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US 8,409,129 B2Granted
Apparatus for reducing contamination of surgical site
AssigneeNimbic Systems, Inc.
InventorsSean D. Self, Geoff A Marcek, James M. Fowler, Jr.
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AssigneeNimbic Systems, Inc.
InventorsSean D. Self, Geoff A Marcek, James M. Fowler, Jr.
Estimating the term…
Apparatus and methods for protecting a patient from surgical site infection from airborne microbes during surgery. A sterile gas flow conditioning emitter for affixation onto an anatomical surface of a patient adjacent a site of incision is anatomically shape conforming for attaching a unidirectional coherent non-turbulent flow field of sterile gas substantially anatomically levelly on that anatomical surface and flowing the flow field in the direction of that site while essentially preventing ambient airborne particles from entering the interior of the flow field under the emitter to maintain the gas essentially sterile during passage over the site.
Apparatus for protecting a site of surgical incision in the anatomy of a patient from ambient airborne microbes in an operating room in which the site is exposed to the operating room atmosphere during surgery, comprising an anatomically shape conformable emitter configured (a) to emit sterile coherent non-turbulent gas, in one direction only, into ambient air in the operating room, substantially anatomically levelly with the anatomical surface of the patient adjacent only one side of said site for flow of the emitted sterile coherent non-turbulent gas substantially anatomically levelly across the site unidirectionally from said one side of site to an opposite side thereof, and (b) to block entry of ambient air under said emitter into said flow.
Apparatus for protecting a site of surgical incision in the anatomy of a patient from ambient airborne microbes in an operating room in which the site is exposed to the operating room atmosphere during surgery, comprising an anatomically shape conformable emitter configured (i) to emit sterile coherent non-turbulent gas, in one direction only, into ambient air in the operating room, substantially anatomically levelly with the anatomical surface of the patient adjacent only one side of said site for flow of the emitted sterile coherent non-turbulent gas substantially anatomically levelly across the site unidirectionally from said one side of the site to an opposite side thereof, and (ii) to block entry of ambient air under said emitter into said flow, said emitter comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
Parts, details or accessories: means providing sterile air at a surgical operation table or area
Instruments, implements or accessories specially adapted for surgery or diagnosis and not covered by any of the groups A61B1/00 - A61B50/00,…
Insufflators for therapeutic or disinfectant purposes , i.e. devices for blowing a gas, powder or vapour into the body: blowing gases other than…
Apparatus fixed or close to patients specially adapted for providing an aseptic surgical environment: using air flow
About 4 years 6 months of term left · ends 12 Apr 2031 (estimated)
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
1. Field of the Disclosure
FIG. 1. is a perspective view of apparatus including an embodiment of a flow conditioning gas emitter in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view including an exploded view of the flow conditioning gas emitter of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the upper half of the casing of an emitter assembly of FIGS. 1 and 2.
In the following detailed description of embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof and in which are shown, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. Specific details disclosed herein are in every case a non-limiting embodiment representing concrete ways in which the concepts of the invention may be practiced. This serves to teach one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or manner consistent with those concepts. It will be seen that various changes and alternatives to the specific described embodiments and the details of those embodiments may be made within the scope of the invention. Because many varying and different embodiments may be made within the scope of the inventive concepts herein described and in the specific embodiments herein detailed without departing from the scope of the present invention, it is to be understood that the details herein are to be interpreted as illustrative and not as limiting.
The various directions such as “upper,” “lower,” “bottom,” “top,” “back,” “front,” “perpendicular”, “vertical”, “horizontal,” “length” and width” and so forth used in the detailed description of embodiments are made only for easier explanation in conjunction with the drawings to express the concepts of the invention. The elements in embodiments may be oriented differently while performing the same function and accomplishing the same result as obtained with the embodiments herein detailed, and such terminologies are not to be understood as limiting the concepts which the embodiments exemplify.
As used herein, the use of the word “a” or “an” when used in conjunction with the term “comprising” (or the synonymous “having” or “including”) in the claims and/or the specification may mean “one,” but it is also consistent with the meaning of “one or more,” “at least one,” and “one or more than one.” In addition, as used herein, the phrase “connected to” means joined to or placed into communication with, either directly or through intermediate components.