Incubator for babies before implantation
First Claim
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1. An incubator for babies before implantation, comprising:
- a layer-based microfluidic enclosure designed to maintain a human embryo or hatchling as a patient in a controlled environment for medical care,the enclosure, having a flooring and a surrounding wall structure with an open top, forming a cradle support for the patient, and having a microfluidic ventilation system to provide a flow of incubation liquid media in and out of the enclosure, wherein the enclosure is further characterized as being assembled from a plurality of layers bonded together and populated with at least one patient care device;
the layers, including at least one layer forming the flooring, at least one other layer forming the wall structure by means of a hole disposed completely therethrough, and a ventilation network of microfluidic channels or vias disposed in one or more layers in fluidic communication with the enclosure;
the at least one patient care device, including a microfluidic device for urging fluid in the ventilation network; and
,the microfluidic ventilation system, including the microfluidic device and the associated ventilation network to provide the patient in the cradle support with gentle, fluidic ventilation.
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Abstract
The invention relates to an incubator for babies. It is of special value for the treatment of premature infants as an intensive care unit at any time during life from creation to implantation. A cradle is sided with ports to enable fluidic ventilation. Advantageously the incubator includes an optical path for imaging the patient via a clear bottom and open top. The incubator is provided with easy access and various accessories required for an intensive care unit.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An incubator for babies before implantation, comprising:
- a layer-based microfluidic enclosure designed to maintain a human embryo or hatchling as a patient in a controlled environment for medical care,
the enclosure, having a flooring and a surrounding wall structure with an open top, forming a cradle support for the patient, and having a microfluidic ventilation system to provide a flow of incubation liquid media in and out of the enclosure, wherein the enclosure is further characterized as being assembled from a plurality of layers bonded together and populated with at least one patient care device; the layers, including at least one layer forming the flooring, at least one other layer forming the wall structure by means of a hole disposed completely therethrough, and a ventilation network of microfluidic channels or vias disposed in one or more layers in fluidic communication with the enclosure; the at least one patient care device, including a microfluidic device for urging fluid in the ventilation network; and
,the microfluidic ventilation system, including the microfluidic device and the associated ventilation network to provide the patient in the cradle support with gentle, fluidic ventilation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 19, 20)
- a layer-based microfluidic enclosure designed to maintain a human embryo or hatchling as a patient in a controlled environment for medical care,
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13. An incubator for a baby before implantation, comprising:
- a flooring to support the baby, liquid media to cover and incubate the baby, a microfluidic system to circulate the liquid media at a predetermined temperature and flow rate to provide the baby with fluidic ventilation and thermoregulatory support, and a volume-sensing device to detect a volume of the liquid media, wherein the microfluidic system is adapted to maintaining the volume of the liquid media covering the baby within a predetermined range of volumes based on feedback from the volume-sensing device.
- View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
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16. An incubator for a baby before implantation, comprising:
- an enclosure having a flooring to support the baby, an open top and at least one sidewall, liquid media to cover and incubate the baby, and a microfluidic system to circulate the liquid media to provide the baby with fluidic ventilation in the enclosure, the sidewall having at least one ventilation port disposed therein through which the liquid media are urged by the microfluidic system to fluidically ventilate the baby in the enclosure, wherein the sidewall is formed by at least one layer bonded to the flooring by means of layer-based microfabrication and includes microfluidic channels or vias disposed therein, the ventilation port of the sidewall being formed by at least one of the microfluidic channels to provide horizontal flow or at least one of the microfluidic vias to provide vertical flow in or out of the enclosure.
- View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
Specification