Apparatus and method for humidity conditioning sample gas of a patient breathing circuit affiliated with a ventilator and/or nitric oxide delivery system
AssigneeMallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals Ireland Limited
InventorsJohn P. Stanton, John V. Berndt
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A therapeutic gas is administered to a patient. A sample gas is drawn from the therapeutic gas supply, and passed through a water-permeable tubular membrane. Concurrently, a section of the water permeable tubular membrane is maintained as a ventilated water permeable tubular membrane, by exposing outer surfaces of the ventilated water permeable tubular membrane to an ambient air flow. The ambient air flow may in some examples be moved over the tubular membrane via forced air such as for example via a fan associated with a housing surrounding the tubular membrane.
Claims19
A sample gas conditioning apparatus, comprising:
- a housing, at least partially defining a chamber, and at least partially defining an air input path into the chamber and an air egress path from the chamber, the housing comprising:
- an annular end plate comprising:
- an inner perimeter edge that is spaced from and circumferential around a winding axis;
- an outer perimeter edge;
- and
- a winding support extending from the inner perimeter edge, a support length toward a housing open end;
- and
- housing side walls that extend from the outer a peripheral rim region to the housing open end, in a direction parallel to the winding axis;
- a fan, connected to the housing, configured to urge an ambient air flow through the chamber, the ambient air flow entering through the air input path into the chamber, and exiting the chamber through the air egress path;
- a sample gas tube having a coiled tube section that comprises a water permeable material, at least a portion of the coiled tube section being arranged in the chamber as a ventilated section, the ventilated section being ventilated by the ambient air flow through the chamber, wherein the coiled tube section comprises a coil winding around the winding axis and the winding support,
- wherein the fan, the air input path, the air egress path, and the housing have a joint configuration that urge the ambient air flow through the chamber to have a flow direction, the flow direction being generally parallel to the winding axis.
A sample gas conditioning system comprising:
- a housing, at least partially defining a chamber, and at least partially defining an air input path into the chamber and an air egress path from the chamber;
- a fan, connected to the housing, configured to urge an ambient air flow through the chamber, the ambient air flow entering through the air input path into the chamber, and exiting the chamber through the air egress path;
- and
- a sample gas tube, having a section that comprises a permeable material, at least a portion of the section being arranged in the chamber as a ventilated section, the ventilated section being ventilated by the ambient air flow through the chamber and including a coiled tube section comprising a coil winding around a winding axis,
- wherein the housing includes a housing cap, having a cap perimeter, and includes housing side walls that extend from the cap perimeter to a housing open end, parallel to the winding axis, wherein an inner surface of the housing side walls faces and has a clearance from an outer surface of the coil winding, wherein the housing open end has a housing open end area, wherein the air egress path includes at least a portion of the housing open end area.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.