The volume of a hyperinflated lung compartment is reduced by sealing a distal end of the catheter in an airway feeding the lung compartment. Air passes out of the lung compartment through a passage in the catheter while the patient exhales. A one-way flow element associated with the catheter prevents air from re-entering the lung compartment as the patient inhales. Over time, the pressure of regions surrounding the lung compartment cause it to collapse as the volume of air diminishes. Residual volume reduction effectively results in functional lung volume expansion. Optionally, the lung compartment may be sealed in order to permanently prevent air from re-entering the lung compartment.

The volume of a hyperinflated lung compartment is reduced by sealing a distal end of the catheter in an airway feeding the lung compartment. Air passes out of the lung compartment through a passage in the catheter while the patient exhales. A one-way flow element associated with the catheter prevents air from re-entering the lung compartment as the patient inhales. Over time, the pressure of regions surrounding the lung compartment cause it to collapse as the volume of air diminishes. Residual volume reduction effectively results in functional lung volume expansion. Optionally, the lung compartment may be sealed in order to permanently prevent air from re-entering the lung compartment.

Mandibular repositioning devices providing downward movement as well as forward movement of the mandible have a maxillary tooth covering having a driver flange protruding laterally outward on one or both sides thereof and have a mandibular tooth covering having a protrusive flange extending cranially therefrom positioned to have a posterior side engaged with the anterior side of each driver flange. The anterior side of each driver flange has a convex curvature. The posterior side of each protrusive flange has a concave-to-convex curvature positioned to move the convex portion thereof along the convex curvature of the driver flange when the mouth opens, which also moves the mandible forward. A plateau of a preselected height, which prevents disconnect between each protrusive flange and its respective driver flange relative to a fully open mouth measurement, is present between the base of the protrusive flange and the tooth covering.

In a method and apparatus for supporting preparation of a patient for a medical imaging investigation, in particular a magnetic resonance investigation, patient data of a patient are acquired by operation of an acquisition unit. An item of position information of an object is calculated by a calculation computer, the calculation of the position information of the object taking place on the basis of the patient data and/or on the basis of an item of investigation information and/or on the basis of data from accessory units. The position information of the object is projected by means of a projection unit.

A method for guiding deep breathing may include receiving a request from a user to initiate a deep breathing exercise on a user-controlled device. The method may include monitoring deep breathing using one or more sensors on an ear-worn device in response to initiating the deep breathing exercise. Examples of sensors include at least one of a motion detector, a microphone, a heart rate sensor, and an electrophysiological sensor. The method may further include initiating an end to the deep breathing exercise. The method may be used with various hearing systems including an ear-worn device and optionally a user-controllable device, such as a smartphone.

A wearable analyte breath alert device and method for non-invasive monitoring of an analyte in a sample from a user. The device comprises an outer casing, a forward face having an in-line insignia, a front port and an activation button, a rear face having a detector threshold region, a side port and a LED indicator, a reversible core having a main processor module and a volatile organic compound (VOC) sensor adaptable to detect at least one volatile organic compound of the user. The VOC sensor further comprises a central sensor circuit having at least one nano gas sensor, a sensor signal conditioning unit and an A/D interface. The central sensor circuit is operably connected to a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) element having a microcontroller. An alarm component is coupled with the BLE element that alerts the user based on the analyte detected by the nano gas sensor.

A cough detection system and method uses a first database of physiological information relating to a user for whom cough detection is to be implemented and relating to other people likely to be in the vicinity of the user. A second database (used in real time or as a part of a system calibration) has cough data associated with the physiological information. There is a set of cough detection algorithms, each one tailored to a particular set of physiological characteristics. A cough detection algorithm is selected or constructed which is suitable for identifying coughs of the user while ignoring coughs of the other people. This selected algorithm is applied to sound collected to identify coughs of the user.

The disclosure provides methods and systems for determining an emotional fitness metrics for users. A physiological parameter of the user is measured during a group activity using at least one biosensor to acquire a measured signal. The measured signal of the user is compared to a measured signal for the physiological parameter of one or more additional users as measured when the one or more additional users perform the group activity. An emotional connectivity may be calculated based on a synchronicity of the measured signal of the user with the measured signal of the one or more additional users, as well as a cognitive appraisal metric, a resilience metric and an emotional fitness metric. Connectivity values for user pairings for a group activity can be computed based a synchronicity in a time-series correlation for the physiological parameters for permutations of the user pairings for the group activity.

The present invention relates to a portable breath gas and volatile substance analyzer comprising a breath input portion for inputting the breath into the analyzer by blowing breath, a breath delivery portion connected to the breath input portion, a breath storage portion connected to the breath delivery portion, a sensor provided in the breath storage portion for detecting the breath, and a microcontroller connected to the sensor for receiving the breath data from the sensor to analyze the gas and volatile substance data.

Disclosed herein are methods, systems, and devices for controlling a gas mixture within a mechanical ventilator. According to one embodiment, a computer implemented method includes receiving first peripheral arterial oxygen saturation (SpO.sub.2) data from a pulse oximeter via a pulse oximeter interface, wherein the pulse oximeter is configured to monitor a patient receiving invasive ventilation; determining a first mode of operation for a ventilator mechanism, wherein the ventilator mechanism is configured to provide at least a portion of the invasive ventilation; determining first partial pressure of oxygen (PaO.sub.2) data stored in a first lookup table using the first SpO.sub.2 data, wherein the first lookup table is derived from a sigmoid shaped oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve; determining first fraction of inspired oxygen in air (FiO.sub.2) data for setting a mixture in a gas blender in the ventilator mechanism based on the first PaO.sub.2 data and a variable offset; and providing the FiO.sub.2 data to the ventilator mechanism.