Australian Centre for Advanced Medical Technology Ltd.

Paul Wilkie

Colin Edward Sullivan

A mask for supplying gas under pressure to the nasal airway of an infant human includes a manifold for supplying air to an aperture in the mask. A shaped membrane structure formed from a thin walled membrane defines an enclosure for receiving at least the nares of an infant human nose and a generally trapezoidal aperture adapted to fit around the nasal area of the infant human. Part of the membrane around the aperture is sufficiently flexible to mold to the shape of the infant human's nasal area or is contoured to generally match the contours around that nasal area while the membrane structure itself has sufficient rigidity to support the weight of the backing plate without collapsing. The provision of a generally trapezoidal rather than the generally triangular apertures for fitting around the nares provides a substantially improved fit when the mask is used with infants. The molding or contouring of the membrane structure around the aperture to match the shape of the infant's facial contours around the nasal area including the provision of a generally planar portion surrounding the aperture is also important in ensuring a comfortable fit and an effective seal. The mask is entirely formed from a flexible elastomeric material for reason of comfort and function.

Mask

A mask () for supplying gas under pressure to the nasal airway of a human includes a manifold () including means () for connection to a gas supply means, a gas supply element or elements () for providing said gas to the nasal airway without pressurising the exterior of the nose and a flexible strap () formed from an elastomeric material for securing the manifold () in position. The strap () extends either side of the manifold () and is shaped to generally conform with the shape of the upper lip and adjacent cheek area to act as a distributed anchor means for the mask ().

A mask for supplying gas under pressure to the nasal airway of a human includes a series of flexible stretchable straps formed from an elastomeric material for locating the mask against the human face. The straps are integrally formed or joined to define a perimeter enclosing an aperture adapted to fit around the nasal area of a human. The straps are configured to approximate to the three dimensional shape of the region around the nasal area of the human face as they arm stretched, to form a tight fitting seal. The mask may be used with or without a manifold.

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New South Wales, Australia

Paul Wilkie