Device and method for monitoring breathing during sleep, control of CPAP treatment, and preventing of apnea

摘要

A CPAP apparatus including: a variable pressured air source and means to vary the air pressure delivered therefrom; a nose piece for sealed air communication with a patient's respiratory system; an air communication line from the air source to the nose piece; a sound transducer adapted to be in sound communication with the patient's respiratory system; and a feedback system controlling the output pressure of the air source in response to an output from the transducer so as to increase the output air pressure from said air source, in response to detection of sound indicative of snoring, in accordance with a predefined procedure. The sound transducer, in its most general form, comprises a pressure transducer which, in addition to detecting snoring sounds, can detect other respiratory parameters such as the rate of breathing, inhaled air flow volume, and inhaled air flow rate. Output air pressure from air source is increased in response to one or more of these parameters in accordance with a pre-defined procedure.