Purge system for nitric oxide administration apparatus
US6581592B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 21, 2000 |
| Grant date | Jun 24, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 21, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61M2202/0275
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A nitric oxide delivery system is disclosed that delivers a pulsed volume of NO containing therapeutic gas to a patient upon each inhalation of the patient. The NO delivery system includes certain functions to provide protection against the inadvertent inclusion of NO2 in the therapeutic gas administered to the patient. One of the functions is to provide a purge upon start up of the delivery system apparatus that clears the regulator and conduits of any NO2 that may have formed during the prior idle period of the system. A detector determines the start-up and may automatically carry out the purge cycle or may cause a prompt that is visual or audible to remind the user to carry out the purge cycle manually. As a further function, when the NO apparatus is terminated with respect to a patient, the system can, again, sense the termination or cessation of the therapy and automatically shut off the supply of NO containing gas at the source or provide an audible or visual prompt to remind the user to shut off the supply of the NO containing gas manually.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.