Smart nasal cannula with integrated airway pressure sensing
This technology is a redesigned nasal cannula — the device that delivers supplemental oxygen through a patient's nose — that adds a built-in pressure sensing port directly inside the nasal prong. By embedding a small measurement port in the prong's side wall and connecting it to a pressure sensor, the system can continuously monitor airway pressure in real time while oxygen is being delivered. This gives clinicians or automated systems immediate feedback on how gas is actually flowing into the patient's airway, not just what the machine is pumping out. The result is a smarter oxygen delivery device that can detect breathing patterns, detect obstructions, or adjust flow without requiring a separate monitoring apparatus.
What you could build
A next-generation nasal cannula with integrated airway pressure monitoring, sold to hospital respiratory therapy departments, home oxygen therapy providers, and medical device OEMs as either a standalone product or a component in closed-loop oxygen delivery systems.
Who in Virginia should care
Virginia-based hospital systems, home health equipment suppliers, or defense-adjacent medical device companies supporting military and VA patient care would be natural early adopters or licensing partners.
Readiness: Concept
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- Umar F. SOFI, Hunter T. MOLLICA, Alfred L. WICKS
- Filed
- Patent pending — filed November 22, 2024
- Status
- Application
- Publication number
- US20250332368A1
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.