DUAL SENSOR FEEDBACK CONTROL SYSTEM FOR NITRIC OXIDE DOSING

1 . A system for delivering a nitric oxide to a subject, wherein the system comprises:

a) a nitric oxide injection line configured to inject a first gas at an injection point into a breathing conduit comprising a breathing gas, wherein the first gas comprises a first amount of nitric oxide;

b) a sampling line configured to sample a second gas comprising a second amount of nitric oxide and the breathing gas at a sampling location between the injection point of the first gas and a subject and

c) a feedback-loop controller that is in communication with:

i) a nitric oxide set-point controller configured to set a nitric oxide set-point amount;

ii) a source configured to provide a third gas having a third amount of nitric oxide;

iii) at least one sensor configured to measure the second amount of nitric oxide in the sampling line;

wherein the third amount of nitric oxide is determined by the feedback-loop controller based on the second amount of nitric oxide and the nitric oxide set-point amount.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the sampling location is at a distance of about 6 to about 12 inches from a connecting point of the breathing conduit and an exhaling conduit with a face mask or a breathing tube.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the sampling line is operated by a pump and is configured to deliver a predetermined amount of the second gas to the at least one sensor.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the breathing gas is delivered by a breathing-assisting device.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the breathing gas comprises air and/or oxygen-enriched air.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the first gas further comprises a carrier gas.

7 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the second gas further comprises the carrier gas.

8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor is a NO-sensor.

9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the feedback-loop controller is in further communication with additional one or more sensors.

10 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the additional one or more sensors comprise an oxygen sensor and/or a nitrogen dioxide sensor.

11 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the oxygen sensor detects an amount of oxygen and/or the nitrogen dioxide sensor detects an amount of nitrogen dioxide in the second gas.

12 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the nitric oxide set-point amount is a therapeutical target amount.

13 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the nitric oxide set-point is a flow rate of nitric oxide that correlates to the first amount of nitric oxide.

14 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the nitric oxide set-point is a concentration of nitric oxide that correlates to the first amount of nitric oxide.

15 . The system of claim 1 , wherein when the second amount of nitric oxide is different from the nitric oxide set-point amount, the feedback-loop controller is configured to communicate with the source to adjust the third amount of nitric oxide to match the nitric oxide set-point amount.

16 . The system of claim 1 , wherein at least once during nitric oxide delivery to the subject, the first amount of nitric oxide is the same as the third amount of nitric oxide.

17 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the source is configured to form nitric oxide in-situ.

18 . The system of claim 17 , wherein the third amount is controlled by a temperature and pressure supplied to the source.

19 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the system comprises an auxiliary sensor positioned adjacent to an injection point and configured to measure a flow rate of the breathing gas, and wherein the auxiliary sensor is in communication with the feedback-loop controller.

20 . The system of claim 19 , wherein when the flow rate of the breathing gas is different than a flow rate correlated to the nitric oxide set-point amount, the feedback-loop controller corrects a flow of the third gas.

21 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the breathing gas further comprises a first amount of a pharmaceutically active ingredient.

22 . The system of claim 1 , wherein an exhaling conduit comprises a fourth gas exhaled by the subject and wherein the fourth gas is vented to the ambient environment.

23 . The system of claim 1 , wherein an exhaling conduit comprises a fourth gas exhaled by the subject, and wherein the system is configured to recirculate at least a portion of the fourth gas into the breathing conduit, wherein the at least a portion of the fourth gas is substantially free of carbon dioxide.

24 . The system of claim 23 , wherein the fourth gas comprises a fourth amount of nitric oxide.

25 . The system of claim 23 , wherein the second gas comprises at least a portion of the fourth gas.

26 . The system of claim 25 , wherein the second amount of nitric oxide comprises at least the first amount and the fourth amount of the nitric oxide.

27 . The system of claim 23 , wherein the fourth gas comprises a second amount of the pharmaceutically active ingredient, wherein the second amount of the pharmaceutically active ingredient is less than the first amount of pharmaceutically active ingredient.

28 . The system of claim 23 , wherein the pharmaceutically active ingredient comprises an anesthetic.

29 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the system is configured to deliver 0.1 L/min-200 L/min of breathing gas.

30 . A setup comprising the system of claim 1 , integrated with a ventilator, an anesthesia gas delivery system, a bidirectional flow system, an intrapulmonary percussion ventilator system, a high-flow oxygen delivery system or any combination thereof.