one objective of the presently disclosed respiratory system is to deliver medicaments under positive pressure and at metered doses so as to prevent waste of the medicament . the medicament delivered by a nebulizer may include any medicament capable of being nebulized , including but not limited to , platelet rich plasma , stem cells , growth factors , cytokines , hyaluronidase , and other medications . target organs and / or organ systems can include the olfactory bulbs , pulmonary system , and associated vascular systems . the system may be used to both treat a disease state as well as to rejuvenate and improve functioning of the pulmonary system , olfactory system , or nasopharyngeal tissues . treatment duration may vary from a few minutes to over an hour at a time . treatments may initially be repeated on a daily basis or less frequently , and may be repeated at intervals during the year , depending on the underlying process being treated and degree of response of the patient . outcomes are measured based on physiological testing , such as pulmonary function test , physical endurance , as well as a subjective sense of improved endurance . when treating the central nervous system , imaging studies may be used to monitor progress and cognitive functioning testing may be performed . the apparatus may also be used for administering pharmaceutical medications , synthetic materials , and chemotherapy medications . essentially any solution may be introduced with the apparatus . primary healing and regeneration can be achieved by the introduction of stem cells or platelets which are either intact or lysed . they may be introduced with associated growth factors and cytokines . the described embodiments , in contrast to currently available techniques , can decrease waste of nebulized material , improve absorption , and eases the patient &# 39 ; s workload , and therefore may improve efficacy of treatment and patient compliance with treatment . increased penetration of medicaments through increased cell permeability can be achieved with medications such as hyaluronidase . preferred embodiments can include administering the medicaments under positive airway pressure , which can increase the transmural pressure and therefore absorption of the medicaments . the effectiveness of hyaluronidase can be increased by administering at neutral ph levels , which may be achieved by using a phosphate buffer saline or other buffered solutions . such ph neutral hyaluronidase can then be used to pretreat the biological absorptive surface prior to delivering stem cells and / or other factors . alternatively , stem cells and / or other factors may be suspended in hyaluronidase and then delivered . various concentrations may be used . for example , suspending cells in about 5 to 45 micrograms , or about 10 to 40 micrograms , or about 15 to 30 micrograms , or about 20 to 25 micrograms of a solution including hyaluronidase at a concentration ranging from about 1 to 20 mg / ml , or about 5 to 15 mg / ml , or about 10 mg / ml . in some embodiments , about 20 micrograms of a stem cell medicament ( which may include cytokines and / or other factors ) is suspended in a solution including hyaluronidase at a concentration of about 10 mg / ml . platelet rich plasma and growth factors can be obtained from blood plasma . stem cells may be obtained from mesenchymal stem cells in adipose tissue , from bone marrow aspirate , and / or from other sources . the samples may be obtained following standard protocols for obtaining such samples . after collection , cells may be administered immediately after purification and concentration , or after further cell line expansion to increase cell load to be injected . for example , in the case of platelet rich plasma and growth factors , blood samples may be taken and centrifuged , with the desired components aspirated from the centrifuged samples . the aspirated components can then be pooled and placed into the nebulizer . stem cells can be obtained from adipose tissue and / or bone marrow with standard harvesting techniques , followed by washing and resuspension . viability of the harvested material is ensured by the use of fresh material which is reintroduced into the body within two hours of harvesting . other methods of preserving the harvested material include refrigeration , freezing , and incubation with cell line expansion . freezing of cells results in the production of lysate which may further improve efficacy of treatment . the vehicle for delivery of the medicament varies depending on the type of medicament that is used for the treatment and the delivery target . it may be necessary or desirable to suspend or mix the treatment material in a carrier or other pharmaceutically acceptable substance . for platelet rich plasma , the plasma itself can act as a carrier but may be supplemented with other materials so as to change viscosity and / or increase cell penetration . stem cells may be suspended in saline . cell suspension and efficacy may be improved with the use of ph neutral solutions and optimized hyaluronidase concentrations . fig1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a respiratory system . fig1 shows a nebulizer 102 which can be propelled by tank 104 containing compressed oxygen or air . airflow pressure from the nebulizer 102 can be increased by a compressor 106 ( such as a biphasic positive airway pressure ( bipap ®) or other positive pressure components , which can have variable pressure and can be modulated . flow from tank 104 may be controlled by a negative pressure sensitive switch 108 , activated by negative pressure generated in a breathing unit , illustrated in this embodiment as breathing mask 110 . the nebulizer 102 is preferably a jet nebulizer configured to provide a fine mist of nebulized medicament in response to the passage of compressed air through the nebulizer 102 . such jet nebulizers can beneficially allow the use of medicaments including larger proteins , cells , and cell components . in other embodiments , the nebulizer 102 may be formed as an ultrasonic nebulizer or other form of nebulizer . as used herein , the terms “ nebulize ,” “ nebulizer ,” “ nebulized ,” and the like relate to the production of mist to be delivered to the nasopharyngeal and / or pulmonary tissues of a patient . as used herein , such terms are synonymous with “ aerosol ,” “ aerosolizer ,” “ aerosolized ,” “ inhaler ,” “ inhalant ,” and the like . an exhaust manifold 112 may be connected to the mask 110 and can contain at its distal end 114 a one - way valve 116 and filter 118 ( e . g ., a high - efficiency particulate arrestance (“ hepa ”) filter ). breathing mask 110 as shown can be designed to fit over a patient &# 39 ; s nose and / or mouth , and can have straps 111 or other attachment means to help fix the mask 110 in position on a patient . in other embodiments , breathing mask 110 may alternatively be configured as a nasal pillow mask , a nasal mask , a mouth - only mask or tube , or other type of delivery structure configured to enable delivery of air and / or medicament to a patient &# 39 ; s nasopharyngeal and / or pulmonary systems . oxygen , air , or other gas can flow from tank 104 to nebulizer 102 through a gas line 120 . airflow direction can be controlled by negative pressure generated as well as positive pressure generated by the compressor 106 . several valves ( e . g ., one - way valves ) throughout the system can ensure proper airflow . valve 122 , which can be configured as a lower pressure valve ( e . g ., is actuated at lower pressures relative to other valves of the device ), can be located in the mask 110 . valve 122 can serve to connect the compressor 106 and nebulizer 102 to the breathing mask 110 . medicaments and / or gas can flow from the nebulizer 102 and compressor 106 through valve 122 and into the breathing mask 110 . valve 122 can be configured to close prior to the opening of valve 116 ( e . g ., by configuring valve 122 to actuate at a lower pressure threshold relative to valve 116 ), thereby ensuring that the patient &# 39 ; s expiratory volume exits through the exhaust manifold 112 . fig2 is a close - up view of the nebulizer 102 and nearby components of the system 100 illustrated in fig1 . the nebulizer 102 in this embodiment can be powered by compressed oxygen and / or compressed air ( e . g ., delivered through tank 104 , pressurized gas line , or other compressed gas delivery means ). referring back to fig1 , the nebulizer 102 can be activated by a negative pressure sensitive switch 108 , which may be disposed on tank 104 as illustrated or at other sections of the device providing access to the gas line 120 . face mask 110 can be connected to a trigger hose 132 ( e . g ., via trigger port 134 ) which is also in communication with the pressure sensitive switch 108 . when a patient wearing mask 110 inspires , the pressure in the trigger hose 132 can drop and can trigger the pressure sensitive switch 108 . in the illustrated embodiment , when the switch 108 is activated by negative pressure during patient inspiration , airflow is provided to the nebulizer 102 . medicament , such as stem cells , platelet rich plasma , other medicaments described herein , or other medicaments useful for nasopharyngeal and / or pulmonary delivery , can be located in the nebulizer 102 . such medicament may be positioned in the nebulizer 102 before the system 100 is assembled or may be injected or otherwise positioned into the nebulizer after assembly is partially or totally completed . the medicament in the nebulizer 102 can be aerosolized by the gas from the tank 104 , and the nebulized particles can travel through the device toward and then through the valve 122 to be inhaled by a patient wearing mask 110 . the valve 122 may connect to an inlet port 123 that allows the passage of gas and medicament between an outer surface 125 of the face mask and an inner surface 127 of the face mask . compressed air flow may also be triggered manually to adjust the timing of the delivery of nebulized medicament during the initial portion of the inspiratory phase . for example , the system 100 can include a manual trigger actuator configured such that a patient or caretaker can manually actuate ( via button , knob , switch , etc .) the pressure sensitive switch 108 in order to initiate compressed air flow and nebulization of the medicament within the nebulizer 102 . in preferred embodiments , after actuation , the manual trigger actuator is configured to maintain automatic closing of pressure sensitive switch 108 when the amount of negative pressure lessens to below a threshold level . as explained in more detail below , such functionality can beneficially allow residual medicament remaining in the device to be cleared from the device and delivered to the patient during the terminal portion of the inspiration phase . in some embodiments , a controllable valve , such as a solenoid valve ( e . g ., in conjunction with a programmable regulator ) may be used to stop the flow of nebulized material prior to the end of inspiration , thus allowing for inspiration of all material in the inspiration mask , thereby reducing waste of medicament . for example , the valve can be programmed to stop the flow of gas according to a preset time . in preferred embodiments , however , gas flow and nebulization of medicament is stopped based on real - time determination of inspiration parameters , as described in more detail below . fig3 illustrates another view of the system 100 showing the placement of the valves 128 , 126 , 122 , 116 , and 130 . valve 122 can be positioned so as to prevent the backflow ( toward the nebulizer 102 ) of expired breath during expiration . the closure of the valve 122 during expiration thus forces air to travel into exhaust manifold 112 and out through one - way valve 116 . valve 130 can be positioned so as to prevent passage of medicament - containing air into the exhaust manifold 112 during inspiration . valve 130 may be controlled by manual switching and / or may be automatically actuated according to appropriate pressure changes ( e . g ., closes at lower pressures during inspiration and opens at higher pressures during expiration ). in some embodiments , the valve 130 may connect to an outlet port 129 ( see fig1 ) that allows the passage of gas and / or medicament between an outer surface 125 of the face mask 110 and an inner surface 127 of the face mask 110 ( e . g ., for a small portion of gas and / or medicament not first passing through inlet port 123 ). valves 126 and 128 can control and / or channel gas flow from the compressor 106 ( not shown in fig2 ). for example , valves 126 and / or 128 can prevent backflow ( flow toward the compressor ) of air or gas directed toward the patient . referring to fig1 , the connection conduit 136 between the nebulizer 102 and the inlet port 123 may be t - shaped . the connection conduit 136 may connect to valve 126 , which may connect to line 138 , which may connect to the compressor 106 ( e . g ., a biphasic positive airway pressure ( bipap ®) compressor ). one or more embodiments of the present disclosure can improve the efficiency by which stem cells , platelets , growth factors , cytokines , and / or other medications are introduced into a person or animal . for example , by administering these medicaments under positive pressure ( e . g ., as a result of the compressor 106 ), and activating a nebulizer 102 during the appropriate portions of the inspiratory cycle , these medicaments can be more efficiently introduced . moreover , patients with and without respiratory disease have varying degrees of difficulty sustaining inspiration against resistance for prolonged periods of time and may become short of breath . with positive airway pressure , it is easier for patients to inspire , and therefore better patient compliance is likely to be achieved . in some embodiments , nebulizer 102 can be actuated intermittently so that the medicament is nebulized at the beginning of the inspiratory cycle and then nebulization is stopped before the end of the respiratory cycle . this allows the residual amount of medicament to be cleared from the device as it is delivered to the patient during a terminal phase of inspiration ( e . g ., the portion of inspiration following cessation of nebulization ). such a configuration can leave minimal , if any , medicament in the lines , tubing , valves , mask 110 ( e . g ., the space between the inside surface of mask 110 and the patient &# 39 ; s face ), and other portions of the device unused . in some embodiments , the pressure sensitive switch 108 can be a pressure regulated switch ( e . g ., electrical , mechanical , or electromechanical ) configured to allow adjustment of one or more pressures at which the switch will open and / or close . for example , the pressure sensitive switch 108 can be attached to a control circuit that is programmable to provide selection and adjustment of an actuation pressure and / or a cessation pressure . fig4 schematically illustrates alveolar pressure change over time during a typical inspiration portion of a respiratory cycle . as illustrated , a pressure sensitive switch can be configured to actuate ( so as to provide nebulization and delivery of medicament ) upon reaching a first threshold pressure 202 . the pressure sensitive switch can also be configured to close ( so as to prevent further nebulization and delivery of medicament ) upon reaching a second threshold pressure 204 . the time period 206 indicates the time during which medicament is being nebulized and delivered to the patient . time period 208 indicates the terminal portion of the inspiration phase . in this period , residual medicament residing within the device ( e . g ., within the tubing , lines , valves , mask , and / or space between the mask and face ) can be partially or fully cleared from the device and delivered to the patient as intended . in addition , in some embodiments , continued positive pressure ( e . g ., from a compressor such as a bipap ® compressor ) further directs residual medicament and gas volume into the nasopharyngeal and / or pulmonary areas of the patient to deliver the medicament and prevent wasted medicament . in other embodiments , threshold pressures 202 and / or 204 can be adjusted according to patient and / or care provider needs and preferences . for example , first threshold pressure 202 can be adjusted to provide reliable initiation of nebulization and gas flow and / or second threshold pressure 204 can be adjusted to provide an adequate balance between time period 206 in which nebulization is active and time period 208 in which medicament is cleared . in addition , during expiration , the expiratory breath can exhausted via filter 118 ( e . g ., hepa filter ). filter 118 can be configured to prevent uninspired stem cells or other materials ( if any ) from exiting the system . embodiments of the present disclosure can provide a number of benefits . for example , the system can be configured to prevent nebulization during expiration , during resting periods between breaths , and during a terminal portion of the inspiration phase . in addition , the system does not rely on preconfigured timing sequences attempting to match nebulization and the breathing cycle to a consistent pattern . for example , the device can operate to deliver nebulized medicament while still clearing the device to prevent waste even if the patient has an inconsistent or erratic breathing pattern , such as a short , shallow breath followed by a deep , long breath , or vice versa . further , the device does not rely on lagging indicators ( such as one or more of the previous breath cycles ) to estimate current breath activity , but instead operates in real - time to deliver medicament during inspiration without over - providing medicament so as to lead to waste . moreover , the actuation and cessation of nebulization does not require monitoring of the compressor or the determination of compressor - related parameters . for example , the negative pressure sensitive switch can be opened and / or closed according to criteria independent from the compressor . in some embodiments , the device can be directed toward the olfactory epithelium and bulb . this can be accomplished by adjusting the positive airway pressure to a variable frequency pulsing at about 2 to 200 hz , or about 25 to 150 hz , or about 50 to 100 hz . in some embodiments , the face mask 110 can include a nasal adaptor configured to direct nebulized medicament to the cribriform plate of the patient . for example , the nasal adaptor can include sealed prongs to seal the nasal passageways and variable length extension tubes directed to the cribriform plate . in this configuration , positive pressure provided at variable pulse frequency and / or velocity can enhance flow to the cribriform plate of the patient . in some embodiments , the nasal adaptor of the face mask 110 can include a first sealed prong for positioning in a first nostril of a patient , and a variable length extension extending from the first sealed prong toward the cribriform plate . the second nostril can be sealed with a second prong including a one way valve configured to allow outflow of gas and nebulized medicament introduced through the first nostril . positive pressure may also be provided at variable velocity and / or pulse frequencies to enhance flow to the cribriform plate . in some embodiments , the face mask 110 may also include an expiratory tube insertable into a patient &# 39 ; s mouth . the expiratory tube may enable a patient to blow air through and breathe through the tube so as to conscientiously close the soft palate . embodiments utilizing such an expiratory tube may be useful in circumstances where it is desired or required that nebulized medicament be passed to the olfactory bulb and not the pulmonary system . in addition , closure of the soft palate can be monitored by measuring the amount of pressure the patient exhales into the expiratory tube . for example , a pressure sensitive solenoid switch can be coupled to the gas flow , and can be configured to cut off gas flow to the nasal cavity upon sensing a pressure drop during patient expiration ( e . g ., drops below a threshold value during an otherwise normal expiration phase of a respiratory cycle ). the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics . for example , the present invention may be modified for use with a ventilator and an endotracheal tube that is inserted through the mouth or nose ( i . e ., intubation ), or through a breathing tube placed through the front of the neck via a tracheostomy . the described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive . the scope of the invention is , therefore , indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description . all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope .
a respiratory system includes a pressurized gas source coupled to a nebulizer containing a medicament . the nebulizer is connected to a breathing unit . a pressure sensitive switch detects negative pressure at the breathing unit due to inspiration and opens to provide pressured gas flow to the nebulizer . the pressure sensitive switch is configured to close prior to the end of inspiration . residual medicament disposed in the system is cleared from the system and delivered to the patient during the remainder of the inspiration cycle . a compressor provides positive pressure to aid delivery of medicaments to the patient .