Airway humidifier for the respiratory tract

An airway humidifier for directly humidifying the air flow requirement of a respiratory tract of a living being breathing directly through the humidifier during the inspiration phase of a breathing cycle,

• said humidifier comprising a nest comprising a large multiplicity of relatively large bore, thin-walled-air-transmitting elongated hollow fibers terminating at an output end that is adapted to communicate the merged flow through a tube to the respiratory tract,
• said fibers having an internal diameter of the order of 0.050 inch, up to about 0.080 inch, and being present in sufficient number and length to enable the peak air flow rate of said air flow requirement to proceed through said nest with a characteristic pressure drop of less than 5 centimeters of water,
• a water chamber surrounding said fibers and having sufficient rigidity to resist collapse when subjected to negative operational water pressure,
• a water source for water heated to about 105.degree. F.,
• and a water pump connected to exhaust said chamber, said water chamber connected to said water source whereby said pump is adapted to maintain said chamber filled with water under negative pressure by drawing water through said chamber from said source,
• said fibers incorporating a wetting agent whereby the walls of said fibers having a wettable surface and under said negative pressure water conditions being permeable to water vapor and impermeable to liquid water, and the aggregate wetted surface area of said fibers being sufficient to humidify the peak flow rate of said air flow requirement of said respiratory tract, whereby pulsing air flow into the respiratory tract can be humidified by a compact, closely-located unit.