System and method for treating ventilatory instability

1. System for treating ventilatory instability, comprising:

a sensor adapted to monitor a physiological parameter of a patient;

a processor adapted to: (i) identify a ventilatory instability experienced by the patient based on a signal provided by the sensor, (ii) determine a reference point in the patient's respiratory cycle with respect to the ventilatory instability, wherein the reference point is a peak between a crescendo phase and a decrescendo phase in a Cheyne-Stokes Respiration (CSR) cycle of the patient, and (iii) determine a start time for treatment representing a certain instance of time in the respiratory cycle, the start time being: (1) based on a delay value that is based on an estimate of delay of peripheral chemoreceptor response of the patient, and (2) aligned with the reference point;

a therapy delivery system adapted to provide a treatment to the patient to counteract the ventilatory instability, wherein the processor causes the therapy delivery system to initiate the treatment the start time, wherein the therapy delivery system is a pressure support system, a gas modulation system, or both, and wherein the treatment includes a ventilatory therapy, a gas modulation therapy, or both.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor determines a plurality of indices based on the signal provided by the sensor including a first index providing an estimate of a level of the ventilatory instability and a second index providing an estimate of a periodicity of the ventilatory instability, and wherein the processor determines a duration of the treatment based on at least the first index and the second index and causes the therapy delivery system to deliver the treatment to the patient for the determined duration beginning at the start time.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the processor determines a) a type of therapy to be provided by the therapy delivery system, and b) a control scheme to be used in implementing the type of therapy selected.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the control scheme is a binary control, a proportional control, an adaptive control, a rule-based control, or a learning based control.

5. The system of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of indices further includes a third index providing an estimate of a flow limitation of the patient due to increased upper airway resistance.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the therapy system includes a pressure support system that provides a bi-level pressure support or a pressure support in which an expiratory pressure is based on flow.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is adapted to determine a cycle time of the ventilatory instability, wherein the estimate of the delay of peripheral chemoreceptor response of the patient is determined based on the cycle time.

8. System for treating ventilatory instability, comprising:

sensing means for monitoring a physiological parameter of a patient;

processing means for: (i) identifying a ventilatory instability experienced by the patient based on a signal provided by the sensing means, (ii) determining a reference point in the patient's respiratory cycle with respect to the ventilatory instability, wherein the reference point is a peak between a crescendo phase and a decrescendo phase in a Cheyne-Stokes Respiration (CSR) cycle of the patient, and (iii) determining a start time for treatment representing a certain instance of time in the respiratory cycle, the start time being: (1) based on a delay value that is based on an estimate of delay of peripheral chemoreceptor response of the patient, and (2) aligned with the reference point;

therapy means for providing a treatment to the patient to counteract the ventilatory instability, wherein the processing means causes the therapy delivery system to initiate the treatment at the start time, wherein the therapy means is a pressure support system, a gas modulation system, or both; and wherein the treatment includes a ventilatory therapy, a gas modulation therapy, or both.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the processing means determines a plurality of indices based on the signal provided by the sensing means including a first index providing an estimate of a level of the ventilatory instability and a second index providing an estimate of a periodicity of the ventilatory instability, and wherein the processing means determines a duration of the treatment based on at least the first index and the second index and causes the therapy delivery system to deliver the treatment to the patient for the determined duration beginning at the start time.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the processing means determines a) a type of therapy to be provided by the therapy means, and b) a control scheme to be used in implementing the type of therapy selected.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the control scheme is a binary control, a proportional control, an adaptive control, a rule-based control, or an learning based control.

12. The system of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of indices further includes a third index providing an estimate of a flow limitation of the patient due to increased upper airway resistance.

13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the therapy means includes a pressure support system that provides a bi-level pressure support or a pressure support in which an expiratory pressure is based on flow.

14. The system of claim 8 , wherein the processing means determines a cycle time of the ventilatory instability, wherein the estimate of the delay of peripheral chemoreceptor response of the patient is determined based on the cycle time.

15. Method for treating ventilatory instability, comprising:

monitoring a physiological parameter of a patient;

identifying a ventilatory instability experienced by the patient based on a signal provided by the monitored physiological parameter;

determining a reference point in the patient's respiratory cycle with respect to the ventilatory instability, wherein the reference point is a peak between a crescendo phase and a decrescendo phase in a Cheyne-Stokes Respiration (CSR) cycle of the patient;

determining a start time for treatment representing a certain instance of time in the respiratory cycle, the start time being: (1) based on a delay value that is based on an estimate of delay of peripheral chemoreceptor response of the patient, and (2) aligned with the reference point; and

providing a treatment to the patient to counteract the ventilatory instability, wherein providing the treatment includes initiating the treatment at the start time, wherein the treatment includes a ventilatory therapy, a gas modulation therapy, or both.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

determining a type of therapy to be provided by the therapy means; and

determining a control scheme to be used in implementing the type of therapy selected.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising determining a plurality of indices based on the signal including a first index providing an estimate of a level of the ventilatory instability and a second index providing an estimate of a periodicity of the ventilatory instability, and determining a duration of the treatment based on at least the first index and the second index and delivering the treatment to the patient for the determined duration beginning at the start time.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the plurality of indices further includes a third index providing an estimate of a flow limitation of the patient due to increased upper airway resistance.

19. The method of claim 15 , further comprising determining a cycle time of the ventilatory instability, wherein the estimate of the delay of peripheral chemoreceptor response of the patient is determined based on the cycle time.