Patient thermal support device

• US 5,759,149 A
• Filed: 09/25/1995
• Issued: 06/02/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Draeger Medical Incorporated (FPS Vermögensverwaltung GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Hill-Rom Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Inventors: Newkirk, David C., Olson, William, Donnelly, Michael M., Goldberg, Charles, Moll, Robert G., Gutwillig, Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Lacyk, John P.
• Application Number:
  US08/532,963
• Time in Patent Office: 981 Days
• Field of Search: 600/21-22, 128/736
• US Class Current: 600/22
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/006 of gas
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0088 Radiating heat
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 11/00 Baby-incubators; Couveuses
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 11/002 height-adjustable patient support
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 11/003 height-adjustable heater
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 11/005 with movable walls, e.g. for accessing the inside, removable walls
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 11/006 by pivoting
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 11/007 by translating
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 11/008 tiltable about a horizontal axis, e.g. oscillating
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/46 for temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2210/50 for radiography
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/012 raising or lowering of the whole mattress frame A61G7/005, A61G7/008 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0051 with alarm devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/026 specially adapted for predicting, e.g. for determining an information representative of a flow limitation during a ventilation cycle by using a root square technique or a regression analysis
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/107 in the inspiratory path
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/109 the humidifying liquid or the beneficial agent
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/16 Devices to humidify the respiration air A61M16/1045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/161 with means for measuring the humidity
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/50 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/38 : Failure diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/523 : for displaying temperature data
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/63 : Electronic processing
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/77 : by controlling the speed of ventilators
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2009/007 : using more than one jet or band in the air curtain
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 : Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/00 : Control inputs relating to users or occupants
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2140/00 : Control inputs relating to system states
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 9/00 : Use of air currents for screening, e.g. air curtains
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1917 : using digital means
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 : for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 : for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 : for remote operation

Abstract

A patient support system having an environmentally controlled area over the patient including a frame with a patient support thereon and a moveable canopy thereover. The support is generally rectangular and is provided with a vertical fluid curtain at its perimeter on each of its four sides. The four vertical curtains are deflected inwardly by the canopy to provide the environmentally controlled area over the patient and with a fluid return to the perimeter to provide a closed fluid path. The air curtains can be heated and/or have water vapor added thereto. An infrared heater is provided in the canopy for a second source of heat. An integrated control system is also provided.

Claims

1. A patient support and environmental control apparatus comprising

a frame,

an upwardly-facing patient-support surface having a perimeter defined by two sides, a head and a foot area, the patient-support surface being carried by the frame,

a canopy attached to the frame and located above the patient-support surface,

an air curtain generator mounted to the frame and providing first, second, third and fourth substantial vertical upwardly directed curtains of air originating adjacent to the perimeter with the first and second curtains originating at two sides of the patient-support surface respectively and with the third and fourth curtains at the head and foot areas, respectively, and

wherein said canopy deflects said substantially vertical currents so that the currents are converging at a convergence point above the patient-support surface, the four curtains of air cooperating with the patient-support surface to define a patient space.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said apparatus comprises an exhaust opening positioned above the patient-support surface to exhaust air from said convergence point.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the apparatus includes a convective return formed to include a convective return opening in fluid communication with the exhaust opening, the convective return opening also being in fluid communication with the air curtain generator.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the convective return includes a conduit connecting the exhaust opening and the convective return opening to return air removed from the air curtains by the exhaust means to the air curtain generator and the air curtain generator is configured to provide curtains of air using air from the convective return opening.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the air curtain generator includes an air heater for warming air.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising an infrared heater coupled to the frame and positioned to lie above the patient-support surface, the infrared heater generating and directing infrared radiation into the patient space.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a controller having a first output coupled to the air heater and a second output coupled to the infrared heater for varying output power levels of the air heater and the infrared heater, respectively, and a temperature sensor having an output coupled to the controller to provide feedback to the controller so that the controller maintains the patient located on the support surface at substantially a preselected temperature.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a convective heater for supplying convective heat to warm the patient, a radiant heater for supplying radiant heat to warm the patient, a humidifier for adding moisture to air adjacent the support surface, a controller having a first output coupled to the convective heater and a second output coupled to the radiant heater for varying output power levels of the convective heater and the radiant heater, respectively, to maintain the patient located on the support surface at substantially a preselected temperature, the controller having a third output coupled to the humidifier to adjust an output from the humidifier, a temperature sensor having an output coupled to the controller to provide feedback to the controller so that the controller maintains the patient located on the support surface at substantially the preselected temperature, and a humidity sensor having an output coupled to the controller, the controller adjusting the humidifier based on the output from the humidity sensor to permit the controller to maintain the humidity at substantially a preselected level.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the curtains of air include air having a velocity and the air curtain generator includes a fan that varies the velocity of the air.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the curtains of air include air having a temperature and the air curtain generator includes an air heater to vary the temperature of the air.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the canopy includes two elongated spaced-apart canopy side members and an elongated support therebetween, the support being connected to the canopy-support arm and each of the canopy side members being pivotably connected to the elongated support for movement between a down position generally parallel to the patient-support surface and an up position providing additional access to the patient space.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an infrared heater coupled to the frame and positioned to lie above the patient-support surface, the infrared heater generating and directing infrared radiation into the patient space.

13. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the air heater varies the temperature of the warmed air in response to the temperature of a patient received in the patient space and the infrared heater varies the amount of infrared radiation directed into the patient space in response to the temperature of the patient, the infrared heater cooperating with the air heater to maintain the temperature of the patient at a predetermined temperature.

14. A patient warming device comprising

a patient-support surface,

an air curtain generator for providing a curtain of air over said surface and a patient thereon to provide a controlled air space in which the patient resides,

a canopy mounted over said support surface,

a portable accessory mounted to the canopy and positionable in an operating position, and

wherein the canopy includes a window positioned to lie above the patient-support surface and the accessory is positioned to lie above the window when in the operating position.

15. The patient warming device of claim 14, wherein the accessory is an optical radiation source.

16. The patient warming device of claim 14, wherein the accessory is pivotable about a pivot axis away from the operating position to an out-of-the-way position exposing the window and allowing access to the window.