System and method for use of acoustic reflectometry information in ventilation devices

1. A method for use of acoustic reflectometry in ventilation devices, the method comprising:

emitting sound waves from a sound generator into an endotracheal tube (“ETT”), wherein the sound generator is positioned downstream of a ventilator, and the ETT is in communication with the ventilator;

detecting returning acoustic reflections with at least one sound receiver when there is a change in a cross sectional area in the ETT;

using a reflectometry device having at least one processor and a memory that is accessible to the processor for analyzing timings and amplitudes of the returning acoustic reflections to determine a location and size of an ETT obstruction; and

using the location and size of the ETT obstruction to calculate flow resistance within the ETT, estimating a pressure drop across the ETT using the calculated flow resistance when a patient spontaneously breathes, and the ventilator, in response to the estimated pressure drop, automatically increasing the pressure at a proximal end of the ETT to compensate for the estimated pressure drop.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising transmitting pressure and flow data of an airway circuit to the reflectometry device.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining a resistance parameter (“R TUBE ”) with the reflectometry device, the resistance parameter being representative of resistance to actual flow of air through the ETT and calculated using the location and size of the ETT obstruction.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:

transmitting pressure and flow data of an airway circuit to the reflectometry device; and

determining a pressure within a trachea based on an algorithm executed by the reflectometry device that implements an equation generally of the form:

P TRACHEA =P AW −R TUBE ×Flow, where P TRACHEA =tracheal pressure, P AW =mean pressure at a Y-piece, R TUBE =resistance parameter, Flow=airway flow.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising manually adjusting a trachea pressure that is above, at, or below a desired baseline pressure, when a user is monitoring real-time tracheal pressure calculated in part using the location and size of the ETT obstruction.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising using a trachea pressure calculated in part using the location and size of the ETT obstruction to adjust a mandatory rate and inspiratory pressure of the ventilator in order to improve optimization of tidal volume and respiratory frequency.

7. The method of claim 4 , further comprising displaying on a display a first set of work of breathing (“WOB”) parameters based on an actual WOB share of the patient versus the ventilator and a second set of WOB parameters calculated in part using the location and size of the ETT obstruction, wherein a comparison of the first set of parameters with the second set of parameters is indicative of the patient's readiness for weaning off the ventilator.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising issuing alarms using a hierarchy that is determined by acoustic reflection information.

9. The method of claim 4 , further comprising simultaneously displaying on a display ventilation trended variables of at least one of a peak pressure and a tidal volume at a same time with at least one of a separate trended variable calculated using the location and size of the ETT obstruction from the returning acoustic reflections, the separate trended variable including at least one of a trended tracheal pressure, trended ETT resistance, and trended ETT obstruction percentage, in order to assist a user to diagnose a reason for changes in the peak pressure and the tidal volume.

10. The method of claim 4 , further comprising determining when suctioning the ETT is required based on a trend of an increase of the pressure within the trachea calculated in part using the location and size of the ETT obstruction.

11. The method of claim 2 , further comprising using the sound receiver to detect cough sounds and using a detected cough to distinguish between a high pressure event due to an intermittent patient cough and a high pressure event not due to the cough.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising using an additional sound generator, sound receiver, or any combination thereof, within a ventilator hose of the ventilator to detect faults including a location and severity of hose kinking, a location and severity of hose occlusion due to a pooling of condensation in the hose, and hose disconnection location.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein sound waves are emitted from the sound generator located in an adapter and the returning acoustic reflections are detected with the at least once source receiver located within the adapter.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the adapter is coupled in-line between the ETT and a ventilator hose of the ventilator.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sound receiver is coupled in-line between the ETT and a ventilator hose of the ventilator.