FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates particularly, though not solely, to the delivery of humidified gases to a patient in need of respiratory assistance by way of a patient interface, such as a nasal cannula, and a headgear for supporting or retaining of a patient interface, such as nasal cannula, upon a user.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is important in the design of a respiratory assistance system to provide a patient interface and headgear that are comfortable to the user, easy to wear and that retain their operational position upon movement of the user during use.

Providing for alternative patient interface and headgear systems allows for users to choose the style or type of equipment to use. Such selection may be made upon comfort, or better suited retention of the patient interface upon a user for improved respiratory therapy delivery, or both of these. For example, alternative retention configurations or setups may be provided by different headgear for different patient interfaces.

Nasal cannula can be used to supply high flow therapies. In some situations, paediatric patients use high flow therapy. There is a gap in the market for a nasal high flow cannula (especially for the 2-12 years age group) capable of delivering high flow and high humidity and comfortable enough to wear overnight and able to be fastened on the face of a young child.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a patient interface or a headgear or both, designed to go at least some way toward achieving some or all of the above considerations or to at least provide the public with a useful choice.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to paediatric nasal cannula. More particularly, certain features, aspects and advantages of the present invention relates to such cannula designed for high flow application.

In some configurations, a low resistance to flow cannula can be used to deliver nasal high flow over a wide flow range (e.g., 10 - 50L/min), particularly for children 2 -12 years old. The paediatric cannula advantageously can be used in the home and in the hospital.

In some such configurations, the paediatric cannula allows the wide flow range to be used with low delivery pressures.

In some configurations, the paediatric cannula can be used in combination with one or more structures to secure the paediatric cannula to the patient. For example, in some such configurations, the paediatric cannula can be used in combination with one or more of a strap and an adhesive patch assembly. In such configurations, the strap and the adhesive patch assembly can be used together or in the alternative.

In a first aspect the invention may broadly be said to involve a strap as part of a headgear for a patient interface comprising :

a strap, the strap having a pair of primary end portions, each of the primary end portions to be connected to a patient interface or to a component which is to be connected to the patient interface, and

intermediate of each primary end portion is a pair of secondary end portions releasably connectable with each other to establish a continuous strap between the primary end portions of a starting length, the continuous strap for assisting in the retention of a patient interface upon a patient, and

wherein each secondary end portion is adapted to be releasably connectable with a respective end portion of an additional strap segment to establish a continuous strap between the primary end portions of an extended strap length relative to the starting length.

Preferably each end portion of the additional strap segment comprises a connector coupled to the strap segment and each secondary end portion of the strap comprises a connector coupled to the strap.

Preferably the connector of each strap segment is configured to couple the connector the connector of the respective secondary end portion of the strap.

Preferably the connector of each secondary end portion of the strap is configured to couple the connector of the other secondary end portion of the strap and the connector of at least one end portion of the additional strap segment.

Preferably the connector of each of the end portion of the additional strap segment or the connector of each secondary end portion of the strap, or both, is of or comprises: male or female parts or both, for receipt by and connection to complementary male or female parts of another respective connector, and friction fit parts for retaining connection between the respective connectors.

Preferably the connector comprises a projecting male part for receipt by a recessed female part of a respective connector and a recessed female part for receipt of a projecting male part of the respective connector.

Preferably the connector is capable of receiving and retaining a respective terminal end of the associated strap or associated additional strap segment.

Preferably the connector is configured to retain the respective terminal end by a friction fit engagement.

Preferably the connector comprises a series of internal teeth located upon a body of the connector for establishing a friction fit engagement with the respective terminal end, and a jaw of the body of the connector configured to close upon the teeth to securely retain the terminal end of the associated strap or associated additional strap segment upon the teeth.

Preferably the strap is of an elastic, textile material.
CLAIMS

1. A nasal cannula assembly comprising :

a face mount part having a base portion and at least one nasal prong extending from the base portion and capable of fitting in at least one of a user's nares, and

a gases flow manifold part having a gases inlet for receiving a flow of gas from a gas source, and a gases outlet for delivering the flow of gas to the at least one nasal prong of the face mount part, the manifold part being adapted to be received by the base portion of the face mount part to fluidly connect the outlet of the manifold with the at least one nasal prong of the face mount part, and wherein the manifold part further comprises a groove at the outlet to establish a gap between the base portion of the face mount part and the manifold part in a region of the base portion configured to locate adjacent a user's philtrum in use to thereby eliminate or at least alleviate pressure on the user's septum from the manifold part in use.

2. A nasal cannula as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gases flow manifold part is formed from a relatively harder material than the face mount part.

3. A nasal cannula as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the gases flow manifold part is formed from a substantially rigid plastics material, such as Polycarbonate.

4. A nasal cannula as claimed in any one of claim 1 to claim 3, wherein the face mount part is formed from a substantially soft plastics material, such as Silicone.

5. A nasal cannula as claimed in any one of claim 1 to claim 4, wherein the groove at the outlet of the manifold part is formed by a pair of opposed recesses on either side of a periphery of the outlet.

6. A nasal cannula as claimed in claim 5 wherein, the periphery of the outlet of the manifold is adapted to sealably engage an interior of the base portion of the face mount part.

7. A nasal cannula as claimed in claim 6, wherein the outlet of the manifold part comprises a lip extending about the periphery of the outlet and the interior of the base portion comprises a corresponding recess adapted to releasably receive the lip of the outlet of the manifold part.

8. A nasal cannula as claimed in any one of claim 1 to claim 7, wherein the face mount part comprises at least one substantially horizontal side entry passage to the interior of the base portion for releasably receiving the outlet of the manifold part therethrough.

9. A nasal cannula as claimed in claim 8, wherein the face mount part comprises a pair of opposed side entry passages to the interior of the base portion, each adapted to releasably receive the outlet of the manifold part therethrough.

10. A nasal cannula as claimed in any one of claim 1 to claim 9, wherein the face mount part comprises a pair of nasal prongs.

11. A nasal cannula as claimed in claim 10, wherein the base portion of the face mount part comprises a dipped region between the nasal prongs to extend the base portion away from the user's septum and further alleviate pressure on the septum in use.

12. A headgear for a patient interface comprising

a strap forming a part of the headgear for assisting in retaining or stabilising of a patient interface upon a user,

wherein the strap, or a section of the strap, to be located upon or to be placed in contact with the face or a portion of a user's face includes a surface region for frictionally engaging with the user's face, the surface region being of a relatively higher frictional surface material than the remainder of the strap forming the or a part of the headgear.

13. A headgear as claimed in claim 12 wherein the strap or a respective section of the strap, includes two symmetric surface regions for frictionally engaging with two symmetric portions on either side of the user's face.

14. A headgear as claimed in either one of claim 12 or claim 13 wherein a remainder of the strap is arranged to extend as a non-facial contacting strap or section of strap which is to extend beyond the user's face or the portion of the user's face.

15. A headgear as claimed in any one of claims 12 to claim 14 wherein each surface region for frictionally engaging with the user's face or a portion of the user's face including the relatively higher frictional surface material assists with retaining or stabilising of a patient interface upon the face of a user.

16. A headgear as claimed in any one of claim 12 to claim 15 wherein each surface region comprises a material applied to the strap or the respective section of strap.

17. A headgear as claimed in claim 16 wherein the material applied is in the form of a sleeve positioned about the strap or the respective section of strap.

18. A headgear as claimed in claim 17 wherein the sleeve is configured to removeably couple about the strap or the section of the strap.

19. A headgear as claimed in claim 18 wherein the strap or the respective section of the strap extends through a passage in the sleeve.

20. A headgear as claimed in claim 19 wherein the strap or the respective section of the strap is adapted to be threaded through the passage.

21. A headgear as claimed in claim 16 wherein the material applied is in the form of a material coated upon the strap or the respective section of strap.

22. A headgear as claimed in claim 16 wherein the material applied is over-moulded upon the strap or the respective section of strap.

23. A headgear as claimed in any one of claim 15 to claim 22 wherein the material applied is smooth and comfortable for skin contact.

24. A headgear as claimed in any one of claim 15 to claim 23 wherein the material applied is a Thermoplastic Elastomer.

25. A headgear as claimed in any one of claim 12 to claim 24 wherein each surface region is a surface of wider surface area at an end to be located more adjacent to the patient interface than the surface area of an opposing end more distant from the patient interface.

26. A headgear as claimed in claim 25 wherein each surface region tapers from the relatively wider surface area to the relatively lesser surface area.

27. A headgear as claimed in any one of claim 12 to claim 26 wherein the strap or each section of the strap including the surface region further comprises a component of the strap configured to releasably couple the patient interface.

28. A headgear as claimed in any one of claim 12 to claim 27 wherein each portion of the user's face includes a cheek of the user.

29. A patient interface comprising a nasal cannula assembly and a headgear, said interface comprising:

the nasal cannula assembly comprising :

a face mount part having a base portion and at least one nasal prong extending from the base portion and capable of fitting in at least one of a user's nares, and

a gases flow manifold part having a gases inlet for receiving a flow of gas from a gas source, and a gases outlet for delivering the flow of gas to the at least one nasal prong of the face mount part, the manifold part being adapted to be received by the base portion of the face mount part to fluidly connect the outlet of the manifold with the at least one nasal prong of the face mount part, and wherein the manifold part further comprises a groove at the outlet to establish a gap between the base portion of the face mount part and the manifold part in a region of the base portion configured to locate adjacent a user's philtrum in use to thereby eliminate or at least alleviate pressure on the user's septum from the manifold part in use, and

the headgear for a patient interface comprising:

a strap forming a part of the headgear for assisting in retaining or stabilising of a patient interface upon a user,

wherein the strap, or a section of the strap, to be located upon or to be placed in contact with the face or a portion of a user's face includes a surface region for frictionally engaging with the user's face, the surface region being of a relatively higher frictional surface material than the remainder of the strap forming the or a part of the headgear.