Technical field

The present disclosure relates to treating lung diseases such as lung (respiratory) inflammation diseases.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (briefly COVID-19), an infection disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is exemplary of such a disease.

Technological background

Diseases such as COVID-19 are primarily spread between people during close contact and may lead to symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, loss of smell and fatigue.

Pneumonia and acute respiratory distress are possible complications which may result in death of the person infected.

At least at the time the instant application is filed, no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment is known and treatment is mostly symptomatic and supportive.

The disease has been countered mostly via preventive measures such as repeated accurate hand washing, wearing protective face masks, social distancing, (self)isolation of "positive" subjects and/or subjects suspected to be infected.

This has resulted in massive travel restrictions, lockdowns, extensive testing and facility closures, with a tremendous effect on economy expected to be prolonged in the years to come. Object and summary

The object of one or more embodiments is to provide a solution that will be able to contribute in countering diseases such as COVID-19 by providing an effective treatment of such devices.

According to one or more embodiments, the above object may be achieved thanks to a system having the characteristics set for in the claims that follow.

The claims form an integral part of the technical teachings provided herein in relation to the embodiments .

One or more embodiments may facilitate treatment of severe diseases caused by infections such as COV1D- 19 infection, dealing directly the inflammation in the lungs which can trigger severe consequences potentially leading to death.

It will be otherwise appreciated that while COVID- 19 is referred to throughout this description by way of immediate reference, the embodiments - which primarily refer to a system (that is, an apparatus or machine) - are in no way intended to be limited to treating COVID- 19: a variety of other diseases may in fact benefit from treatment via a system according to embodiments.

One or more embodiments may rely on the synergistic effect of the combination of different anti-inflammatory agents.

For instance, hydrogen may play a role as an anti inflammatory molecule itself with the capability of enhancing the efficacy of other anti-inflammatory agents. This may be particularly the case for hydrogen made available to a patient's lungs via an artificial ventilator with a positive pressure, for instance.

Also, it was found that the effect of the treatment may be appreciably improved as a result of a combination of gases being insufflated at proper temperature, higher than body temperature.

For instance, one or more embodiments may relate to a system which, in addition to a conventional use in a hospital or a clinic, can be possibly configured for home use and even a portable (wearable) equipment.

One or more embodiments may benefit from the possibility of facilitating the addition of antimicrobial or antiviral agents, like ozone or chlorine-releasing molecules.

Brief description of the drawings

One or more embodiments will now be described, purely by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the annexed drawing, which includes a single figure, designated Figure 1, in the form a block diagram exemplary of a possible architecture of a system according to embodiments as per the present description.

Detailed description of examples of embodiments

In the ensuing description, various specific details are illustrated in order to provide an in-depth understanding of various examples of embodiments according to the description. The embodiments may be obtained without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other cases, known structures, materials, or operations are not illustrated or described in detail so that the various aspects of the embodiments will not be obscured.

Reference to "an embodiment" or "one embodiment" in the framework of the present description is intended to indicate that a particular configuration, structure, or characteristic described in relation to the embodiment is comprised in at least one embodiment. Consequently, phrases such as "in an embodiment" or "in one embodiment" that may be present in various points of the present description do not necessarily refer exactly to one and the same embodiment. Moreover, particular conformations, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any adequate way in one or more embodiments.

The headings/references used herein are provided merely for convenience and hence do not define the sphere of protection or the scope of the embodiments.

Figure 1 the annexed drawing is a block diagram exemplary of a possible architecture of a system (that is an apparatus or "machine") 100 configures to treat (at least) one patient P affected by a disease such as COVID-19.

As discussed, while COVID-19 is referred to throughout this description by way of immediate reference, a system such as 100 can be used to treat a variety of other similar diseases.

As exemplified herein, the system 100 may be configured to co-operate with an artificial ventilator PV to which the patient is coupled (in any manner known to those of skill in the art, for instance via tracheotomy cannulae or a respiratory mask).

Also, it will be appreciated that the ventilator PV may be a distinct element from the embodiments. It will be similarly appreciated that the system

100 can be comprised of a plurality of elements (components or devices) which - taken individually and per se - are known to those of skill in the art, which makes it unnecessary to provide a more detailed description or each and every one of those elements, components or devices.

In one or more embodiments as exemplified in the Figure, a system 100 may be configured to be supplied at an input 1 with water W (compatible with clinical use) as resulting from reverse osmosis treatment and addition of an electrolyte to be collected in a water reservoir (tank) 2.

In the Figure, reference 3 denotes a direct current (DC) generator coupled to an electrolyzer E where electricity from the generator 3 is used to split water W into oxygen and hydrogen using electrolysis.

As known to those of skill in the art, electrolyzers can be manufactured also as small, appliance-size equipment. Like fuel cells, electrolyzers comprises an anode and a cathode separated by an electrolyte.

While different electrolyzers may function in different ways (as a function of the electrolyte involved, for instance) an electrolyzer such as E will generally include an oxygen generator and pipeline 4 and an hydrogen generator and pipeline 5.

In one or more embodiments as exemplified in the Figure, the oxygen an hydrogen pipelines come down to a hydrogen/oxygen mixer and regulator 6 and the oxygen/hydrogen mixture formed therein is supplied to a nebulizer/aerosol generator 7.

In one or more embodiments as exemplified in the Figure, the nebulizer/aerosol generator 7 may have a first input port 8 (a pump, for instance) configured to supply into the nebulizer/aerosol generator 7 a metered amount of an anti-inflammatory agent AI.

In one or more embodiments as exemplified in the Figure the nebulizer/aerosol generator 7 may have a second input port 9 (again, a pump, for instance) configured to supply into the nebulizer/aerosol generator 7 a metered amount of ozone (or trioxygen) 03, from an ozone generator of any known type in the art (not visible in the Figure for simplicity).

In one or more embodiments as exemplified in the Figure the nebulizer/aerosol generator 7 may have a third input port 10 (once more a pump, for instance) configured to supply into the nebulizer/aerosol generator 7 a metered amount of a chlorine release agent CR so that the gas-liquid mixture from the generator 7 can be additioned with a chlorine-releasing substance.

In one or more embodiments the gas-liquid mixture generator 7 can be configured to addition a chlorine releasing substance to the gas-liquid mixture by producing hypochlorous acid via electrolysis of a salt water solution, possibly producing a hypochlorous vapor.

In one or more embodiments as exemplified in the Figure the nebulizer/aerosol generator 7 may have an output port coupled to a heater 11 so that the gas- liquid mixture (in practice a mist) formed at 7 and additioned at the nebulizer/aerosol generator 7 with an anti-inflammatory agent AI, and, optionally, ozone 03 and/or chlorine from the agent CR can be controllably heated and supplied to the patient P, for instance via cannulae 12 to the patient ventilator PV.

A system or equipment 100 as exemplified herein can be used in connection with a respiratory machine for treatment of COVID-19 or other diseases leading to severe lung inflammation.

Operation of such a system 100 can be controlled via a control unit CU (such as an industrial PC) as a function of signals sensed over the various parts of the system by sensors collectively indicated S and applying corresponding actuation signals to parts of the system (such as the electrolyze E, the mixer 6, the nebulizer/aerosol generator 7 and the pumps associated therewith t, the heater 11) by actuators collectively indicated A. The conception, design and programming of such a control system (control unit CU, sensors S, actuators A) based on the information provided herein is a task falling within the conventional ability of a designer of control apparatus for medical equipment (heart-lung machines for instance).

A system 100 as exemplified herein may involve a hydrogen generator (the electrolyzer E, for instance) based on the well-known principle of electrolysis of water, supplied from a tank 2 containing (pure) water W, either distilled or purified by reverse osmosis, possibly added with an electrolyte like an alkaline metal hydroxide.

In a system 100 as exemplified herein, a gas- liquid mixture generator can be provided (as exemplified at 7 herein) where a flow of gas through a liquid can generate an aerosol containing droplets of adequate dimension.

As exemplified herein, the liquid in question can comprise (pure) water having dissolved or dispersed therein anti-inflammatory agent AI like a corticosteroid drug or non-corticosteroid drug or a natural anti-inflammatory substance.

As exemplified herein, the mixture thus generated can be supplied to a patient P via a ventilator PV or possibly directly insufflated into the respiratory system of the patient P with a positive pressure.

As exemplified herein, the mixture can be heated to a temperature above body temperature via a heater, as exemplified at 11, for instance.

As exemplified herein, the gas supplied to the mixture generator (as illustrated at 7, for instance) may include hydrogen or a hydrogen-oxygen mixture, which, following mixture generation, can be heated, as exemplified at 11, via a heat exchanger, for instance, which facilitates supply to the patient P (via the ventilator PV, for instance) with a precise control of the temperature (thanks to the control unit CU, for instance.

As exemplified herein, hydrogen and oxygen as produced by a water electrolyzer such as E can be kept separate and mixed together at a mixer 6 comprising a regulation valve (not visible in the figures for reasons of scale) which can be controllably adjusted in order to define the relative oxygen/hydrogen proportions before the mixture is supplied to the mixture generator 7.

As discussed, the gas generated at E can be enriched with ozone 03 before being supplied, again with a valve/pump such as 9 controllably adjustable to regulate the relative contents in the resulting mixture before this is supplied to the patient P.

As discussed, the gas generated at E can be enriched with (a vapor of) chlorine releasing substance CR, like hypochlorous acid or one of the chloramines, again with a valve/pump such as 10 controllably adjustable to regulate the relative contents in the resulting mixture before this is supplied to the patient P.

As exemplified herein, a lung disease treatment system (that is an apparatus, machine or equipment such as 100, for instance) may comprise: an electrolytic hydrogen generator (for instance,

E), a gas-liquid mixture generator (for instance, 7) configured to receive (for instance, 6) hydrogen from said electrolytic generator and produce therefrom a gas-liquid mixture containing an anti-inflammatory agent (for instance, AI), an insufflation line (for instance, 11, 12) coupled to the gas-liquid mixture generator and configured to insufflate said gas-liquid mixture containing an anti-inflammatory agent towards the respiratory system of a patient (for instance, P).

In a system as exemplified herein, said insufflation line may comprises a heater (for instance, 11) configured to heat said gas-liquid mixture insufflated towards the respiratory system of a patient.

In a system as exemplified herein, said heater may be configured to heat said gas-liquid mixture insufflated towards the respiratory system of a patient to a temperature higher than the patient body temperature .

In a system as exemplified herein, said insufflation line may comprises at least one cannula

(for instance, 12) configured for either direct insufflation of said gas-liquid mixture into the respiratory system of a patient or coupling to a patient ventilator (for instance, PV). In a system as exemplified herein: said electrolytic hydrogen generator may configured to generate via electrolysis both hydrogen (for instance, 5) and oxygen (for instance, 4), said gas-liquid mixture generator may be configured to receive from said electrolytic generator both hydrogen and oxygen, wherein said gas-liquid mixture contains both hydrogen and oxygen.

In a system as exemplified herein: said electrolytic hydrogen generator may have separate output lines for hydrogen and oxygen, a mixer (for instance, 6) may be provided intermediate said separate output lines for hydrogen and oxygen and said gas-liquid mixture generator, the mixer configured to supply said gas-liquid mixture generator with a proportioned mixture of hydrogen and oxygen (that is a mixture containing - possibly adjustable - a relative proportion of hydrogen and oxygen).

In a system as exemplified herein, said electrolytic hydrogen generator may contain a filling of water (for instance, W) additioned with an electrolyte .

In a system as exemplified herein, said filling of water may comprise distilled water or water purified by reverse osmosis.

In a system as exemplified herein, said electrolyte may comprise an alkaline metal hydroxide.

In a system as exemplified herein, said gas-liquid mixture generator may be configured to produce a gas- liquid mixture containing an anti-inflammatory agent selected from of corticosteroid drugs, non corticosteroid drugs or natural anti-inflammatory substances .

Exemplary corticosteroid drugs may include cortisone, prednisolone, dexamethasone, fluticasone propionate (as used for asthma and chronic allergy).

Exemplary non-corticosteroid drugs (FANS) may include ketoprofene, indomethacin, coxibi.

Natural anti-inflammatory substances may include salicylic acid-based substances and harpagosides.

In a system as exemplified herein, said gas-liquid mixture generator may be configured (for instance, at 9) to addition ozone (for instance, 03) to said gas- liquid mixture.

In a system as exemplified herein, said gas-liquid mixture generator may be configured (for instance, at 10) to addition a chlorine-releasing substance to said gas-liquid mixture.

In a system as exemplified herein, said chlorine- releasing substance may be selected from hypochlorous acid and chloramines.

Without prejudice to the underlying principles, the details of construction and the embodiments may vary, even significantly, with respect to what has been illustrated herein purely by way of non-limiting example.

The extent of protection is determined by the annexed claims.