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US 10,369,317 B2Granted
Clip-on nasal air humidifying and epistaxis-prevention device and methods for use with supplemental oxygen
OwnerScott Schafferinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A disposable nasal air moisturizing device is removably attached to a nasal cannula to release a moisturizing liquid into a breathing gas and a patient's nasal airway. The intranasal sponges and moisturizing liquid prevents and treats both abrasions from the nasal cannula and excessive drying of the mucosa. This reduces the incidence of nosebleeds in patients using supplemental nasal oxygen.
Claims13
A nasal air moisturizing device to be used with a nasal cannula having a pair of prongs for delivering gas to a patient's nostrils, said device comprising:
- an outer shell having an interior volume and a pair of apertures positionable over the pair of prongs of the nasal cannula;
- and
- a moisture absorbent material having a portion positioned within the interior volume of the shell and a pair of protrusions extending outwardly through the pair of apertures of the shell, wherein the protrusions are positioned over the pair of prongs of the nasal cannula when the shell is attached to the nasal cannula, wherein a portion of the moisture absorbent material positioned within the shell is configured to receive moisturizing liquid and the pair of protrusions of the moisture absorbent material are configured to be positioned in the patient's nostrils to release the moisturizing liquid into breathing gas being delivered through the pair of prongs.
A method for providing an interface between a nasal cannula and a patient, said method comprising:
- providing a nasal cannula having prongs suitable without modification for placement in the nostrils of a patient for delivering a breathing gas to the patient;
- placing an assembly comprising a shell having an interior volume, a pair of apertures and a moisture absorbent material within the interior volume over the prongs of the nasal cannula, wherein the prongs extend from the interior of the shell through the apertures to an exterior of the shell and are covered by protrusions of the moisture absorbent material;
- positioning the protrusions of the moisture absorbent material which cover the prongs of the nasal cannula in the patient's nostrils so that the moisture absorbent material provides a moisture permeable barrier between the prongs and mucosa of the patient's nostrils;
- delivering a breathing gas to the patient's nostrils through the prongs of the nasal cannula;
- and
- wherein the moisture absorbent material contains a moisturizing liquid, wherein the moisture absorbent material releases the moisturizing liquid into the mucosa and the breathing gas to inhibit drying of the nasal mucosa.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.