Humidification system

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for reducing condensation in a respiratory circuit during a delivery of humidifying agent into the respiratory circuit. A first amount of humidification agent to a first volume of gas is delivered to a patient respiratory circuit during a patient inhalation cycle or immediately after a patient exhalation cycle, and the humidification agent or the first volume of gas is heated. Condensation is removed from the respiratory circuit at least in part by providing, during a patient exhalation cycle or immediately after a patient inhalation cycle, a second amount of the humidification agent to a second volume of gas being delivered from the gas source to the patient respiratory circuit, the second amount of the humidification agent being significantly less than the first amount of the humidification agent.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A method of reducing condensed humidifying agent in a humidification system, the method comprising:
 providing a humidification system comprising a respiratory circuit for delivering a volume of gas to a patient and a humidifier portion for delivering a humidifying agent to the volume of gas;   forming the humidifying agent into droplets;   delivering the humidifying agent droplets to the volume of gas via the humidifier portion;   heating the volume of gas upstream of a discharge line of the respiratory circuit; and   vaporizing humidifying agent droplets present in the discharge line to reduce the condensed humidifying agent present in the humidification system.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the humidifying agent comprises water. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the forming step comprises generating ultrasonic soundwaves. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the forming stop comprises combining the humidifying agent with a compressed gas. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the forming step comprises using a droplet generating device to generate the droplets. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , further comprising pulsing delivery of the humidifying agent to the droplet generating device. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , further comprising pulsing operation of the droplet generating device. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 23 , further comprising changing the frequency of the ultrasonic soundwaves. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein pulsing delivery of the humidifying agent comprises providing humidifying agent to the droplet generating device during patient inhalation and not providing humidifying agent to the droplet generating device during patient exhalation. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the pulsing delivery of the humidifying agent comprises increasing an amount of the humidifying agent droplets delivered to the volume of gas relative to an amount of humidifying agent droplets delivered to the volume of gas during the non-pulsed interval. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the pulsing step comprises providing a greater flow of humidifying agent to the humidifier portion than a flow of humidifying agent provided to the humidifier portion during the non-pulsed interval. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein no amount of humidifying agent is delivered to the humidifier portion during the non-pulse interval. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the vaporizing step further comprises placing a heated element in contact with a flow of humidifying agent. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the heated element comprises a porous thermally conductive material. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the vaporizing step further comprises placing the heated volume of gas in contact with the humidifying agent droplets. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the thermally conductive material comprises a fiber wool or sintered particulate mass. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising timing the pulsing based on one or more parameters detected by one or more sensors. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 a. providing in the humidification system at least one of:
 i. a temperature sensor; 
 ii. a flow rate sensor; 
 iii. a humidity sensor; 
   b. providing a controller in communication with the at least one sensor; and   c. using the controller to time forming the humidifying agent into droplets based on one or more parameters detected by the at least one sensor.   
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising passing the heated volume of gas through the discharge line. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the heating step occurs upstream of the location where the humidifying agent droplets are delivered to the volume of gas. 
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 21 , where the heating step occurs downstream of the location where the humidifying agent droplets ae delivered to the volume of gas. 
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 21 , where the heating step occurs proximate the location where the humidifying agent droplets are delivered to the volume of gas.