Wound ventilation system
First Claim
1. A wound ventilation system for treatment of a wound, the system comprising:
- a wound dressing having an inlet and an outlet, the wound dressing being configured to form a substantially airtight cover over the wound;
including a free flow of air and a controlled flow of oxygen that passes through a mixture plenum to provide the gas at atmospheric pressure the gas being in communication with the inlet of the wound dressing;
a vacuum source in communication with the outlet of the wound dressing, the vacuum source being configured to draw gas through the wound dressing;
a gas flow controller disposed between the mixture plenum and the inlet of the wound dressing, the gas flow controller being configured to regulate the flow of gas drawn by the vacuum source and thereby establish less than atmospheric gas pressure between the gas flow controller and the vacuum source;
a humidifier humidifying the gas entering the inlet of the wound dressing, the humidifier receiving and humidifying the gas at no more than atmospheric pressure;
a heater located prior to an exit of said humidifier; and
a re-heater located after said exit of said humidifier configured to heat the gas flowing to the wound and to minimize any condensate that may be formed.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A wound treatment apparatus that ventilates a wound dressing with warm humidified oxygen and/or air at a very low flow rate while under a sub-atmospheric pressure. A controlled flow of filtered air and/or oxygen is selected or blended under atmospheric pressure. This gas is pulled by a downstream vacuum source through a flow limiting device and exits at a sub-atmospheric pressure equal to the vacuum source. The gas flow is then humidified and heated to prescribed conditions before entering a substantially airtight negative pressure type wound dressing which is adapted for ventilation with an added inlet connection. This conditioned gas ventilates and nourishes the wound environment exiting the dressing outlet, through a fluid trap, to the vacuum source.
35 Citations
17 Claims
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1. A wound ventilation system for treatment of a wound, the system comprising:
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a wound dressing having an inlet and an outlet, the wound dressing being configured to form a substantially airtight cover over the wound; including a free flow of air and a controlled flow of oxygen that passes through a mixture plenum to provide the gas at atmospheric pressure the gas being in communication with the inlet of the wound dressing; a vacuum source in communication with the outlet of the wound dressing, the vacuum source being configured to draw gas through the wound dressing; a gas flow controller disposed between the mixture plenum and the inlet of the wound dressing, the gas flow controller being configured to regulate the flow of gas drawn by the vacuum source and thereby establish less than atmospheric gas pressure between the gas flow controller and the vacuum source; a humidifier humidifying the gas entering the inlet of the wound dressing, the humidifier receiving and humidifying the gas at no more than atmospheric pressure; a heater located prior to an exit of said humidifier; and a re-heater located after said exit of said humidifier configured to heat the gas flowing to the wound and to minimize any condensate that may be formed. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification