Nebulizer And Tent Assembly

Abstract

An improved apparatus for treating a patient in a therapeutic atmosphere includes a disposable canopy which is supported by a foldable canopy frame to at least partially enclose the patient. The canopy frame is firmly held against the head of the patient's bed by a foldable frame which supports a disposable nebulizer. To reduce the possibility of cross-contamination and cleanup costs, the nebulizer assembly and canopy are thrown away after treatment of the patient is completed. The tent and nebulizer frames can then be folded and stored at either the head of the bed or another storage location.

Description

This invention relates to a new and improved nebulizer and tent arrangement for treating a patient in a therapeutic atmosphere.

Hospital patients are commonly treated in therapeutic atmospheres. Such treatment normally involves placing at least the head of the patient in a tent or canopy and controlling the atmosphere therein. Commonly, a nebulizer is associated with the tent to control the atmosphere. A known nebulizer includes an atomizer, medicament reservoir, and cooling unit. This known nebulizer is wheeled to a bed and set up in conjunction with a frame assembly each time a patient is to be treated. A known nebulizer and tent assembly of this type is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,075,523.

Special efforts must be made with such prior art devices to prevent cross-contamination between patients. The nebulizer and tent frame, at least, must be thoroughly cleaned with a germicidal solution after each patient is treated. The cleaning of a nebulizer is a relatively expensive and time-consuming process. In addition, a complicated nebulizer and tent assembly requires substantial maintenance and storage space.

The present invention is directed to the solution of the problem of cross-contamination between patients, and also the storage space problem noted hereinabove. The apparatus embodying the present invention includes a nebulizer having parts made of inexpensive materials which are primarily one-use items and disposable after use. In addition, the present invention utilizes the disposable nebulizer components with a tent assembly having a disposable canopy. The canopy is supported by a unique foldable frame arrangement to minimize storage space requirements. The folding frame of the present invention cooperates with the hospital bed and when folded may remain in a stored position supported on the bed.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved apparatus for treating a patient in a therapeutic atmosphere and which includes a disposable canopy and nebulizer which are thrown away after treatment of a patient to thereby prevent cross-contamination of patients and reduce cleanup expense.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved apparatus, in accordance with the next preceding object, and wherein the canopy and nebulizer are supported on frame assemblies which can be folded against the head of a bed for storage.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved apparatus for treating a patient and which includes a canopy supported by a tent frame to at least partially enclose a patient in a bed and a nebulizer for supplying a therapeutic atmosphere to the interior of the canopy, and wherein the nebulizer is supported by a frame which retains the tent frame in a desired position relative to the bed.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved apparatus, in accordance with the next preceding paragraph, wherein the tent frame is movable from a canopy-supporting position extending over the bed to a storage position in which it is disposed against the head of the bed.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved apparatus for use in treating a patient on a bed and which includes a canopy for at least partially enclosing the patient and a nebulizer for supplying a therapeutic atmosphere to the interior of the canopy and wherein the nebulizer includes a disposable ice chest for holding a container of liquid to be atomized and a retainer which holds the container against movement under the influence of water which will accumulate upon melting of ice in the chest.

These and other objects and features of the invention will become more apparent upon a consideration of the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a nebulizer and tent assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration depicting the relationship between the tent frame assembly and nebulizer frame in their extended or operative positions;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration depicting the tent and nebulizer frames in a transient position intermediate the extended position of FIG. 2 and a storage position in which they are folded against the head of a bed;

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration depicting the manner in which a canopy of the tent assembly is connected to the tent frame; and

FIG. 5 is a partially broken-away illustration showing the relationship between a medicant reservoir and ice chest of the nebulizer.

A nebulizer 10 and tent assembly 12 embodying the present invention are illustrated in FIG. 1 in association with a hospital bed 14. The tent assembly 10 includes a canopy 16 which is supported on a tent frame 18 to form an enclosure for at least a portion of a patient resting on a mattress 20 of the bed 14. A controlled therapeutic atmosphere, such as air or oxygen-enriched air with an atomized medicant, is supplied to the interior of the tent or canopy 16 by the nebulizer 10. The tent frame 18 is firmly held against the head 24 of the bed 14 by a frame 26 which supports the nebulizer 10.

After a patient has been treated, the canopy 16 and nebulizer 10 are thrown away or disposed of in a suitable manner. This leaves only the tent frame 18 (see FIG. 2) and nebulizer frame 26 to be cleaned to prevent cross-contamination between patients. Due to their relatively simple construction, these two frames can be cleaned by wiping them down with a germicidal solution. Once the tent frame 18 and nebulizer frame 26 have been cleaned, they are stored on the bed 14.

When they are stored, the tent and nebulizer frames 18 and 26 are folded out of the way against the head 24 of the bed 14 (see FIG. 3). Therefore, the bed 14 may be used for patients which may not require treatment in a therapeutic atmosphere, even though the frames 18 and 26 are stored on the bed. However, the folded frames 18 and 26 are readily moved to an operative or extended position (FIG. 1) to support the canopy 16 and nebulizer 10 if a patient should require treatment in a therapeutic atmosphere. Of course, the folded frames 18 and 26 could be removed and stored apart from the bed 14.

When the tent frame 18 is in the extended position, the canopy 16 is supported over the mattress 20 by a generally U-shaped retaining or head section 34 of the tent frame 18. This head section 34 is supported from a generally H-shaped main support section 38 which is held upright by the combined effects of a U-shaped base section 40 which is disposed beneath the mattress 20 and the nebulizer frame 26. The nebulizer frame 26 engages the main support section 38 to hold it or lock it against upstanding head bars or rails 44 of the bed 14. While the cooperation between the mattress 20 and tent frame 18 may be sufficient to hold the tent frame 18 in the extended position (FIGS. 1 and 2), the nebulizer frame 26 extends through the head section 24 of the bed to engage the tent frame 18 and clamp it against the head bars 44 to firmly stabilize the tent frame.

The generally U-shaped retaining or head section 34 of the tent frame 18 extends generally parallel to an upper surface of the mattress 20 and supports the canopy 16 in an erected condition in which the canopy defines a rectangular enclosure for receiving a small patient or the head and shoulders of a relatively large patient. The retaining or head section 34 of the tent frame 18 includes a pair of outwardly projecting arms 48 and 50 which extend parallel to each other and are interconnected by a bight or connector section 52. The U-shaped retaining section 34 of the tent frame 18 is pivotally interconnected with the main support section 38 of the tent frame by hinge connections 54 and 56 between the arms 48 and 50 and uprights 58 and 60 of the main support section. The uprights 58 and 60 are interconnected by a cross bar 64 which extends parallel to the bight or connector section 52 and the axes of rotation of the hinge connections 54 and 56.

The main support section 38 and base section 40 cooperate with the mattress 20 to hold the tent frame 18 in the extended position of FIG. 2. Thus, an end surface 20a of the mattress 20 abuts the main support section 38 to prevent it from tipping toward the right (as viewed in FIG. 2). A bottom surface 20b of the mattress 20 rests against the base section 40 to press it downwardly. The U-shaped base section 40 is pivotally connected to the uprights 58 and 60 of the main support section 38 by hinge connections 68 and 70. The hinge connections 68 and 70 are constructed in a known manner to prevent clockwise rotation of the base section 40 from the position shown in FIG. 2. However, the hinge connections 68 and 70 enable the base section 40 to be folded up, that is, rotated in a counterclockwise direction from the position shown in FIG. 2, for storage purposes.

The base section 40 includes a pair of arms 74 and 76 (FIG. 2) which extend parallel to each other and are disposed beneath the mattress 20 (see FIG. 1). The arms 74 and 76 are interconnected by a bight or connector section 80 which is also disposed beneath the mattress 20. Since the U-shaped base section 40 is pressed downwardly by combined weight of the mattress 20 and a patient thereon, the U-shaped base section holds the main support section 38 in an upright position adjacent to the head 24 of the bed 14.

Although the cooperation between the mattress 20 and tent frame 18 may be sufficient to support the tent frame in an upright position, the tent frame is advantageously locked or held against the head bars 44 of the bed 14 by the nebulizer frame 26 to firmly stabilize the tent frame. Accordingly, the nebulizer frame 26 includes a pair of L-shaped connector arms or hooks 84 and 86 which extend through the head 24 of the bed 14 between the head bars 44 to engage the crossbar 64 of the tent frame 18 to hold the tent frame against inside surfaces of the head bars 44. The nebulizer frame 26 also includes a generally H-shaped hanger or body section 90 with an outwardly extending or cantilevered support section 94 for the nebulizer 10. The weight of the nebulizer 10 on the support section 94 tends to rotate the nebulizer frame 26 in a counterclockwise direction (as viewed in FIG. 2) to pull the tent frame 18 firmly against the head 24 of the bed 14.

In addition to clamping the tent frame 18 against the head 24 of the bed 14, the frame 26 supports the nebulizer 10 at the head of the bed 14. This positioning of the nebulizer 10 enables a medicated atmosphere to be readily conducted from the nebulizer to the interior of the canopy 16. To support the nebulizer 10, the hanger section 90 includes a pair of upstanding arms 102 and 104 which extend downwardly from the hooks 84 and 86 and are interconnected by a horizontally extending crossbar 108. The crossbar 108 presses against outer surfaces of the head bars 44 under the influence of the weight of the nebulizer 10 (FIG. 1) on the support section 94.

The U-shaped support section 94 of the nebulizer frame 26 includes a pair of parallel outwardly extending arms 112 and 114 which are interconnected by an outer section 116. The arms 112 and 114 and section 116 abut three side surfaces of an outwardly projecting rectangular ledge 120 which is formed between a relatively large upper section 122 and a relatively small lower section 124 of an ice chest 130 (FIG. 1) of the nebulizer 10. This abutting engagement between the ledge 120 and support section 94 firmly positions the ice chest 130.

The tent frame 18 and nebulizer frame 26 may be stored on the bed 14. To this end, the retaining section 34 of the tent frame 18 is pivotal counterclockwise from the extended position over the mattress 20 (FIGS. 1 and 2), through the position shown in FIG. 3, to a storage position in which the retaining section lies against the outside of the head 24 of the bed 14. Similarly, the chest support section 94 of the nebulizer frame 26 is pivotal upwardly from the operative or extended position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, through the position shown in FIG. 3, to a storage position in which it is folded against the hanger support section 90 and lies generally parallel to the head 24 of the bed. For storage off the bed in a flat condition, the base section 40 can be folded in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 3, making the frames generally flat and readily stored.

The hinge connections 54 and 56 hold the retaining section 34 of the tent frame 18 in the outwardly projecting position of FIG. 1 so that the canopy 16 can be hung from the retaining section. In addition, the hinge connections 54 and 56 enable the retaining section 34 to be pivoted in a counterclockwise direction from the position shown in FIG. 1, through the position shown in FIG. 3, to the afore-mentioned storage position. The hinge connection 54 includes a base or mounting section 140 (FIG. 4) which is fixedly connected to the upright support section 58 of the tent frame 18. The retaining section 34 of the tent frame 18 is pivotally connected between a pair of upstanding ears or flanges 142 and 144 by a hinge pin 146. When the retaining section 34 of the tent frame 18 is in the extended position of FIGS. 1 and 2, a protuberance 148 on the arm 48 engages a stop surface 150 formed on the base section 140 of the hinge connection 54 to hold the arm 48 in an outwardly extending position in which the arm 48 is parallel to the upper surface of the mattress 20. The hinge connection 56 cooperates with the arm 50 in the same manner as in which the hinge connection 54 cooperates with the arm 48.

When the tent frame 18 is to be folded, an elastic strap 156 connecting a corner of the canopy 16 with an anchor member 58 on the retaining section 34 of the tent frame is released. In addition, similar elastic straps at the other corners of the canopy 16 are released from their associated anchor members 158 (see FIG. 2). The retaining section 34 is then pivoted about the hinge connections 54 and 56 in a counterclockwise direction (as viewed in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4) and moved through the position shown in FIG. 3 into abutting engagement with the head 24 of the bed. Although only the hinge connection 54 has been fully described herein, it should be understood that the hinge connection 56 is of the same construction as the hinge connection 54 and functions in the same manner to hold the retaining section 34 in the operative position of FIG. 1 and to enable the retaining section to be pivoted from the operation position to the storage position.

Before the tent frame 18 is folded to its storage position against the head 24 of the bed, the ice chest support section 94 of the nebulizer frame 26 (FIG. 1) is moved to its storage position in which it is out of the way of the tent frame 18. Thus, conduits or hoses 170 and 172 for conducting gases to and from the interior of the canopy 16 (see FIG. 1) are disconnected from the canopy and the ice chest 130 is removed from the support section 94 of the nebulizer frame 26. The ice chest support section 94 is then pivoted, in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2, through the position shown in FIG. 3 to its storage position in which it is folded adjacent to the head 24 of the bed. To enable the ice chest support section 94 to be rigidly maintained in the outwardly projecting operative position of FIG. 2 and to move through the position of FIG. 3 to the storage position, the hinge connections 96 and 98 are constructed in much the same manner as is the hinge connection 54 of FIG. 4. However, the arms 112 and 114 of the ice chest support section 94 have inner end portions, disposed adjacent to the head 24 of the bed, which engages a stop to hold the ice chest support section 94 in the cantilievered position of FIG. 2. Once the nebulizer frame 26 and tent frame 18 have been pivoted to their storage positions, they are out of the way so that the bed 14 can be used for patients who do not require treatment in a therapeutic atmosphere.

To enable cross-contamination of patents to be prevented with a minimum of cleaning effort after treatment of one patient and before treatment of another patient, the nebulizer 10 can be thrown away or disposed of. To make disposal of the nebulizer 10 economically feasible, the nebulizer advantageously has a relatively simple construction which minimizes its cost. Accordingly, to minimize both the cost and weight of the ice chest 130 while providing it with satisfactory insulating qualities, the ice chest is formed of foamed polystyrene. The ice chest 130 has a generally rectangular cooling chamber 180 in which a reservoir or container 184 is disposed. The container 184 holds water or a medicated liquid which is to be conducted in a mist through the conduit 170 to the interior of the canopy 16. This liquid is atomized in the container 184 by a flow of air or air-enriched oxygen under pressure through a tube 188 which is connected with a known atomizer within the container 184. The flow of air from the atomizer in the container 184 is directed in such a manner as to flow through the conduit 170 to the interior of the canopy 16. The atmosphere from the interior of the canopy 16 returns to the container 184 through the conduit 172.

During operation of the nebulizer 10, ice is positioned within the cooling chamber 180 to cool the liquid within the container 184. As this ice melts, the container 184 will tend to rise within the cooling chamber and could, if not restrained, dislocate a foamed styrene cover 194 of the ice chest 130 or could be upset with a spilling of liquid within the container. To prevent this from occurring, a retainer bracket 196 extends between opposite side walls 198 and 200 of the ice chest and encircles the upper or neck portion of the container 184 to hold it against upward movement due to its natural buoyancy in the water which results upon a melting of the ice.

The canopy 16 and nebulizer 10 are disposable and thrown away after they have been used to prevent cross-contamination between patients and to minimize cleanup time and expense. It should be noted that the canopy 16 and the nebulizer 10 are the only parts of the therapeutic apparatus which come in direct contact with the atmosphere to which the patient is exposed. To make disposal of the canopy 16 and nebulizer 10 economically feasible after they have been used only once, the components of the nebulizer, that is, the ice chest 130, reservoir or container 184 with the associated atomizer, and the conduits 170, 172 are made of plastic and have a design which enables them to be easily produced. All of these elements are disposable. When the canopy 16 and nebulizer 10 are to be thrown away, they are advantageously enclosed within a plastic bag which may be provided for that purpose with the disposable nebulizer and canopy.

From the above, it should be apparent that when the tent assembly 12 and nebulizer 10 are being utilized to treat a patient, the tent frame 18 is held against movement relative to the bed 14 with downward pressure on the base section 40 of the frame by the mattress 20 and by the action of the nebulizer frame 26 which is connected with the tent frame 18. Once the treatment of a patient is completed, the conduits 170, 172 of the nebulizer 10 are disconnected from the canopy and the ice chest 130 is removed from the nebulizer frame 26 and placed in a disposable bag. The elastic bands which secure the cnopies to the anchors 158 are then released and the canopy 16 is then placed in a disposable bag along with the parts of the nebulizer 10, including the ice chest 130, container 184, conduits 170, 172 and atomizer and disposed of. Although the tent frame 18 and nebulizer frame 26 have not been directly exposed to the same atmosphere as the patient, it is contemplated that they will be wiped down and cleaned with a germicidal solution to prevent any possibiility of cross-contamination. The nebulizer frame 26 will then be folded to its storage position adjacent to the head 24 of the bed 14. Once this has been done, the tent frame will also be folded against the head 24 of the bed. However, the base portion 40 will be left in position beneath the mattress 20 to hold the tent frame 18 in an upright position. Of course, if it is desired to store the tent frame 18 and nebulizer frame 26 in a location spaced from the bed, the base section 40 can be folded upwardly against the main section 38 of the tent frame by pivoting the base section in a counterclockwise direction about the hinges 68, 70. Once the tent frame 18 and nebulizer frame 26 have been folded and removed from the bed, they provide a relatively flat framework which can be easily moved to another location and by merely unfolding the frame, can be reused.

Claims

Having described specific preferred embodiments of the invention, the following is claimed.

1. Apparatus for use in treating a patient on a bed having upstanding head and foot portions, said apparatus comprising a canopy for at least partially enclosing the patient on the bed, tent frame means for supporting said canopy, said tent frame means including a frame section which is movable between a support position in which said frame section is adapted to support said canopy on an inward side of one upstanding portion of the bed and a storage position in which said frame section extends along an outward side of said one upstanding portion of the bed, a nebulizer assembly connected in fluid communication with said canopy for supplying a therapeutic atmosphere to an enclosure which is at least partially defined by said canopy, said nebulizer assembly including at least a medicant reservoir and an atomizer and conduits for directing medicated atmosphere into the canopy, and nebulizer frame means for supporting said nebulizer assembly on the bed and for retaining at least a portion of said tent frame means in a predetermined relationship with the bed, said nebulizer frame means including a connector means for extending between portions of the bed and for releasably interconnecting with said tent frame means.

2. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said canopy and nebulizer assembly are disposable to prevent cross-contamination of patients.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said nebulizer assembly includes a chest having walls formed of a heat-insulating material and defining a cooling chamber for receiving ice which melts during operation of said nebulizer assembly and thereby at least partially fills said cooling chamber with liquid, said reservoir being disposed in said cooling chamber, and connector means for connecting said container with at least one of the walls of said ice chest to retain said container against floating movement under the influence of any liquid formed by the melting of ice in the cooling chamber.

4. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said nebulizer frame means includes a frame section which is movable between a support position in which said frame section of said nebulizer frame means extends outwardly from the outward side of said one upstanding support portion of the bed and is adapted to support said nebulizer assembly and a storage position in which said frame section of said nebulizer frame means is disposed immediately adjacent to and extends along the outward side of said one upstanding portion of the bed.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said nebulizer assembly includes a disposable container means for holding ice to cool the therapeutic atmosphere before it is supplied to the enclosure which is at least partially defined by said canopy, said container means being supported on and operatively connected with the bed by said nebulizer frame means.

6. Apparatus for use in treating a patient on a bed, said apparatus comprising a canopy for at least partially enclosing the patient on the bed, and tent frame means for supporting said canopy, said tent frame means including base means disposable beneath a mattress on the bed to retain said tent frame means in a desired positional relationship with the bed, a first support section extending upwardly from said base means along one side of an upstanding portion of the bed, and a second support section pivotally connected with said first support section, said second support section being pivotal relative to the first support section between a first position in which said second support section extends outwardly from the upstanding section of the bed and is disposed over the mattress to enable said tent to be at least partially supported from said second support section and a second position in which said second support section extends along the upstanding portion of the bed for storage when said apparatus is not being used to treat a patient.

7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 6 further including connection means for pivotally connecting said base means to said first support section to enable said base means to pivot between an operational position extending outwardly from said first support section and a storage position extending along said first support section.

8. Apparatus as set forth in claim 7 further including a nebulizer assembly connected in fluid communication with said canopy for supplying a therapeutic atmosphere to said canopy, and nebulizer frame means for supporting said nebulizer assembly on the bed.

9. Apparatus for use in treating a patient on a bed, said apparatus comprising a canopy for at least partially enclosing the patient on the bed, and a nebulizer assembly connected in fluid communication with the canopy for supplying a therapeutic atmosphere to an enclosure which is at least partially defined by said canopy, said nebulizer assembly including a container having bottom and side walls defining a cavity for holding a supply of a liquid to be atomized, chest means defining a cooling chamber for receiving said container, for holding ice adjacent to an outer surface of said container to cool the liquid in said container, and for holding water formed upon melting of the ice, and retainer means for interconnecting said container and said chest means to retain said container against movement under the influence of water formed upon melting of the ice in said chest means and outside of said container means.

10. An apparatus as set forth in claim 9 further including frame means for supporting said nebulizer assembly on the bed and for supporting said canopy.

11. Apparatus as set forth in claim 9 wherein said retainer means includes frame means extending between opposite walls of said chest means and means for engaging said container.

12. Apparatus for use in treating a patient on a bed having a mattress disposed between upstanding foot and head portions, said apparatus comprising a canopy for at least partially enclosing the patient on the bed, tent frame means for supporting said canopy, said tent frame means including a first support section extending upwardly from said mattress along one of said upstanding portions of said bed and a second support section which is pivotally connected with said first support section, said second support section being movable between a support position in which said second support section extends over the mattress and is adapted to support said canopy on an inward side of said one upstanding portion of the bed and a storage position in which said support section extends along an outward side of said one upstanding portion of the bed, a nebulizer assembly connected in fluid communication with said canopy for supplying a therapeutic atmosphere to an enclosure which is at least partially defined by said canopy, said nebulizer assembly including at least a medicant reservoir, an atomizer, and conduits for directing medicated atmosphere into the canopy, and nebulizer frame means for supporting said nebulizer assembly on the bed.

13. An apparatus as set forth in claim 12 wherein said nebulizer frame means includes a frame section which is movable between a support position in which said frame section of said nebulizer frame means extends outwardly from the outward side of said one upstanding portion of the bed and is adapted to support said nebulizer assembly and a storage position in which said frame section of said nebulizer frame means is disposed immediately adjacent to and extends along the outward side of said one upstanding portion of the bed.

14. Apparatus for use in treating a patient on a bed having upstanding foot and head portions, said apparatus comprising a canopy for at least partially enclosing the patient on the bed, tent frame means for supporting said canopy on an inward side of one of said upstanding portions of the bed, a nebulizer assembly connected in fluid communication with said canopy for supplying a therapeutic atmosphere to an enclosure which is at least partially defined by said canopy, said nebulizer assembly including at least a medicament reservoir, an atomizer, and conduits for directing medicated atmosphere into the canopy, and nebulizer frame means for supporting said nebulizer assembly on an outward side of said one upstanding portion of the bed and for cooperating with said one upstanding portion of the bed to retain at least a portion of said tent frame means in a predetermined relationship with the bed.

15. An apparatus as set forth in claim 14 and wherein said upstanding portion of the bed includes spaced apart frame members and wherein one of said frame means includes a connector means extending between said spaced apart frame members of the one upstanding portion of the bed for releasably interconnecting said tent and nebulizer frame means.

16. An apparatus as set forth in claim 14 wherein said nebulizer frame means includes a frame section which is movable between a support position in which said frame section of said nebulizer frame means extends outwardly from the outward side of said one upstanding portion of the bed and is adapted to support said nebulizer assembly and a storage position in which said frame section of said nebulizer frame means is disposed immediately adjacent to and extends along the outward side of said one upstanding portion of the bed.