A valve for use with breathing assistance apparatus comprises first, second and third ports (21, 22, 23) for respective connection to a patient breathing tube, a first ventilation apparatus and a second ventilation application. The valve includes a bistable valve mechanism having a first stable configuration in which the first port is in fluid communication with the second port and not the third port; and a second stable configuration in which the first port is in fluid communication with the third port and not the second port. The valve has an actuator configured to transition the bistable valve mechanism between the two stable configurations and preventing the valve mechanism from maintaining a stable intermediate position between the first and second stable configurations. In this way a patient may be switched from one ventilation apparatus to another ventilation apparatus without sudden loss of pressure in the disconnecting circuit causing potentially infected aerosols to be released, and the without sudden loss of positive end expiratory pressure to the patients lungs.

The invention relates to a patient interface comprising a plenum chamber, a seal-forming structure, and a positioning and stabilizing structure, as well as the method of operating the patient interface. The patient's interface is configured to leave a patient's mouth uncovered or if the seal-forming structure is configured to seal around a patient's nose and mouth, the patient interface is configured to allow the patient to breath from the ambient in an absence of the flow of pressurized. The positioning and stabilizing structure includes headgear, and the seal-forming structure and at least a portion of the headgear is formed from a one piece construction of textile material. In another embodiment, the seal-forming structure and/or the positioning and stabilizing structure includes an adaptive portion that adjusts based on usage conditions. In another embodiment, the positioning and stabilizing structure, the seal-forming structure and/or the plenum chamber includes and/or is formed of a textile material, and the textile material includes at least one magnetic thread constructed of magnetic material to provide a magnetic interaction between a first part of the patient interface and a second part of the patient interface. In another embodiment, a stiffener is coupled to the plenum chamber, the seal-forming structure, and/or the positioning and stabilizing structure. In another embodiment, at least one of the plenum chamber and the seal-forming structure includes a textile material; and wherein the textile material includes a surface structure that limits adhesion of debris. A UV cleaning receptacle of the patient interface is also disclosed.

Systems and methods for cleaning and maintaining artificial airways sized for insertion within pediatric or neonatal patients (e.g., external diameters of less than 5 mm) are disclosed. The system includes a multi-port ventilator manifold configured to couple to a ventilation source, thereby forming a ventilator circuit with the patient. The manifold includes an occluder configured to advantageously reduce an amount of dead space in the manifold so as to prevent less of positive end expiratory pressure of the ventilator circuit and reduce the likelihood of broncho-pulmonary dysplasia of the patient, or even premature death.

Apparatus is disclosed for ventilation using an airbag, which may also be operable manually. The apparatus comprises: means providing or penetrable to form an aperture in the airbag; retractable means provided separately from the airbag, for extending in the airbag; fixing means for fixing, by an operator, an end of the retractable means to the airbag via the aperture; actuation means, for repeatedly retracting the retractable means at least partially through the aperture in the airbag to collapse the airbag, and for enabling expansion of the airbag to an expanded state; and connecting means for connecting the actuation means to the airbag and for preventing environment egress of gas from within the airbag between the aperture and the actuation means.

A cleanable respiratory tube is provided. The cleanable respiratory tube comprises a corrugated tube adapted for conveying gases to and/or from a patient. The corrugated tube has a first and a second fitting at a first and a second end thereof, respectively. A sheath having a smooth cleanable outer surface encases the corrugated tube. A first and a second end of the sheath is fixedly attached to the respective first and second fitting. The sheath is made of a flexible foil-type sheet material surrounding the corrugated tube having an inside diameter approximately equal to an outside diameter of ridges of the corrugated tube such that the sheath is in a touching relationship therewith.

System for assisting a patient in speaking, comprising at least one ventilation apparatus and a patient interface, the ventilation apparatus comprising at least one controllable respiratory gas source and being designed to identify two or more respiratory phases, at least inspiration and expiration, of the patient, and the patient interface having at least one speaking tube and a respiratory tube and being configured to conduct speaking gas to the patient via the speaking tube and to conduct respiratory gas to and/or from the patient via the respiratory tube. The system is configured to provide speaking gas to the patient at least temporarily in a speaking mode in order to enable speaking.

An endotracheal tube that is particularly useful for surgical operations on a patient's lower face. The endotracheal tube comprises a swivel segment and a laryngeal segment that are rotatably joined. To facilitate relocation of the endotracheal tube during surgery, the swivel segment can be swiveled in relation to the laryngeal segment. To allow instruments to be inserted, the swivel segment has a lumen access port that opens into the lumen of the swivel segment. The laryngeal segment may have a reinforced portion to prevent occlusion or damage by the patient biting. Also disclosed are methods for performing surgery on a patient's face using the endotracheal tube and methods of intubating a patient's airway using the endotracheal tube.

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.

A ventilation device for artificial ventilation, having: —a ventilation gas source; —a ventilation conducting assembly for conducting inspiratory ventilation gas from the ventilation gas source to a patient-side, proximal ventilation-gas outlet opening and for conducting expiratory ventilation gas away from a proximal ventilation-gas inlet opening; —a pressure-changing assembly for changing the pressure of the ventilation gas flowing in the ventilation conducting assembly; —a control device, which is designed to control the operation of the ventilation gas source and/or the operation of the pressure-changing assembly; —an evaluation device for processing sensor signals; and —an O2 sensor assembly for determining an O2 concentration value representing the oxygen concentration of the ventilation gas flowing in the ventilation conducting assembly, wherein the O2 sensor assembly outputs O2 sensor signals, which contain information regarding the O2 concentration value, to the evaluation device, and wherein the evaluation device is designed to determine, on the basis of the O2 sensor signals, an O2 change value representing a change in the O2 concentration value and, if the O2 change value satisfies a predefined condition, to infer degradation of the O2 sensor assembly and to output a signal.

A method includes receiving data associated with a sleep session of a user. The method also includes determining that the user is experiencing or has experienced an event based at least in part on the data. The method also includes causing pressurized air to be directed from a respiratory device to a multi-compartment bladder in response to determining that the user is experiencing or has experienced the event to aid in modifying a position of a head of the user.