FIELD OF THE PRESENT SYSTEM:

[0001] The present system relates to a system to protect a user from airborne pathogens and potentially protect others from pathogens exhaled by the user.

BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT SYSTEM:

[0002] It is too often the case that patients with respiratory disease incidentally contaminate the setting of their treatment and their caregivers due to lack of availability of low cost, portable, compact, effective airflow sterilization measures.

[0003] It is also the case that the respiratory devices, such as ventilators, respirators, positive airway pressure (PAP), continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices, and the like, used to serve patients suffering acute respiratory disease become internally contaminated with airborne contaminants when drawing ambient air from the vicinity of the patient’s treatment, such as from the same room. This contamination may then be transmitted into the patient’s lungs and airways. High-efficiency particulate absorbing (HEP A) and other fine particulate filters are inadequate to guarantee complete sterility of the interior parts of respirators such as PAP devices. HEPA filters also must be frequently replaced to be effective and are prone to performance degradation due to humidity such as may be contained in exhaled air. Further, if HEPA filters are not kept dry or changed frequently enough, contagion may be allowed to escape and airflow pressure may not be properly maintained as filters become clogged or obstructed. Because of contamination, respiratory equipment (such as their inner parts) must be frequently cleaned which is difficult, time consuming, and can cause damage and degradation to the hardware of the respiratory equipment.

[0004] Further, conventional respiratory equipment such as ventilators, respirators, PAP machines, CPAP machines, and the like may not sufficiently filter intake air which may lead to secondary infections in subjects receiving respiratory care.

[0005] Respirators, such as PAP devices and the like, may be used in various settings ranging from home to acute care and surgery and are often found everywhere from home residences to enterprises such as health systems, and federal and state emergency response organizations. In these settings, it is difficult to efficiently clean these respirators in a timely and efficient manner especially in times of urgency.

[0006] To overcome the aforementioned barriers and detriments as well as others, there is a need for a sterilization system and method of operation thereof that can effectively filter exhaled gasses and droplets from a patient that may or may not be receiving respiratory assistance such as from a ventilator, a respirator, a PAP machine, and/or a CPAP machine.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT SYSTEM:

[0007] The system(s), device(s), method(s), arrangements(s), interface(s), computer program(s), processes, etc., (hereinafter each of which will be referred to as system, unless the context indicates otherwise), described herein address problems in prior art systems.

In accordance with embodiments of the present system, there is disclosed a sterilization system for a ventilator return air flow, including: a hood base having an opening and a coupler configured to receive a return line and a plurality of support struts extending away from the hood base; a hood having a top wall and at least one side wall extending from a top wall, the hood being configured to be coupled to the plurality of support struts to form an opening leading to a cavity, the cavity being configured to receive at least a portion of a head of a subject receiving respiratory gas from an air source via a mask; a sterilizer coupled to the return line and having at least one sterilization chamber and a sterilization source configured to emit radiation to sterilize air within the at least one chamber; and an air pump configured to establish an air flow through the opening of the hood and into the at least one sterilization chamber for sterilization to form a sterilized air flow that may be provided to an inlet port of the air source. The hood may be configured to enable ambient air into the airflow while over the portion of the head of the subject. The sterilization system may include a pole stand including a hood support coupled to the hood base. The pole stand may be configured to selectively position the hood in a vertical or a horizontal position. The pole stand may include a base having a plurality of wheels and a support pole which extends from the base. The pole stand may be configured to be coupled to at least one of the sterilizer and the air source.

The sterilization source may include an ultra-violet (UV) lamp configured to emit radiation that is germicidal into the at least one sterilization chamber of the sterilizer. The emitted radiation may have a wavelength between 100-320 nm. The radiation source may include at least one light-emitting diode (LED). The sterilization system may include at least one controller configured to control the intensity of the sterilization source and speed of the air pump such that increasing the speed of the air pump increases the intensity of the sterilization source and decreasing the speed of the air pump decreases the intensity of the sterilization source.

In accordance with embodiments of the present system, there is disclosed a sterilization system for a ventilator return air flow, the sterilization system including: a return line configured to provide for airflow between first and second ends; a hood having a top wall, at least one side wall extending from a top wall, and an opening situated in the top wall, wherein the hood may be configured to be coupled to a tube that is coupled to an end of the return line; and couplers configured to couple the at least one side wall of the hood to adjacent ones of a plurality of support struts to configure the hood to form an opening leading to a cavity, the cavity being configured to receive at least a portion of a head of a subject receiving respiratory gas from an air source via a mask, wherein the hood is configured to enable ambient air into the airflow while over the portion of the head of the subject. The sterilization system may include a hood base configured to be coupled to the plurality of support struts such that each of the support struts extends away from the hood base and each other, the hood base having an opening configured to receive the tube that is coupled to the end of the return line.

The sterilization system may include a sterilizer having at least one sterilization chamber coupled to the return line. The sterilizer may be configured to receive the airflow, sterilize the airflow, and output the sterilized airflow via an outlet port to be provided to an inlet port of an air source. The sterilization system may include at least one sterilization source situated within the at least one sterilization chamber. The at least one sterilization source may be configured to emit radiation to sterilize the air flow within the at least one sterilization chamber. The sterilization system may include a sterilizer output coupler configured to provide the sterilized air flow to the inlet port of the ventilator. The sterilizer output coupler may have a balance valve to selectively bleed at least a portion of the sterilized air flow to an ambient surrounding. The balance valve may be configured to be manually adjusted. The at least one sterilization source may include at least one ultra-violet (UV) light emitting diode (LED). The LED may be configured to emit germicidal radiation into the at least one sterilization chamber of the sterilizer. The sterilization system may include at least one controller configured to control an intensity of the at least one sterilization source. The sterilization system may include an air pump configured to establish the airflow to flow air through the opening of the hood and into the at least one sterilization chamber for exposure to the at least one sterilization source and subsequent output as the sterilized air flow to an inlet port of the ventilator. The sterilization system may include at least one controller to control the air pump to establish air flow through the opening of the hood.

In accordance with embodiments of the present system, there is disclosed a hood for a sterilization system, including a return line to provide for airflow between first and second ends; a hood having a top wall, at least one side wall extending from a top wall, and an opening situated in the top wall and configured to be coupled to a tube coupled to an end of the return line; and couplers configured to couple the at least one side wall of the hood to adjacent ones of a plurality of support struts to configure the hood to form an opening leading to a cavity configured to receive at least a portion of a head of a subject receiving respiratory gas from a ventilator via a mask such that the plurality of support struts are situated outside of the cavity, wherein the hood is configured to enable ambient air into the airflow while over the portion of the head of the subject. The hood may include a sensor configured to sense a CO2 level within the airflow and to provide sensor information. The hood may include a controller coupled to the sensor. The controller may be configured to reduce the CO2 level within the airflow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] It should be expressly understood that the drawings are included for illustrative purposes and do not represent the scope of the present system. It is to be understood that the figures may not be drawn to scale. Further, the relation between objects in a figure may not be to scale and may in fact have a reverse relationship as to size. The figures are intended to bring understanding and clarity to the structure of each object shown, and thus, some features may be exaggerated in order to illustrate a specific feature of a structure. In the accompanying drawings, like reference numbers in different drawings may designate identical or similar elements, portions of similar elements and/or elements with similar functionality. The present system is explained in further detail, and by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings which show features of various exemplary embodiments that may be combinable and/or severable wherein: [0009] FIG. 1 is an illustration of a schematic block diagram which shows a portion of a system operating in accordance with embodiments of the present system;

[0010] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a portion of a system including a patient in accordance with embodiments of the present system;

[0011] FIG. 3 is an illustration of a system with the patient in position relative to the hood during use in accordance with embodiments of the present system;

[0012] FIG. 4 is a bottom view illustration of a portion of the hood of the system in accordance with embodiments of the present system;

[0013] FIG. 5 is a top view illustration of a portion of the hood of the system in accordance with embodiments of the present system;

[0014] FIG. 6. is a partially cutaway and exploded side view of the portion of the top wall of the hood in accordance with embodiments of the present system;

[0015] FIG. 7 is a partially exploded top view which shows a portion of the base in accordance with embodiments of the present system;

[0016] FIG. 8 is a partially-cutaway schematic front view illustration of a portion of the sanitizer in accordance with embodiments of the present system;

[0017] FIG. 9 is a partially-cutaway schematic side view illustration of a portion of the sanitizer in accordance with embodiments of the present system; and [0018] FIG. 10 shows a block diagram of a portion of a system in accordance with embodiments of the present system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT SYSTEM:

[0019] The following are descriptions of illustrative embodiments that when taken in conjunction with the following drawings will demonstrate the above noted features and advantages, as well as further ones. In the following description, for purposes of explanation rather than limitation, illustrative details are set forth such as architecture, interfaces, techniques, element attributes, etc. However, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that other embodiments that depart from these details would still be understood to be within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, for the purpose of clarity, detailed descriptions of well-known devices, circuits, tools, techniques, and methods are omitted so as not to obscure the description of the present system.

[0020] The term “and/or,” and formatives thereof, should be understood to mean that only one or more of: the recited elements may need to be suitably present (e.g., only one recited element is present, two of the recited elements may be present, etc., up to all of the recited elements may be present) in a system in accordance with the claims recitation and in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present system. In the context of the present embodiments, the terms "about", substantially and "approximately" denote an interval of accuracy that a person skilled in the art will understand to still ensure the technical effect of the feature in question which in some cases may also denote “within engineering tolerances.” The term may indicate a deviation from the indicated numerical value of ±20 %, ±15 %, ±10 %, ±5 %, ±1 % ±0.5 % or ±0.1 %.

[0021] The terms user, users, or formatives thereof may refer to a user, operator, clinician, technician, and/or the like unless the context indicates otherwise. [0022] The terms patient, patients, or formatives thereof, may include patients or other individuals (e.g., subjects, etc.) utilizing the present system and may include a party receiving any type of breathable airflow included as used for respiratory assistance, therapy, and/or the like from respiratory device such as a respirator, a ventilator, a positive airway pressure (PAP) machine, a continuous PAP (CPAP) machine and/or the like. Though a ventilator is illustratively described in the following, it should be appreciated that any source of air suitable for being provided to a patient may be readily utilized therefore, the term ventilator herein should be understood to include any of the suitable sources.

[0023] FIG. 1 is an illustration of a schematic block diagram which shows a portion of a system 100 (hereinafter the system 100) operating in accordance with embodiments of the present system. The system 100 may include one or more of: a hood assembly 110, a hood support 146, a return line 132, a sterilizer 150, ventilator 170, a controller, a memory, and a carriage 180. [0024] The controller may control the overall operation of the system and may include one or more logic devices such as a microprocessor or the like. The controller may access the memory and may obtain system setting information (SSI) which may include one or more of operating parameters (e.g., air pump speed, etc.), threshold values, warnings, display settings, user information, patient information, etc. The SSI may be set by the system and/or user and may be updated during use.

[0025] The carriage 180 may include a base 184 coupled to a support pole 181, and wheels 182. The wheels 182 may be configured to provide mobility to the carriage 180 during use such that the system 100 may be easily ported within a caregiving space. It is envisioned that the carriage 180 may be configured to support the hood support 146, the sterilizer 150, the hood assembly 110, and the ventilator 170 during use. In some embodiments, a low-friction material such as Teflon sliders or the like may be provided to provide mobility to the system rather than the wheels 182. In some embodiments, the base 184 may include three or more wheels 182 for stability. In some embodiments, the support pole 181 may telescope to provide for height adjustment by a user, etc.

[0026] The hood support 146 may be configured to support the hood assembly 110 in a desired position and/or orientation relative to the support pole 181 and may include first and second support arms 140 and 142, respectively, coupled to each other by a coupler 148 that may provide for one or more degrees of freedom of travel (e.g., linear and/or rotational) between the first and second support arms 140 and 142, respectively. The first support arm 140 may be coupled to the support pole 181 via a coupler 188 configured to provide one or more degrees of freedom of travel (e.g., linearly and rotationally) to the first support arm 140 relative to the support pole 181. For example, the coupler 188 may telescope relative a longitudinal axis of the support pole 181 to provide for height adjustment and may rotate about the longitudinal axis of the support pole 181 to provide for rotational location adjustment relative to the base 184.

[0027] The second support arm 142 may include a hood coupler as will be discussed below configured to couple to one or more portions of the hood assembly 110. Locking mechanisms may be provided to lock the couplers in a fixed position when desired and may include any suitable locking mechanism such as a pin, an interference fit, a clamp, etc. By providing one or more degrees of freedom of travel between the hood assembly 110 and the support pole 181 (or portions thereof), the hood assembly 110 may be rotated to a vertical position (as shown) to fit over a head of a patient that is walking or sitting, to a horizontal position to fit over a head of a patient that in lying in bed, or any other suitable position or positions as may be desired. In some embodiments, the couplers may provide a plurality of discrete positions of travel such that predetermined positions and/or orientations of the hood assembly 110 may be quickly and easily achieved. The hood assembly 110 may include a base 112, support struts 114, a hood 116, a return line coupler 130, and hood couplers 126.

[0028] The support struts 114 may include proximal and distal ends 113, 111, respectively, and may be coupled to the base 112 such that support struts 114 may extend away from the base 112 and away from each other. The support struts 114 may be configured to support the hood 116 in a desired position during use and may be formed from any suitable material such as wood, metal, plastic, a fiber, a composite (e.g., carbon fiber, fiberglass, etc.), etc. For example, it is envisioned that the support struts 114 may be formed from a composite such as carbon fiber or fiberglass such that it may flex when subject to a desired force and may maintain sufficient tension in portions of the hood 116 when installed. The distal end 111 of each support strut 114 may be shaped and/or sized to prevent accidental injury if engaged by a person during use. For example, the distal end 111 of each support strut may be curved over itself or may form a ball to prevent injury during use. By extending the support struts 114 away from each other, tension may be maintained across the hood 116 as will be described below in further detail.

[0029] The hood 116 may include at least one wall such as a top wall 118-T and front and rear walls 118-F and 118-R, respectively, which may extend between side walls 118-S, all generally referred to as “at least one wall 118”. The at least one wall 118 may include an edge 122 defining an opening 128 leading to a cavity 129. The at least one wall 118 may include at least one window such as a window 120 situated in the front wall 118-F. The at least one window may be formed from any suitable material which may be flexible. The window 120 may include any suitable clear panel that may provide visibility into and out of the hood 116 when placed over the head of a patient in use. In some embodiments, portions of the hood 116 may be formed from a flexible material such as paper, plastic, etc. and may be fully disposable. The rear wall 118-R and cavity 129 are seen through the window 120. For example, it is envisioned that the hood 116 may be constructed from recyclable and/or compositable material. The top wall 118-T may be positioned against, or adjacent to a flange 121 to maintain a seal.

[0030] The couplers 126 may be configured to secure the hood 116 to the support struts 114. The couplers 126 may include any suitable coupler or fastener (e.g., spring clips, staples, rings, etc.) which may extend around a corresponding support strut 114 and through adjacent attachment openings (e.g., see 131 FIG. 4) in the at least one wall 118. In some embodiments, it is envisioned that the fasteners 126 may be formed from a biasing material such as a spring clip or ring that may be easily manipulated by a user when coupling the at least one wall 118 to the struts 114 though in other embodiments, there may be no fasteners and the at least one wall 118 may be formed around corresponding support struts 114. It is envisioned that the attachment openings may be reinforced using any suitable reinforcement such as grommet, a ring, webbing, etc. which may be secured to the at least one wall 118. The fasteners 126 may transfer a tension from the one or more support struts 114 across the corresponding walls (e.g., 118-F, 118-R, 118- S) of the hood 116 to maintain shape and form of the hood 116 and the cavity 129 within. This may prevent an outflow of air through the opening 128 from within the cavity 129 during use. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the one or more support struts 114 may be shaped and sized sufficiently and may be formed from a suitable material (e.g., flexible fiberglass, carbon fiber, etc.) to provide a sufficient biasing force as may be desired across the corresponding walls (e.g., 118-F, 118-R, 118-S) of the hood 116. In some embodiments, the walls 118 may include a biasing member (e.g., a spring, a biasing band, material, etc.) to provide for a desired amount of bias across one or more corresponding walls (e.g., 118-F, 118-R, 118-S) of the hood 116. [0031] The return line coupler 130 may be configured to couple a distal end of the return line 132 to the hood assembly 110 such that the cavity 129 of the hood assembly 110 may be flow coupled to the return line 132. The return line 132 may include a flexible hose 134 or the like which may flow couple the cavity 129 to the sterilizer 150. In some embodiments, the flexible hose 134 may be disposable. It is further envisioned that the return line 132 may include a filter configured to filter debris of a desired size from airflow through the return line 132 which airflow may be provided to the sterilizer 150. The filter, such as a HEPA filter, may be configured to screen out fine particulates or the like incidentally carried in the air flow.

[0032] In some embodiments, a sensor may be positioned and/or configured to sense characteristics of the gasses within portions of the system 100, such as within the cavity 129, within the return line 132, within the sterilizer 150, etc.

[0033] The sterilizer 150 may include one or more of a body 151, at least one sterilization chamber 152, a pump, a controller, a window 154, a sterilization source (STS) 156, and inlet and outlet ports 136, 158, respectively. The inlet port 136 may be configured to be coupled to the return line 132 to receive the airflow therefrom. The air flow may then be provided to the at least one sterilization chamber 152 which may be flow situated between the inlet and outlet ports 136, 158, respectively. The STS 156 may include a light source which may include any suitable germicidal lamp or the like that may be configured to illuminate at least a portion of the at least one sterilization chamber 152 with an ultra-violet (UV) light with a desired wavelength or wavelengths (e.g., between about 100-320 nm in a germicidal wavelength range) such that the emitted illumination may lie in the UV-C spectrum (e.g., 100-280 nm). In some embodiments, the illumination may have a wavelength of between 220-260nm. However, other wavelengths or ranges of wavelengths are also envisioned. In some embodiments, it is envisioned that the STS 156 may include UV-C light emitting diodes (LEDs) and may be tunable in wavelength and/or frequency. It is envisioned that the STS may be controlled by the controller which may control the wavelength and/or intensity of the emitted light in accordance with system and/or user settings. For example, in some embodiments, when fan speed is increased, the system may control the LEDs to increase intensity of the emitted illumination. Conversely, when the fan speed is decreased, the system may control the LEDs to decrease intensity of the emitted illumination (e.g., in accordance with system and/or user settings). It is envisioned that the STS 156 may further include an X-ray and/or gamma sources that may emit x-rays and/or gamma rays, respectively, or other wavelengths within the electromagnetic spectrum that may destroy or incapacitate airborne pathogens within the at least one sterilization chamber 152 as may be desired. In some embodiments the STS 156 may be tunable by the controller. Adequate shielding may be provided depending upon type of disinfection methods (e.g., UV-C, X-ray, etc.) employed by the STS 156.

[0034] An air pump may be coupled to the at least one sterilization chamber 152 and may configured to pump gasses from the at least one sterilization chamber 152 via the outlet port 136 to exhaust gasses from the at least one sterilization chamber 152. This may result in a vacuum within the at least one sterilization chamber 152, the hose 132, and the cavity 129 of the hood 116 relative to ambient pressure.

[0035] The outlet port 158 may be flow-coupled to an inlet port 172 of the ventilator 170 via a sterilizer output coupler 160. The sterilizer output coupler 160 may include one or more of a conduit 162, a balance valve 166, a trap 164, and an optional filter, and may be configured to receive the sterilized flow of air from the outlet port 58 and provide at least some of this airflow to the ventilator 170. The system in accordance with the present system may bleed off excess of the sterilized air flow via the balance valve 166. The conduit 162, or portions thereof, may be formed from any suitable material such as rigid and/or non-rigid tubing hard or soft plastic tubing, etc., which may be replaceable/disposable or may be fixedly attached to the respirator 170. The trap 164 may be configured to trap any excess liquid and/or debris from airflow within the conduit 162. The trap 164 may function as a portion of a filter.

[0036] The balance valve 166 may be configured to bleed excess air (e.g., from the sterilized air flow) from the sterilizer output coupler 160 to prevent excess flow of air from entering the ventilator 170 via the ventilator inlet port 172. The balance valve 166 may be fixed or adjustable and may include a biasing valve which may be configured to control a valve configured to bleed excess air flow when, for example, a pressure threshold between the airflow within the conduit 162 and ambient pressure (e.g., room air pressure) is greater than a threshold value and/or the absolute pressure is greater than a threshold value as may be set by the system and/or user. The balance valve 166 may be fixedly or adjustably set by the user and/or system. In some embodiments, an actuator controlled by the controller may be provided to adjust and/or open or close the balance valve 166 under the control of the controller. Accordingly, sensors may be provided in the sterilizer output coupler to sense one or more of air speed and pressure, form corresponding air speed and pressure, information, and provide this information to the controller for further processing. The controller may then compare one or more of the air speed and pressure information with corresponding air speed and pressure thresholds, respectively, and may actuate the actuator to open the balance valve 166 when it is determined that one or more of the air speed and pressure information is greater than desired air speed and pressure thresholds. The air speed and pressure thresholds may be set by the user and/or system and may be stored in a memory of the system. In some embodiments, the controller may obtain the airspeed information and adjust the STS (e.g., to control light intensity, frequency, etc.) in accordance with actual airspeed/pressure within the system and the airspeed/pressure setting information as may be set by the user and/or system and may be stored in a memory of the system.

[0037] The sterilized air that is bled by the balance valve 166 may be referred to as bleed air. Bleeding excess air from the sterilized air flow may be desirable to make up for differences between a volume of air that flows from the sterilizer 150 and a volume of air that may be input to the ventilator 170 via its inlet port 172.

[0038] It is envisioned that the balance valve 166 may be passively controlled or may be actively controlled by the controller. Accordingly, the balance valve 166 may allow excess sterilized air to exit a return airflow loop (prior to entering the ventilator 170) thereby permitting appropriate pressure to be provided (e.g., by the ventilator 170) to the patient for breathing without contaminating an ambient environment around the patient. The controller may control the air pump such that vacuum within the cavity 129 of the hood assembly 110 may be controlled as desired by the system and/or user. For example, a vacuum control selector may be provided (e.g., a knob and/or on a display of the sterilizer) and adjusted by a user to increase the pump speed to temporarily increase the magnitude of a negative pressure zone within portions of the cavity 129 for additional protection while performing close and dangerous tasks such as intubation, extubation, airway fluid removal, patient eating and/or drinking, etc. In some embodiments, the vacuum control selector may be realized in hardware (e.g., an adjustable knob situated on the sterilizer 150) or software (e.g., selection items which may be rendered on a rendering device of the system such as on a display 176 of the ventilator 170. However, in yet other embodiments the rendering device may be situated on the sterilizer 150. For example, it is envisioned that the controller may generate a graphical user interface (GUI) including an option for a user to select to adjust vacuum selection which may cause the controller to control the air pump to temporarily increase/decrease the magnitude of a negative pressure zone within portions of the cavity 129.

[0039] The ventilator 170 may receive the airflow from the sterilizer 150 via the inlet port 172 and may further condition this airflow before venting to the ambient environment. The ventilator 170 may pump ventilation gas which may include ambient air and/or other gasses (e.g., oxygen (02), nitrogen (N2), etc.), via an outlet port 174 to the patient via a lineset and patient interface such as a mask as will be described with reference to FIG. 2 below.

[0040] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a portion of the system 100 of FIG. 1 or other desired system including a patient 101 operating in accordance with embodiments of the present system. The patient 101 may receive the ventilation gas from the ventilator 170 via a lineset 113 and patient interface 115 coupled thereto. More particularly, the patient interface 115 may include a mask 103 having a chamber and which may be coupled to the line set 113 to receive ventilation gas from the output port 174 of the ventilator 170 and provide this ventilation gas to the patient 101 for breathing. Although a mask is illustratively described, other suitable systems may be employed such as a trachea tube, nasal cannula, partial facemasks and others. To simplify the following discussion, a mask is described though should be understood to encompass other suitable patient interfaces.

[0041] The patient interface 115 may be coupled to the patient 101 via any suitable coupler such as straps 111 which may be configured to maintain the position and/or orientation of at least the mask 103 relative to the face of the patient 101. Exhalation gasses as well as excess gasses from within a chamber of the mask 103 may be output via an opening 107 of an outlet tube 105 coupled to the chamber of the mask 103. A one-way valve may be configured to vent the exhaled gasses from the mask 103 via the outlet tube 105 and prevent inhalation of air through the outlet tube 105 in the opposite direction. The ventilator 170 may maintain positive airway pressure at one or more times within the line set 113 and/or mask 103. Accordingly, exhaled gasses from the patient 101 may be selectively controlled by the one-way valve for output via the opening 107. These exhaled gasses then may be drawn by a negative pressure maintained within the cavity 129 of the hood 116 as illustrated by arrow 109 and thereafter provided to the sterilizer 150 for sterilization after which the sterilized air flow may be bled via the balance valve 166 to atmosphere and/or provided to the inlet port 172 of the ventilator 170 for further processing. Thus, all or a substantial amount of air exhaled by the patient 101 via the outlet tube 105 may be drawn into the sterilizer for sterilization prior to being released to atmosphere or drawn into the ventilator 170.

[0042] FIG. 3 is an illustration of the system 100 of FIG. 1 or other desired system with the patient in position relative to the hood 116 during use in accordance with embodiments of the present system. When the air pump is operating, it may draw air from the hood 116 via the return line 132 and sterilizer 150 which may create a negative pressure region within the cavity 129 of the hood 116. This negative pressure region may gently draw air from the surroundings into the cavity 129 of the hood 116 via the opening 128 as illustrated by arrows 117 which may indicate a direction of air flow through the opening 128 and into cavity 129 of the hood 116. In accordance with the present system, the negative pressure provided within the cavity 129 may prevent exhaled air from the patient 101 from escaping the cavity 129 prior to sterilization. For example, some of the airflow drawn into the cavity 129, as illustrated by arrows 117, may pass the opening 107 of the outlet tube 105 thus drawing any air that may be output at the opening 107 of the tube 105 (e.g., exhaled air) as well as any mask leakage into the sterilizer 150 for sterilization via the return line 132. This flow may establish at least part of a return airflow loop between the opening 128 of the hood 116 and ventilator 170 in which excess sterilized airflow may be dumped by the balance valve 166 at an output opening to atmosphere.

[0043] A conditioner 137 may interact with the airflow within the return loop (e.g., such as in the return line 132) and may include one or more of: a filter, a dryer, and at least one sensor. The dryer may be configured dry the airflow which passes through the return line 132 (hereinafter return airflow) to dry the return airflow prior to filtration and sampling by the sensors as will be described below. The filter may filter debris of a desired size from the return airflow. The sensors may sense conditions of the return airflow, form corresponding sensor information, and provide this sensor information to the controller for further processing in accordance with embodiments of the present system. It is envisioned that the sensors may include one or more of: temperature sensors, humidistats (e.g., humidity sensors), carbon dioxide (CO2) sensors, airflow, and pressure sensors, etc., each of which may form corresponding sensor information, and provide this information to the controller for further processing. For example, the humidistat may sense humidity in the return airflow, form corresponding humidity information and provide this information to the controller for further processing such as to determine humidity within the sensed airflow. Then, the controller may compare the determined humidity with a threshold humidity value (as may be stored in memory of the system), and if it is determined that the humidity is greater than the threshold humidity value, the processor may cause this information to be rendered indicating such (e.g., “high humidity sensed,” “replace filter,” etc.) as may be stored in the memory of the system. Similarly, the CO2 sensors may sense CO2 levels within the return airflow, form corresponding CO2 information and provide this information to the controller for further processing such as to determine CO2 within the return airflow Then, the controller may compare the determined CO2 with a threshold CO2 value (as may be stored in memory of the system), and if it is determined that the determined CO2 is greater than the threshold CO2 value, the processor may cause this information to be rendered indicating such (e.g., “high CO2 sensed,” “replace filter,” etc.) as may be stored in the memory of the system. The system may further control the speed of the air pump, and thus the return airflow, in accordance with the determined CO2 levels as may be set by the system and/or user (e.g., in the SSI). The SSI may include one or more tables which may be accessed to determine system settings such as operating parameters for one or more of the STS 156, the air pump, threshold values, warning codes, default settings, user information, etc. The SSI may be set by the system and/or user and may be stored in a memory of the system.

[0044] FIG. 4 is a bottom view illustration of a portion of the hood 116 of the system 100 in accordance with embodiments of the present system; FIG. 5 is a top view illustration of a portion of the hood 116 of the system 100 in accordance with embodiments of the present system; and FIG. 6. is a partially cutaway and exploded side view of the portion of the top wall 118-T of the hood 116 in accordance with embodiments of the present system. With reference to FIG. 6, the other side views may be similar and are not shown for the sake of clarity.

[0045] With reference to FIGs. 4 through 6, the top wall 118-T may include an opening 123 configured to receive a tube 127 and may be sandwiched between the flange 121 and a collar 125 to prevent leakage of air from the opening 123. The flange 121 and the collar 125 may each be coupled to the tube 127 using any suitable method such as threaded coupling, an interference fit, etc. Folds 133 may be located between adjacent ones of the top wall 118-T, the front and rear walls 118-F and 118-R, respectively, and the side walls 118-S of the hood 116. Folds 133 may enable folding of the hood 116. Other folds maybe provided on the at least one wall 118 to facilitate folding of the hood 116 for storage, shipping, etc. The opening 128 may lead to the cavity 129 which may be defined, at least in part, by the at least one wall 118. Attachment openings 135 may extend through an adjacent wall of the at least one wall 118 and may include a reinforcement such as grommet or a reinforcement material laminated or otherwise attached to the at least one wall 118 and may be configured to receive corresponding hood couplers (e.g., see, FIG. 1, 126) for coupling to an adjacent support strut 114.

[0046] With particular reference to FIG. 6, the tube 127 may extend away from either side of the base 112 such that one end may be configured to be coupled to the return line 132 and the other end (e.g. on the opposing side) may include the flange 121 and may be configure to receive the opening 123 situated in the top wall 118-T of the hood 116. The collar 125 may then be coupled to the tube 127 using any suitable method such as a threaded coupler and may secure the top wall 118-T of the hood 116 against the flange 121 to form a suitable seal to prevent or reduce air leakage about the opening 123. In some embodiments, a biasing member such as a spring 141 may be operative to urge the flange 121 (which may be a collar) towards the collar 125 to maintain pressure upon the top wall 118-T situated between the collar 125 and the flange 121 to maintain a seal therebetween. In some embodiments, the tube 127 may be formed integrally with, or separately from, the base 112.

[0047] In some embodiments, a sensor, for example positioned on the hood 110, the coupling or otherwise positioned within the flow of air to sense characteristics of the air drawn into the cavity 129 or otherwise present within the airflow. For example, the sensor may sense an increase in the CO2 level within the airflow and provide such sensor information to the controller. In response, the controller may receive the sensor information and compare a current CO2 level within the airflow to a desired range of acceptable CO2 levels and/or to determine that it is below an acceptable (predetermined) level for the airflow. Further, when the current CO2 level within the airflow is outside the desired range of acceptable CO2 levels or is higher than the predetermined maximum desired level, the controller may increase the airflow to draw ambient air into the cavity 129 to decrease the CO2 level within the airflow to a desired acceptable CO2 level. Further, the controller may control a CO2 capture system and/or CO2 venting system to reduce the CO2 level within the airflow to a desired acceptable CO2 level. By controlling the level of CO2 within the airflow to a desired CO2 level, the present system ensures that the airflow provided to the patient is safe for its intended purpose without requiring a supplemental oxygen source be coupled to the system. However, in accordance with embodiments, a supplemental gas (e.g., oxygen source) may be supplied to alter the supplied airflow (e.g., oxygen enrich) as desired.

[0048] Support struts 114 may be situated apart from each other and may be coupled to the base 112 using any suitable couple such as a threaded fit, a fastener, an epoxy, an interference fit, etc. For example, in some embodiments, the support struts 114 may pass through corresponding openings 139 and may be secured using any suitable method such as an interference fit or the like. In some embodiments, the proximal end of the support strut may pass fully or partially through corresponding ones of the openings 139. The rear view and the side views may be similar and are not shown for the sake of clarity.

[0049] The base 112 may include a coupler configured to couple the base to the support arm (e.g., see second support arm 142, FIG. 1) of the hood support 146. For example, one or more side walls 143 of the base 112 may include one or more openings 145 configured to receive a corresponding coupler that may be coupled to the second support arm as will now be discussed with reference to FIG. 7. [0050] FIG. 7 is a partially exploded top view which shows a portion of the base 112 in accordance with embodiments of the present system. The one or more openings 145 may be configured to be coupled to a corresponding coupler such as a pin 147 coupled to the support arm 142 via a coupler 149. A fastening mechanism may secure the pin 147 within the corresponding opening 145 of the base 112 to support the base 112 in a desired position relative to the second arm 142. For example, it is envisioned that the fastening mechanism may include a biased latch which may secure the pin 147 in one or mor positions that may be continuous or discrete (e.g., for horizontal and vertical positioning, etc.). The biased latch may be depressed by a user to change positions of the base 112 and/or remove the base 112 completely as may desired. In some embodiments, the pin 147 may be fixedly secured (e.g., with an adhesive, an epoxy, a further lock pin, etc.) within the corresponding opening 145.

[0051] FIG. 8 is a partially-cutaway schematic front view illustration of a portion of the sanitizer 150 in accordance with embodiments of the present system; and FIG. 9 is a partially-cutaway schematic side view illustration of a portion of the sanitizer 150 in accordance with embodiments of the present system. The other side view may be similar and is not shown for the sake of clarity. With reference to FIGs. 8 and 9, the body 151 may include one or more walls which may define at least a portion of the at least one cavity 152. The inlet and outlet ports 136, and 158, respectively, may be flow coupled to the at least one cavity. The air pump such as a blower 159, illustratively shown positioned within the sanitizer 150, may be coupled to the at least one sterilization chamber 152 and may be configured to pump gasses from the at least one sterilization chamber 152 via the outlet port 136 to exhaust gasses from the at least one sterilization chamber 152. In accordance with embodiments, the blower 159 may be positioned at another position within the airflow. When positioned within the sanitizer 150, gasses may be drawn in through the inlet port 136 to the at least one sterilization chamber 152. A controller may control the overall operation of the blower 159 and the STS 156. For example, in some embodiments, if the blower speed is increased, illumination intensity of the STS 156 may also be increased and vice versa. This may assure proper sterilization of gasses such as air within the at least one sterilization chamber 152 regardless of speed of the blower 159. A user may observe operation of the STS 156 through the window 154. Accordingly, the window may be configured to shield the user from emitted radiation such as UV-C light, etc. In some embodiments, the one or more walls may include a door configured to allow access to the at least one sterilization chamber 152, the blower 159, internal circuitry, and/or the STS 156 for cleaning, repair, and/or replacement of parts of the sterilizer 150. Sealing may be provided around the door to reduce or entirely prevent air leakage. In some embodiments, the STS 156 may include a lighting source, such as an array of LEDs, a plurality of photo tubes, or other illumination sources such as a plurality of illumination sources (e.g., a plurality of arrays of LEDs, etc.). For example, it is envisioned that the STS 156 may include a plurality of sources that may be coupled to one or more of the one or more walls. In some embodiments, the blower 159 may maintain a vacuum within the at least one sterilization chamber 152. A user interface, such as a touchscreen display 157, may be provided for the user to interact with the system. A controller may be coupled to the sterilizer 150 and may communicate with one or more other controllers such as a controller of the ventilator.

[0052] By controlling the air pump to pump more air to increase vacuum within the hood, the system may reduce the risk to others (e.g., other than the patient) that occurs when intubated patients must have fluid extracted from their lungs or have respiratory tubes extracted from their internal airways. This may reduce the risk of contamination to the user (e.g., caregivers) and facility. It is envisioned that embodiments of the present system may reduce or entirely prevent this by maintaining a partial vacuum or negative pressure zone around the head of the patient thereby ensuring that any air and/or water droplets emanating from the patient may be pulled into the hood. During such procedures, a controller of the system may control the air pump to increase flow such that vacuum within the hood may be temporarily increased to further improve the capacity of the hood to capture air escaping from around the head of the patient. Accordingly, the system may provide a user interface with which a user may select vacuum settings or may select procedures (e.g., intubation, extubation, etc.) in which the controller may control the air pump and/or STS according to preset settings for the desired procedure or request. In some embodiments, a dial may be provided for a user to set the air flow (e.g., high, med, low) as may be desired.

[0053] FIG. 10 shows a block diagram of a portion of a system 1000 (hereinafter system 1000 unless the context indicates otherwise) in accordance with embodiments of the present system. The system 1000 may include one or more of: a controller 1010, sensors 1014, a user input interface 1016, a user interface (UI) 1018, a memory 1022, actuators 1024, a ventilator 1028, a line set (e.g., a patient line set) 1032, a sterilizer 1030, a patient interface 1034, a network 1040, and a user station (US) 1038, each of which may be coupled to and/or communicate with each other using any communication method or methods such as wired, optical, flow, and/or wireless communication methods. The system 1000 may be operative under the control of the controller 1010. The US 1018 may include any suitable device such as a smart phone or the like that may be configured to communicate with other portions of the system 1000 such as the controller 1010 via any suitable communication method or methods such as via the network 1040. [0054] The controller 1010 may include one or more logic devices such as a microprocessor (pP) 1012 and may control the overall operation of the system 1000. It should be appreciated that in some embodiments the controller 1050 may include digital and/or analog control circuitry.

[0055] It is envisioned that one or more portions of the system 1000 such as the controller 1010 may be operationally coupled to the memory 1022, the user interface (UI) 1018 including a rendering device such as the display 1020, the sensors 1014, and the user input interface 1016, the actuators 1024, the ventilator 1028, the sterilizer 1030, the line set 1032, the patient interface 1034, the network 1040, and the US 1038.

[0056] The memory 1022 may be any type of device for storing application data as well as other data related to the described operation such as application data, SSI, electronic health records (EHRs), electronic medical records (EMRs), operating parameters, clinical decision support (CDS) tools, etc. The application data, SSI, operating parameters, CDS tools, etc., may be received by the controller 1010 for configuring (e.g., programming) the controller 1010 to perform operation acts in accordance with the present system. The controller 1010 so configured becomes a special purpose machine particularly suited for performing in accordance with embodiments of the present system.

[0057] The controller 1010 may render content, such as still or video information, on a rendering device of the system such as on the display 1020 of the UI 1018. This information may include information related to operating parameters, instructions, feedback, and/or other information related to an operation of the system or portions thereof such as SSI or portions thereof, cluster information, CDS tools, etc. Where SSI may be system setting information that may be used by the system so set operational parameters and settings as may be set by the system and/or user. [0058] The sensors 1014 may be situated at one or more portions of the system and may sense related parameters, form corresponding sensor information, and provide this sensor information to the controller 1010 for further processing. For example, the sensors 1014 may include sensors such as airflow sensors which may form corresponding sensor information (e.g., airflow, etc.) and provide this information to the controller 1010 for further analysis. The sensors 1014 may distributed throughout the system.

[0059] The user input interface 1016 may include a keyboard, a mouse, a trackball, or other device, such as a touch-sensitive display, which may be stand alone or part of a system, such as part of a laptop, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile phone (e.g., a smart phone), a smart watch, an e-reader, a monitor, a smart or dumb terminal or other device for communicating with the controller 1010 via any operable link such as a wired and/or wireless communication link. The user input interface 1016 may be operable for interacting with the controller 1010 including enabling interaction within a UI 1018 as described herein. Clearly the controller 1010, the sensors 1014, the user input interface 1016, the user interface (UI) 1018, the memory 1022, the actuators 1024, the line set (e.g., a patient line set) 1032, the patient interface 1034, the sterilizer 1030, the network 1040, and the optional a user station (US) 1038 may all or partly be a portion of a computer system or other device. The UI 1018 may be operative to provide audio/visual feedback to the user of the present system and may inform the operator of operating parameters, operating states, etc.

[0060] The methods of the present system are particularly suited to be carried out by a computer software program, such program containing modules corresponding to one or more of: the individual steps or acts described and/or envisioned by the present system. Such program may of 1 course be embodied in a computer-readable medium, such as an integrated chip, a peripheral device or memory, such as the memory 1024 or other memory coupled to the controller 1010. [0061] The program and/or program portions contained in the memory 1022 may configure the controller 1010 to implement the methods, operational acts, and functions disclosed herein. The memories may be distributed, for example between the clients and/or servers, or local, and the controller 1010, where additional processors may be provided, may also be distributed or may be singular. The memories may be implemented as electrical, magnetic or optical memory, or any combination of these or other types of storage devices. Moreover, the term "memory" should be construed broadly enough to encompass any information able to be read from or written to an address in an addressable space accessible by the pP 1012 of the controller 1010. With this definition, information accessible through a network such as the network 1040 is still within the memory, for instance, because the processor 1012 may retrieve the information from the network 1040 for operation in accordance with embodiments of the present system.

[0062] The controller 1010 is operable for providing control signals and/or performing operations in response to input signals from the user input device 1016 as well as in response to other devices of a network, such as the sensors 1014 and executing instructions stored in the memory 1022. The pP 1012 may include one or more of a microprocessor, an applicationspecific and/or general-use integrated circuit(s), a logic device, etc. Further, the pP 1012 may be a dedicated processor for performing in accordance with the present system and/or may be a general-purpose processor and/or circuit wherein only one of many functions operates for performing in accordance with the present system. The pP 1012 may operate utilizing a program portion, multiple program segments, and/or may be a hardware device utilizing a dedicated or multi-purpose integrated circuit. [0063] The actuators 1024 may, under control of the controller 1010, control one or more valves, pumps, and/or motors of the system under the control of the controller 1010. For example, the actuators 1024 may include one or more valve actuators that may control the pressure and/or flow of a fluid such as air used by the system such as in the line set 1032, a hood (e.g., a negative pressure hood), the sterilizer 1030, etc.

[0064] The ventilator 1028 may include one or more valves, fans, and/or pumps that may be configured to supply a flow of air suitable for performing any suitable therapy and as such may include ventilators, respirators, PAP machines, CPAP machines, or other suitable patient gas supply devices, in accordance with embodiments of the present system.

[0065] The sterilizer 1030 may include one or more valves, fans, pumps, radiation sources such as an illumination source for providing germicidal illumination (e.g., UV-C light) in accordance with embodiments of the present system.

[0066] The line set 1032 may couple the patient interface 1034 to the ventilator 1028 and may include any suitable air flow path or paths such as may be provided by one or more tubes, hoses, or the like. The line set 1032 may further include one or more sensors, filters, and/or valves. [0067] The patient interface 1034 may include any suitable patient interface such as a mask, a trach coupling, and/or mouthpiece configured to be coupled to the line set 1032. When coupled together, the patient interface 11034 and the line set 1032 may form one or more of a mask circuit, a trach circuit, and/or a mouthpiece circuit. The patient interface 1034 may form a non- invasive patient interface or may be an invasive interface, such as intubation device. The patient interface 1034 may include a valve such as a one-way valve which may be configured to vent the exhaled gasses from the patient interface 1034 via the outlet tube. [0068] Accordingly, embodiments of the present system provide a low-cost system and method for containing contagion inside a self-sterilizing airway loop. Embodiments of the present system may provide a system that may eliminate the need for conventional complex and destructive device sterilization measures that are currently performed when transferring respirators between patients and settings. In accordance with embodiments of the present system there is provided a hood that is formed from a low-cost material such as paper, plastic and/or other materials and may be disposable, eliminating effort and expense undergoing sterilization after use. In accordance with embodiments of the present system, the UVC light source may extend the service like of HEP A filters thus further reducing operational costs and manpower. The compact and portable nature of embodiments of the present system allows respiratory care to be maintained safely in conventional settings such as at home, in hospitals, nursing homes, care centers, in clinics, health systems, and/or any other place where a patient may receive respiratory assistance or the like. It is also envisioned that health systems employing embodiments of the present system may not need to undergo expensive HVAC system upgrades to assure an adequate level of cleanliness in the area surrounding individuals receiving respiratory assistance. [0069] In accordance with embodiments of the present system, the airway loop may ensure that contagion emanating from the patient travels in a semi-closed circuit thereby not allowing the escape of any airborne pathogens into the caregiver setting. It should be appreciated that the embodiments of the present system may be provide for mobility during use such that a patient may use the system when, sitting, resting in bed, or performing tasks such as walking, exercising, using facilities, etc.

[0070] It is envisioned that embodiments of the present system may provide for the sterilization of exhalation air (which may include contagions as well as water droplets) emanating from an individual infected with any respiratory contagion. Embodiments of the present system may include: a hood covering the head of a subject enabling a localized negative pressure zone, an air hose emanating from the respiratory mask on the subject directing air away from the mask, into the negative pressure region of the hood. A UV-C sterilizer may be connected to an ancillary respiratory device which in turn pushes sterilized air back to the subject via a hose and face mask, thereby creating an airflow loop from and back to the subject. It is envisioned that the UV- C sterilizer may include: a port to pull contaminated air into the device, an air pump such as a vacuum pump, a UV-C light source emanating electromagnetic radiation in the range of between 230nm-280nm (although other ranges is also envisioned) and an exit port to allow sterilized air to flow out of the UV-C sterilizer toward the respirator via an optional balance valve.

[0071] Further variations of the present system would readily occur to a person of ordinary skill in the art and are encompassed by the following claims.

[0072] Finally, the above discussion is intended to be merely illustrative of the present system and should not be construed as limiting the appended claims to any particular embodiment or group of embodiments. Thus, while the present system has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it should also be appreciated that numerous modifications and alternative embodiments may be devised by those having ordinary skill in the art including using features that are described with regard to a given embodiment with other envisioned embodiments without departing from the broader and intended spirit and scope of the present system as set forth in the claims that follow. In addition, any section headings included herein are intended to facilitate a review but are not intended to limit the scope of the present system. In addition, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative manner and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims. [0073] In interpreting the appended claims, it should be understood that: a) the word "comprising" does not exclude the presence of other elements or acts than those listed in a given claim; b) the word "a" or "an" preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements; c) any reference signs in the claims do not limit their scope; d) several "means" may be represented by the same item or hardware or software implemented structure or function; e) any of the disclosed elements may be comprised of hardware portions (e.g., including discrete and integrated electronic circuitry), software portions (e.g., computer programming), and any combination thereof; f) hardware portions may be comprised of one or both of analog and digital portions; g) any of the disclosed devices, features and/or portions thereof may be combined together or separated into further portions unless specifically stated otherwise; h) no specific sequence of acts or steps is intended to be required unless specifically indicated; and i) the term "plurality of an element includes two or more of the claimed elements and does not imply any particular range of number of elements; that is, a plurality of elements may be as few as two elements and may include an immeasurable number of elements.