초록 ▼

A respiration appliance (10), system (40), and method (62, 72, 86) for supporting the airway of a subject (12) as the subject (12) breaths. The flow of gas from the lungs of the subject (12) during exhalation is leveraged to provide support to the airway. In particular, a body (14) that encloses one

A respiration appliance (10), system (40), and method (62, 72, 86) for supporting the airway of a subject (12) as the subject (12) breaths. The flow of gas from the lungs of the subject (12) during exhalation is leveraged to provide support to the airway. In particular, a body (14) that encloses one or more external orifices of the subject (12) provides a resistance differential between inhaled gas flows and exhaled gas flows that supports the subject's airway.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A respiration appliance configured to support an airway of a subject as the subject breaths, the respiration appliance comprising: a body configured such that when the body is installed on a face of the subject a body-face interface encloses one or more external orifices of the airway of the subj

1. A respiration appliance configured to support an airway of a subject as the subject breaths, the respiration appliance comprising: a body configured such that when the body is installed on a face of the subject a body-face interface encloses one or more external orifices of the airway of the subject, wherein the body forms a plurality of flow paths between the one or more external orifices of the airway of the subject and ambient atmosphere, the plurality of flow paths comprising a first subset of flow paths made up of one or more of but not all of the plurality of flow paths;a set of one or more inhalation valves disposed only in the first subset of flow paths, wherein the one or more inhalation valves permit gas to flow relatively freely from ambient atmosphere to one or more external orifices of the airway of the subject within the first subset of flow paths, and wherein the one or more inhalation valves significantly resist or seal a flow of gas from the one or more external orifices of the airway of the subject to ambient atmosphere within the first subset of flow paths;a set of one or more exhalation valves disposed in a second subset of flow paths formed by the body, the one or more exhalation valves being configured to permit gas flow from the one or more external orifices of the airway of the subject to ambient atmosphere through the second subset of flow paths, wherein the second subset of flow paths is made up of one or more of the plurality of flow paths formed by the body that are not included in the first subset of flow paths;wherein a cumulative resistance to gas flow within the plurality of flow paths formed by the body for gas passing from ambient atmosphere to the one or more external orifices of the airway of the subject is low enough that the subject can inhale freely through the body, and wherein the cumulative resistance to gas flow within the plurality of flow paths formed by the body for gas passing from the one or more external orifices of the airway of the subject to ambient atmosphere is high enough that exhalation by the subject through the body creates a pressure in the airway of the subject that supports the airway during exhalation;such that the one or more external orifices of the airway of the subject that are enclosed by the body comprise a first external orifice and a second external orifice, wherein at least one of the second subset of flow paths communicates with the first external orifice but not the second external orifice and has disposed therein a first subset of the one or more exhalation valves, wherein at least one of the second subset of flow paths communicates with the second external orifice but not the first external orifice and has disposed therein a second subset of the one or more exhalation valves, and wherein the cumulative resistance of the first subset of the one or more exhalation valves is different than the cumulative resistance of the second subset of the one or more exhalation valves. 2. The respiration appliance of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of flow paths formed by the body are included in either the first subset of flow paths or the second subset of flow paths. 3. The respiration appliance of claim 1, wherein the cumulative resistance of the one or more exhalation valves to gas flow from the one or more external orifices of the airway of the subject to ambient atmosphere through the second subset of flow paths is configurable to adjust the cumulative resistance to gas flow within the plurality of flow paths formed by the body for gas passing from the one or more external orifices of the airway of the subject to ambient atmosphere. 4. The respiration appliance of claim 3, wherein the one or more exhalation valves are configured such that the cumulative resistance of the one or more exhalation valves to gas flow from the one or more external orifices of the airway of the subject to ambient atmosphere is accomplished by selectably inserting different exhalation valves into the second subset of flow paths. 5. The respiration appliance of claim 1, wherein the one or more external orifices of the airway of the subject comprise one or more nostrils of the subject. 6. The respiration appliance of claim 1, wherein the body includes a membrane that surrounds an exterior of the enclosed one or more external orifices of the airway of the subject. 7. The respiration appliance of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of flow paths formed by the body has a resistance to gas flow that is substantially equal for gas flowing from ambient atmosphere to the one or more external orifices and for gas flowing from the one or more external orifices to ambient atmosphere. 8. A method of supporting an airway of a subject as the subject breaths, the method comprising: enclosing one or more external orifices of the airway of the subject with a body that forms a plurality of flow paths between one or more external orifices of the airway and ambient atmosphere, the plurality of flow paths comprising a first subset of flow paths made up of one or more of but not all of the plurality of flow paths;providing, during inhalation, a first cumulative resistance to gas flow within the plurality of flow paths for gas flow through the body from ambient atmosphere to body-face interfaces enclosing one or more external orifices of the airway, wherein the first cumulative resistance is low enough that gas is inhaled from ambient atmosphere into the one or more external orifices of the airway substantially unimpeded;wherein the second cumulative resistance to gas flow within the plurality of flow paths for gas flow through the body from the one or more external orifices of the airway to ambient atmosphere is at least in part a function of resistance to gas flow through the body from the one or more external orifices of the airway to ambient atmosphere within a second subset of flow paths, wherein the second subset of flow paths is made up of one or more of the plurality of flow paths formed by the body that are not included in the first subset of flow paths.providing, during exhalation, a second cumulative resistance to gas flow within the plurality of flow paths for gas flow through the body from the one or more external orifices of the airway to ambient atmosphere by limiting a flow of gas through a first subset of flow paths without substantially limiting the flow of gas through the other flow paths in the plurality of flow paths formed by the body, wherein the second cumulative resistance is high enough that gas being exhaled through the body elevates a pressure within the airway of the subject such that the elevated pressure supports the airway of the subjectsuch that the one or more external orifices of the airway of the subject that are enclosed comprise a first external orifice and a second external orifice, wherein the first cumulative resistance to the flow of gas from the first external orifice to ambient atmosphere through the second subset of flow paths is different than the second cumulative resistance to the flow of gas from the second external orifice to ambient atmosphere through the second subset of flow paths. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of flow paths formed by the body are included in either the first subset of flow paths or the second subset of flow paths. 10. The method of claim 8, further comprising configuring the second cumulative resistance to gas flow through the body from the one or more external orifices of the airway to ambient atmosphere within the second subset of flow paths to adjust the second cumulative resistance. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein configuring the second cumulative resistance to gas flow through the body from the one or more external orifices of the airway to ambient atmosphere within the second subset of flow paths comprises selectably inserting different exhalation valves into the second subset of flow paths. 12. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more external orifices of the airway of the subject comprise one or more nostrils of the subject. 13. The method of claim 8, wherein the body includes a membrane that surrounds an exterior of the enclosed one or more external orifices of the airway of the subject. 14. A system configured to support an airway of a subject as the subject breaths, the system comprising: means for enclosing one or more external orifices of the airway of the subject that forms a plurality of flow paths between the one or more external orifices of the airway and ambient atmosphere, the plurality of flow paths comprising a first subset of flow paths made up of one or more of but not all of the plurality of flow paths;means for providing, during inhalation, a first cumulative resistance to gas flow within the plurality of flow paths for gas flow from ambient atmosphere to the one or more external orifices of the airway, wherein the first cumulative resistance is low enough that gas is inhaled from ambient atmosphere into interfaces enclosing one or more external orifices of the airway substantially unimpeded;wherein the second cumulative resistance to gas flow within the plurality of flow paths for gas flow from the one or more external orifices of the airway to ambient atmosphere is at least in part a function of resistance to gas flow from the one or more external orifices of the airway to ambient atmosphere within a second subset of flow paths, wherein the second subset of flow paths is made up of one or more of the plurality of flow paths that are not included in the first subset of flow paths;means for providing, during exhalation, a second cumulative resistance to gas flow within the plurality of flow paths for gas flow from the one or more external orifices of the airway to ambient atmosphere by limiting a flow of gas through a first subset of flow paths without substantially limiting the flow of gas through the other flow paths in the plurality of flow paths formed by the means for enclosing, wherein the second cumulative resistance is high enough that gas being exhaled from the one or more external orifices of the airway of the subject elevates a pressure within the airway of the subject such that the elevated pressure supports the airway of the subject; andsuch that the one or more external orifices of the airway of the subject that are enclosed comprise a first external orifice and a second external orifice, wherein the second cumulative resistance to the flow of gas from the first external orifice to ambient atmosphere through the second subset of flow paths is different than the second cumulative resistance to the flow of gas from the second external orifice to ambient atmosphere through the second subset of flow paths. 15. The system of claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of flow paths formed by the means for enclosing the one or more external orifices of the airway of the subject are included in either the first subset of flow paths or the second subset of flow paths. 16. The system of claim 14, further comprising means for configuring the second cumulative resistance to gas flow from the one or more external orifices of the airway to ambient atmosphere within the second subset of flow paths to adjust the second cumulative resistance. 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the means for configuring the second cumulative resistance to gas flow from the one or more external orifices of the airway to ambient atmosphere within the second subset of flow paths comprises means for selectably adjusting the second cumulative resistance of individual flow paths in the second subset of flow paths. 18. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more external orifices of the airway of the subject comprise one or more nostrils of the subject.