Abstract: A system for measuring the mechanical impedance of a patient's respiratory system during spontaneous respiratory activity, characterised by comprising a fan; a motor which operates said fan; said motor and said fan being positioned within a cavity; said cavity comprising an initial end and a final end, both providing access to the outside; said cavity presenting an impedance between said initial and said final end of less than 1 cm H2O/L/s; said fan withdrawing air from said final end and providing pressure variations of small amplitude and of frequency >2 Hz to said initial end; said initial end comprising air pressure and air flow measurement means and a connection directly connected to the airway opening.

Abstract: A method for the early identification of recurrences of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease comprising the following steps of; measuring, with a predefined time frequency, a plurality of parameters that define the pulmonary function of a patient by means of the forced oscillation technique (FOT); calculating the trend of said plurality of parameters in a predefined time period; identifying an impending recurrence by comparing the parameters describing said trend of said plurality of parameters with predefined thresholds; where the step of calculating the trend of said plurality of parameters is achieved by calculation of an N order polynomial regression model; and the step of identifying an impending recurrence by comparing said parameters describing said trend with predefined thresholds comprises the step of comparing at least one coefficient of the N order polynomial regression with predefined thresholds.

Abstract: A method for predicting the risk of acute airways obstruction of a patient j with chronic respiratory disease, comprising the steps of: taking an already available averaged (population-based) risk curve that quantifies the probability of having a future airways obstruction in at least future days; measuring the inspiratory resistance of one patient j for at least a prefixed number of days; calculating the probability of future acute airways obstruction of the patient j, adjusting the already available averaged (population-based) risk curve with a coefficient k that take into account the inspiratory resistance of the patient j.

Abstract: A system for automatically predicting acute airway events in patients, comprising: a device for measuring the respiratory impedance of a human subject during a plurality of respiratory cycles of said human subject; said respiratory impedance comprising a real part and an imaginary part; said device measuring said respiratory impedance two times per day to provide a plurality of measurements; means for calculating the relative variation of said plurality of measurements; means for evaluating the probability of respiratory pathology presence in the subject under examination when the value of the imaginary part of said impedance is greater than 35%; means for predicting a relapse in the patent under examination within an established future time window, once the presence of the pathology has been ascertained, if the variation coefficient of the real part of said impedance is greater than 0.4.

Abstract: A system for automatically predicting acute airway events in patients, comprising: a device for measuring the respiratory impedance of a human subject during a plurality of respiratory cycles of said human subject; said respiratory impedance comprising a real part and an imaginary part; said device measuring said respiratory impedance two times per day to provide a plurality of measurements; means for calculating the relative variation of said plurality of measurements; means for evaluating the probability of respiratory pathology presence in the subject under examination when the value of the imaginary part of said impedance is greater than 35%; means for predicting a relapse in the patent under examination within an established future time window, once the presence of the pathology has been ascertained, if the variation coefficient of the real part of said impedance is greater than 0.4.

Abstract: A system for measuring the mechanical impedance of a patient's respiratory system during spontaneous respiratory activity, characterised by comprising a fan; a motor which operates said fan; said motor and said fan being positioned within a cavity; said cavity comprising an initial end and a final end, both providing access to the outside; said cavity presenting an impedance between said initial and said final end of less than 1 cm H2O/L/s; said fan withdrawing air from said final end and providing pressure variations of small amplitude and of frequency >2 Hz to said initial end; said initial end comprising air pressure and air flow measurement means and a connection directly connected to the airway opening.

Abstract: A centring drum for filter assembly machines, the centring drum having external axial seats movable with the centring drum about a longitudinal axis of rotation, and for receiving respective double filters, at least some of which are offset laterally, along the relative seats, with respect to a central transverse reference plane; each seat housing a respective stop member movable with the relative seat about the longitudinal axis of rotation, and located on a respective side of the reference plane to define a centred position of the relative double filter, and a push device for moving the relative double filter axially onto the relative stop member; the stop members defining a first and a second succession of stop members, which are located on opposite sides of the reference plane and are both connected to a position adjusting device movable about the longitudinal axis of rotation and for moving the two successions equally and oppositely along the longitudinal axis of rotation.

Abstract: A centring drum for filter assembly machines, the centring drum having external axial seats movable with the centring drum about a longitudinal axis of rotation, and for receiving respective double filters, at least some of which are offset laterally, along the relative seats, with respect to a central transverse reference plane; each seat housing a respective stop member movable with the relative seat about the longitudinal axis of rotation, and located on a respective side of the reference plane to define a centred position of the relative double filter, and a push device for moving the relative double filter axially onto the relative stop member; the stop members defining a first and a second succession of stop members, which are located on opposite sides of the reference plane and are both connected to a position adjusting device movable about the longitudinal axis of rotation and for moving the two successions equally and oppositely along the longitudinal axis of rotation.

Abstract: In a filter tip attachment machine, filter rods (2) are taken up from a hopper by a roller (5) furnished with longitudinal flutes (7), each accommodating one rod (2) and operating in conjunction with one or more rotating disc cutters (11) by which the rods (2) are divided into two or more plugs (10); the flutes (7) are sectional, incorporated into a set of axially slidable modules (17, 20, 23) ensheathing the take-up roller (5) and adjustable for position along the rolling surface according to the number of plugs (10) that will be cut from the rod (2), or to the length of the single plug (10), or both.