Patient interface with blowout prevention for seal-forming portion

Abstract

One form of the present technology includes a sealing structure to seal against a user's face around the user's airways. The sealing structure includes a flap or membrane that extends inward towards the user's airways and includes a structure that prevents an inner boundary of the flap or membrane from being blown outwards (e.g., folded backwards upon itself) due to internal pressurization.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A patient interface for sealed delivery of a flow of air at a continuously positive pressure with respect to ambient air pressure to an entrance to the patient's airways including at least entrance of a patient's nares, wherein the patient interface is configured to maintain a therapy pressure in a range of about 3 cmH 2 O to about 40 cmH 2 O above ambient air pressure in use, throughout the patient's respiratory cycle, while the patient is sleeping, to ameliorate sleep disordered breathing, the patient interface comprising:
 a plenum chamber pressurised at a pressure above ambient pressure in use;   a sealing structure to seal the patient interface against the patient's face, the sealing structure comprising:
 a sealing portion constructed from foam and adapted to contact the patient's face around a periphery of the entrance to the patient's airways; and 
 a support portion constructed from silicone, the support portion comprising:
 a first side joined to the plenum chamber; 
 a second side joined to the sealing portion to support the sealing portion against the patient's face in use; and 
 a pair of ribs extending from the first side to the second side on the inside of the support portion such that the ribs resist deformation of the support portion when pressure is applied to the sealing portion, each of the ribs being positioned on a corresponding lateral side of the support portion; 
 
   a positioning and stabilising structure to maintain the sealing structure in sealing contact with an area surrounding an entrance to the patient's airways while maintaining a therapeutic pressure at the entrance to the patient's airways; and   a gas washout vent configured to allow a flow of patient exhaled CO 2  to an exterior of the patient interface to minimise rebreathing of exhaled CO 2  by the patient.   
     
     
         22 . The patient interface according to  claim 21 , wherein the sealing portion includes a pair of convex portions. 
     
     
         23 . The patient interface according to  claim 22 , wherein the second side of the support portion has a pair of concave portions. 
     
     
         24 . The patient interface according to  claim 23 , wherein:
 each of the concave portions is located directly opposite a corresponding one of the convex portions, and   each of the ribs is attached to the second side at the corresponding concave portion.   
     
     
         25 . The patient interface according to  claim 21 , wherein each of the ribs is configured to be readily crushed by a forced applied to the patient interface to hold the patient interface against the patient in use. 
     
     
         26 . The patient interface according to  claim 21 , wherein each of the ribs is configured to be positioned adjacent to a corresponding lateral side of the patient's nose in use. 
     
     
         27 . The patient interface according to  claim 21 , wherein each of the ribs is adapted to prevent the sealing portion from a blowout when the patient interface is internally pressurized and adjusted by the patient in use. 
     
     
         28 . The patient interface according to  claim 21 , wherein each of the ribs extends radially inward from the support portion. 
     
     
         29 . The patient interface according to  claim 21 , wherein the foam is polyethylene, polyurethane, or ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA). 
     
     
         30 . The patient interface according to  claim 21 , wherein the foam is a semi-open closed cell foam. 
     
     
         31 . The patient interface according to  claim 21 , wherein the sealing portion is configured to surround the patient's nose in use. 
     
     
         32 . The patient interface according to  claim 31 , wherein the sealing portion is configured to surround the patient's nose and mouth in use. 
     
     
         33 . The patient interface according to  claim 21 , wherein the plenum chamber is constructed from a relatively rigid plastic material. 
     
     
         34 . The patient interface according to  claim 33 , wherein the relatively rigid plastic material is transparent. 
     
     
         35 . The patient interface according to  claim 21 , wherein the plenum chamber comprises a connection port configured to receive the flow of air. 
     
     
         36 . The patient interface according to  claim 35 , further comprising an elbow configured to be connected to an air circuit to receive the flow of air from a blower and fluidly communicate the flow of air to the patient's airways through the connection port. 
     
     
         37 . The patient interface according to  claim 36 , wherein the elbow includes the gas washout vent. 
     
     
         38 . The patient interface according to  claim 21 , wherein:
 the plenum chamber comprises a connection port configured to receive the flow of air,   the patient interface further comprises an elbow configured to be connected to an air circuit to receive the flow of air from a blower and fluidly communicate the flow of air to the patient's airways through the connection port   the elbow includes the gas washout vent,   the sealing portion includes a pair of convex portions,   the second side of the support portion has a pair of concave portions,   each of the concave portions is located directly opposite a corresponding one of the convex portions,   each of the ribs is attached to the second side at the corresponding concave portion,   each of the ribs is configured to be positioned adjacent to a corresponding lateral side of the patient's nose in use,   each of the ribs extends radially inward from the support portion,   the sealing portion is configured to surround the patient's nose and mouth in use,   the plenum chamber is constructed from a relatively rigid plastic material, and   the relatively rigid plastic material is transparent.   
     
     
         39 . The patient interface according to  claim 38 , wherein the foam is polyethylene, polyurethane, or ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), and
 wherein the foam is a semi-open closed cell foam.   
     
     
         40 . The patient interface according to  claim 38 , wherein each of the ribs is configured to be readily crushed by a forced applied to the patient interface to hold the patient interface against the patient in use, and
 wherein each of the ribs is adapted to prevent the sealing portion from a blowout when the patient interface is internally pressurized and adjusted by the patient in use.