor that provided an extremum sensor reading. Based on the sensor readings, the controller selectively cause powering of certain position sensors and prevents powering of other position sensors. The position sensor that provided the extremum sensor reading is one of the powered position sensors. A position output based on the sensor readings is also provided.

An attachment for monitoring an inhaler usage to be used for monitoring a usage frequency of patients using inhalers is provided. The attachment allows monitoring the inhaler usage of the patients and provides a low energy consumption. With an effective power management system developed with the attachment, the attachment is used for a longer period of time without a need for a battery replacement.

This disclosure describes a drug delivery device with communication functionality for purposes of transferring information to a user device, such as a smartphone, while maintaining power-efficient operation. The drug delivery device comprises a controller configured to, while operating in the active mode, use one or more sensors to detect that the injection mechanism has performed an injection. The controller is also configured to generate in memory a data entry indicative of the injection and/or a state of the drug delivery device, and switch into the low-power mode subsequent to or contemporaneous with detecting that the injection mechanism has performed the injection. The drug delivery device also comprises a wireless communication module powered by the power source and configured to establish a wireless connection with and transfer a message to a user device while the controller is operating in the low-power mode.