Abstract:
A three-way diverter valve has a body with an input with a fitting for securing the input to the output of a flowmeter. The valve body also includes first and second outputs and a ball coupled to a control handle for rotating the ball valve to first or second positions. The ball has a passageway for supplying oxygen to either said first output or said second output. The control handle may include indicia identifying the active flow direction for the selected output.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) on U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/818,214 entitled OXYGEN FLOW DIVERTER, filed on Jul. 3, 2006, by Nancy Myers Wall, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to an apparatus for use in a hospital for treatment of respiratory diseases and particularly to a system for allowing a therapist to easily treat patients requiring either supplemental oxygen for breathing or for small volume nebulizer treatments without the need for disconnecting and reconnecting various fittings. 
         [0003]    Statistics show that the occurrence of respiratory ailments is dramatically increasing in the U.S. population. Such ailments include asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and secondary respiratory problems caused by pneumonia and bronchitis. These maladies frequently require the patient to be hospitalized and/or visit a treatment center to be provided with supplemental oxygen to ease their breathing. Such oxygen is typically provided to a patient through a cannula or, in some cases, a breathing mask. Frequently, the patient, if breathing becomes acutely difficult or if ordered on a scheduled basis, receives a small volume nebulizer treatment in which a bronchial dilator albuterol medication, such as Proventil®, is entrained through a small volume nebulizer to assist in clearing the airways of the patient to facilitate the exchange of oxygen by the lungs. 
         [0004]    In hospitals, oxygen is supplied to rooms from a central source at approximately 50 psi (pounds per square inch). A flowmeter is secured by a fitting to a wall outlet in each of the hospital rooms and can be adjusted to control the flow rate to an outlet to which there is attached either a cannula or oxygen mask, frequently through a container of humidifying water to provide oxygen at a flow rate of typically about 2-3 liters/minute (lpm). When a nebulizer treatment is necessary, the respiratory therapist must shut off the flowmeter, disconnect the coupling to the cannula or mask, and subsequently reattach a conduit from the nebulizer unit to the flowmeter outlet. The flowmeter is then turned on and adjusted to a flow rate of about 6-8 liters/minute to supply oxygen to the nebulizer unit. The nebulizer unit supplies a medicament to the patient either through a mask or nebulizer tube. In view of the fact that numerous treatments are given throughout the day to many patients, the disconnecting and reconnecting of the various tubing requires a significant amount of the therapist&#39;s time and, in some cases, can delay necessary emergency nebulizing treatment to a patient. 
         [0005]    There exists a need, therefore, for a system which facilitates the treatment of respiratory patients and provides a greater efficiency to the therapist in providing a supply of oxygen both for assisted breathing and for a therapeutic nebulizing treatment. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The system of the present invention overcomes the difficulties of the prior art by providing a treatment apparatus including a three-way diverter valve which has an input adapted to be coupled to the output of an oxygen flowmeter and two outputs which can be sequentially selected utilizing a control handle. The three-way valve has a first output which can be coupled to a cannula or to a cannula through a humidifying container of water which is selected by a first position of the valve. The valve has a second output which, upon rotating the control handle of the valve, diverts the oxygen to the second output to which a nebulizer treatment tube can be coupled, diverting the flow of oxygen from the cannula to the nebulizer treatment tube. Both the cannula and the nebulizer tube may, therefore, be continuously attached to the apparatus and allows the respiratory therapist to easily change from one mode of operation to the other without requiring disconnecting and reconnecting a variety of fittings. This greatly improves the efficiency of the therapist&#39;s time and improves patient safety by allowing rapid access to nebulizing treatments if necessary on an acute basis. 
         [0007]    In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the apparatus comprises a flow diverter valve having a body with an input with a fitting for securing the input to the output of a flowmeter. The valve body also includes first and second outputs and a ball coupled to a control handle for rotating the ball valve to first or second positions. The ball has a passageway for supplying oxygen to either said first output or said second output. The control handle may include indicia identifying the active flow direction for the selected output. 
         [0008]    Thus, with the apparatus of the present invention, the respiratory therapist can more efficiently tend to patient care and needs and, as a result, can handle a greater number of patients during a given time period, thereby reducing overall patient cost. Also, patient safety and care is improved by the substantially faster availability of emergency nebulizer treatments. 
         [0009]    These and other features, objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following description thereof together with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the apparatus embodying the present invention, showing various equipment coupled to an oxygen supply flowmeter; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the positioning of the oxygen flow apparatus of the present invention; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a front elevational view, partly in phantom form, of the oxygen flow diverter valve incorporating the present invention shown in the first position; and 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a front elevational view, partly in phantom form, of the oxygen flow diverter valve incorporating the present invention shown in the second position. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0014]      FIG. 1  shows an installation of the invention in a hospital or other facility in which respiratory treatment is required for patients. The system typically will include a flowmeter  10 , which has a rear fitting  12  which attaches to an oxygen outlet in the wall of a facility. The flowmeter includes a ball-type flow gage  14  indicating the liters per minute flow of oxygen at an outlet  16 . The flow rate is adjustable by a valve control handle  18  to select the flow rate of oxygen supplied to either a breathing cannula  50  or a nebulizer tube  60  or to shut off the oxygen. 
         [0015]    The outlet  16  of flowmeter  10  includes a threaded end which receives a rotatable, flanged, internally threaded coupling  22  of a flow diverter valve  20  of the present invention. Coupling  22  allows the valve to be sealably attached to the outlet  16  of the flowmeter. Valve  20  includes a valve body  24 , an oxygen inlet  25  ( FIGS. 3 and 4 ) to which coupling  22  is threadably secured. Valve  20  also includes a first outlet  27  ( FIGS. 3 and 4 ) with a fitting  26  threadably coupled thereto for coupling to fitting  54  of a humidifying tank  52  of a cannula unit. Valve  20  also includes a second outlet  29  ( FIGS. 3 and 4 ), which is coupled by a threaded fitting  28  to receive an adapter nipple  62  to which a nebulizer tube  60  can be attached. Valve  20  is a three-way ball valve with a control handle  30  which may include a raised center section, as best seen in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , which includes indicia  31  either embossed, debossed, or printed thereon, which integrates with indicia  32  and  34  on valve body  24  to indicate the direction of flow of oxygen from the outlet  16  of flowmeter  10  either to a cannula  50  or to nebulizer tube  60 . 
         [0016]    In the embodiment shown, indicia  32  includes the letter “O”, while indicia  31  includes the letters “XYGE” and indicia  34  includes the letter “N”, such that oxygen is spelled in vertical orientation when the flow of oxygen is directed from the flowmeter downwardly, as shown by arrow A, into a cannula humidifying tank  52  through fitting  26  and mating fitting  54 . When handle  30  is rotated 90° counterclockwise, the oxygen flow is in the direction shown by arrow B in  FIG. 4  to provide an increased flow rate of oxygen controlled by knob  18  to nebulizer tube  60 . Valve  20 , as best seen in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , includes a center ball  40  which is rotatably and sealably mounted within valve body  24  in a conventional manner and includes a generally T-shaped passageway  42  with a channel  44  extending between a first end  41  and a second end  43  of ball  40 . An orthogonal channel  45  of ball  40  extends from channel  44  in orthogonal relationship. Ball  40  is integrally coupled to control handle  30  to be rotated between the position shown in  FIG. 3  and the position shown in  FIG. 4  to provide oxygen to either outlet  27  or outlet  29 . In the  FIG. 3  position, oxygen flows directly downwardly through the valve into the humidifying tank  52 , which includes distilled water which humidifies the oxygen and which includes an outlet  56  to which a tube  58  is coupled leading to the cannula  50  including a nose piece  55  for encircling a patient&#39;s head and inserting into the nostrils of a patient&#39;s nose during assisted breathing. The cannula  50  could also be replaced by a mask, such as mask  70  ( FIG. 1 ), if desired. 
         [0017]    When it is necessary to provide a nebulizing treatment to a patient, valve handle  30  is rotated counterclockwise 90° to the position shown in  FIG. 4  in which the channel  45 , which was sealed against the valve body  24  in the position shown in  FIG. 3 , now becomes the inlet for the flow of oxygen from inlet  25 . Channel  44  provides a flow path at its left end, as shown by arrow B in  FIG. 4 , through outlet  29  into fitting  28 , with the right end of channel  44  being sealed against the valve body  24  as shown. The ball valve can conventionally be made of a sealable polymeric material, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene, CPVC, nylon, or other suitable polymeric material, or can be made of bronze, stainless steel, or the like. The valve conventionally includes a valve stem coupling handle  30  to ball  40  in a conventional manner. When in the position shown in  FIG. 4 , the oxygen flow rate typically is increased from the cannula flow rate of about 2-3 lpm to about 8 to 10 lpm through nebulizer tube  60  into a medicinal dispensing canister  64  having an outlet which is either coupled to a nebulizer breathing tube  66 , including a mouth piece  68  which the patient inserts into the mouth to draw the medicament through outlet  65  in canister  64  assisted by ambient air through opening  67  in nebulizer tube  66 . Alternately, a mask  70  can be attached to the outlet  65  through coupling  75  for such a treatment. 
         [0018]    In some embodiments, it may be desirable to allow the valve handle  30  to be rotated to a third position 90° clockwise from that shown in  FIG. 3  to an off position where no oxygen flows into either the cannula or the nebulizer, although, typically the flow valve  18  is simply turned off. 
         [0019]    Thus, with the apparatus of the present invention, a patient may receive either auxiliary breathing oxygen through the cannula  50  (or a mask coupled to tube  58 ) or a nebulizer treatment through a nebulizing tube  66  or a mask  70 . Thus, a treatment station has the ability for treating patients with either nebulizer or supplemental oxygen without the need for disconnecting and reconnecting different equipment to the outlet  16  of flowmeter  10  in each of the hospital rooms or respiratory treatment stations. The valve body  24  may include additional indicia, such as indicia  32  and  34  on the left and right side of the valve aligned with outlet  29  such that the combination of letters spell “oxygen” in the direction of flow, when the direction of flow of oxygen is that shown in  FIG. 4 , to assist the user in identifying the direction of diversion of the oxygen flow from flowmeter  10 . 
         [0020]    It will become apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications to the preferred embodiment can be made. Thus, the valve  20  may include quick disconnect fittings which mate with similar fittings at the outlet of the flowmeter and inlet to the humidifying tank  52 , as well as nebulizer tube  60 , if desired. Other conventional threaded connections may also be employed. These and other modifications to the preferred embodiment of the invention can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.