Life support chamber for infants, method and system

A device for maintaining high-risk infants and other medical patients in a controlled environment while at rest and during medical procedures comprising:

• a thin elongated flexible impervious transparent tubular membrane enclosure means adapted to closely enclose the patient full length while recumbent;
• said tubular membrane being open at its opposite ends to enable maintenance of a continuous flow of a life-sustaining gas through the interior of said tubular membrane enclosure from one open end thereof to the other;
• a rigid outer enclosure defining an environmental chamber for receiving said membrane enclosure and a patient enclosed therein, said outer enclosure including a closable top access opening and an end wall portion having a gas intake opening;
• a plurality of vertically oriented vanes positioned in said gas intake opening;
• and
• means for attaching one open end of said tubular membrane enclosure to said end wall portion in surrounding relationship to said gas intake opening, whereby said life-sustaining gas can be supplied to said membrane enclosure in vertically oriented layers.

An environmental chamber for high-risk infants and other medical patients comprising:

• a rigid enclosure including flat opposite end and side walls, a flat bottom wall and a flat, removable lid, all defining said chamber, said chamber being of sufficient size to enclose said patient,
• said walls being composed of a clear electrically insulative, but x-ray transmissive material,
• said lid being slidable on upper edges of said opposite side walls to variable open positions from either end wall of said enclosure,
• spring-biased clamping means on said opposite side walls for retaining said lid against the upper edges of said side walls while enabling sliding movement of said lid therealong to its variable open positions,
• infra-red heating means disposed above said enclosure for providing heat to said patient when said lid is in an open position,
• means defining a gas intake opening in one end wall and a gas exhaust opening in an opposite end wall for the intake and exhaust of a life-sustaining gas from said chamber,
• a supporting platform for said rigid enclosure,
• leg means extending downwardly from the opposite ends of said bottom wall of said rigid enclosure for elevating said bottom wall above said supporting platform to provide access for x-ray film below said bottom wall and electrical and thermal isolation of said enclosure from said supporting platform, and
• latching means on said leg means for selective attachment of said enclosure to said supporting platform,
• and a thin elongated flexible impervious transparent tubular membrane enclosure means adapted to closely enclose the patient full length while recumbent and being open at its opposite ends, said membrane enclosure means being removably attached to said rigid enclosure at said one end wall in surrounding relation to said gas intake opening, said membrane enclosure means while attached to said end wall being usable within said enclosure and on said lid.

A device for maintaining high-risk infants and other medical patients in a controlled environment while at rest and during medical procedures comprising:

• a thin elongated flexible impervious transparent tubular membrane enclosure means adapted to closely enclose the patient full length while recumbent,
• said tubular membrane being open at its opposite ends to enable maintenance of a continuous flow of a life-sustaining gas through the interior of said tubular membrane enclosure from one open end thereof to the other;
• a rigid outer enclosure defining an environmental chamber for receiving said membrane enclosure and a patient enclosed therein, said outer enclosure including a closable top access opening and two opposite end wall portions, one of said end wall portions having a gas intake opening and the other of said end wall portions having a gas exhaust opening,
• said intake and exhaust openings including hose coupling means for coupling gas supply and gas return hoses to said opposite end wall portions;
• a gas supply and a gas return conduit connected respectively to said gas intake and gas exhaust openings;
• means for attaching one open end of said tubular membrane enclosure to said one end wall portion in surrounding relationship to said gas intake opening, whereby said life-sustaining gas can be supplied to said membrane enclosure;
• gas circulating means connected to said gas supply and return conduits for providing a positive gas circulation through said conduits, said outer enclosure and said tubular membrane enclosure;
• and
• humidifying means connected to said gas supply conduit for humidifying gas supplied to said membrane enclosure.