Electrochemical Oxygen Concentrator for Home Therapy

描述（由申请人提供）：对于慢性阻塞性肺疾病（COPD）和其他导致低氧血症的肺部疾病患者，家庭长期氧疗（LTOT）的有益效果是众所周知的。在大多数国家，慢性阻塞性肺病患者的数量正在增加，在美国，它现在是导致死亡的主要原因之一。ltt增加了患者的存活率，也有可能大大改善患者的生活质量。由于lot必须在白天给予尽可能长的时间，因此将每天的氧气治疗时间延长到一天的活动期间是很重要的。这可以通过使用紧凑、轻便、便携的氧气源来实现。因此，显然需要一种基于新技术的氧气发生器，以满足家庭内外的LTOT的所有要求。目前，通过液态氧系统提供流动氧气存在问题，因为液态氧的成本较高，因此供应商的利润率较低。便携式吸氧的目的是增加运动耐量，减少运动呼吸困难，提高生活质量，延长每日LTOT时间。为了满足这一需求，该项目特别针对使用创新的电化学生命支持系统改善家庭和办公室中流动病人的氧气输送。这项技术将在临床效益、患者便利性和运送成本方面有显著改善。便携式电化学系统将根据需要产生加湿的，但其他方面纯净的氧气，同时系统重量小于10磅，系统功率要求小于600瓦。该系统将提供即时启动，据估计，氧气发生器将花费不到1 000美元。由于便携式电化学氧气发生器技术具有政府和其他商业应用，例如战场生命保障、前方医疗区域、伤员运输车辆、商用和军用飞机的“氧气涓流充电器”以及减压病、空气栓塞和一氧化碳中毒的高压氧治疗，因此将采用两用开发方法。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The beneficial effects of Long-term Oxygen Therapy (LTOT) in the home for patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and other lung diseases causing hypoxemia, are well known. The number of patients with COPD is increasing in most countries, and in the U.S., it is now one of the leading causes of death. LTOT increases a patient's survival rate and also has the potential to improve considerably a patient's quality of life. Since LTOT must be given for as long as possible during the day, it is important to extend daily hours of oxygen therapy into the mobile period of the day. This can be achieved through the use of compact, lightweight, portable sources of oxygen gas. Thus, there exists a clear need for a new technology-based oxygen generator that satisfies all the requirements for LTOT both within and outside the home. Currently, providing ambulatory oxygen with LOX systems is problematic because of the cost of LOX and hence lower profit margins for suppliers. The aims of portable oxygen are to increase exercise tolerance, reduce exercise dyspnea, improve quality of life, and extend the daily hours of LTOT. In response to the identified need, this project is specifically aimed at improving the delivery of oxygen to ambulatory patients in the home and office setting using an innovative electrochemical life support system. The technology will have a dramatic improvement in clinical benefits, patient convenience and delivery costs. The portable electrochemical system will produce on demand a supply of humidified, but otherwise pure, oxygen gas, while having a system weight less than 10 Ib and system power requirements less than 600 Watts. The system will provide instantaneous start-up and it is estimated that the oxygen generator will cost less than $1,000. A dual-use development approach will be adopted because the portable electrochemical oxygen generator technology has both government and other commercial applications such as battlefield life support, forward medical treatment areas, casualty transport vehicles, "oxygen trickle charger" for commercial and military aircraft, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy for decompression sickness, air embolism, and carbon monoxide poisoning.