Patient comfort apparatus and system

a patient comfort and apparatus technology, applied in the field of patient comfort systems, can solve the problems of severe curtailing, inconvenient use of inflatable blankets, and inability to easily or readily deploy on persons standing, and achieve the effects of ensuring comfort for patients, effective convective heating, and simple manufacturing, storage and deploymen

US20060052853A1Inactive Publication Date: 2006-03-09GEN ELECTRIC CAPITAL
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Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
US · United States
Patent Type
Applications(United States)
Current Assignee / Owner
Publication Date
2006-03-09
Estimated Expiration
Not applicable · inactive patent

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Abstract

Apparatus and a system for thermally comforting a patient include pneumatic, convective device providing thermal treatment for persons or animals. The pneumatic convective device is adapted to fit around a person's neck and provides convective warming focused or directed primarily on the thorax or body core. The pneumatic convective device includes an inlet, a region in distribution with the inlet for distributing a stream of pressurized, thermally treated air, and a permeable member for emitting pressurized, thermally treated air from the distribution region.
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Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 371,314 filed Apr. 10, 2002.

[0002] This application contains subject matter related to that of U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ for “FORCED AIR WARMING UNIT” and PCT Patent Application Ser. No. ______, for “PATIENT COMFORT APPARATUS AND SYSTEM”, filed concurrently with this application, and to that of U.S. Design patent application Ser. No. ______, for “FORCED AIR WARMING UNIT”.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] 1. Field of the Invention

[0004] The invention is directed to a patient comfort system that includes pneumatic convective devices receivable on a human or animal body which receive a stream of pressurized, thermally conditioned air, distribute the pressurized air within a pneumatic structure, and emit the air through one or more surfaces for convective transfer of heat between the thermally conditioned air and the body. In particular, the inventio...

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0018] The invention is embodied as a pneumatic convective device receivable on a human or animal body in a clinical setting which receives a stream of pressurized, thermally conditioned air, distributes the pressurized air within a pneumatic structure, and emits the air through one or more surfaces for convective transfer of heat between the thermally conditioned air and the body. Various specific embodiments of the invention are illustrated and discussed according to an example in which a human body is warmed by focusing or concentrating convective warming on the body core in order to permit patient movement and to enhance clinical convenience, although this is not intended to suggest that the invention may not be used for cooling, which, indeed, it may. The pneumatic convective device may be deployed for use with humans, animals, patients, clinicians, practitioners, observers, and so on.

[0019] Further, use of the term “convective” to denote the transfer of heat to a body refers ...