Surgery – Respiratory method or device – Means for supplying respiratory gas under positive pressure
Patent
1995-04-12
1998-03-10
Millin, Vincent
Surgery
Respiratory method or device
Means for supplying respiratory gas under positive pressure
12820418, 12820023, 12820014, 12820128, A61M 1600
Patent
active
057249628
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an improved valve and mouthpiece for use in auxiliary inhalation devices to be mounted on pressurized metered dose inhalers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A pressurized metered dose inhaler is the most commonly used means of administering medicaments by inhalation. However, the use of a metered dose inhaler involves problems owing to which only a relatively small proportion (10-25%) of the medicament dose released from the metered dose inhaler will pass into the lungs. The technique of using a metered dose inhaler is of great importance for the success of medicament therapy. The patient should trigger the aerosol at the initial stage of a calm and long inhalation. Learning this is, however, difficult for a very large proportion of asthma patients. Furthermore, the aerosol spray released at a high velocity from a metered dose inhaler will impinge against the patient's throat, causing adverse local and systemic side effects.
A number of aerosol holding containers, or so-called aerosol spacers, have been developed to facilitate the use of a metered dose inhaler and to improve the passage of the medicament to the lungs. When an aerosol spacer is used, the aerosol dose can first be released from the metered dose inhaler into a chamber from which the patient can inhale it into his lungs at his own inhalation pace. However, in order for this to be possible, the mouthpiece of the spacer must be equipped with a valve which will open automatically upon inhalation via the mouthpiece of the spacer and will close automatically during exhalation via the mouthpiece. Thus a patient can inhale a dose of medicament in his inhalation via the valve. Furthermore, the valve makes normal exhaling possible before and after inhalation.
Such an aerosol spacer, equipped with an aerosol chamber and one or two valves, has been disclosed in, for example, Finnish patent application No. 792802. FIGS. 4 and 5 of the said patent application show a one-valve system. In it the patient first releases a dose of medicament from the metered dose inhaler into the spacer. The patient's inhalation will automatically open the valve between the chamber and the mouthpiece, enabling the medicament to be inhaled along with the inspiratory air flowing through the chamber. Upon exhalation the valve will close. The mouthpiece of the aerosol spacer is equipped with apertures through which expiratory air will be discharged, the valve preventing exhalation into the chamber. Such a system has a disadvantage in that during inhalation a considerable proportion of the inspiratory air is inhaled through the apertures of the mouthpiece. In this case, in order that the entire air volume contained in the aerosol spacer (most commonly 750 ml) could be emptied with one inhalation, the patient should be able to inhale an air volume considerably larger than this. This causes considerable difficulties for patients with severe asthma, and in particular for old people and children.
FIGS. 1-3 of the said patent application disclose a mouthpiece provided with two valves, eliminating the above disadvantage. The first valve permits the air to be inhaled to pass from the chamber into the mouthpiece and prevents expiratory air from returning to the chamber. The second valve permits an expiratory air flow through the aperture of the mouthpiece but prevents inhalation through this aperture. Such an aerosol spacer provided with two valves is, however, unnecessarily complicated and expensive.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a valve for an aerosol spacer to be mounted on a metered dose inhaler; with the help of the valve, upon inhalation the entire volume of inspiratory air will pass through the chamber, and during exhalation the entire air volume will be directed via the apertures of the mouthpiece. The valve system according to the invention is considerably simpler than known systems. By the use of the system according to the invention, the two-valve structure according to patent application 792802 can be
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patent: 4470412 (1984-09-01), Nowacki et al.
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patent: 5042467 (1991-08-01), Foley
patent: 5103854 (1992-04-01), Bailey et al.
patent: 5385140 (1995-01-01), Smith
"Valves for Use in Controlled Ventilation The Takaoka Inflating Valve", Automatic Ventilation of the Lungs, William W. Mushin et al., 1980, Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, Great Britain, p. 847.
"Valves for Use in Controlled Ventilation The Newton Inflating Valve", Automatic Ventilation of the Lungs, William W. Mushin et al., 1980, Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, Great Britain, p. 841.
Kaplas Tapio Antti
Vidgren Mika Tapio
Deane, Jr. William J.
Millin Vincent
Orion-yhtyma Oy
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