| abstract |
An improved respirator nebulizer for introducing a water and/or medication aerosol into a flow from a respirator to a patient's respiratory system. The present invention includes a manifold body, wherethrough is passed a demand respirator low pressure main flow to a patient, and includes ducting for passing a high pressure nebulizer flow from the repirator to break up liquid from and within a cup reservoir that is scoured from that reservoir into an aerosol and encapsulated into the main flow. The manifold body, its component elements and the cup reservoir are all preferably formed by conventional molding methods and equipment, with the manifold body and component assemblies intended to be disposable after short usage or, alternatively, can be constructed to be sterilized for additional usage, with cup reservoir intended to hold a pre-measured and mixed liquid and could be disposable after a single use. The cup reservoir is arranged to be separately installed and sealed to an appropriate seat formed on the manifold body, with either the cup reservoir lip or seat incorporating grooving therein that, when the cup reservoir is attached to the manifold body, serves as liquid transport lines and nozzles wherethrough liquid from the cup reservoir is passed and sprayed. The nozzle flows impinge on or strike one another, breaking the sprays into fine particulate aerosol that is scoured from the cup reservoir by that high pressure flow and moved into the main flow. n The manifold preferably incorporates a two position mode valve that, in one position, passes the high pressure flow to both the nebulizer portion and to an exhalation valve, and in the other mode valve position channels the high pressure flow to perform nebulization functions only, which mode valve positioning is dependent upon the type of respirator employed with the present invention, the present invention being suitable for use with the most common Bird® and Bennett® respirators. |