Two parameter Leak Estimation in Non invasive Ventilation

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new algorithm for real-time, breath-by-breath estimation of two leak parameters in non-invasive ventilation, improving accuracy by incorporating patient respiratory mechanics into the model.

Contribution

It presents a novel method that updates both leak parameters dynamically, unlike previous models that only update one, enhancing leak estimation accuracy.

Findings

Enables breath-by-breath leak parameter estimation.

Incorporates patient respiratory mechanics into the leak model.

Improves ventilator performance assessment.

Abstract

In this paper we present a method for the estimation of leaks in non-invasive ventilation. Accurate estimation of leaks is a key component of a ventilator, since it determines the ventilator performance in terms of patient-ventilator synchrony and air volume delivery. In particular, in non-invasive ventilation, the patient flow is significantly different from the flow measured at the ventilator outlet. This is mostly due to the vent orifice along the tube that is used for exhalation, but also to the non-intentional leaks that occur elsewhere in the circuit (e.g., at the mask). Such leaks are traditionally quantified via a model with two parameters, but only one of them is continually updated - the other is fixed. The new algorithm allows for breath-by-breath update of both parameters. This was made possible by leveraging a model describing the patient respiratory mechanics.