Warming system and method for heating various items utilized in surgical procedures
First Claim
1. A thermal treatment system for thermally treating medical items to desired temperatures, wherein said medical items are each associated with a particular temperature range for utilization and a time interval for thermal treatment, said thermal treatment system comprising:
- a thermal treatment unit to thermally treat at least one medical item disposed within said system;
a temperature sensor associated with said at least one medical item to measure temperature of said at least one medical item;
a timer to measure at least a residence time within said system for said at least one medical item; and
a monitor unit to control thermal treatment of said at least one medical item and to monitor said temperature and said residence time of said at least one medical item for compliance with said particular utilization temperature range and said thermal treatment time interval in order to maintain medical item efficacy.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A surgical warming system includes at least one and generally two or more compartments, whereby each compartment is separately heatable and controllable over its own range of temperatures. The compartments may be implemented as separate warmer units in stacked relation. Alternatively, the compartments may be constructed into a single cabinet structure. The heat within each compartment is provided by forcing air through a heating chamber and into the compartment whereby the forced air is recycled and mixed with make-up air. Each individually controllable compartment enables an operator to simultaneously maintain the individual compartments of the same warming system at different desired temperatures. In addition, the warming system further includes for each compartment a display and a tray or drawer with individual receptacles and corresponding monitoring assemblies in order to indicate the temperature and residence time of each item heated within that compartment.
188 Citations
46 Claims
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1. A thermal treatment system for thermally treating medical items to desired temperatures, wherein said medical items are each associated with a particular temperature range for utilization and a time interval for thermal treatment, said thermal treatment system comprising:
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a thermal treatment unit to thermally treat at least one medical item disposed within said system; a temperature sensor associated with said at least one medical item to measure temperature of said at least one medical item; a timer to measure at least a residence time within said system for said at least one medical item; and a monitor unit to control thermal treatment of said at least one medical item and to monitor said temperature and said residence time of said at least one medical item for compliance with said particular utilization temperature range and said thermal treatment time interval in order to maintain medical item efficacy. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A thermal treatment system for thermally treating medical items to desired temperatures, wherein said medical items are each associated with a particular temperature range for utilization and a time interval for thermal treatment, said thermal treatment system comprising:
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a thermal treatment unit to thermally treat at least one medical item, including at least one of an intravenous solution bag and bottle, disposed within said system; an item sensor to detect the presence of said at least one medical item within said system; and a monitor unit to determine when at least one of insertion and removal of a medical item occurs within said system and to control thermal treatment of said at least one medical item. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A thermal treatment system for thermally treating medical items to desired temperatures, wherein said medical items are each associated with a particular temperature range for utilization and a time interval for thermal treatment, said thermal treatment system comprising:
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a thermal treatment unit to thermally treat at least one medical item disposed within said system; and a monitor unit to determine and indicate a state of thermal treatment of said at least one medical item prior to insertion within said thermal treatment unit and to control thermal treatment of said at least one medical item. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A method of thermally treating medical items to desired temperatures, wherein said medical items are each associated with a particular temperature range for utilization and a time interval for thermal treatment, said method comprising:
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(a) thermally treating at least one medical item disposed within a thermal treatment system; (b) measuring at least a temperature of said at least one medical item and a residence time within said thermal treatment system for said at least one medical item; and (c) monitoring said temperature and said residence time of said at least one medical item for compliance with said particular utilization temperature range and said thermal treatment time interval in order to maintain medical item efficacy, wherein said thermal treatment system monitors said temperature and said residence time for said compliance. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A method of thermally treating medical items to desired temperatures, wherein said medical items are each associated with a particular temperature range for utilization and a time interval for thermal treatment, said method comprising:
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(a) thermally treating at least one medical item, including at least one of an intravenous solution bag and bottle, disposed within a thermal treatment system; and (b) determining when at least one of insertion and removal of a medical item occurs within said thermal treatment system and indicating to a user at least one of said medical item insertion and removal, wherein said thermal treatment system determines occurrence of and indicates to said user at least one of said insertion and removal of said medical item. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. A method of thermally treating medical items to desired temperatures, wherein said medical items are each associated with a particular temperature range for utilization and a time interval for thermal treatment, said method comprising:
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(a) receiving at least one medical item for thermal treatment within a thermal treatment system including a thermal treatment unit; and (b) indicating to a user, via a visual indicator, a state of thermal treatment of said at least one medical item prior to insertion within said thermal treatment unit. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45, 46)
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Specification