Inline air humidifier, a system for humidifying air and methods related thereto

• US 6,726,666 B2
• Filed: 10/21/1999
• Issued: 04/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Johns Hopkins University
• Original Assignee: Johns Hopkins University
• Inventors: de Juan, Eugene Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): MENDEZ, MANUEL A
• Application Number:
  US09/425,146
• Publication Number:
  US 20020151872A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,650 Days
• Field of Search: 604/290, 604/294, 604/291, 604/296, 128/200.11, 128/200.12, 128/200.13, 128/201.13, 128/204.15, 128/203.26, 165/140, 165/141, 165/DIG.10, 165/DIG.33, 261/DIG.65
• US Class Current: 604/294
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2009/00863 Retina
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/00781 Apparatus for modifying intraocular pressure, e.g. for glaucoma treatment drainage implants in general A61M27/002
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/008 using laser
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/00821 for coagulation

Abstract

In preferred aspects the invention provides an in-line humidifier, a system using such a humidifier and methods related thereto, a method for infusing a gas into an eye during retinal detachment surgical procedure and a method for treating a retinal tear. The method for infusing gas includes providing an in-line humidifier, humidifying the gas in the in-line humidifier by flowing the gas there through and infusing the humidified gas into the eye. The in-line humidifier includes a housing and a humidifier section disposed within the housing, the humidifier section including a hydroscopic material that releasably retains liquid therein. The housing includes an inlet and outlet connection in fluid communication with the housing interior. The humidifier section is disposed within the housing so the gas entering through the inlet connection flows through the humidifying section, where small quantities of the releasably retinal liquid is released by the hydroscopic material to the flowing gas, and so the humidified gas exits the housing via the outlet connection.

Claims

1. An in-line humidifier comprising:

a housing having inlet and outlet connections, each of which is in communication with an interior of the housing through which a gas is flowed; and

a humidifier section disposed within the interior of the housing, the humidifier section including a material having a releasably retainable liquid therein,

wherein the humidifier section is disposed at a predetermined locus within the housing such that gas entering through the inlet connection flows into and through the humidifying section, where the flowing gas is selectively humidified by at least some of the liquid releasably retained within the material.

2. The in-line humidifier of claim 1, wherein the housing includes first and second sections that are releasably secured to each other.

3. The in-line humidifier of claim 1, wherein a portion of the housing is configured with a visual port so as to permit visual observation of the humidifier section.

4. The in-line humidifier of claim 1, wherein the material of the humidifier section is selected from the group consisting of cellulose and absorbent synthetic materials.

5. The in-line humidifier of claim 1, wherein the humidifier section is a cylindrical member having gas passages provided therein.

6. The in-line humidifier of claim 5, wherein the gas passages extend longitudinally and wherein the humidifying section is disposed within the housing so the gas from the inlet connections is presented at one end of the cylinder and so the gas exiting from the,other end of the cylinder flows to the outlet connection.

7. The in-line humidifier of claim 5, wherein the humidifier is packaged in sterile form.

8. The in-line humidifier of claim 1, wherein the humidifier section includes a plurality of concentric layers that are substantially parallel to the direction of flow of the gas through the housing and humidifying element.

9. The in-line humidifier of claim 8, wherein each concentric layer includes a plurality of paper-based layers, and wherein at least two of the paper-based layers have different textures.

10. The in-line humidifier of claim 9, wherein at least a first of the paper-based layers-defines a plurality of passages.