Inflatable Blanket Having Perforations of Different Sizes

Hypothermia is a condition of subnormal body temperature and presents serious consequences to the patient suffering therefrom. It has been shown that nearly seventy five percent of all patients who undergo surgical procedures develop hypothermia. This equates to approximately fourteen million patients a year in the United States alone. The hypothermic condition is brought on by many factors including anesthesia, the air conditioning of the operating room, and the infusion of cold blood, I-V solutions, or irrigating fluids.

Several methods and products have been developed to help prevent hypothermia from occurring; such as the use of infrared lamps, cotton blankets, and warm water mattresses. However, none of these methods and products have proven completely successful. In fact, it has been shown that these methods and products can not even prevent the patients from losing their endogenous heat. (See Journal of Post Anesthesia Nursing, Vol. 5, No. 4, August 1990, pp 254-263).

Another method of helping to prevent hypothermia that has proven very effective is the use of forced warm air convection. As early as 1937, a refrigeration blanket using cold air convection was suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 2,093,834 to Gaugler. This blanket included a plurality of layers for channeling airflow from an inlet port. Non-inflatable portions were provided around the periphery of the blanket to secure the blanket around the body. Gaugler does not mention hypothermia treatment and does not suggest that the blanket could be used to supply warm air.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,512,559 to Williams also relates to a blanket for providing cooled air to a person. The blanket in Williams comprised a plurality of thin sheets of material connected together at a plurality of discrete locations and connected together in a continuous line about the peripheral edge. An air inlet was provided to communicate with space between the sheets to allow cool air to be supplied thereto. Again, no mention of hypothermia treatment or the supply of warm air is made.

In U.S. Pat. No. 4,572,188 to Augustine, et al., a forced air convection system which can supply either cool or warm air to a blanket is described. The blanket in Augustine, et al. comprises a plurality of inflatable hollow tubes having their interiors connected together through transverse openings. An entry port is provided in the upper surface of the blanket for admitting the cool or warm air and small exit ports are provided through the lower surface to allow the cool or warm air to flow out toward a body covered by the blanket.

Other patents relating to the supply of cool or warm air to a person through an inflatable blanket include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,660,388 to Greene, Jr.; 4,777,802 to Feher; and 4,867,230 to Voss; 5,125,238 to Ragan et al; 5,300,100 to Hickle et al; 5,300,102 to Augustine et al; 5,324,320 to Augustine et al; 5,343,579 to Dickerhoff et al; 5,360,439 to Dickerhoff et al; and 5,384,924 to Dickerhoff et al. Each of these patents describe blankets having various attributes and configurations to supply cool or warm air to the person.

While there are a number of patents noted above and others not mentioned which relate to inflatable blankets for use in supplying cool or warm air to a patient, there remains a need in the art for improvements to forced air convection systems.

It is one object of the present invention to provide a blanket for a forced air convection system which allows the greatest transfer of heated or cooled air to be directed to selected portions of the patient.

The above object and others are accomplished according to the present invention by providing a blanket for a forced air convective system which includes exit perforations having different sizes.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a blanket for a forced air convection system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view, with portions broken away, of a blanket in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a blanket, generally designated by reference numeral 100, for a forced air convection system, according to one embodiment of the present invention. In particular, blanket 100, includes an upper or head end 110, a lower or foot end 120, and two sides 130, 140. The blanket 100, further includes an upper sheet of material 145, and a lower sheet of material 150. The upper sheet and lower sheet 150, are sealed together around respective peripheral edges 155 to form a cavity 157 therebetween, which may be inflated by introduction of air from an appropriate source. The upper sheet and lower sheet 150, may further be connected together in any one of several desirable configurations, such as spot welds, interconnected columns, interconnected tubes, etc. The blanket 100, includes at least one inlet port 160, for attachment to a source of forced air which will be used to inflate the blanket 100, and provide either warming or cooling air to the patient. As shown in FIG. 1, the inlet port 160, is formed along one end of the blanket 100. However, other configurations are equally acceptable and are within the scope of the present invention, as will be further discussed below. The lower sheet of the blanket 100, includes a plurality of perforations or small exit holes 170, 175, formed therethrough which allow air to escape from the blanket 100, toward a patient.

It is desirable to provide the greatest transfer of heated or cooled area to the trunk of the patient. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, the perforations 170, provided over a middle portion of the blanket 100, have a larger size than perforations 175, provided in peripheral areas of the blanket 100. In one particular embodiment of the present invention, the larger perforations 170, are arranged in the general shape of a patient's body.

The large perforations according to the present invention preferably have a diameter in the range of 0.075 to 0.150 inches. The small perforations according to the present invention preferably have a diameter in the range of 0.058 to 0.116 inches.

The present invention relates to any number of patterns of large and small perforations. For example, the large perforations may be provided only over the chest area of a patient, or over a particular area of a patient to which it is desired to provide greater transfer of heated or cooled air. In addition, the large perforations may be provided in more than one area, to produce additional areas of more efficient transfer of heated or cooled air.

In addition, more than two sizes of perforations may be provided. The largest perforations would be used in those areas where the greatest transfer of heated or cooled air is desired, and the smallest perforations would be used in those areas where the least transfer of heated or cooled air is desired. Perforations having an intermediate size or several intermediate sizes can be provided in other areas of the blanket. In particular, this intermediate perforations may be provided in areas between the large and small perforations so as to create a gradient of air transfer across the blanket.

By providing the pattern of large and small perforations, it is possible to provide heating or cooling to a patient in a more efficient manner. In particular, the large perforations provide greater transfer of heated or cooled air directly to the patient, while small perforations are used in the peripheral areas of the blanket not directly covering a patient. Providing the patterned large and small perforations in accordance with the present invention assures that the greatest amount of heating or cooling air will be provided directly to the patient.

The blanket shown in FIGS. 1 represents full body blankets but the present invention would be equally applicable to blankets intended to cover only portions of the patient, such as an upper body blanket or a lower body blanket. The blankets according to the present invention are also equally useful in both adult and pediatric sizes. Additionally, the blankets according to the present invention may be used equally effectively in either the operating room or in other areas of the hospital, such as the PACU. Moreover, as noted, the blankets according to the present invention may be used to provide either warming or cooling to a patient.

As noted above, the inlet port as shown in FIG. 1, is located along an edge of the blanket. However, the inlet port may be located at almost any position which allows the blanket to be easily inflated. For example, the inlet port may be provided along any edge of the blanket, at a corner of the blanket or through the upper or lower sheet of the blanket at a location spaced away from the edge of the blanket. In addition, multiple inlet ports may be provided to increase the versatility of the blanket.

The blankets of the present invention may be formed of any suitable material capable of being sealed together at selected positions and having sufficient strength to allow inflation and adequate air distribution within the inflated portion. Such materials include plastics, non-woven wood pulp compositions, laminated plastic and wood pulp materials, and combinations thereof.

The foregoing has been a description of certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, but is not intended to limit the invention in any way. Rather, many modifications, variations and changes in details may be made within the scope of the present invention.