Nebulizer Disinfecting Chamber UVC Air Sanitization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Nebulizers release exhaled aerosol containing medication and potential contagions back into the environment, posing a risk of viral spread, particularly highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a decline in their use in healthcare settings.
Innovation Solution
The use of UVC light or separation methods, such as one-way valves or T-splitters, to disinfect or contain exhaled air before it is released, ensuring that only inhaled air is returned to the environment, thereby reducing the risk of contagion spread.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a jet nebulizer uses a common air inlet and exhaled air outlet, then the device complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but exhaled aerosol containing potential contagions is released into the environment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the single air pathway into separate inlet and outlet pathways. The exhaled air outlet is segmented from the common air inlet, allowing exhaled aerosol to be directed through a disinfecting chamber rather than being released directly into the environment. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by maintaining structural simplicity while eliminating viral spread risk.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a disinfecting chamber as an intermediary component between the exhaled air outlet and the environment. This intermediary treats the exhaled aerosol to eliminate contagions before release, resolving the contradiction by adding a functional element that prevents harmful effects without significantly increasing device complexity.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If UVC light or separation methods are added to disinfect exhaled air, then the risk of viral transmission is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the disinfection function as a separate, removable module (disinfecting chamber) that can be attached to or removed from the nebulizer. This allows the harmful factor to be addressed while keeping the core nebulizer simple and maintaining ease of operation. The extraction principle resolves the contradiction by isolating the complexity into a detachable component.
Solution Approach 2:
The disinfecting chamber is designed as a universal component that can be applied to various nebulizer types. It serves multiple functions: disinfecting exhaled air, containing aerosol, and potentially serving as a filter. This multi-functionality justifies the added complexity by providing multiple benefits from a single added component.
3Reliability
If exhaled air is treated before release, then patient safety and environmental safety are improved, but loss of time in the breathing treatment process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The disinfecting chamber is designed to treat exhaled air passively as it exits the patient's breath. The preliminary arrangement of the chamber allows automatic disinfection without requiring additional active steps from the patient or provider, thus improving safety without significantly increasing treatment time.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Effectively sanitizes exhaled air, reducing the risk of viral transmission and making nebulizer use safer in healthcare environments by ensuring that potentially contaminated air is treated before release, thus addressing the inherent flaw in nebulizer design.
Implementation Method 1
The use of UVC light or separation methods, such as one-way valves or T-splitters, to disinfect or contain exhaled air before it is released
Data Source
AI summary
Devices and methods for reducing the amount of contagions, such as germs, from the exhaled air stream of a nebulizer are provided. Specifically, a nebulizer is provided with a disinfecting chamber in communication with the exhaled air outfeed of a nebulizer that reduces the amount of contagions exiting the outfeed to the environment. An example of such a disinfecting chamber is one that employs a UVC light source.