Patent ID: 6920877

Claim:
A pressure support system comprising: a pressure generating system adapted to generate a flow of gas at a selectable pressure level; a patient circuit having a first end adapted to be coupled to the pressure generating system and a second end adapted to be coupled to an airway of a patient; a monitoring system associated with the patient circuit or the pressure generating system and adapted to determine a parameter indicative of a pressure at a patient's airway, a flow of gas in such a patient's airway, or both; and a controller coupled to the monitoring system and the pressure generating system, wherein the controller is programmed to search for a critical pressure (P crit ) at which obstruction of such a patient's airway occurs by (a) causing the pressure generating system to lower a pressure of the flow of gas delivered to such a patient by a first amount and (b) monitoring the parameter, and wherein, after P crit is determined, the controller is programmed to search for an optimum pressure (P opt ) sufficient to treat the obstruction by causing the pressure generating system to increase the pressure of the flow of gas delivered to such a patient.