The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 26, 1983
Filed:
May. 28, 1981
Richard R Jackson, Swampscott, MA (US);
Other;
Abstract
According to the present invention, an airway humidifier for directly humidifying the air flow requirement of a respiratory tract during the inspiration phase of a breathing cycle is provided, which comprises a nest of relatively large bore, thin wall air transmitting elongated hollow fibers terminating at an output end that is adapted to communicate the merged flow through a tube to the respiratory tract, a water chamber surrounding said fibers and having sufficient rigidity to resist collapse when subjected to negative operational water pressure, a water source for water heated to about 105.degree. F. (40.degree. C.) and a water pump connected to said chamber and said source and adapted to maintain said chamber filled with water under negative pressure, said fibers having an internal diameter of the order of 0.050 inch, and being present in sufficient number and length to enable the peak air flow rate of said requirement to proceed through said nest with a characteristic pressure drop of less than 5 centimeters of water, the walls of said fibers having a wettable surface and under said negative pressure water conditions being permeable to water vapor and impermeable to liquid water, and the aggregate wetted surface area of said fibers being sufficient to humidify the peak flow rate of said requirement of said respiratory tract, whereby pulsing air flow into the respiratory tract can be humidified by a compact, closely-located unit.