U.S. patent number 3,714,947 [Application Number 05/114,466] was granted by the patent office on 1973-02-06 for hypothermia baby bunting.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Angelica Corporation. Invention is credited to John C. Hardy.
United States Patent |
3,714,947 |
Hardy |
February 6, 1973 |
HYPOTHERMIA BABY BUNTING
Abstract
An infant's hypothermia bunting having front and rear panels of
two-way stretch fabric. Longitudinally extending tubes connected to
the front and rear panels for conveying temperature-controlled
fluid. Snap fasteners for adjusting the lateral size of the bunting
and snap fasteners for adjusting the longitudinal size of the
bunting to conform to different infant body sizes. Zippers at the
center and sides of the bunting to provide body access for hospital
purposes. A plastic liner releasably fastened to the rear panel for
distributing the loads of tube projections. A pocket at the bottom
of the bunting for containing manifolds collecting inlet ends of
the tubes and outlet ends of the tubes for common connections to
the inlet and outlet fittings of a hypothermia machine.
Inventors: |
Hardy; John C. (Weatogue,
CT) |
Assignee: |
Angelica Corporation (St.
Louis, MO)
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Family
ID: |
22355381 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/114,466 |
Filed: |
February 11, 1971 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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114607 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
607/104 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61F
7/02 (20130101); A61F 2007/0056 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A61F
7/00 (20060101); A61f 007/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;128/400,402,1B,134,379,399 ;5/343 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Trapp; Lawrence W.
Parent Case Text
This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No.
114,607 filed on Feb. 11, 1971.
Claims
What Is Claimed Is:
1. An infant bunting for enclosing the body of an infant and for
controlling the body temperature of said infant comprising a
flexible enclosure sized to receive said body of said infant, said
enclosure having a front portion disposable in register with the
front of said body of said infant and having a rear portion
disposable in register with the rear of said body of said infant,
tubing which is connected to the surface of said front portion of
said enclosure in a pattern distributing said tubing over
substantially the entire surface of said front portion of said
enclosure that contacts said front of said infant's body and which
confines and guides heat-exchanging fluid for movement in
heat-exchanging relation with respect to said front of said
infant's body, further tubing connected to the surface of said rear
portion of said enclosure in a pattern distributing said further
tubing over substantially the entire surface of said rear portion
of said enclosure that contacts said rear of said infant's body and
which confines and guides heat-exchanging fluid for movement in
heat-exchanging relation with respect to said rear of said infant's
body, means to control the temperature of said heat-exchanging
fluid moving through the first said tubing and also through said
further tubing, releasable fastener means on said front portion of
said enclosure which are spaced inwardly from edges of said front
portion of said enclosure, and complementary releasable fastener
means on said rear portion of said enclosure which are spaced
inwardly from edges of said rear portion of said enclosure, the
first said releasable fastener means being in register with and
being selectively securable to and releasable from said
complementary releasable fastener means, the first said releasable
fastener means and said complementary releasable fastener means
being releasable from each other to permit a large amount of the
area of said front portion of said enclosure to be moved far enough
away from a corresponding amount of the area of said rear portion
of said enclosure to enable said bunting to accommodate but confine
the body of a large infant, the first said releasable fastener
means and said complementary releasable fastener means being
securable together to join said front portion of said enclosure to
said rear portion of said enclosure at points which are spaced
inwardly of said edges of said front portion and of said rear
portion of said enclosure, and thereby reduce the amount of area of
said front portion of said enclosure which can be moved far enough
away from a corresponding amount of the area of said rear portion
of said enclosure to accommodate but confine the body of a smaller
infant, whereby selective securing or releasing of the first said
releasable fastener means and of said complementary releasable
fastener means readily and directly varies the effective size of
said bunting for conformance of said bunting to the bodies of
infants of varying sizes.
2. The infant bunting of claim 1 wherein said front portion of said
enclosure is a front panel, wherein said rear portion of said
enclosure is a rear panel, wherein the first said releasable
fastener means are individual and discrete fasteners longitudinally
aligned and spaced inwardly from the side edges of said front panel
and are further individual and discrete fasteners laterally aligned
and spaced upwardly from the lower edge of said front panel,
wherein said complementary releasable fastener means are individual
and discrete fasteners longitudinally aligned and spaced inwardly
from the side edges of said rear panel and are further individual
and discrete fasteners laterally aligned and spaced upwardly from
the lower edge of said rear panel, whereby the first said
releasable fastener means and said complementary releasable
fastener means coact to permit said effective size of said bunting
to be adjusted longitudinally as well as laterally.
3. The infant bunting of claim 1 wherein said front portion of said
enclosure is made of stretch fabric that is stretchable in at least
the lateral direction, wherein said rear portion of said enclosure
is made of stretch fabric that is stretchable in at least the
lateral direction, wherein the first said releasable fastener means
and said complementary releasable fastener means coact to provide a
coarse size adjustment in the lateral direction, and wherein the
stretchable nature of said stretch fabric of said front portion and
of said rear portion of said enclosure enable said front portion
and said rear portion of said enclosure to provide a fine size
adjustment in the lateral direction.
4. The infant bunting of claim 1 wherein the first said tubing is
fluid conveying tubing, wherein said further tubing is fluid
conveying tubing, wherein the first said tubing comprises a
plurality of individual tubes each having a supply span and a
return span, wherein the tube spans of the first said tubing are
located with supply spans alternating with return spans for uniform
temperature distribution over the surface of said front portion of
said enclosure, wherein said further tubing comprises a further
plurality of individual tubes each having a supply span and a
return span, wherein the tube spans of said further tubing are
located with supply spans alternating with return spans for uniform
temperature distribution over the surface of said rear portion of
said enclosure, wherein supply manifold means supply fluid to said
supply spans of the first said and said further tubing, and wherein
return manifold means receive fluid from said return spans of the
first said and said further tubing.
5. The infant bunting of claim 1 wherein said front portion of said
enclosure is a front panel, wherein said rear portion of said
enclosure is a rear panel, wherein the first said releasable
fastener means are individual and discrete fasteners, wherein said
complementary releasable fastener means are further individual and
discrete fasteners, wherein a pressure-distribution liner is
releasably fastened to said rear panel, wherein said
pressure-distribution liner overlies said further tubing and can
distribute evenly to said body of said infant the forces which said
further tubing otherwise would distribute unevenly to said body of
said infant, and wherein said pressure-distribution liner has
openings therein in register with the first said and said further
releasable fastener means to enable the first said and said further
releasable fastener means to engage each other through said
openings.
6. An infant bunting for controlling body temperature comprising
front and rear panels joined at their side and bottom edges to form
a pocket open at its upper end to receive the body of an infant, a
plurality of small-diameter tubes fastened in a substantially
uniformly spaced array to a surface of said front panel, a second
plurality of small-diameter tubes fastened in a substantially
uniformly spaced array to a surface of said rear panel, each tube
of the first said plurality of small-diameter tubes having a supply
span for receiving temperature-controlled fluid and a return span
for returning said temperature-controlled fluid after said
temperature-controlled fluid has been in heat-exchanging relation
with said body of said infant, each tube of said second plurality
of small-diameter tubes having a supply span for receiving
temperature-controlled fluid and a return span for returning said
temperature-controlled fluid after said temperature-controlled
fluid has been in heat-exchanging relation with said body of said
infant, distributor means to receive said temperature-controlled
fluid from a source of temperature-controlled fluid and to supply
said temperature-controlled fluid to said supply spans of said
tubes of the first said plurality of small-diameter tubes and to
supply said temperature-controlled fluid to said supply spans of
said tubes of said second plurality of small-diameter tubes and
thereby enable the first said plurality and said second plurality
of small-diameter tubes to circulate temperature-controlled fluid
in heat-exchanging relation with said body of said infant, further
distributor means connected to said return spans of said tubes of
the first said plurality of small-diameter tubes and to said return
spans of said tubes of said second plurality of small-diameter
tubes to receive said temperature-controlled fluid from said tubes
of the first said plurality and said second plurality of
small-diameter tubes after said temperature-controlled fluid has
been in heat-exchanging relation with said body of said infant and
to return said temperature-controlled fluid to said source of
temperature-controlled fluid, releasable fastener means on said
front panel that are distributed longitudinally and laterally of
said front panel, complementary releasable fastener means on said
rear panel that are distributed longitudinally and laterally on
said rear panel, the first said releasable fastener means and said
complementary releasable fastener means being releasable to permit
large amounts of the contronting areas of said front panel and of
said rear panel to be moved apart to accommodate the body of a
large infant, some of the longitudinally-distributed releasable
fastener means of the first said releasable fastener means and some
of the longitudinally-distributed releasable fastener means of said
complementary releasable fastener means being securable together to
reduce the amounts of said confronting areas of said front and said
rear panels which can be moved apart to accommodate the body of an
infant and thereby enable said bunting to accommodate and closely
confine the body of an infant of smaller girth, some of the
laterally-distributed releasable fastener means of the first said
releasable fastener means and some of the laterally-distributed
releasable fastener means of said complementary releasable fastener
means being securable together to reduce the amounts of said
confronting areas of said front and said rear panels which can be
moved apart to accommodate the body of an infant and thereby enable
said bunting to accommodate and closely confine the body of an
infant of shorter height, whereby the first said releasable
fastener means and said complementary releasable fastener means
enable said bunting to accommodate and closely confine the bodies
of infants of differing girths and differing heights.
7. The infant bunting of claim 1 wherein zippers selectively
connect and free the edges of openings in said enclosure, wherein
said zippers have electrostatically conductive zipper bindings,
wherein said enclosure has electrostatically conductive cloth
strips, and wherein said electrostatically conductive zipper
bindings and said electrostatically conductive cloth strips are in
communication electrostatically with a central conductive tab to
permit grounding of the bunting to the operating table by placing
said central conductive tab in engagement with said operating
table.
8. The infant bunting of claim 1 wherein said front portion of said
enclosure is subdivided into two sides, wherein each of said two
sides is selectively movable to an open position wherein it is
spaced away from the corresponding side of the front of the body of
an infant disposed within said enclosure to permit medical
procedures to be carried out on said corresponding side of said
front of said body of said infant, wherein each of said two sides
is selectively movable to a closed position wherein it is in
intimate contact with the corresponding side of said front of said
body of said infant, and wherein adjustable releasable
circumferential fastener tabs span the opened side of said bunting
during medical procedures thereby maintaining the closed side of
the bunting in intimate contact with the corresponding side of said
front of said body of said infant.
9. An infant bunting for enclosing the body of an infant and for
controlling the body temperature of said infant comprising an
enclosure which is made of stretch fabric that is stretchable in at
least the lateral direction, said enclosure having a front panel
disposable in register with the front of the body of an infant and
having a rear panel disposable in register with the rear of said
body of said infant, said front panel and said rear panel being
sized to enable said enclosure to accommodate the body of a large
infant with only limited stretching of said stretch fabric in said
lateral direction, fluid-conveying tubing secured to said front
panel of said enclosure in a pattern distributing said
fluid-conveying tubing over substantially the entire surface of
said front panel of said enclosure that contacts said front of said
infant's body to confine and guide heat-exchanging fluid for
movement in heat-exchanging relation with respect to said front of
said infant's body, further fluid-conveying tubing secured to said
rear panel of said enclosure in a pattern distributing said further
fluid-conveying tubing over substantially the entire surface of
said rear panel of said enclosure that contacts said rear of said
infant's body to confine and guide heat-exchanging fluid for
movement in heat-exchanging relation with respect to said rear of
said infant's body, the first said fluid-conveying tubing including
a plurality of individual tubes that have supply spans and return
spans, said plurality of individual tubes of the first said
fluid-conveying tubing being disposed so the supply and return
spans of the first said fluid-conveying tubing alternate to provide
uniform temperature distribution over substantially the entire
surface of said front panel of said enclosure that contacts said
front of said infant's body, said further fluid-conveying tubing
including a further plurality of individual tubes that have supply
spans and return spans, said further plurality of individual tubes
of said further fluid-conveying tubing being disposed so the supply
and return spans of said further fluid-conveying tubing alternate
to provide uniform temperature distribution over substantially the
entire surface of said rear panel of said enclosure that contacts
said rear of said infant's body, supply manifold means to supply
heat-exchanging fluid to said supply spans of said plurality of
individual tubes of the first said fluid-conveying tubing and to
said supply spans of said further plurality of individual tubes of
said further fluid-conveying tubing, return manifold means to
receive heat-exchanging fluid from said return spans of said
plurality of individual tubes of the first said fluid-conveying
tubing and from said return spans of said further plurality of
individual tubes of said further fluid-conveying tubing, a
plurality of individual and discrete releasable fasteners secured
to said front panel of said enclosure and spaced longitudinally and
laterally of said front panel of said enclosure, said plurality of
releasable fasteners being spaced inwardly from the side and bottom
edges of said front panel of said enclosure, a plurality of
complementary individual and discrete releasable fasteners secured
to said rear panel of said enclosure and spaced longitudinally and
laterally of said rear panel of said enclosure, said complementary
plurality of releasable fasteners being spaced inwardly from the
side and bottom edges of said rear panel of said enclosure, the
releasable fasteners of the first said plurality of releasable
fasteners being in register with and being selectively securable to
and releasable from the releasable fasteners of said complementary
plurality of releasable fasteners, the releasable fasteners of the
first said plurality of releasable fasteners and the releasable
fasteners of said complementary plurality of releasable fasteners
being releasable from each other to permit a large amount of the
area of said front panel of said enclosure to be moved far enough
away from a corresponding amount of the area of said rear panel of
said enclosure to enable said bunting to accommodate but confine
the body of said large infant, some of the longitudinally-spaced
releasable fasteners of the first said plurality of releasable
fasteners and some of the longitudinally-spaced releasable
fasteners of said complementary plurality of releasable fasteners
being securable together to reduce the amounts of said confronting
areas of said front and said rear panels which can be moved apart
to accommodate the body of an infant and thereby enable said
bunting to accommodate and closely confine the body of an infant of
smaller height, some of the laterally-spaced releasable fasteners
of the first said plurality of releasable fasteners and some of the
laterally-spaced releasable fasteners of said plurality of
complementary releasable fasteners being securable together to
reduce the amounts of said confronting areas of said front and said
rear panels which can be moved apart to accommodate the body of an
infant and thereby enable said bunting to accommodate and closely
confine the body of an infant of shorter girth, whereby the
releasable fasteners of the first said plurality of releasable
fasteners and said releasable fasteners of said plurality of
complementary releasable fasteners enable said bunting to
accommodate and closely confine the bodies of infants of differing
heights and differing girths, said some of the laterally-spaced
releasable fasteners of the first said plurality of releasable
fasteners and said some of the laterally-spaced releasable
fasteners of said plurality of complementary releasable fasteners
coacting to provide a coarse size adjustment for said enclosure in
the lateral direction, the stretchable nature of said stretch
fabric of said front panel and of said rear panel of said enclosure
enabling said front panel and said rear panel of said enclosure to
provide a fine size adjustment for said enclosure in the lateral
direction, and a pressure-distribution liner that is releasably
fastened to said rear panel, said pressure-distribution liner
overlying said tubes of said further fluid-conveying tubing to
distribute evenly to said body of said infant the forces which said
tubes of said further fluid-conveying tubing otherwise would
distribute unevenly to said body of said infant, said
pressure-distribution liner having openings therein in register
with said releasable fasteners of the first said plurality of
releasable fasteners and in register with said releasable fasteners
of said complementary plurality of releasable fasteners to permit
securement of said releasable fasteners of the first said plurality
of releasable fasteners to said releasable fasteners of said
complementary plurality of releasable fasteners through said
openings.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION:
This infant's hypothermia bunting controls an infant's body
temperature for hospital purposes, such as surgical operations.
Loss of body heat during preparation for surgery produces adverse
physiological effects which can be critical, particularly for
premature infants. It is important that the body temperature of the
infant be controlled efficiently and uniformly over the entire body
of the infant.
Most prior art systems circulate water through plastic tube
blankets or pads which are stiff and do not conform to the body,
resulting in inefficient heat transfer and local hot and cold
spots. These prior art systems that incorporate plastic blankets or
pads are heavy and therefore preclude covering the front of the
finfant's body leaving large exposed body surface areas and
consequent loss of body heat. The prior art systems include fluid
transport tubes sandwiched between two impermeable plastic plys,
limiting sterilization and laundering. They are very uncomfortable,
particularly to those areas of the infant's body that rest on body
supporting surfaces. The impermeable construction limits breathing
and evaporation of body moisture, adding to discomfort.
This infant's hypothermia garment comprises front and rear panels
of stretch fabric. The panels are rectangular in shape and are
joined at their sides and bottom edges. The upper edges are
separable to provide an opening for receiving an infant's body into
the envelope between the front and rear panels.
The bunting encloses the body of the infant from the neck down.
Several fluid conveying tubes are attached to the inner surfaces of
the panels by stitching or by an attachment method set forth in a
co-pending application of the present inventor filed in close
proximity to the filing date of the present application and
identified as Rogers, Ezell, Eilers and Robbins Docket 16,484
entitled Method of Joining Tubes to Fabrics. The tubes extend
longitudinally along the panels to permit and not interfere with
lateral or circumferential expansion of the bunting to conform to
the contour of the infant's body. Each tube consists of a supply
pass and a return pass. The supply passes lead from inlet
manifolds, and the return passes return to outlet manifolds. The
manifolds are located in a pocket at the bottom of the bunting and
are connected by tubes to a hyperthermia machine that circulates
temperature-controlled fluid through the tubes. The supply passes
and return passes are alternated to effect substantially uniform
temperature distribution over the entire inner surfaces of the
bunting.
Two longitudinal lines of snap fasteners are spaced inwardly of the
side edges of the front and rear panels for adjustment of the width
of the inner envelope of the bunting. Three lateral lines of snap
fasteners are spaced upwardly from the lower edges of the front and
rear panels to adjust the depth of the inner envelope. These snap
fasteners thus vary the effective volume of the bunting so that it
can be made to conform to different sizes and shapes of infant's
bodies, with the stretch fabric material of the bunting providing
further conformity to the contour of the infant's body.
A plastic liner has snap fasteners around its edges for releasable
fastening to the inner surface of the rear panel to distribute the
load and pressure created by the fluid conveying tubes. The panel
is removable for sterilization of the panel and for sterilization
and laundering of the bunting.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of the infant's hypothermia
bunting with parts broken away;
FIG. 2 is a rear elevation view of the infant's hypothermia bunting
with parts broken away;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary right side elevation view taken
along the line 3--3 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary right side elevation view taken
along the line 4--4 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a front elevation view of the plastic liner on a reduced
scale;
FIG. 6 is a right side elevation view of the plastic liner of FIG 5
on the scale of FIGS. 1 and 2;
FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view in section taken along the
line 7--7 of FIG. 5;
FIG. 8 is a front elevation view of an enlarged scale of a manifold
with parts shown in section;
FIG 9 is a fragmentary view in section taken along the line 9--9 of
FIG. 8;
FIG. 10 is a schematic view of the connections of the manifold to a
hyperthermia machine.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION oF THE INVENTION
This bunting 20 has a front panel 21 that is about 18 inches wide
and 24 inches long and a rear panel 22 that is the same width as
the front panel and is about 30 inches long. The foregoing lengths
are exclusive of a bag at the lower end of the bunting to be
described hereinafter. The front panel 21 has an upper edge 23 with
a downwardly curved center 24 positioned where the neck of an
infant within the bunting would be located, and has side edges 25
and 26. The rear panel 22 has an upper edge 27 that is about 6
inches above the upper edge 23 of the front panel and has side
edges 28 and 29. The side edges 26 and 28 of the front and rear
panels respectively are sewed to the front and rear cloth bindings
30 and 31 of a zipper 32. The zipper 32 has a separator start
element 33 at its upper end and a slider 34 that can fully open the
zipper 32 with the upper ends separated down to a cloth stop
element 35 at the lower end of the zipper that is sewn to the front
and rear panels 21 and 22.
The other side edges 25 and 29 of the front and rear panels
respectively are similarly sewn to the front and the rear cloth
bindings 39 and 40 of a zipper 41. The zipper 41 has a separator
start element 42 at its upper end and a slider 43 that can open the
zipper 41 with the separator element 42 separated and the zipper 41
separated all the way down to a cloth stop element 44 that is sewn
to the front and rear panels 21 and 22 at the lower end of the
zipper 41.
A zipper 48 extends longitudinally along the center of the front
panel 21. The side cloth bindings 49 and 50 of the zipper 48 are
sewn to the front panel 21. The zipper 48 has a separator start
element 51 at its upper end. A slider 52 can open the zipper 48
with the separator element 51 separated and the zipper 48 separated
all the way down to a cloth stop element 53 sewn to the front panel
21 at the lower end of the zipper 48.
The front and rear panels 21 and 22 continue below the cloth zipper
stop elements 35, 44 and 53 and are sewn together at their side and
bottom edges to form a bag 56. A lateral zipper 57 having a slider
58 provides access to the interior of the bag 56.
There are 12 tubes 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72 and
73 extending longitudinally of and fastened to the inner surface of
the front panel 21, six of the tubes 62 through 67 being fastened
to the front panel between the zippers 41 and 48 and the other six
tubes 68 through 73 being fastened to the front panel between the
zippers 48 and 32. Each tube 62 through 73 has a supply pass 74 and
a return pass 75. The tubes 62 through 73 may be attached to the
panel 21 by stitches 76 spaced at about 3-inch intervals or they
may be attached by the method set forth in a co-pending application
of the present inventor filed at about the same time as the present
application and identified by Rogers, Ezell, Eilers and Robbins
Docket 16484, entitled Method of Joining Tubes to Fabrics. The
tubes 62 through 73 are arranged such that supply passes 74
alternate with return passes 75 and are substantially evenly spaced
to distribute temperature-controlled fluid uniformly over the
entire surface area of the bunting.
The lower ends of the supply passes 74 of the tubes 62 through 73
extend downwardly into the bag 56 and are connected to a supply or
inlet manifold 77. The lower ends of the return passes 75 of the
tubes 62 through 73 extend downwardly into the bag 56 and are
connected to a return or outlet manifold 78.
Twelve tubes 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, and 92 are
fastened to the inner surface of the rear panel 22. Each tube 81
through 92 has a supply pass 93 and a return pass 94. The tubes 81
through 92 are substantially evenly spaced across the width of the
panel 22 with supply and return passes 93 and 94 alternating with
one another and substantially evenly spaced. The tubes are
connected to the panel 22 by spaced stitches 95 or by the method of
the aforesaid co-pending application. All the ends of the supply
passes 93 extend downwardly into the bag 56 and are connected to a
supply or inlet manifold 96. The lower ends of the return passes 94
extend downwardly into the bag 56 and are connected to a return or
outlet manifold 97. The tubes 62 - 73 and 81 - 92 are small and
flexible being about one-eighth inch to five-thirty seconds inch in
outside diameter.
FIG. 8 illustrates a typical manifold 77, the other manifolds 78,
96, and 97 being identical thereto. The tubes 74 are connected to
the manifold 77, each communicating with a passage 100. Each
passage 100 communicates with a central passage 101 provided by a
central tube 102 to which a tube 103 is connected. These manifolds
may be made by the process set forth in the present applicant's
co-pending application filed at about the same time as the present
application and being identified as Rogers, Ezell, Eilers &
Robbins Docket 16485 entitled Method Of Joining Tubes To A
Manifold.
In the case of the supply manifold 77, the tube 103 leads from a Y
fitting 104. The other supply manifold 96 similarly has a tube 105
leading from the Y fitting 104. A tube 106 leads to the Y fitting
104 from an outlet connector 107 of a hyperthermia machine 108 of a
conventional kind that circulates temperature-controlled fluid,
such as water. The tube outlet manifolds 78 and 97 have tubes 110
and 111 respectively leading to a Y junction 112. A tube 113 from
the Y juncture 112 leads to an inlet connector 114 to the
hyperthermia machine 108.
This infant's hypothermia bunting has sizing adjustments that
permit it to accommodate infants up to the age of about six months.
Three snap fasteners 118, 119 and 120 are arranged in a
longitudinal row and are joined to the front panel 21. The snap
fasteners 118, 119, and 120 are spaced inwardly about three inches
from the left side edge of the front panel 21. Three snap fasteners
121, 122, and 123 that are complementary to the snap fasteners 118,
119, and 120 are joined to the rear panel 22. The snap fasteners
121, 122, and 123 are in a longitudinal row and are located
directly opposite the snap fasteners 118, 119, and 120.
A similar row of three snap fasteners 124, 125, and 126 is spaced
about three inches longitudinally inwardly from the right front
edge of the bunting. The snap fasteners 124, 125, and 126 are
joined to the front panel and are located directly opposite three
snap fasteners 127, 128 and 129 that are joined to the rear panel
22.
Two snap fasteners 132 and 133 are laterally aligned with the snap
fasteners 120 and 126 and are joined to the front panel 21. The
line of snap fasteners 120, 132 133 and 126 is spaced above the
lower edge of the bunting 20 by about eleven inches, the lower edge
being defined as an imaginary line through the fabric zipper stops
44, 53, and 35 above the bag 56. Two snap fasteners 134 and 135 are
joined to the rear panel 22 in positions directly opposite the snap
fasteners 132 and 133 and in line with the snap fasteners 129 and
123. The snap fasteners 134 and 135 are complementary to the snap
fasteners 132 and 133.
Two laterally aligned snap fasteners 136 and 137 are joined to the
front panel 21 approximately 4 inches below the snap fasteners 132
and 133. Two snap fasteners 138 and 139 that are joined to the rear
panel 22 are opposite to and complementary to the snap fasteners
136 and 137. Another two snap fasteners 140 and 141 are laterally
aligned and spaced approximately four inches below the snap
fasteners 136 and 137 and are joined to the front panel 21. Two
complementary snap fasteners 142 and 143 are joined to the rear
panel 22 and are positioned opposite the snap fasteners 140 and
141.
The lines of longitudinal snap fasteners 118 and 119 and 120 and
121, 122, and 123 and the lines of longitudinal snap fasteners 124,
125, and 126 and 127, 128 and 129 can be snapped together to reduce
the circumferential size of the bunting 20, or just one
longitudinal line of snap fasteners may be snapped together, thus
providing circumferential adjustment to an infant's body size. The
lateral line of snap fasteners 120, 132, 133, and 126 may be
snapped to the snap fasteners 123, 134, 135, and 129 for depth
adjustment. Alternatively, the snap fasteners 136, 137, 138, and
139 may be snapped together or the snap fasteners 140, 141, 142,
and 143 may be snapped together to provide variations in depth
adjustment for infant body lengths. Following such coarse
adjustment of the inner envelope, the stretch fabric of the panels
21 and 22 causes the bunting to conform to the body of the infant.
A plastic liner 146 is shaped to overlie the inner surface of the
rear panel 22, forward of and overlying the tubes 81 - 92. The
plastic liner 146 has spaced snap fasteners 147 adjacent to its
upper and side edges. The rear panel 22 has forwardly projecting
spaced snap fasteners 148 adjacent its upper and side edges
complementary to the snap fasteners 147. The liner 146 also has
holes 149 through it located to permit the various size adjustment
snap fasteners 118 through 129 and 132 through 143 to be snapped
together. All adjustment snap fasteners are reinforced by the
plastic discs to prevent the snaps from pulling from its mounting
substrate.
In use, an infant's body from the neck down is located within the
envelope between the front and rear panels 21 and 22. Depending
upon the size of the infant's body, different ones of the size
adjustment snap fasteners are snapped together or, for a relatively
large infant, all the size adjustment snap fasteners are left
unsnapped. The front zipper 48 and two side zippers 32 and 41 can
be unzipped for easier entry of the infant into the bunting. Also,
these zippers provide flexibility of access to the infant's body
for hospital and surgical purposes.
With the infant in the bunting, the stretch fabric holds the
bunting in conformity with the infant's body. Temperature
controlled fluid is circulated through the one-eighth to five
thirty-seconds inch outside diameter tubes 62 through 73 and 81
through 92 so that the infant's body heat can be maintained at a
desired level even in relatively cool operating atmospheres. The
liner 146 eliminates pressure points from the tubes 81 through 92.
For laundering and sterilization of the bunting, the lining 146 can
be removed. This permits sterilization of the liner 146 also.
Thus, this infant's hypothermia bunting provides efficient heat
transfer to the infant's body. The two directional stretch fabric
of the front and rear panels 21 and 22 conforms the tubes to the
infant'2 body. The alternating of supply and return passes of the
tubes provides substantially uniform temperature distribution over
the entire surfaces of the front and rear panels 21 and 22. At the
same time, comfort is provided by the porosity of the fabric of the
front and rear panels 21 and 22.
The bunting is light in weight and the fabric is soft and flexible
so that is not uncomfortable when resting on the infant's body. The
rear liner 146 distributes the loads that otherwise would be caused
by the protruding profiles of the tubes 81 through 92. This liner
is made of high thermal conductivity plastic for increased heat
transfer.
With the adjustment snap fasteners, the bunting can be sized to fit
all infants up to the age of about 6 months. The locations of the
size adjustment snap fasteners tapers the inside envelope to
conform to the natural taper of the torso and legs of the
infant.
Zipper bindings 30, 31, 39 and 40 and Zipper stop elements 35 and
44 made from electrostatically conductive cloth and communicate
electrostatically with another conductive cloth strip 150 located
inside the pouch 56. The conductive cloth strip 150 is attached
directly to zipper stop elements 35 and 44, and also to a
conductive velcro pile strip 151 (pile facing down) located along
the pouch centerline to electrostatically ground the bunting to the
operating table. Strip 151 is secured to the outer rear surface of
pouch 56 along the centerline of the bunting with stitching
152.
Velcro pile tabs 155 and 156 (approximately 2 inches by 10 inches)
are attached to the outside rear panel 22 surface by stitches
(approximately 2 inches of stitching and 8 inches free length).
Velcro hook tabs 153 and 154 are located along the zipper bindings
50 and 49 respectively in the same horizontal line as tabs 155 and
156. The tabs are so arranged that when the right-hand side of
front panel 21, as viewed in FIG. 1, is opened and folded or rolled
back to permit surgery on the left side of an infant, the tabs 156
and 154 are pressed together to hold that right-hand side firmly
against the infant's torso. Conversely, when the left-hand side of
front panel 21 is opened and folded or rolled back to permit
surgery on the right side of an infant, the tabs 155 and 153 are
pressed together to hold that left-hand side firmly against the
infant's torso. When not required, the tabs 155 and 156 are folded
under the rear panel 22 of the bunting.
Various changes and mofifications may be made within this invention
as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Such
changes and modifications are within the scope and teaching of this
invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.
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