JP2011083314A - Airway expansion tool - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an airway expansion tool with little uncomfortable feeling in use which can be used without problems even when there is abnormality in a lower jaw or the number of teeth is few or there is chronic nasal obstruction and which can be attained at low cost. <P>SOLUTION: The airway expansion tool includes a lower jaw housing section 10 for wrapping the back part of the head from the lower jaw of a person 50 and a strut section 11 for supporting the lower jaw housing section 10 and supports the lower jaw bone such that the lower jaw housing section 10 comes into contact with the both the sides of the lower jaw bone of a head part 50A and pushes out the lower jaw bone forward. Thus, it is possible to prevent the lower jaw from sagging and to suppress a tongue root from sagging, it is possible to secure the airway for breathing, even a person afflicted from sleeping apnea syndrome or snoring can smoothly breath. The airway expansion tool can be used without problem even when there is abnormality in a lower jaw or the number of teeth is few or there is chronic nasal obstruction because the tool is not installed within the mouth cavity as the conventional mouthpiece. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an airway dilator that prevents sleep apnea and sputum.

  Sleep apnea and sputum can cause the throat airway and the tongue base to sink and narrow the airway in the 3rd and 4th deepest stages of sleep. Symptoms that occur in FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a normal sleep pattern, in which the vertical axis indicates sleep depth (stage) and the horizontal axis indicates sleep time. Moreover, the part shown with the oblique line in a figure is REM sleep, and others are non-REM sleep. The first stage is a state in which the person has finally gone after entering the bed, and the second stage is a state in which the person is sleeping easily. The third stage is the first deep sleep that reaches about 20 minutes after falling asleep. The fourth stage is a deeper sleep, and this stage is reached about 1 hour after falling asleep in the first cycle of sleep.

  In sleep apnea syndrome, the third and fourth stages of non-REM sleep are disturbed because the airways in the throat are narrowed or closed. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a sleep pattern of a sleep apnea syndrome patient. As shown in this figure, in the case of a sleep apnea syndrome patient, the third stage and the fourth stage of sleep do not appear, and the first stage and the second stage appear repeatedly.

  I often dream about REM sleep, and the first REM sleep comes 90 minutes after falling asleep. REM sleep reinforces memory and emotions. If REM sleep is interrupted for more than one night, irritability, reduced concentration, etc. will appear. In the third and fourth stages of sleep, human growth hormone (HGH) required for the day is secreted from the anterior pituitary gland in the brain. Human growth hormone is important in promoting muscle and bone growth and maintenance, gastrointestinal and skin repair. Without the third and fourth stages of sleep, sufficient secretion of human growth hormone is not performed, and as a result, muscle fatigue is not recovered. Thus, taking a sleep with a normal sleep pattern is very important for maintaining health.

  As a device used for the treatment of sleep apnea and mania, a mouthpiece (also known as Sleep Sprint (registered trademark)) that is worn in the oral cavity and moves the lower jaw forward and an airway securing device (see, for example, Patent Document 1) Alternatively, there is a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) treatment device that removes airway obstruction by sending pressurized air from the nose.

JP 2003-290358 A

  However, the CPAP treatment device is not easy to use because it has a strong sense of incongruity because it is equipped with a mask on the face and is expensive. Mouthpieces and airway securing devices are not as expensive as CPAP treatment devices, but they are used in the oral cavity, so they are more uncomfortable than CPAP treatment devices. Become. In the mouthpiece, the lower teeth (the teeth growing on the mandible) are attracted to the upper teeth (the teeth growing on the skull), and in the airway securing device, the upper teeth are used as insulators and the lower teeth are moved forward. Since it is moved, the tooth is loaded and cannot be applied to a person with a small number of teeth. In addition, it cannot be applied to cases where there is an extreme micromandibular disorder or temporomandibular joint abnormality, or even when there is a chronic nasal congestion.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and is used without problems even when there is little discomfort in use, there is an abnormality in the lower jaw, the number of teeth is small, or there is chronic nasal congestion. An object of the present invention is to provide an airway dilator that can be realized at low cost.

  An airway dilator according to the present invention is an airway dilator that secures an airway for breathing, and comprises mandibular support means for supporting the mandible so as to push the mandible forward. To do.

  According to the above configuration, the mandible is pushed forward, so that the airway can be secured by suppressing the sinking of the tongue base. Thereby, even a person suffering from sleep apnea or mania can breathe easily. Further, since it is not worn in the oral cavity like a conventional mouthpiece, it can be used without problems even if there is an abnormality in the lower jaw, the number of teeth, or chronic nasal congestion. Furthermore, it is not adapted to each person like a mouthpiece, and can be used for many people as long as the size of the mandible is substantially the same. Moreover, since the structure becomes simple, it can be realized at a significantly lower cost than a mouthpiece, not to mention the CPAP treatment device. In addition, by preparing a plurality of different sizes according to the size of the head and the size of the mandible, it can be used for more people.

  In the airway dilator according to the present invention, the mandibular support means includes a mandibular housing part that wraps the mandible and supports the mandible so as to push the mandible forward, and a column part that supports the mandible housing part. It is preferable to comprise.

  According to the above configuration, the mandible is pushed forward, so that the airway can be secured by suppressing the sinking of the tongue base.

  In the airway dilator according to the present invention, the mandible support means is preferably two struts that come into contact with both sides of the mandible when a person lies on his back.

  According to the above configuration, the two columns support the mandible so as to push it forward, so that the airway can be secured by suppressing the sinking of the tongue base.

  In the airway dilator according to the present invention, the mandible support means is preferably formed by cutting a groove in a sponge-like object.

  According to the above configuration, the two support posts formed by the grooves carved into the object support the mandible to be pushed forward, so that the airway can be secured by pressing down the tongue base while sleeping on the back. be able to.

  In the airway dilator according to the present invention, the mandible support means is preferably provided on a sponge-like object having a space in which the occipital region and the posterior part of the mandible can be accommodated when a person lies on his back. .

  According to the said structure, since the head is hold | maintained by the space which accommodates a person's occipital region and the posterior part of a mandible, the detachment from the mandible of the mandible support means can be reduced. That is, the mandible support means can be made difficult to come off.

  In the airway dilator according to the present invention, the sponge-like object preferably has elasticity.

  According to the said structure, since the elasticity was given to the object, a head can be fitted without a sense of incongruity.

  In the airway dilator according to the present invention, it is preferable that the mandible support means is formed to be harder than the surroundings.

  According to the above configuration, since the portion supporting the mandible is formed to be harder than the other portions, the portion other than the portion supporting the mandible sinks due to the weight of the head when lying on its back, and accordingly Since the portion supporting the mandible hits the mandible and supports the mandible to be pushed forward, the mandible can be surely pushed forward, and the airway can be secured by suppressing the sinking of the tongue base.

  In the airway dilator according to the present invention, it is preferable that the bottom surface portion of the object is formed in a round shape so as to draw an arc.

  According to the said structure, since the bottom face part of the mandible support means was formed circularly so that an arc might be drawn, it can follow the movement of the head when sleeping, and the user can turn over easily.

  The airway dilator according to the present invention supports the mandible to be pushed forward, so there is little discomfort in use, there are abnormalities in the lower jaw, the number of teeth, and chronic nasal congestion. Can be used without any problem, and can be realized at low cost.

It is a side view which shows the airway dilation tool which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the basic structure of the airway dilation tool which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the basic structure of the airway dilation tool which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the basic structure of the airway dilation tool which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the change of the shape at the time of use of the airway dilation tool which concerns on Embodiment 3. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of a normal sleep pattern. It is a figure which shows an example of the sleep pattern of a sleep apnea syndrome patient.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a side view showing an airway dilator according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. An airway dilator 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a shape similar to, for example, a headgear used in boxing, and includes a lower jaw housing portion 10 that wraps the back of the head from the lower jaw of a person 50, and a support column portion 11 that supports the lower jaw housing portion 10. It is prepared for. The mandibular container 10 supports the mandible so as to push the mandible forward (in the direction indicated by arrow A in the figure) by a portion (hereinafter referred to as “mandible abutment”) 101 that contacts the mandible of the person 50. Although only the left side portion of the airway dilator 1 is visible in FIG. 1, the right side portion has the same shape. The left mandible abutment portion 101 and the right side mandible abutment portion 101 support the mandible so as to push the mandible forward.

  The support column 11 has a length extending from the top of the head of the person 50 to the base of the neck, and is formed in a curved shape so as to be in close contact with the neck portion of the person 50. The column portion 11 is formed to be harder than the lower jaw housing portion 10 because of the necessity of firmly supporting the lower jaw housing portion 10. However, it goes without saying that the lower jaw housing portion 10 supports the mandible of a person and needs to have a certain degree of hardness.

  Here, FIG. 2 shows a basic structure of the airway dilator 1 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, in the airway dilator 1 according to the present embodiment, the two columns 1A and 1B corresponding to the left and right lower jaw contact portions 101 are in contact with the left and right side portions of the mandible of the head 50A. And has a supporting structure.

  By mounting the airway dilator 1 of the present embodiment on the head 50A, the lower jaw contact portion 101 of the lower jaw storage portion 10 contacts both sides of the lower jaw bone of the head 50A so as to push the lower jaw forward. To support. In this state, when the user lies on his back, the lower jaw is prevented from sinking and the tongue base does not sink. As a result, an airway for breathing is ensured, and even a person suffering from sleep apnea or mania can easily breathe during sleep.

  The material used for the lower jaw housing part 10 and the column part 11 of the airway dilator 1 according to the present embodiment may be the same or different. In particular, urethane resin that has good ventilation and good touch is suitable because it is worn on the human body. Urethane resin can be said to be one of the most suitable materials because it can have a difference in hardness and can be made into a sponge shape.

  Cushioning material such as soft urethane is used on the surface of the lower jaw housing part 10 and the column part 11 that comes into contact with the person 50, and the discomfort caused by wearing the airway dilator 1 is reduced.

  As described above, the airway dilator 1 according to the present embodiment includes the lower jaw housing portion 10 that wraps the occipital region from the lower jaw of the person 50 and the support column portion 11 that supports the lower jaw housing portion 10. The mandible is supported so as to push the mandible forward by contacting both sides of the 50A mandible, so that the mandible can be prevented from sinking and the tongue root from being depressed, thereby reducing the airway for breathing. It can be ensured, and even a person suffering from sleep apnea and mania can breathe smoothly.

  Further, since it is not worn in the oral cavity like a conventional mouthpiece, it can be used without problems even if there is an abnormality in the lower jaw, the number of teeth, or chronic nasal congestion. Furthermore, it is not adapted to each person like a mouthpiece, and can be used for many people as long as the size of the mandible is substantially the same. Moreover, since the structure becomes simple, it can be realized at a significantly lower cost than a mouthpiece, not to mention the CPAP treatment device. In addition, by preparing a plurality of different sizes according to the size of the head and the size of the mandible, it can be used for more people.

  In the present embodiment, the shape as shown in FIG. 1 is used. However, the shape is not limited to this shape. If the basic structure shown in FIG. It does not matter. Various forms of airway dilators are shown in the following embodiments.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an airway dilator according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In FIG. 3, the airway dilator 2 of the present embodiment is formed by forming an elastic member such as urethane resin into a square pillow shape, and FIG. 3 (a) is a state immediately before the head 50A is placed. The state is shown, and (b) shows the state after the head 50A is placed.

  The airway dilator 2 according to the present embodiment includes a head support portion 20 that supports a human occipital region, and mandibular support portions 21A and 21B that support the mandible to be pushed forward. The head support part 20 and the mandible support parts 21A and 21B are formed by engraving four grooves 22A to 22D in a sponge-like member having elasticity. In the present embodiment, the shapes of the grooves 22A to 22D are determined so that the head support portion 20 has an inverted trapezoidal shape and the mandible support portions 21A and 21B have a triangular shape. As a member to be used, urethane resin is suitable.

  The head support part 20 is softer than the mandible support parts 21A and 21B, and sinks more than the mandible support parts 21A and 21B when the head part 50A is placed. When the head support part 20 sinks more than the mandible support parts 21A and 21B, the mandible support parts 21A and 21B support the head 50A so as to contact both sides of the mandible and push it forward. The depth at which the head 50A sinks depends on the hardness of the head support portion 20 and the mandible support portions 21A and 21B, and the depth of the grooves 22A to 22D forming the head support portion 20 and the mandible support portions 21A and 21B. However, the head 50A can be reliably secured by determining the hardness of the head support 20 and the mandible supports 21A and 21B and the depth of the grooves 22A to 22D so that the head 50A can be surrounded. Therefore, the support of the mandible by the mandible support parts 21A and 21B becomes more reliable.

  As described above, the airway dilator 2 of the present embodiment is a pillow using an elastic sponge-like member, and the head support 20 and the mandible support 21A by engraving the grooves 22A to 22D. , 21B are formed, and the mandible support parts 21A, 21B are harder than the head support part 20, and the mandible support parts 21A, 21B are placed on the head when the head is put on the bed. Since it supports both sides of the 50A mandible and pushes the mandible forward, it can prevent the mandible from sinking and hold down the root of the tongue, thereby securing an airway for breathing, Even those suffering from sleep apnea and mania can breathe smoothly.

  Moreover, since it is not worn in the oral cavity like the conventional mouthpiece like the airway dilator 1 of the first embodiment described above, there is an abnormality in the lower jaw, the number of teeth is small, chronic Even if there is a nasal congestion, it can be used without problems. Furthermore, it is not adapted to each person like a mouthpiece, and can be used for many people as long as the size of the mandible is substantially the same. In addition, since the structure is simplified, it can be realized at low cost. In addition, by preparing a plurality of different sizes according to the size of the head and the size of the mandible, it can be used for more people.

  In addition, in the said embodiment, although the whole shape was made into the square pillow shape, you may make it form so that a bottom face part may draw a circular arc. This makes it easier to turn over.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a basic structure of an airway dilator according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the airway dilator 3 according to the present embodiment forms a space 3a in the elastic sponge-like member in which the occipital region and the posterior part of the mandible are accommodated when a person lies on his back, The bottom portion 3b is formed so as to draw a circular arc. The support columns 3A and 3B that support the mandible (corresponding to the mandible support portions 21A and 21B) are harder than the surroundings. As a member to be used, urethane is suitable.

  Since the airway dilation tool 3 of the present embodiment has the main body bottom surface portion 3b formed in a round shape, it can follow the movement of the head 50A when sleeping and the user can easily turn over.

  In addition, since the airway dilator 3 of the present embodiment is in close contact with the head 50A and holds the head 50A, the user's sleeping posture changes from the supine position to the supine position and then returns to the supine position. The struts 3A and 3B support the mandible. Since the pillars 3A and 3B are harder than the other parts like the above-described mandible support parts 21A and 21B, the mandible can be reliably supported. Thus, even if the sleeping posture changes from the supine position to the lateral position by hitting the roll, the support columns 3A and 3B support the mandible again when returning to the supine position, so the airway for continuous breathing Can be secured. Further, when turning over to the lateral position, the columns 3A and 3B do not support the mandible, so that no burden is applied to the jaw. By the way, in the lateral position, tongue base subsidence does not occur and the airway is secured, so it is not necessary to support the mandible. In this way, the effect can be exerted only in the supine position where tongue root depression occurs and breathing becomes difficult.

  Here, FIG. 5 shows the shape of the airway dilation tool 3 when sleeping in the supine position and the shape of the tool 3 when sleeping in the lateral position. FIG. 5A shows the airway dilator 3 in the supine position, and FIG. 5B shows the airway dilator 3 in the lateral position.

  As described above, the airway dilator 3 of the present embodiment is formed in a pillow shape so as to draw a circular arc on the bottom surface of the main body, and two struts 3A and 3B that are harder than the other portions are formed. Since the structure is formed and the two heads 3A and 3B come into contact with both sides of the mandible of the head 50A and push out the mandible forward when the head is put on the bed, the mandible sinks. To prevent depression of the tongue base, thereby ensuring an airway for breathing, and even a person suffering from sleep apnea or mania can breathe smoothly.

  In addition, since the bottom surface portion of the main body is formed in a round shape, it can follow the movement of the head 50A when sleeping and can turn over freely.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, If it has a structure or a mechanism which supports a mandible so that it may extrude forward, it can change and implement variously.

  The present invention is applicable to the medical field for treating sleep apnea and mania.

1, 2, 3 Airway dilator 1A, 1B, 3A, 3B Post 10 Mandible receiving part 11 Post part 20 Head support part 21A, 21B Mandible support part 22A-22D Groove 50 Person 50A Head part 101 Mandibular contact part

Claims (8)

An airway dilator that secures an airway for breathing,
An airway dilator having a mandible support means for supporting the mandible so as to push out the mandible of a person forward.   The mandible support means includes a mandible housing portion that wraps the mandible of a person and supports the mandible so as to push the mandible forward, and a support column that supports the mandible housing portion. Item 1. An airway dilator according to Item 1.   The airway dilator according to claim 1, wherein the mandible support means is two struts that come into contact with both sides of the mandible when a person lies on his back.   The airway dilator according to claim 3, wherein the mandible support means is formed by cutting a groove in a sponge-like object.   The airway according to claim 3, wherein the mandible support means is provided on a sponge-like object having a space in which the back of the head and the back of the mandible can be accommodated when a person lies on his back. Expansion tool.   The airway dilator according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the sponge-like object has elasticity.   The airway dilator according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the mandible support means is formed to be harder than the surroundings.   The airway dilator according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein a bottom portion of the object is rounded so as to draw an arc.

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