Life support chamber for infants, method and system

• US 4,161,172 A
• Filed: 11/23/1977
• Issued: 07/17/1979
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/1977
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Airborne Life Support Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Airborne Life Support Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Pickering, Donald E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Recla, Henry J.
• Application Number:
  US05/854,328
• Time in Patent Office: 601 Days
• Field of Search: 128/1 B, 128/204, 128/400, 128/402, 128/399, 128/172, 128/191 A, 128/145 R, 128/297, 128/298, 128/1 R, 128/142.3, 128/30, 128/205, 128/185, 362/379
• US Class Current: 600/22
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00902 transparent or translucent
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0088 Radiating heat
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 11/00 Baby-incubators; Couveuses
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 11/004 height-adjustable light source
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 11/005 with movable walls, e.g. for accessing the inside, removable walls
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/46 for temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2210/50 for radiography

Abstract

A box-like outer enclosure with flat clear rigid plastic walls forms an environmental chamber designed for a high-risk newborn infant. A flexible tubular membrane of clear plastic open at both ends optionally forms an inner enclosure for an infant within the chamber and is attachable at one end to an endwall of the chamber. A flat two-piece clear plastic lid slidable along the top edges of the outer enclosure'"'"'s sidewalls provides top access to the chamber at its center and both ends. The lid is held in place without restricting its sliding movement by spring clamps. Legs on the outer enclosure elevate it above a supporting platform and are attachable to such platform. A breathable gas circuit including a heater with a fan forces a variable and humidified mixture of air and oxygen at a controlled temperature and flow rate into the chamber through an endwall intake opening provided with vertically oriented vanes. The gas is discharged from the chamber through an opposite endwall exhaust opening. If the inner membrane enclosure is used, the breathable gas is channeled through it at a laminar flow rate before being discharged into and finally exhausted from the chamber. A lamp within a suction cup attachable to the outer surfaces of the outer enclosure illuminates the chamber at night. Access to the chamber for tubing and monitoring wire leads are provided by small notches in the upper edges of the end walls of the outer enclosures. An infra-red heating light is mounted above the enclosure for heating the outer surface of the inner membrane when the top lid is open.

Claims

1. A method of maintaining high-risk infants and other medical patients in a controlled environment while at rest and during medical procedures comprising:

enclosing the patient in a thin elongated flexible impervious transparent tubular membrane enclosure means adapted to closely enclose the patient full length while recumbent and being open at both ends thereof, and

delivering a continuous flow of a life-sustaining gas to said patient through one open end of said membrane to cause said gas to pass through the interior of said membrane and out the opposite end,

said gas being divided into a plurality of vertically oriented layers as it is delivered through said one open end.

2. The method of claim 1 in which said layers comprise a central stream and two outer streams which flow along the sides of said membrane.

3. A method of maintaining high-risk infants and other medical patients in a controlled environment while at rest and during medical procedures comprising:

enclosing the patient in a thin elongated flexible impervious transparent tubular membrane enclosure means adapted to closely enclose the patient full length while recumbent and being open at both ends thereof,

delivering a continuous flow of a life-sustaining gas to said patient through one open end of said membrane to cause said gas to pass through the interior of said membrane and out the opposite end, and

heating the outer surface of said membrane by infra-red heating.

4. A device for maintaining high-risk infants and other medical patients in a controlled environment while at rest and during medical procedures comprising:

a thin elongated flexible impervious transparent tubular membrane enclosure means adapted to closely enclose the patient full length while recumbent;

said tubular membrane being open at its opposite ends to enable maintenance of a continuous flow of a life-sustaining gas through the interior of said tubular membrane enclosure from one open end thereof to the other;

a rigid outer enclosure defining an environmental chamber for receiving said membrane enclosure and a patient enclosed therein, said outer enclosure including a closable top access opening and an end wall portion having a gas intake opening;

a plurality of vertically oriented vanes positioned in said gas intake opening; and

means for attaching one open end of said tubular membrane enclosure to said end wall portion in surrounding relationship to said gas intake opening, whereby said life-sustaining gas can be supplied to said membrane enclosure in vertically oriented layers.

5. An environmental chamber for high-risk infants and other medical patients comprising:

a rigid enclosure including flat opposite end and side walls, a flat bottom wall and a flat, removable lid, all defining said chamber, said chamber being of sufficient size to enclose said patient,

said walls being composed of a clear electrically insulative, but x-ray transmissive material,

said lid being slidable on upper edges of said opposite side walls to variable open positions from either end wall of said enclosure,

spring-biased clamping means on said opposite side walls for retaining said lid against the upper edges of said side walls while enabling sliding movement of said lid therealong to its variable open positions,

infra-red heating means disposed above said enclosure for providing heat to said patient when said lid is in an open position,

means defining a gas intake opening in one end wall and a gas exhaust opening in an opposite end wall for the intake and exhaust of a life-sustaining gas from said chamber,

a supporting platform for said rigid enclosure,

leg means extending downwardly from the opposite ends of said bottom wall of said rigid enclosure for elevating said bottom wall above said supporting platform to provide access for x-ray film below said bottom wall and electrical and thermal isolation of said enclosure from said supporting platform, and

latching means on said leg means for selective attachment of said enclosure to said supporting platform,

and a thin elongated flexible impervious transparent tubular membrane enclosure means adapted to closely enclose the patient full length while recumbent and being open at its opposite ends, said membrane enclosure means being removably attached to said rigid enclosure at said one end wall in surrounding relation to said gas intake opening, said membrane enclosure means while attached to said end wall being usable within said enclosure and on said lid.

6. A device for maintaining high-risk infants and other medical patients in a controlled environment while at rest and during medical procedures comprising:

a thin elongated flexible impervious transparent tubular membrane enclosure means adapted to closely enclose the patient full length while recumbent,

said tubular membrane being open at its opposite ends to enable maintenance of a continuous flow of a life-sustaining gas through the interior of said tubular membrane enclosure from one open end thereof to the other;

a rigid outer enclosure defining an environmental chamber for receiving said membrane enclosure and a patient enclosed therein, said outer enclosure including a closable top access opening and two opposite end wall portions, one of said end wall portions having a gas intake opening and the other of said end wall portions having a gas exhaust opening,

said intake and exhaust openings including hose coupling means for coupling gas supply and gas return hoses to said opposite end wall portions;

a gas supply and a gas return conduit connected respectively to said gas intake and gas exhaust openings;

means for attaching one open end of said tubular membrane enclosure to said one end wall portion in surrounding relationship to said gas intake opening, whereby said life-sustaining gas can be supplied to said membrane enclosure;

gas circulating means connected to said gas supply and return conduits for providing a positive gas circulation through said conduits, said outer enclosure and said tubular membrane enclosure; and

humidifying means connected to said gas supply conduit for humidifying gas supplied to said membrane enclosure.

7. A device for maintaining high-risk infants and other medical patients in a controlled environment while at rest and during medical procedures comprising:

a thin elongated flexible impervious transparent tubular membrane enclosure means adapted to closely enclose the patient full length while recumbent and being open at its opposite ends,

means for connecting one open end of said membrane enclosure means to a source of life-sustaining gas,

an infra-red heating means disposed adjacent but in spaced relation to said membrane and being directed toward said membrane so as to be operable to provide radiant heat energy to the interior of said membrane.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7, including a rigid outer enclosure defining an environmental chamber for receiving said membrane enclosure means with a patient enclosed therein, said outer enclosure including a closable top access opening and an end wall portion having a gas intake opening, said means for connecting one open end of said membrane enclosure means to a source of life-sustaining gas, including means operable to connect said one open end to said end wall portion in surrounding relation to said gas intake opening.