Patent ID: 8371299

Claim:
A method for delivering a medicament during a single treatment session to a mechanically ventilated patient receiving a flow of breathing gas, the method being implemented in a respiratory therapy system, the method comprising: delivering a first respiratory maneuver to a patient during a single treatment session, wherein the single treatment session comprises multiple deliveries of respiratory maneuvers to the patient, wherein the first respiratory maneuver includes: (i) performing a temporary adjustment of a ventilation parameter pertaining to the flow of breathing gas for the patient, wherein the temporary adjustment is applied during a first time period within the first respiratory maneuver during the single treatment session, and wherein the temporary adjustment alters the flow of breathing gas delivered to the patient; (ii) activating a drug delivery device structured to aerosolize the medicament during a second time period within the first respiratory maneuver during the single treatment session, wherein the second time period overlaps with the first time period and has a duration that is less than a duration of the first time period; and (iii) delivering the aerosolized medicament to the patient via the flow of gas; measuring signals corresponding to physiological effects of the first respiratory maneuver on the patient, wherein the signals are measured during the single treatment session; determining a modification of the temporary adjustment of the ventilation parameter for a second respiratory maneuver included in the single treatment session, wherein the modification is determined based on the measured signals corresponding to the physiological effects of the first respiratory maneuver; and delivering the second respiratory maneuver of the single treatment session to the patient using the modified temporary adjustment of the ventilation parameter, wherein the single treatment session further comprises a designated time period and a prescribed dose of medicament, wherein the prescribed dose of medicament is designated to be delivered during the designated time period using the multiple deliveries of respiratory maneuvers, and wherein the designated time period ranges from 5 to 30 minutes.