Surgery – Respiratory method or device – Means for supplying respiratory gas under positive pressure
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-18
2002-05-28
Dawson, Glenn K. (Department: 3761)
Surgery
Respiratory method or device
Means for supplying respiratory gas under positive pressure
C128S204180, C128S205240
Reexamination Certificate
active
06394089
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to oxygen concentration systems, and more particularly, to a patient ventilator oxygen concentration system using an existing source of compressed air allowing medical grade air to be simultaneously supplied along with oxygen gas from an oxygen concentrator.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There are a wide variety of medical applications in which oxygen and medical grade air are required. Oxygen is used for a number of respiratory care treatments. Medical grade air (as defined by United States Pharmacopia (USP) XXI) also has a number of respiratory care treatment applications. In addition to the critical care and the therapeutic benefits of these two gases, oxygen and medical grade air are used to power a range of pneumatic driven medical devices.
Hospitals have a need for oxygen and medical grade air. In military hospitals and in Europe, these needs are usually met by using oxygen concentrators for patients requiring oxygen gas and a filtration system for providing medical grade air for respiratory care treatment such as ventilators. Most United States hospitals use high-pressure gas systems or liquid oxygen to gaseous oxygen conversion systems to provide medical grade oxygen.
Hospitals use sources of compressed air. Conventional pressure swing absorption systems require a source of compressed air. Most conventional pressure swing adsorption systems use a compressor as the source of compressed air. A need exists for a system and method which can use a portion of the compressed air supply for a pressure swing absorption system, yet simultaneously allows some of the compressed air supply to be used as medical grade air.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a patient ventilator oxygen concentration system using an existing source of compressed air to provide oxygen gas and medical grade air.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a patient ventilator oxygen concentration system which simultaneously provides medical grade air from an air filtration system supplied along with oxygen gas from an oxygen concentration system.
Another object of the present invention is to power patient ventilators using medical grade air providing concentrated oxygen used by such ventilation devices while controlling the patient's partial pressure of oxygen in their blood stream with metered doses of oxygen.
Yet another object of the present invention is to produce both therapeutic oxygen and medical grade air flow quantities and at specific pressures compatible with patient ventilation devices.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a patient ventilator oxygen system which can maintain oxygen purity by using a modular bed design.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a patient ventilator oxygen system using multiple sets of zeolite beds.
The present invention called a patient ventilator oxygen concentration system advantageously utilizes an existing suitable air supply and provides a modular oxygen concentrator that uses the existing air supply and a medical grade air filtration package for providing medical grade using the existing air supply. The oxygen concentrator has multiple bed pairs which can be selectively activated. If one of the multiple bed pairs is not activated, the excess air provided by the existing air supply is filtered and medical grade air is supplied instead of oxygen gas for use with patient ventilators. Advantageously, the present invention obtains a large increase in medical grade air flow at the expense of very little oxygen flow while maintaining oxygen purity using the existing air supply. It is not possible to make this air/oxygen trade-off using a conventional pressure swing absorption (PSA) system for maintaining oxygen purity not having multiple bed pairs. The present invention provides an oxygen concentrator having a pneumatic circuit using a modular bed design. Each bed pair uses approximately three Standard Cubic Feet per Minute (SCFM) (80 SLPM) to produce five Standard Liters Per Minute (SLPM) of oxygen. Shutting down a bed pair reduces the oxygen flow but increases the available compressed air to be converted into medical grade air. The remaining bed pair maintain their oxygen purity because the compressed air supply is not reduced. By contrast, if a single bed pair system were used, reducing the oxygen output would not free up a significant amount of feed air to be converted into medical grade air. Using a conventional oxygen concentrator, if the demand for medical grade air increased beyond rated flow, the oxygen purity would decrease due to the transfer of feed air from the PSA bed pair to the medical grade air system.
These and other objects of the present invention are achieved by a patient ventilator oxygen concentration system including a compressor having an outlet, at least one switching valve connected to the outlet, an oxygen concentrating system including a plurality of n air valves each connected to said at least one switching valve, n sets of zeolite beds each having an inlet connected to a said corresponding air valve and plurality of n oxygen gas valves each connected to a corresponding zeolite bed and a medical grade ventilator air supply comprising an air filtering system connected to said at least one switching valve and a plurality of medical grade air valves each connected to the air filtering system.
The foregoing and other objects of the present invention are achieved by a patient ventilator oxygen concentration system including at least one switching valve connected to a source of compressed air. A plurality of n air valves are each connected to the at least one switching valve. An oxygen concentrating system includes n sets of zeolite beds each having an inlet connected to a corresponding air valve. A plurality of n oxygen gas valves are each connected to a corresponding zeolite bed valve. A medical grade ventilator air supply includes, an air filtering system connected to the at least one switching valve, and a plurality of medical grade air valves each connected to the air filtering system.
The foregoing and other objects of the present invention are achieved by a method of simultaneously providing oxygen gas and medical grade air using a source of compressed air providing a volume of compressed air and n sets of zeolite beds, including flowing a portion of the volume of compressed air through one or more of the sets of n zeolite beds and providing oxygen gas to up to x of n oxygen outlets and flowing the remainder of the volume of the compressed air into a filtering system and then to n-x air outlets.
Still other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein the preferred embodiments of the invention are shown and described, simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated of carrying out the invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other and different embodiments and its several details are capable of modifications in various obvious respects, all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description thereof are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5591399 (1997-01-01), Goldman et al.
patent: 5766310 (1998-06-01), Cramer
patent: 5975081 (1999-11-01), Hood et al.
patent: 5988165 (1999-11-01), Richey et al.
Cantrill Dean
Zugmaier Michael
Dawson Glenn K.
Lowe Hauptman & Gilman & Berner LLP
Northrop Grumman Corporation
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