A sleep apnea treatment apparatus including a stimulation device that applies a stimulation to a subject, and a controller including circuitry which receives sounds produced by the subject, converts the sounds to received sound signals, obtains snoring sound information from the received sound signals, calculates an impact of snoring sound produced by the subject based on the snoring sound information, and causes the stimulation device to apply the stimulation to the subject when the impact is higher than a threshold.

A mechanical ventilation system comprises a mechanical ventilator configured to deliver ventilation to a patient. An electronic controller is programmed to control the mechanical ventilator to perform a mechanical insufflation-exsufflation (MI-E) therapy method including performing a MI-E cycle including: (i) during an insufflation cycle, delivering pressure to the patient at a positive insufflation gauge pressure; (ii) during an exsufflation cycle following step (i), delivering pressure to the patient at a negative exsufflation gauge pressure and detecting whether an upper airway collapse occurs; and (iii) reducing a magnitude of the negative exsufflation gauge pressure if an upper airway collapse is detected in step (ii).

A device for generating a condensation aerosol includes (a) vaporization chamber having an upstream first inlet and a downstream outlet; (b) a heater element in the vaporization chamber between the upstream first inlet and the downstream outlet; (c) an airflow path in fluid communication with the vaporization chamber, wherein the airflow path comprises a second inlet configured to permit a substantially laminar flow of air into the airflow path, wherein the second inlet is downstream of the heater element; and (d) the device having components or apparatus on or in the device for changing air flow in the vaporization chamber. Changing the air flow in the vaporization chamber may be used to change the particle size of a condensation aerosol produced in the vaporization chamber, and/or to change the amount of visible vapor emitted from the device.

A system that determines one or more sleep phenotyping parameters of a subject. In one embodiment, the system comprises a sleep sensor, a stimulus generator, and a processor. The sleep sensor generates signals that convey information related to the physiological functions that indicate the sleep stage of the subject. The stimulus generator provides a stimulus to the subject that enables information related to the sleep phenotyping parameters to be determined. The processor receives the signals generated by the sleep sensor and is in operative communication with the stimulus generator. The processor (i) determines, based on the signals received from the sleep sensor, whether a trigger condition related to the current sleep stage of the subject is satisfied, (ii) controls the stimulus generator to provide the stimulus to the subject if the trigger condition is satisfied, and (iii) quantifies the response of the subject to the stimulus.

A system that determines one or more sleep phenotyping parameters of a subject. In one embodiment, the system comprises a sleep sensor, a stimulus generator, and a processor. The sleep sensor generates signals that convey information related to the physiological functions that indicate the sleep stage of the subject. The stimulus generator provides a stimulus to the subject that enables information related to the sleep phenotyping parameters to be determined. The processor receives the signals generated by the sleep sensor and is in operative communication with the stimulus generator. The processor (i) determines, based on the signals received from the sleep sensor, whether a trigger condition related to the current sleep stage of the subject is satisfied, (ii) controls the stimulus generator to provide the stimulus to the subject if the trigger condition is satisfied, and (iii) quantifies the response of the subject to the stimulus.

The present invention presents methods and apparatus for detecting, imaging, monitoring, and modulating of brain activities and neuronal activities in the brain using radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic (EM) waves, as well as methods and apparatus for detecting, imaging, and monitoring breathing and heart-beating using RF EM waves.

A method for generating a flow profile of an inhalation device is described. The method comprises the step of measuring acoustic emissions induced by inhalation flow through the inhalation device. The method further comprises the step of detecting peak frequencies in the measured acoustic emissions and generating a flow profile based on the detected peak frequencies. A corresponding device is also described.

A system and method for providing a therapy to a subject may include a lumen configured to be coupled to a portion of a respiration passage of the subject to receive air respired by the subject. A sensor is configured to monitor the lumen and generate a signal based on the air respired by the subject. A pressure pulse delivery system is configured to deliver a pressure pulse along the lumen to the subject and a reservoir of therapeutic agent is coupled to the lumen. A processor is configured to receive the signal from the sensor, determine, from at least the signal, an exhalation period of the subject, and based on the exhalation period, cause the pressure pulse delivery system to deliver a pressure pulse to the subject. Following the pressure pulse, the processor can cause the therapeutic agent to be delivered from the reservoir.

A stator assembly has coils in a distributed winding configuration. A poly-phase switched reluctance motor assembly may include a stator assembly with multiple coils in a distributed winding configuration. The stator assembly may have a central bore into which a rotor assembly having multiple poles is received and configured to rotate. A method of controlling a switched reluctance motor may include at least three phases wherein during each conduction period a first phase is energized with negative direction current, a second phase is energized with positive current and there is at least one non-energized phase. During each commutation period either the first phase or second phase switches off to a non-energized state and one of the non-energized phases switches on to an energized state with the same direction current as the first or second phase that was switched off. The switched reluctance motor may include a distributed winding configuration.

The invention relates to a device (1) for supportive respiration of a living being (3), said device having a sensor arrangement, a programmable control unit (10) and an air conveyance unit (6), which is controllable by the control unit (10). The sensor arrangement has a pressure sensor (9) and an air flow sensor (11), which are designed for the temporally successive detection of respiratory pressure values and respiratory air flow values of the living being (3). The programmable control unit (10) is designed to evaluate respiratory air pressure profiles and respiratory air flow profiles formed from the temporally successive respiratory pressure values and respiratory air flow values detected by the sensor arrangement In order to provide respiration for the living being (3) which is in particular comfortable and individually adapted to the current needs of the living being (3), according to the invention the programmable control unit (10) is designed to detect unsuccessful respiratory movements of the living being (3) and the cause thereof on the basis of characteristic features of the respiratory pressure profiles and/or the respiratory air flow profiles. The invention furthermore relates to a computer program having program code means, designed to carry out a method for supportive respiration of a living being (3) by means of a respirator device (1) when the computer program is executed on a computer unit of the respirator device (1).