Controlled gas-supply system

Abstract

The invention relates to a gas-supply system for patients receiving artificial respiration or breathing spontaneously, in which one or several gases (for example NO, oxygen) are added to the respiration gas at varying proportions (continuously or intermittently) by means of a control device (program control, sensor control or combined program/sensor control). This gas-supply system allows for adaptive dosing of the gas to suit individual patients.

1 . Gas supply system for treating humans or mammals by inhalation, having a controlled gas metering of at least one gas, characterized by a program control unit, a sensor control unit or a combined programme/sensor control unit for inspiration-synchronized gas metering which is carried out in a pulse-modulated manner or in sequences.  
     
     
         2 . Gas supply system according to  claim 1 , characterized in that pulse width, pulse height and number of pulses within one breath are preset or variable.  
     
     
         3 . Gas supply system according to  claim 1  or  2 , characterized in that the gas metering is carried out by means of a basic metering and an additional metering of the gas.  
     
     
         4 . Gas supply system according to one of  claims 1  to  3 , characterized in that the gas metering is controlled by means of a response curve.  
     
     
         5 . Gas supply system according to one of  claims 1  to  4 , characterized in that the gas supply system contains a pressure vessel containing compressed gas, a vessel containing cold-liquefied gas or a gas generator as the gas source.  
     
     
         6 . Gas supply system according to one of  claims 1  to  5 , characterized in that oxygen and an NO-containing gas; an NO-containing gas and hydrogen; oxygen and hydrogen; oxygen and helium; oxygen, an NO-containing gas and hydrogen; oxygen, an NO-containing gas and helium; oxygen, carbon dioxide and helium; or oxygen, an NO-containing gas, carbon dioxide and hydrogen are metered in parallel.  
     
     
         7 . Gas supply system according to one of  claims 1  to  6 , characterized in that the gas supply system contains a gas-specific sensor, a gas sensor, a gas analyser, a pressure sensor, a pressure sensor and a gas sensor, a sound sensor, a sound pressure sensor, a gas volumetric flow sensor, a gas volume sensor, a sensor for measuring the oxygen saturation in the peripheral blood, for blood gas analysis, for measuring the oxygen saturation in the peripheral blood, for measuring blood pressure, for measuring pulmonary blood pressure, for measuring heart rate or for measuring cardiac output.  
     
     
         8 . Gas supply system according to one of  claims 1  to  7 , characterized in that the gas supply system contains one or more sensors for simultaneously measuring at least two variables, the variables being used to control the gas metering.  
     
     
         9 . Gas supply system according to one of  claims 1  to  8 , characterized in that the gas supply system contains one or more sensors for simultaneously measuring heart rate and oxygen saturation in the peripheral blood or pulmonary vessel pressure and oxygen saturation in the peripheral blood.  
     
     
         10 . Gas supply system according to one of  claims 1  to  9 , characterized in that the gas supply system contains a system for controlling the gas metering of at least one gas, which system is adaptive or related to the human or mammal being treated.  
     
     
         11 . Gas supply system according to one of  claims 1  to  10 , characterized in that the gas supply system contains a sensor for a warning system or for controlling a safety shut-off for gas metering.  
     
     
         12 . Gas supply system according to one of  claims 1  to  11 , characterized in that the gas supply system contains a program control unit and/or sensor control unit for the continuous or discontinuous temporal change in the gas volume or gas concentration of a gas in the respiratory gas.  
     
     
         13 . Gas supply system according to one of  claims 1  to  12 , characterized in that the gas supply system, after one or more metered gases have been fed in, contains a mixing path and/or a mixing member in the respiratory gas line.  
     
     
         14 . Method for metering gas for treating humans or mammals by inhalation with one or more gases, characterized in that the gas metering takes place in an inspiration-synchronized manner and by means of a program control unit, a sensor control unit or a combined program/sensor control unit, in a pulse-modulated manner or in sequences.  
     
     
         15 . Method according to  claim 14 , characterized in that the sequence of the program for controlling the metering of a gas is dependent on a measured variable being reached, and program sequences of the gas metering are triggered in the event of a threshold of a measured variable being exceeded or undershot.  
     
     
         16 . Method according to  claim 14 , characterized in that measured values from the previous breath are used to control the metering of a gas.