Patent ID: 8631799
Filing Date: 2014-01-21
Classification: A61M

Abstract:
1. A nasal cannula for supplying a respiratory gas to a patient, the nasal cannula comprising: a pair of supply lines which each have a head at one end thereof with a discharge opening therein for discharging a respiratory gas, and the opposite end of each of the pair of supply lines being connectable to a respiratory gas source, the respiratory gas being supplied at a flow rate of at least about 120 liters per minute and at a pressure of between 4 and 20 cm of H a central bridge member, having a sufficiently short axial length, configured to span substantially no more than a width of a philtrum of a patient and being located adjacent the heads for integrally connecting to the supply lines to one another; and each head being sized to be snugly received and retained within one of the nasal cavities of the patient while forming a sufficient leakage passage, between a portion of inwardly facing nasal cavity skin of a patient and a portion of an exterior surface of the head, to facilitate exhausting of excess respiratory gas supplied to the patient through the leakage passage; wherein the central bridge member defines an internal flow passage therein which provides an interconnecting gas flow path between which generally operates to equalize the flow of gas from the pair of supply lines to the pair of heads and provides alternate flow in the event that one of the heads becomes partially or completely obstructed or restricted during use; and the nasal cannula forming an open system such that when the respiratory gas is introduced into the nostrils of the patient's nose, a portion of the respiratory gas, along with a portion of the exhaled gases from the patient, being allowed to leak out through the leakage passage via a nostril/head interface.