NL2007462C2 - Method and thermal device for controlling the temperature of a patient. - Google Patents

Description

Method and thermal device for controlling the temperature of a patient

The invention relates to a method and thermal device 5 for controlling the temperature of a patient.

Thermal devices for conditioned heating or cooling of a person are generally known in the art.

US-A-6,085,369 relates to a cushion having a plenum which includes a plurality of flexible plastic woven tubes held 10 within a pair of similarly woven sheathes. The sides and the bottom of the plenum are covered by an air impermeable layer whereas the top is covered by an air permeable layer.

US2006/0228971 discloses a nonwoven blanket having two layers, wherein the first layer comprises a spunlace fabric that 15 exhibits one or more raised regions within the fabric. It further comprises a second durable and protective layer comprising one or more layers of spunmelt fabrics, typically referred to as spunbond and meltblown fabrics. The two layers are mechanically bonded via one or more methods known in the art for the forma-20 tion of one or more insulative air pockets within the blanket.

The aforementioned thermal devices are not usable in clinical applications.

The invention aims to provide a thermal device which can suitably be used to preserve and maintain the body heat of a 25 patient at a prescribed temperature. There is a need for such a thermal device both in the operating room and in intensive care j facilities, and for use in ambulances in case a patient must be transported. In all such situations the temperature of the patient must be controlled, which means that the device must on 30 the one hand be suitable to prevent heat loss or to supply heat j to the patient, and on the other hand to cool the patient if the patient's body temperature is too high.

The problem to avoid heat loss is predominantly present in the operating room, and in particular although not exclu-35 sively with neo-nates that have a comparatively small body sur-face/body volume ratio. As is known, in operating rooms there is a continuous relatively cold airflow that has a cooling effect on the patient and which makes it a challenge to maintain the patient's temperature at a level that is comfortable for the pa-40 tient and sufficiently high to prevent operational problems caused by a too low body temperature.

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From US-A-5,968,084 a thermal blanket is known in accordance with the preamble of claim 1, that is provided with an inflatable covering with a head end, a foot end, two edges and an undersurface. The covering is inflated through an inlet at 5 the foot by a thermally controlled inflating medium. An aperture array on the undersurface of the covering exhausts the thermally controlled inflating medium from the covering. Exhaust port openings are provided to vent the inflating medium, which enhances circulation of the thermally controlled medium through the co-10 ver. The thermal blanket may be sized to cover selected areas of the patient.

The thermal device of the invention has the features of one of more of the appended claims.

In a first aspect the thermal device of the invention 15 is characterized in that the undersurface and/or topsurface of the device comprises a resilient gaspermeable nonwoven textile. This makes it possible to simply but accurately and reliably control the temperature of a patient with the use of this thermal device by feeding a thermally controlled gaseous medium into 20 the device while the patient is positioned on top of the topsurface of the device, by having at least said topsurface provided with the resilient gaspermeable nonwoven textile embodied as the exhaust means through which the thermally controlled gaseous medium escapes for heating the patient, and wherein the topsurface 25 is arranged to support the patient without losing its gasperme-ability.

The thermal device can for this purpose suitably be arranged such that the nonwoven textile is embodied as a mesh of connected threads. Such a nonwoven textile can be easily manu-30 factured when the threads of the nonwoven textile are plastic threads .

A preferable feature of the thermal device of the invention is thus that the nonwoven textile has resilient plastic threads forming a mesh with mesh openings providing a predefined 35 compressibility to the nonwoven textile so as to cause that the textile can support the patient without completely closing the mesh openings.

The effective use of the thermal device of the invention is promoted by the feature that while said topsurface is 40 gaspermeable, the undersurface is gas impermeable. Preferably 3 also the edges are gas impermeable.

The invention will hereinafter be further elucidated with reference to the drawing of an exemplary embodiment that does not limit the appended claims.

5 In the drawing: -figure 1 shows (the contours of) a patient supported by a thermal device of the invention; -figure 2 shows the thermal device of figure 1 in a isometric view; 10 -figure 3 shows a cross-section of the device of figure 1; and -figure 4 shows an enlarged view of the cross-section shown in figure 3.

Whenever in the figures the same reference numerals are 15 applied, these numerals refer to the same parts.

With reference first to figure 1 a thermal device 1 is shown for heating a patient 2. The device 2 has a head end 3, a foot end 4, an undersurface 5 (see figures 3 and 4) and a top-surface 6, and edges 7, 8 on the side connecting the undersur- 20 face 5 and the topsurface 6. The undersurface 5, or in this case the topsurface 6 (see also figure 2) is provided with an inlet 9 for feeding a thermally controlled gaseous medium into the device 1.

The device 1 has exhaust means through which the gase- 25 ous medium can escape for heating the patient 2 by embodying at least the topsurface 6 of the device 1 as a resilient gasperme-able nonwoven textile. It falls within the scope of the invention that also the underside 5 of the device 1 may be made of a resilient gas permeable nonwoven textile, although it is pre-30 ferred to have this underside 5 be made from a gas impermeable material. A so-called high tech textile is very suitable for this purpose. Preferably the nonwoven textile is embodied as a mesh of connected threads, which can be advantageously made of a plastic material.

35 It is desirable that such resilient plastic threads forming a mesh with mesh openings provide the nonwoven textile with a predefined compressibility so as to cause that the device 1 can support the patient 2 without completely closing the mesh openings. In use the topsurface 6 of the device 1 can thus sup-40 port the patient 2, whilst said topsurface 6 remains gasperme- i 4 able. For practical reasons it is then preferred that the undersurface 5 is gas impermeable. Further also the edges 7, 8 are gas impermeable.

The invention is not limited to the just give exemplary 5 embodiment of a device according to the invention. Without departing from the scope of protection as defined by the appended claims, many variations are feasible. The exemplary embodiment merely serves to remove any possible ambiguity concerning the appended claims .

Claims (7)

A thermal device (1) for controlling the temperature of a patient (2), said device comprising a head end (3), a foot end (4), a bottom surface (5) and a top surface (6), and edges (7) , 8) connecting the bottom surface (5) and the top surface (6) to each other, an inlet (9) for introducing a thermally controlled gaseous medium into the device (1), and discharge means through which the gaseous medium can escape to control the temperature of the patient (2), characterized in that the lower surface (5) and / or the upper surface (6) of the device (1) comprises a resilient gas-permeable non-woven textile. A thermal device according to claim 1, characterized in that the non-woven textile is designed as mesh-connected threads. A thermal device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it has non-woven textile plastic threads. 4. A thermal device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the non-woven textile comprises resilient plastic threads forming a mesh with mesh openings which provide a predetermined compressibility to the non-woven textile in order to cause the textile the patient (2) can carry without completely closing the mesh openings. A thermal device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that during use the upper surface (5) of the device (1) carries the patient (2), wherein said upper surface (5) is gas-permeable and the lower surface (6) is gas permeable -tend. j A thermal device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the edges (7, 8) are gas-impermeable. 7. Method for controlling the temperature of a patient (2) using a thermal device (1) which is equipped with a head end (3), a foot end (4), a bottom surface (5) and a top surface (6), and edges (7, 8) connecting the bottom surface (5) and the top surface (6) to each other, into which a thermally controlled gaseous medium is introduced into the - 6 - device (1), which gaseous medium via discharge means can escape from the device (1) for controlling the temperature of the patient (2), characterized in that the patient (2) lies on the upper surface (6) of the device (1), which upper surface (6) is provided with a resilient gas-permeable non-woven textile designed as the draining means, and which upper surface (6) is adapted to support the patient (2) without losing its gas permeability. |