Convertible thermal blanket
AssigneeAugustine Medical, Inc.
InventorScott D. Augustine
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
One or more portions of an inflatable thermal blanket that is sized sufficiently to fully cover a patient are gathered and maintained in a non-inflated condition by a closure such that a thermally-controlled inflating medium admitted into the blanket is prevented from being admitted into the gathered portion(s), thereby leaving a primary part of the patient covered and exposing a part of the patient for medical attention. Thereafter the closure can be released to permit the inflating medium to be admitted into the gathered portion such that the gathered portion self-erects and assumes an inflated condition. The released thermal blanket covers the entire patient and bathes the patient in the inflating medium. The closure can be provided as an elongated tape strip with a central perforation that can be separated.
Claims22
An inflatable thermal blanket, comprising:
- an inflatable covering with top and bottom surfaces;
- an inflation inlet in the inflatable covering;
- apertures opening through the bottom surface into the inflatable covering;
- a gathered portion of the inflatable covering maintained in a non-inflated condition adjacent a portion of the inflatable covering;
- and
- a releasable closure that maintains the gathered portion in the noninflated condition.
An inflatable thermal blanket, comprising:
- an inflatable covering having top and bottom surfaces;
- an inflation inlet in the inflatable covering;
- apertures in the bottom surface from which an inflating medium can exit the inflatable covering;
- and
- a releasable closure that maintains a gathered portion of the inflatable covering in an uninflated, furled condition and prevents the inflating medium from entering the gathered portion, and permits the inflating medium to be admitted into the gathered unfurled portion, when released.
A thermal blanket, comprising:
- an inflatable covering having opposed surfaces sealed along their edges to define an internal volume;
- an inflating inlet in the inflatable covering;
- apertures in a first surface of the inflatable covering,
- an inflatable extension covering coupled to the inflatable covering having opposed surfaces and an internal volume that communicates with the inflatable covering internal volume;
- and
- a releasable closure that maintains the extension covering in a non-inflated, furled condition such that the inflating medium is prevented from entering the internal volume of the extension covering and that can be opened to permit the inflating medium to be admitted into the internal volume of the extension covering such that the extension covering assumes an inflated, unfurled condition.
A method of covering and convectively controlling the temperature of a first area of a body and leaving a second area of the body exposed for rendering medical care to the exposed second area, the method comprising:
- placing an inflatable thermal blanket having an extension in a non-inflated, furled condition over the body such that a first portion of the thermal blanket covers the first area of the body and leaves the second area of the body exposed;
- inflating the first portion of the inflatable thermal blanket;
- releasing a closure of the inflatable thermal blanket such that the extension of the inflatable thermal blanket is changed from the non-inflated, furled condition in which the inflating, medium is prevented from entering the extension to an inflated, unfurled condition in which the inflating medium is admitted into the extension and the inflated extension covers the second area of the body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.