DEVICE FOR RETAINING HUMIDITY IN A PATIENT INTERFACE

• Main Authors: HOLLEY, Liam, CONNELL, Emma Anne
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 03.04.2024
• Subjects: DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROMTHE BODY; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HYGIENE; MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE

The present invention discloses a patient interface for sealed delivery of a flow of air at a continuously positive pressure with respect to ambient air pressure to an entrance to the patient's airways including at least an entrance of a patient's nares, wherein the patient interface is configured to maintain a therapy pressure in a range of about 4 cmH2O to about 30 cmH2O above ambient air pressure in use, throughout the patient's respiratory cycle, while the patient is sleeping, to ameliorate sleep disordered breathing, said patient interface comprising: a seal-forming structure to form a pneumatic seal with the entrance to the patient's airways; a positioning and stabilising structure to maintain the seal-forming structure in sealing contact with an area surrounding the entrance to the patient's airways while maintaining a therapeutic pressure at the entrance to the patient's airways; a plenum chamber pressurised at a pressure above ambient pressure in use; a connection port for the delivery of the flow of breathable gas into the patient interface; and a device positioned within a breathing chamber defined, at least in part, by the seal-forming structure and the plenum chamber when the seal-forming structure is in sealing contact with the area surrounding the entrance to the patient's airways, wherein the device divides the breathing chamber into a posterior chamber and an anterior chamber, wherein, in use, the posterior chamber is proximal to the entrance of the patient's airways relative to the anterior chamber, and wherein the device comprises a plurality of apertures, the patient interface being configured such that, in use, the flow of breathable gas flows from the connection port, into the plenum chamber and through the plurality of apertures before reaching the entrance to a patient's airways, a flow path through each of the plurality of apertures being linear, and the device being formed of a material that is resistant to absorption of moisture.