Humidifier for a respiratory therapy device

A humidifier for increasing absolute humidity of a flow of air to be delivered to a patient's airways by a respiratory therapy device, the humidifier comprising:

• a humidifier housing forming a humidification chamber, the humidifier housing comprising:
• an air inlet configured to receive the flow of air from a pressure device;
• an air outlet configured to deliver the flow of air to a patient interface from the humidifier with added humidity;
• and
• a flow path for the flow of air from the air inlet, through the humidification chamber, and to the air outlet;
• a reservoir configured to retain a first volume of water;
• a humidifier wick positioned within the humidification chamber and configured to retain a second volume of water, and the humidifier wick having a profiled shape to substantially enclose, in a radial direction, at least a portion of the flow path;
• a delivery mechanism configured to deliver a flow of water from the reservoir to the humidifier wick;
• a heating element positioned in thermal communication with the humidifier wick to heat the humidifier wick to vaporise the second volume of water to add absolute humidity to the flow of air;
• an air flow baffle configured to lengthen at least a portion of the flow path through the humidification chamber;
• and
• a wick frame positioned within the portion of the flow path enclosed by the humidifier wick and in contact with the humidifier wick to maintain thermal communication between the humidifier wick and the heating element to promote heat transfer from the heating element to the humidifier wick;
• wherein the humidifier wick is removable from the humidification chamber, and
• wherein the humidifier wick is anisotropically constructed such that the humidifier wick has a rate of wicking that is greater in a first direction than in a second direction.