Inhalation method with controlled cyclic activation

Abstract

In a method for performing an inhalation a reservoir is filed with a medication fluid or a medication container is connected to a designated connecting piece, a nebulizer unit is connected to a control unit and a mouthpiece, the nebulizer unit is activated, the medication fluid is atomized into a fine particulate aerosol which is emitted into an aerosol chamber formed by the nebulizer unit and the mouthpiece, and an inhalation is performed by a user. A pressure within the aerosol chamber and/or a flow rate through the aerosol chamber is measured using the control unit. The nebulizer is activated with each breath on occurrence of at least one activation criterion detected using the control unit. The nebulizer unit is deactivated with fulfillment of at least one stop criterion.

Claims

1. A nebulizer for carrying out an inhalation procedure comprising: a medication reservoir; a nebulizer unit including an aerosol generator configured to atomize a liquid medication supplied from the medication reservoir, and a connection piece; a mouthpiece attached to the connection piece of the nebulizer unit; an aerosol chamber formed by the nebulizer unit and the mouthpiece, the aerosol chamber being limited circumferentially by the connection piece and the mouthpiece and frontally by the aerosol generator; an air channel extending below the aerosol generator and having first and second ends, the first end connected to the aerosol chamber, and the second end extending rearwardly and including a protruding cone-shaped stub; and a control unit connected to the cone-shaped stub of the air channel and configured to monitor a pressure in, or a flow rate through the aerosol chamber using a pressure and/or flow rate sensor, wherein: air drawn from the outside into the aerosol chamber through an inhalation by a user enclosing the mouthpiece mixes with an aerosolization of the liquid medication generated by the aerosol generator to form a mixture that is transported through the mouthpiece and into the respiratory tracts and, if applicable, the lungs of the user; and the aerosolization unit is activated upon the detection of an activation criterion by the control unit, and deactivated upon detection of a stopping criterion by the control unit.

2. The nebulizer of claim 1, wherein the activation criterion includes the pressure or the flow rate exceeding a threshold value.

3. The nebulizer of claim 2, wherein, from a degree of fulfilment of the activation criterion, a weighted average value is calculated using the control unit, and the aerosol generator is activated when the weighted average value exceeds a threshold value.

4. The nebulizer of claim 1, wherein a rate of atomization of the liquid medication by the aerosol generator is controlled depending on a difference between the pressure and/or the flow rate and a threshold value for the pressure and/or the flow rate.

5. The nebulizer of claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to calculate a total flow rate including integrating the measured flow rate over time.

6. The nebulizer of claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to calculate a target attainment probability during each breath of a user.

7. The nebulizer of claim 1, wherein the stopping criterion includes one or more of the group consisting of: an expiration of a time span; the pressure exceeding a threshold pressure; the flow rate falling below a threshold flow rate; the flow rate reaching a preset total flow rate; and a target attainment probability for a breath of the user calculated using the control unit that falls below a precalculated target attainment probability.

8. The nebulizer of claim 7, wherein, from a degree of fulfilment of the at least one stopping criterion, a weighted average value is calculated using the control unit, and the aerosol generator is deactivated as soon as the weighted average value exceeds a threshold value.

9. The nebulizer of claim 8, wherein weighting factors used in calculating the weighted average value are adapted during the course of an inhalation.

10. The nebulizer of claim 9, wherein, stop criteria in the form of a time span from a start of an inhalation are more strongly weighted at a beginning of an inhalation, and this weighting is changed over the course of an inhalation in favor of user-modified stop criteria selected from the group consisting of a total flow rate or falling below a target attainment probability.

11. The nebulizer of claim 1, wherein the pressure and/or flow rate sensor is configured to measure at least one of: a dynamic pressure in the mouthpiece or an air channel leading to the mouthpiece; a temperature of a reference resistor exposed to an air flow; and a rotational speed of an impeller driven by an air flow.

12. The nebulizer of claim 1, wherein the at least one stop criterion includes a threshold value of a total flow rate that is adapted during the course of inhalation to total flow rate values corresponding to actual respiration volumes of the user.

13. A method for performing an inhalation using a nebulizer, the nebulizer including: a medication reservoir; a nebulizer unit including an aerosol generator and a connection piece; a mouthpiece attached to the connection piece of the nebulizer unit; an aerosol chamber formed by the nebulizer unit and the mouthpiece, the aerosol chamber being limited circumferentially by the connection piece and the mouthpiece and frontally by the aerosol generator; an air channel extending below the aerosol generator and having first and second ends, the first end connected to the aerosol chamber, and the second end extending rearwardly and including a protruding cone-shaped stub; and a control unit connected to the cone-shaped stub of the air channel and including a pressure and/or flow rate sensor, the method comprising: receiving the mouthpiece within the mouth of the user; performing an inhalation by the user; activating the aerosol generator and atomizing a liquid medication supplied from the medication reservoir upon detection of an activation criterion using the control unit; mixing air drawn from the outside and the atomized liquid medication in the aerosol chamber; transporting the mixed air and atomized liquid medication through the mouthpiece and into the respiratory tracts and, if applicable, the lungs of the user; and deactivating the aerosol generator upon detection of a stopping criterion using the control unit.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the activation criterion includes the pressure or the flow rate exceeding a threshold value.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising calculating a weighted average value from a degree of fulfilment of the activation criterion using the control unit, wherein the aerosol generator is activated when the weighted average value exceeds a threshold value.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising controlling a rate of atomization of the liquid medication by the aerosol generator depending on a difference between the pressure and/or the flow rate and a threshold value for the pressure and/or the flow rate.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising calculating a total flow rate including integrating the measured flow rate over time using the control unit.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising calculating a target attainment probability during each breath of a user using the control unit.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the stopping criterion includes one or more of the group consisting of: an expiration of a time span; the pressure exceeding a threshold pressure; the flow rate falling below a threshold flow rate; the flow rate reaching a preset total flow rate; and a target attainment probability for a breath of the user calculated using the control unit that falls below a precalculated target attainment probability.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising calculating a weighted average value from a degree of fulfilment of the stopping criterion using the control unit, wherein the aerosol generator is deactivated as soon as the weighted average value exceeds a threshold value.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein weighting factors used in calculating the weighted average value are adapted during the course of an inhalation.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein, stop criteria in the form of a time span from a start of an inhalation are more strongly weighted at a beginning of an inhalation, and this weighting is changed over the course of an inhalation in favor of user-modified stop criteria selected from the group consisting of a total flow rate or falling below a target attainment probability.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein the pressure and/or flow rate sensor is configured to measure at least one of: a dynamic pressure in the mouthpiece or an air channel leading to the mouthpiece; a temperature of a reference resistor exposed to an air flow; and a rotational speed of an impeller driven by an air flow.

24. The method of claim 13, wherein the stop criterion includes a threshold value of a total flow rate that is adapted during the course of inhalation to total flow rate values corresponding to actual respiration volumes of the user.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section through the nebulizer unit, with mounted mouthpiece, of a preferred embodiment of the nebulizer according to the invention with flow channel; and

(2) FIG. 2 shows exemplary graphs for flow rate and aerosol production in the course of time in the case of inhalation controlled according to the method according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

(3) FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section through the nebulizer unit 1 with mounted mouthpiece of an embodiment of a nebulizer with flow channel according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The centrepiece of the nebulizer unit 1 is formed by the aerosol generator 101, which is mechanically retained by the sealing ring 102 and retaining structure 103. At the input end of the aerosol generator 101, the medication reservoir 11, which can be firmly sealed by a cap 13, can be seen, into which the liquid medication is filled. At the outlet end of the aerosol generator 101, there lies the aerosol chamber 120, an essentially cylindrical volume, in which the medication mist collects after atomization, before it is transported away through the mouthpiece 2 with the air stream generated by the user. The mouthpiece 2, for easier cleaning, is designed so as to be removable and in operation is plugged on a connecting piece 12, which is present on the nebulizer unit 1.

(4) On the underside of the nebulizer unit, the flow channel 104 can be seen, which opens with its front end in the aerosol chamber 102, located in the outlet end of the aerosol generator 101, and with its second end is guided rearward, where it ends in a truncated conical nozzle, which can be connected to the control unit.

(5) The opening of the flow channel 104 forms the reference point of the pressure measurement. It lies within that portion of the aerosol chamber 120 that is located in the mouthpiece 2, which has the decisive advantage that the measurable total pressure change is higher than that at a measurement point further in the direction of the aerosol generator 101. On one hand the respiratory cycle of the user can thus be more accurately monitored, on the other hand the pressure that is picked up there is also hardly influenced by shocks or general movements of the nebulizer, which advantageously further increases the accuracy.

(6) FIG. 2 shows two graphs as an example of a time profile of flow rate {dot over (V)} for two inhalation operations (top graph) as well as three different aerosol production rates {dot over (m)}.sub.1, {dot over (m)}.sub.2, {dot over (m)}.sub.3, which are controlled according to embodiments of the present disclosure (lower graph).

(7) As can be seen, with a first actuation process, dotted curve {dot over (m)}.sub.1, the full aerosol production is triggered as soon as a threshold value {dot over (V)}.sub.1 of the flow is exceeded, and stopped when it falls below a second threshold value {dot over (V)}.sub.2.

(8) The second aerosol production according to embodiments of the present disclosure, presented as a continuous line {dot over (m)}.sub.2, provides, before the first threshold value {dot over (V)}.sub.1 is reached, an activation with reduced production rate, which then, towards a threshold value {dot over (V)}.sub.3, is increased to a maximum value, before, on falling below this threshold value {dot over (V)}.sub.3, a reduction of the aerosol production starts, and this is eventually completely deactivated when the threshold value {dot over (V)}.sub.2 is reached and fallen below.

(9) As third, preferred mode of actuation, which is perhaps simplest to realize, dotted curve {dot over (m)}.sub.3, embodiments of the present disclosure provide provides, after triggering on reaching the flow threshold value {dot over (V)}.sub.1 to make the deactivation dependent on the expiry of a time span T.

LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

(10) 1 Nebulizer unit 11 Medication reservoir 12 Connecting piece for mouthpiece 2 13 Cap 101 Aerosol generator 102 Sealing ring 103 Retaining structure 104 Flow channel for connection to control unit 2 Mouthpiece 21 Aerosol chamber {dot over (V)} Flow rate {dot over (V)}.sub.1 First threshold value of the flow rate {dot over (V)}.sub.2 Second threshold value of the flow rate {dot over (V)}.sub.3 Third threshold value of the flow rate {dot over (m)}.sub.1 First aerosol production rate {dot over (m)}.sub.2 Second aerosol production rate {dot over (m)}.sub.3 Third aerosol production rate T Time span

(11) Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described with reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.