A strong unsolved need exists to provide people with breathable gases for inhaling instead of ambient air, when people live in areas, where the ambient air is polluted with toxic gases and particulate matters. The present invention solves this need by disclosing a breathing apparatus, a dispenser of breathable gases, and a distributor of breathable gases, for supplying breathable gases to people, exposed to polluted and contaminated outdoor and indoor ambient air.

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for controlling a patient's body temperature and in particular for inducing therapeutic hypothermia. Various embodiments of the system are described. The system includes: a source of breathing gas, which may be in the form of a compressed breathing gas mixture; a heat exchanger or other heating and/or cooling device; and a breathing interface, such as a breathing mask or tracheal tube. Optionally, the system may include additional features, such as a mechanical respirator, a nebulizer for introducing medication into the breathing gas, a body temperature probe and a feedback controller. The system can use air or a specialized breathing gas mixture, such as He/O.sub.2 or SF/O.sub.2 to increase the heat transfer rate. In addition, the system may include an ice particle generator for introducing fine ice particles into the flow of breathing gas to further increase the heat transfer rate.

This application relates to a hand-held cooling device for supplying a cryogen to a target region for cryotherapy. The device can include a cryogen container configured to contain a first cryogen having a first temperature and a nozzle configured to spray a first modified cryogen to the target region, the first modified cryogen having a second temperature higher than the first temperature. The device can also include a cryogen temperature regulator configured to receive the first cryogen and output the first modified cryogen to the nozzle, the cryogen temperature regulator disposed closer to the nozzle than the cryogen container. The cryogen temperature regulator can include a holder tube, a porous structure disposed inside a holder tube and a heater disposed around the holder tube and heating the holder tube so as to increase the first temperature to the second temperature while the first cryogen passes through the porous structure.

This application relates to a hand-held cooling device for supplying a cryogen to a target region for cryotherapy. The device can include a cryogen transfer unit configured to receive a first cryogen from an external cryogen reservoir, the first cryogen including i) a first amount of a liquid phase cryogen and ii) at least one of a first solid phase cryogen and a first gas phase cryogen. The device can also include a nozzle configured to spray a first modified cryogen to the target region. The device can further include a cryogen liquefier disposed between the cryogen container and the nozzle and configured to cool the first cryogen received from the cryogen transfer unit and output the first modified cryogen to the nozzle, the first modified cryogen including at least a second amount of the liquid phase cryogen more than the first amount of the liquid phase cryogen.

A non-invasive ventilation system may include at least one outer tube with a proximal lateral end of the outer tube adapted to extend to a side of a nose. The at least one outer tube may also include a throat section. At least one coupler may be located at a distal section of the outer tube for impinging at least one nostril and positioning the at least one outer tube relative to the at least one nostril. At least one jet nozzle may be positioned within the outer tube at the proximal lateral end and in fluid communication with a pressurized gas supply. At least one opening in the distal section may be adapted to be in fluid communication with the nostril. At least one aperture in the at least one outer tube may be in fluid communication with ambient air. The at least one aperture may be in proximity to the at least one jet nozzle.

A non-invasive ventilation system may include a nasal interface. The nasal interface may include a left outer tube with a distal end adapted to impinge a left nostril, at least one left opening in the left distal end in pneumatic communication with the left nostril, and a left proximal end of the left outer tube in fluid communication with ambient air. The left proximal end of the left outer tube may curve laterally away from a midline of a face. A right outer tube may be similarly provided. One or more left jet nozzles may direct ventilation gas into the left outer tube, and one or more right jet nozzles may direct ventilation gas into the right outer tube. The jet nozzles may be in fluid communication with the pressurized gas supply.

A device and method for treating high-altitude sickness can include a handheld device, and can deliver a therapeutic amount of nitric oxide to an individual's lungs in order to minimize or treat high-altitude sickness. The device is self-contained and portable, which allows an individual to carry and use the device in high-altitude or other low-oxygen environments.

A process and a metered dose inhaler, comprising: an air actuator comprising at least one inlet of liquefied gas (LG), at least one air outlet, at least one first LG-expanding volume and at least one second air-containing volume, the first and second volumes are effectively separated by means of a LG-blocking member; a container with an LG source; said container is in a fluid connection with said LG-expanding volume via the at least one LG inlet; The air actuator is facilitating a metered dose airflow by allowing the expansion of said LG in said at least one LG-expanding volume from its condensed liquid phase to its expanded gas phase. The expansion of said LG facilitates the compression of the air within said at least one air-containing volume, such that a metered dose LG-free air flow is inhalable via at least one air outlet.

A removable gas separation cartridge includes a housing having an inlet port, an outlet port, and a bed of adsorbent material. The cartridge is removable from an oxygen concentrator which separates oxygen from ambient air by using an absorption process.

A non-invasive ventilation system may include at least one outer tube with a proximal lateral end of the outer tube adapted to extend to a side of a nose. The at least one outer tube may also include a throat section. At least one coupler may be located at a distal section of the outer tube for impinging at least one nostril and positioning the at least one outer tube relative to the at least one nostril. At least one jet nozzle may be positioned within the outer tube at the proximal lateral end and in fluid communication with a pressurized gas supply. At least one opening in the distal section may be adapted to be in fluid communication with the nostril. At least one aperture in the at least one outer tube may be in fluid communication with ambient air. The at least one aperture may be in proximity to the at least one jet nozzle.