Breathing assistance apparatus

Abstract

A breathing assistance apparatus is designed for use with delivery of respiratory gases to a patient. The breathing assistance apparatus includes a patient interface, having a body section adapted to cover the nose, or nose and mouth of a patient and a sealing interface. The sealing interface includes at least an outer sealing member. The outer sealing member (201) is adapted to attach to the body section in a sealing manner and has a substantially thin section (203) in at least its nasal bridge region. The thin section is substantially thinner than the rest of the outer sealing member.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A cushion for a breathing assistance apparatus, the cushion comprising:
 an upper portion defining an uppermost extent of at least one opening; and   a lower portion defining a lowermost extent of the at least one opening comprising:
 a thin section comprising a first thickness, the thin section being located in a region of the cushion configured to contact a patient's chin in use, and 
 a pair of lateral portions comprising a second thickness that is greater than the first thickness, the pair of lateral portions being positioned on respective lateral sides of the thin section. 
   
     
     
         2 . The cushion of  claim 1 , wherein the upper portion comprises an upper thin region. 
     
     
         3 . The cushion of  claim 2 , wherein the upper thin region is arcuate in shape. 
     
     
         4 . The cushion of  claim 2 , wherein the upper thin region and the thin section are more flexible and configured to be collapsible to a greater degree when a force is placed against the cushion relative to other portions of the cushion. 
     
     
         5 . The cushion of  claim 2 , wherein the upper thin region comprises the first thickness. 
     
     
         6 . The cushion of  claim 1  further comprising a pair of intermediate portions that extend from the upper portion to the pair of lateral portions of the lower portion and define lateral sides of the at least one opening. 
     
     
         7 . The cushion of  claim 6 , wherein the pair of intermediate portions comprise the second thickness. 
     
     
         8 . The cushion of  claim 1 , wherein the cushion is made of silicone. 
     
     
         9 . A cushion for a breathing assistance apparatus, the cushion comprising:
 a lower sealing portion located below a lowermost extent of at least one opening, the lower sealing portion comprising:
 a central section comprising a first thickness, the central section being located in a region of the cushion configured to contact a patient's chin in use, and 
 a pair of lateral sections comprising a second thickness that is greater than the first thickness, the pair of lateral sections being positioned laterally outward from the central section; 
   an upper sealing portion configured to seal against the patient's nose, the upper sealing portion being located above an uppermost extent of the at least one opening;   a pair of intermediate portions extending between the lower sealing portion and the upper sealing portion, the pair of intermediate portions comprising the second thickness; and   the at least one opening defined by the cushion, wherein the lower sealing portion, the upper sealing portion, and the pair of intermediate portions define respective portions of the at least one opening.   
     
     
         10 . The cushion of  claim 9 , wherein the upper sealing portion comprises a thin bridge section comprising a third thickness that is less than the second thickness. 
     
     
         11 . The cushion of  claim 10 , further comprising an outer edge. 
     
     
         12 . The cushion of  claim 11 , wherein the thin bridge section is positioned near the outer edge of the cushion. 
     
     
         13 . The cushion of  claim 10 , wherein the thin bridge section and the central section are more flexible and configured to be collapsible to a greater degree when a force is placed against the cushion relative to other portions of the cushion. 
     
     
         14 . The cushion of  claim 10 , wherein the thin bridge section is arcuate in shape. 
     
     
         15 . The cushion of  claim 10 , wherein the thin bridge section is located at an apex of the upper sealing portion. 
     
     
         16 . The cushion of  claim 15 , wherein the second thickness of the pair of intermediate portions terminates prior to the thin bridge section. 
     
     
         17 . The cushion of  claim 15 , wherein the second thickness of the pair of intermediate portions extends to corresponding sides of the upper sealing portion. 
     
     
         18 . The cushion of  claim 15 , wherein the second thickness of the pair of intermediate portions extends to corresponding sides of the upper sealing portion. 
     
     
         19 . The cushion of  claim 9 , wherein the upper sealing portion, the lower sealing portion, and the pair of intermediate portions comprise a face-contacting portion that is configured to contact the patient's face in use. 
     
     
         20 . The cushion of  claim 19 , wherein the face-contacting portion is continuous.