Surgery: light – thermal – and electrical application – Light – thermal – and electrical application – Thermal applicators
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-29
2001-09-18
Cohen, Lee (Department: 3739)
Surgery: light, thermal, and electrical application
Light, thermal, and electrical application
Thermal applicators
C607S107000, C607S108000, C005S423000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06290716
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to thermal blankets and, more particularly, to thermal blankets that deliver a bath of a thermally-controlled medium to a body.
2. Description of the Related Art
It often is necessary to bathe a patient in a thermally-controlled medium for the purpose of controlling the patient's body temperature. For example, it is important to keep a patient warm during surgery and to warm the patient post-operatively to reduce the risk of hypothermia. Typically, a patient's body temperature is controlled during surgery by using operating room blankets that cover the parts of a patient's body not being operated upon. Multiple blankets are overlaid, or variously shaped blankets having cut-outs or flaps are used, to cover most of the patient and still provide access to target surgical sites. After surgery, the patient is covered with a full-body blanket that covers all of the patient except for the head. Thus, as much of the patient as possible is kept covered during surgery to keep the patient warm while providing access to the operating site and after surgery a full body blanket keeps the patient warm.
It is known to provide an inflatable covering into which a thermally-controlled inflating medium is introduced. For warming purposes, the inflating medium can be warmed air. The thermally controlled medium also can be cooled air. When such a covering is inflated, it self-erects about a patient to produce a structure having a thermally-controlled interior environment. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,572,188 and 5,324,320, commonly assigned with this application and incorporated herein by this reference.
The prior art inflatable covering is an inflatable blanket that includes an array of apertures on its underside. The thermally-controlled medium is exhausted from the apertures into the erected structure and bathes the patient in the inflating medium. The temperature of the environment provided by the inflated blanket is determined by the temperature of the inflating medium. Thus, relatively uniform and precise control over the ambient environment of the patient can be achieved. Such thermal blankets are advantageously used to warm or cool patients before, during, and after surgery.
To expose an operating site during surgery or otherwise permit access to part of a patient's body while using an inflatable thermal blanket, a patient is covered with the blanket and a blanket area around the site of interest is sealed to provide a boundary against deflation. The blanket within the sealed area can be cut out, creating an open space in the blanket for access to the site of interest, while maintaining the inflatable integrity of the blanket. The blanket can then be inflated with the thermally-controlled medium to completely cover the patient except for the site of interest and thereby control the patient's temperature during surgery. After surgery, the inflatable blanket can be removed and replaced with a full-body blanket or a supplemental blanket can be draped across the exposed site. See, for example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/638,748, commonly assigned with this application and incorporated herein by this reference.
It would be advantageous if it were not necessary to change blankets or add blankets between surgery or other medical procedures and the recovery period. This would permit a single blanket to be used for each patient, rather than multiple blankets. A single blanket would make it unnecessary to layer multiple blankets or to cut or shape blankets to provide surgical access to parts of a patient's body. The cost of maintaining an inventory of blankets and the time spent changing or modifying blankets also could be saved.
From the discussion above, it should be apparent that there is a need for a thermal blanket that can be used to cover a patient during surgery or other medical procedures in which it is necessary to gain access to a portion of the patient's body and that also can be used after the medical procedure is completed to fully cover the patient and provide a thermally-controlled environment. The present invention satisfies this need.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the invention, an inflatable, self-erecting thermal blanket includes one or more portions that are gathered in a non-inflated condition and held thereby a closure such that a thermally-controlled inflating medium that is admitted into the blanket is prevented from being admitted into the gathered portion(s), thereby inflating a primary part of the blanket, which can be used to cover a patient, and leaving a void in the area covered by the blanket so as to expose an area of the patient's body for medical treatment. After the medical treatment, the closure can be released, thereby permitting the inflating medium to be admitted into the gathered portion such that the gathered portion inflates and covers the exposed area of the patient's body. The released thermal blanket then covers the entire patient and bathes the patient in the inflating medium. In his way, a single thermal blanket can be used to provide a thermally controlled environment and expose an area of a patient during treatment and also can be converted to fully cover the patient after treatment.
In one aspect of the invention, the gathered portion of the thermal blanket is created by rolling or folding an extension of the blanket onto itself and is maintained in the gathered condition adjacent the primary portion of he blanket by a closure comprising an elongated strip of tape that bridges both the gathered portion and the primary portion. The strip is provided with a release element that permits the gathered portion of the strip to be separated from the primary portion of the strip. When a patient is to be filly covered, the release element releases the gathered portion, which is then inflated by the inflating medium and covers a previously exposed area of the patient.
The closure and the release element can be provided by a variety of structures. For example, in one aspect of the invention, the closure comprises a strip that includes two longitudinal edges, one of which is attached to the gathered portion and the other of which is attached to the primary portion of the thermal blanket. The strip can include a central perforation that can be split open such that the gathered portion edge of the strip can be separated from the primary portion edge of the strip, releasing the gathered portion of the thermal blanket and permitting it to be unfurled and inflated. Alternatively, the release element can comprise a tear string embedded in a strip that bridges the gathered portion and primary portion. When the patient is to be fully covered, the tear string can be pulled out of the strip to separate the two edges of the strip and release the gathered portion. In another aspect of the invention, the release element can comprise a releasable hook and loop system having a hook strip attached to either the gathered portion or the primary portion and a loop strip attached to the other portion. The hook strip can be easily separated from the loop strip. A variety of other closures and release elements will occur to those skilled in the art.
Other features and advantages of the present invention should be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.
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Augustine Medical, Inc.
Cohen Lee
Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich
Ram Jocelyn
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