Abstract:
An adaptor enables a convective treatment system to be modified for cooling by providing a bath of pressurized, cooled air intended to lower the body core temperature of a person. The adaptor may be constructed for being coupled between a blower assembly that provides a stream of pressurized air and a convective treatment device that receives the stream of pressurized air, distributes it, and provides it for bathing the body of a person in a general bath of cooled air in order to produce a desired clinical effect such as prevention or alleviation of hyperthermia or for thermal comfort. Such an adaptor may be embodied as an enclosure having a shaped internal cavity. The shape is useful for effectively and efficiently distributing a flow of pressurized over, around and through a bed of ice disposed in the cavity. Ports are provided in the enclosure for introducing a flow of pressurized air into, and receiving a flow of pressurized air from, the cavity.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention relates generally to an adaptor for a convective treatment system, and, more particularly, to an ice-actuated apparatus for adapting convective treatment devices and systems to cool a person or animal.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The management of body core temperature by convective treatment is known. Convective treatment devices operate by receiving and distributing a flow of pressurized, thermally-conditioned air, and then expelling the distributed air through a surface to provide a generalized bath of thermally-conditioned air over, along, or around a person. To date, the predominant use of convective treatment has been to warm persons. In this mode, a flow of warmed, pressurized air is provided to stabilize or raise the body core temperature of the person in order to amplify comfort or to achieve a clinical objective. One such clinical objective is prevention or alleviation of hypothermia, a condition in which the body core temperature is less than some normal temperature. Convective warming devices have proven themselves to be extremely useful and highly effective in the treatment of hypothermic patients.  
           [0003]    There are circumstances under which it would be desirable to deploy a convective thermal device in order to cool rather than warm a person. Again, comfort might be an objective. It might also be desirable to use a convective treatment device to lower the body core temperature. A beneficial effect would be the treatment of hyperthermia, a condition in which the body core temperature is greater than some normal temperature. Hyperthermia may result from environmental heat stress or from illness. Otherwise normal individuals may suffer hyperthermia when their natural cooling mechanisms, such as sweat, are overwhelmed during heavy physical exertion in a hot environment. Heat stress disorders, categorized in ascending order of severity, include heat cramps, heat syncope, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Normally, a person will voluntarily stop working well before the onset of heat exhaustion, but some persons, such as competitive athletes or military personnel, may push themselves beyond this limit.  
           [0004]    Hyperthermia may also be caused by fever associated with illness. Such fevers may have many causes, including infection, tumor necrosis, thyroid storm, malignant hyperthermia or brain tumor. Brain injuries that cause hyperthermia usually involve the hypothalamus, and may be caused by tumors, stroke, head injury or ischemic brain injury due to cardiac arrest.  
           [0005]    The physiological consequences of hyperthermia span a spectrum of severity with fluid and electrolyte imbalances, increased cellular metabolic rates, and cognitive impairment being at the low end. In the mid-spectrum, motor skill impairment, loss of consciousness and seizures occur. At the high end, an individual may suffer irreversible cellular injury, especially of the highly metabolic brain and liver cells, and then finally organ failure and death. Hyperthermia is thus a condition that, depending on its severity, may require immediate cooling treatment to return a person&#39;s body core temperature to normal.  
           [0006]    Cooling treatment may also have other important uses. In some situations, induction of mild-to-moderate hypothermia may provide beneficial protection against injury. The protective benefit of hypothermia has been shown when the blood flow to all or part of the brain is interrupted. Brain ischemia due to an interruption of the blood flow may occur during cardiac arrest, surgery on the brain or open-heart surgery. Cooling the brain before or in some cases after these events occur seems to be protective, and can decrease the severity of the ultimate brain damage.  
           [0007]    Because of their eager acceptance and wide deployment, it would be very beneficial and effective to be able to adapt convective thermal devices designed and deployed for warming to also be useful for cooling as the need arises.  
           [0008]    In fact, there have been proposals for adapting convective treatment devices to perform cooling. Some involve compounding convective treatment instruments with evaporative mechanisms. In such designs, convection is provided in order to magnify the cooling effects of evaporation. See, for example, the following patents, all owned by the Assignee of this application: U.S. Pat. No. 6,402,775, “High Efficiency Cooling Pads, Mattresses, and Sleeves”; U.S. Pat. No. 6,354,099, “Cooling Devices with High Efficiency Cooling Features”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,860,292, “Inflatable Thermal Blanket for Convectively Cooling a Body”.  
           [0009]    One drawback of these adaptations is the need to deal with moisture applied to a body, which may violate certain clinical protocols. In other proposals, air is cooled by the same mechanism that warms and pressurizes it for delivery to a convective treatment device. These mechanisms are, in effect, reversible cycle heat pumps that may be operated to deliver pressurized air that may be heated or cooled, or delivered at an ambient temperature. However, such devices are expensive and require frequent maintenance.  
           [0010]    Therefore, there is a need for a simple, inexpensive mechanism that can adapt a convective treatment device to convectively cool a person for enhancement of comfort or for clinical purposes. Preferably, the adaptive mechanism should not require the application of moisture to the person and should not increase the complexity and expense of convective treatment instruments and systems. What is required is an inexpensive adaptor that can be easily and conveniently used to enable a convective treatment device to cool a person rapidly and effectively. Such a device will expand and enhance the utility of convective treatment equipment already deployed for use in warming.  
         SUMMARY OF INVENTION  
         [0011]    It is an object of the invention to adapt convective treatment devices and convective treatment systems for convective cooling. It is also an object of the invention to provide convenient, inexpensive and effective convective cooling of a body (human or animal) by a convective treatment device using an adaptor having a shaped cavity for positioning ice in a stream of pressurized air being provided to a convective treatment device.  
           [0012]    The invention solves the problem of adapting existing convective treatment technology already deployed for heat therapy to also provide effective cooling therapy as the need arises.  
           [0013]    For convectively cooling a person, a convective treatment system includes a blower assembly, a convective treatment device, and an air hose for providing pressurized air from the blower assembly to the convective treatment device. An adaptor according to this invention may be coupled into the air hose between the blower assembly and the convective thermal device to receive pressurized air, distribute it through a mass of ice for cooling, and redirect it back into the air hose for delivery to the convective thermal device. The convective thermal device has at least one surface with a plurality of apertures that allow thermally conditioned air to flow out of the convective thermal device and bathe a person in air cooled by the ice. In use, the blower assembly provides a stream of pressurized air to the adaptor, where the air is cooled as it flows over, around and through the ice in the shaped cavity. The cooled air is directed out of the adaptor to the convective treatment device whence it is expelled through the apertures, bathing the person in cool air.  
           [0014]    The adaptor includes an enclosure with an internal cavity and at least two ports in fluid communication with the internal cavity. Each port supports a flow of air between the internal cavity and the outside of the enclosure. The internal cavity disposes ice in a stream of air flowing through the cavity, from one to the other of the ports. The size of the enclosure can vary, depending on the amount of cooling needed.  
           [0015]    The foregoing, together with other objectives, features and advantages of this invention, will become more apparent when referring to the following specification, claims and the accompanying drawings.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0016]    [0016]FIG. 1 is an isometric view showing one embodiment of an adaptor according to this invention;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 2 is a view of the adaptor of FIG. 1;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along A-A of FIG. 1;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along B-B of FIG. 1;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 5 is another exploded view of the adaptor of FIG. 1 showing the air flow path through a cavity (with ice omitted);  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a convective treatment system adapted for use according to this invention for cooling;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view showing the relationship between ice and a flat internal wall;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view showing relationship between ice and a corrugated internal wall;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view showing relationship between ice and a compliant internal wall;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIGS. 10A, 10B,  11  and  12  are views showing different embodiments for air bypass to control the exit air temperatures of the adaptor;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 13 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of an adaptor according to this invention;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 14 is an sectional view showing another embodiment of an adaptor according to this invention;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 15 is an isometric view showing another embodiment of an adaptor according to this invention; and.  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 16 is a view showing a pattern for an adaptor. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS  
       [0030]    The invention concerns an adaptor, intended to operate as a heat exchanger, that is furnished with ice and coupled to enable a convective treatment device to provide a generalized bath of cooled or chilled air to a person. In this regard, the adaptor has an enclosure with at least two ports for supporting a flow of pressurized air through the enclosure. For convenience, throughout this description one port will be denominated an “inlet port”, denoting that the so-named port may receive or couple a flow of pressurized air into the enclosure, and the other port will be denominated as an “outlet port”, denoting that the so-named port may receive or couple a flow of pressurized air out of the enclosure. The use of the terms “inlet port” and “outlet port” in this description, and in the claims of this application should not be taken to limit the adaptor to supporting a unidirectional flow of air; nor should such use be taken to limit the function of any port to supporting flow of air in only one direction. In fact, the flow of air through the adaptor may, in some designs, be reversible, so that what is in one instance an “inlet port” may well become an “outlet port” in another instance, and vice versa. The adaptor has a cavity, internal to the enclosure, and in communication with a first port and a second port to enable a flow or stream of pressurized air therebetween. The cavity has a shape to position ice in the flow or stream of pressurized air. An example of a convective treatment device with which the adaptor may be used is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,324,320. A representative convective treatment system may include components marketed under the brand name BAIR HUGGER® by Augustine Medical, Inc., Eden Prairie, Minn., the assignee of this patent application. While the present invention will be described for cooling a person, it could also be incorporated into systems used for cooling other things, such as an animal, a container or a room.  
         [0031]    Some optional features of the adaptor include a resealable container for holding ice, an optimized air flow path through the adaptor for increased cooling of the air, and air bypass for air temperature adjustment.  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of an adaptor  10 . The adaptor  10  comprises an enclosure  12 . Optionally, a drain bag  14  may be connected to the enclosure  12  by a drain tube  16 . The enclosure  12  has an air inlet  18 , an air outlet  20  and may be sized to hold any amount of ice. In the preferred embodiment, the enclosure holds approximately 10 pounds of ice. In the shown embodiment, the enclosure  12  has a front enclosure portion  22  and a rear enclosure portion  24 . The front  22  and rear  24  enclosure portions are joined around their periphery  30   a  (top),  30   b  (sides),  30   c  (bottom), forming the enclosure  12  with a cavity  28 . (see FIG. 4). The top periphery  30   a  is designed to allow access to the interior cavity  28  for loading ice in the adaptor  10 . The enclosure  12  may be reusable or disposable and may be made of flexible or rigid plastic. In other embodiments, the enclosure may be an integrated, one piece design.  
         [0033]    Referring now to FIG. 2, a membrane or internal wall  26  is positioned between the front enclosure portion  22  and rear enclosure portion  24 . The wall  26  can be constructed of different shapes and materials, which will be described in more detail below. In the preferred embodiment, the wall  26  is a corrugated design. The wall is positioned between the front and rear enclosure portions ( 22 ,  24 ), extending from the top  30   a  bisecting cavity  28  such that the cavity  28  has a shape. In this example, the shape is a “U” shape, although this is not meant to exclude other equivalent shapes such as the “V” and “C” shapes. The “U” shape is best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, where the cavity  28  is labeled in 3 sections, a front cavity section  28   a , a rear cavity section  28   b  and a lower cavity section  28   c . The front cavity section  28   a  is formed between the front enclosure portion  22  and the wall  26 . The rear cavity section  28   b  is formed between the rear enclosure portion  24  and the wall  26 . The lower cavity section  28   c  is formed between the front enclosure portion  22  and the rear enclosure portion  24 , below the wall  26 .  
         [0034]    Referring again to FIGS. 3 &amp; 4, a mass of ice portions  32  (which may be cubes, nuggets, flakes, shavings, crushed portions, reusable ice or any equivalents) is received in the cavity  28 , the mass  32  forming an ice bed  33 . For the adaptor to function properly, air must flow through the ice bed  33  to be cooled. Therefore, the ice bed  33  should be porous. Due to the shape of the mass  32 , voids or channels  34  are formed in the ice bed  33  through which air can flow. An optional air diffuser  48 , shown in FIG. 4, may be present to reduce the airflow velocity as the air enters the enclosure  12 . Pressurized air may enter the adaptor as a jet of 30 cubic feet per minute or more. The air diffuser  48  spreads the air out and reduces the velocity of the airflow. Otherwise, a jet of air may lead to preferential melting where the air hits the ice bed  33 . This preferential melting may lead to an unwanted air bypass.  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 5 is an exploded view showing the air path  42  through the adaptor  10 . Near the top of the front enclosure portion  22  are two access cutouts, an air inlet cutout  36 , corresponding to air inlet  18 , and an air outlet cutout  38 , corresponding to air outlet  20 . The air inlet cutout  36  is attached to a matching wall cutout  40  so that the air inlet  18  accesses the rear cavity portion  28   b . The air outlet  20  accesses the front cavity portion  28   a  through air outlet cutout  38 . Pressurized air  44  enters the cavity  28  of the adaptor  10  through the air inlet  18 . The air flows through the ice bed  33  in a “U” pattern from the rear cavity portion  28   b  through the lower cavity portion  28   c  and the front cavity portion  28   a . The air is cooled or chilled as it passes through the voids or channels  34  of the ice bed  33 . Cooled air  46  exits the adaptor  10  from the air outlet  20 . The pressurized air  44  entering the adaptor  12  can be many different temperatures, preferably ambient temperature.  
         [0036]    In use, the mass  32  should fill the enclosure  12  to a point below the air inlet  18  and air outlet  20 . The “U” shape of the cavity  28  was chosen so that the air inlet  18  and the air outlet  20  are located near the top of the enclosure  12  to prevent any water from the melting ice from dripping into the air inlet  18  or air outlet  20  (or any hoses that may be attached to them). Also with the “U” shape (or equivalent) of the cavity  28 , gravity will cause the ice to settle in the base of the enclosure and air will be forced through the ice bed. As the ice melts, water collects or pools at the bottom of the enclosure. Pooling water covers the ice bed and reduces the amount of the mass of ice exposed to the air stream. It may therefore be desirable to drain off the water that collects in the bottom of the enclosure as the ice melts. If so, this can be done by holes in the bottom of the enclosure or the addition of the drain bag  14 , suspended under the enclosure  12 . As ice  32  melts, the water seeks the bottom of the enclosure  12 , flowing into drain bag  14  via the drain tube  16 . The water is drained away to keep the ice exposed to the airflow through the ice bed. The drain bag  14  may be removable so that it may be emptied while the cooling therapy continues. In some cases, the drain bag  14  may be omitted and the water may drip out of the drain tube  16  into another type of container, like a bucket, such as a 5 gallon bucket, or drain.  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 6 shows one embodiment of a convective treatment system  100  adapted to cool a person  101 . The system  100  includes blower  103 , an adaptor  10 ,  200 ,  300 ,  400  and a thermal device, such as an inflatable pneumatic blanket  102 . The blanket shown here has a head end  104 , a foot end  106 , lateral edges indicated by  108  and an air inlet cuff  110 . On at least one surface of the blanket  102 , facing the person  101  to be cooled, are a plurality of apertures (not shown). The shapes, dimensions, pattern and density of the apertures in the blanket may be varied to control the release of the thermally-controlled air to the person. There are many thermal blankets of this type described in the prior art. One such blanket is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,324,320. A first air hose  112  is connected between the blower assembly  103  and the air inlet  18 ,  212 ,  304 ,  404  of the adaptor  10 ,  200 ,  300 ,  400 . The first hose  112  is provided to carry a stream of pressurized air between the blower assembly  103  and the adaptor  10 ,  200 ,  300 ,  400 . A second air hose  114  is connected between the inlet cuff  110  of the thermal blanket  102  and the air outlet  20 ,  214 ,  306 ,  406  of the adaptor  10 ,  200 ,  300 ,  400 . The second air hose  114  is provided to carry a stream of pressurized air between the adaptor  10 ,  200 ,  300 ,  400  and the blanket  102 .  
         [0038]    In use, the blower assembly  103  provides a stream of pressurized air  44  to the adaptor  10 ,  200 ,  300 ,  400  through the first hose  112 . The pressurized air then flows through the adaptor  10 ,  200 ,  300 ,  400  and is cooled or chilled by the ice bed, as described with each embodiment. The now cooled pressurized air  46  leaves the adaptor  10 ,  200 ,  300 ,  400  and travels through the second hose  114  into the blanket  102 , where the cooled pressurized air  46  is expelled through the apertures, bathing the person  101  in cool air. Tests have shown that a forced-air convective treatment system as described may cool an air stream of roughly 30 cubic feet per minute from room temperature down to 4 to 6 ° C. for an hour. The cooled air temperature may be maintained for long periods of time without interruption, or continuously if the mass of ice is replenished as it melts.  
         [0039]    Ice portions suitable for use with this invention may come in a variety of sizes and may be referred by many different terms, such as cubed, nugget, flaked, shaved or chips. Ice portions with 2 to 3 cm edge dimensions are sometimes termed cubed ice. Smaller, regular shaped ice portions with approximately 1 cm edge dimensions is sometimes termed nugget ice. Irregularly shaped ice portions with the same dimension are sometimes called flaked ice. Even smaller ice portions are sometimes called shaved ice or chips.  
         [0040]    Alternatively, the mass of ice may be or include reusable ice cubes, such as sold by Icy Cools, Inc., Kingston, N.J. The reusable ice cubes have a liquid, such as water, sealed in plastic containers that are frozen. The reusable ice cubes are used in place of regular ice and are advertised to provide cooling longer than, up to 30-50%. Another advantage includes no melting water to deal with, which may eliminate the need for a drain. Moreover, once the reusable ice cubes are used, they can be cleaned, refrozen and reused, which may eliminate the need for a ice making source or machine. In addition, the reusable ice cubes may be constructed in a pattern, such as the Ice Snake or Ice Mat sold by Icy Cools, Inc., to allow ease of placement and removal from the adaptor, and to optimize the porosity of the mass of ice.  
         [0041]    For cooling purposes, larger cubed ice provides the best mode of operation of this invention because the cubes usually form a more porous ice bed with larger channels or voids. Uniform airflow through a porous mass of cubed ice will produce the most efficient air cooling by melting the ice bed at a uniform rate. Smaller ice sizes pack more densely than cubes, creating smaller voids or channels. The result is that the denser the ice bed, the higher resistance to air flow. Reducing the airflow reduces the capacity of the adaptor for cooling to the patient. Also, the dense ice bed is prone to forming air bypasses as the ice melts. Any non-uniformity in the ice bed, which forms a void, is a preferential path for air. This leads to preferential melting of the ice bed in that area and a preferred channel or air bypass starts to form. This effect may be referred to as “channeling.” Once the preferred channel extends through the entire ice bed, air flows through this preferred channel, which then dramatically reduces the cooling effect of the adaptor.  
         [0042]    Airflow through larger ice cubes may also form preferred channels as melting occurs, but usually gravity causes the ice to redistribute or collapse and the ice falls into the channels to close them before a complete bypass forms. The ice bed is essentially able to “self-heal” and maintain its uniformity.  
         [0043]    As described above, the best performance is obtained when using larger cubed ice because of its ability to form a loose or porous ice bed with many paths for the air to pass through. Nevertheless, in many instances, the only available ice may be the smaller ice, such as nugget, chopped or shaved ice. In such cases, the smaller ice may be placed into a mesh bag, instead of directly into the “U” shaped cavity of the enclosure. The ice filled mesh bag is then deposited in the cavity to form the ice bed. The mesh bag is sized such that when it is deposited in the cavity, air can still flow around mesh bag. The ice bed formed by the mesh bag filled with ice may not have as much surface area exposed to the air as the previously disclosed ice bed and may not cool as efficiently as the large cubed ice bed.  
         [0044]    Channeling typically occurs along the wall  26 . FIG. 7 shows a visualization of a porous ice bed on a small scale, with the ice  32  shown as a packed array of spheres. With air blowing between the spheres, a discontinuity is formed where the array meets the wall. The porosity or voids between the along planes cut at “A” and “C” are similar, but the interface of the array with the wall “B” creates larger voids labeled “D”. Airflow will preferentially follow larger “D” path, leading to faster melting along the wall and eventually formation of a preferential channel.  
         [0045]    One may limit, or even prevent channeling along the wall by using a non-planar wall. FIG. 8 shows the corrugated wall  26 , described above. The corrugations are of a much larger scale than the portions of ice  32  in the ice bed. The voids “D” along the wall “B” remain, but the air path along the corrugated wall forms a tortuous path with increased resistance to air flow. The air prefers to follow a path of least resistance, which is now a path directly through the ice bed  33 , through the voids and channels  34 , avoiding the path along the wall  26 .  
         [0046]    [0046]FIG. 9 shows another embodiment for reducing or eliminating channeling along the wall  26 . In this configuration the wall  26  is constructed of a compliant material, such as a foam material. This compliant material deforms with the array of ice portions to close the voids “D” at the wall “B”. Without the large voids near the wall, the air flow path along the wall has higher resistance than the air flow through the voids or channels  34  at the center of the ice bed  33 . Therefore, the air will flow through the center of the ice bed  33 .  
         [0047]    For some applications, provision may be made for adjustably controlling the temperature of the air exiting the adaptor. Such adjustable control may be desired when, for example, a person undergoing convective treatment complains that the air delivered by the forced air cooling system  100  is too cold. In such cases, there needs to be a mechanism for adjusting the temperature of the cooled air produced by the adaptor. This may be accomplished by mixing air which has been cooled by passage through the ice with air at a higher temperature. Such air may be air that enters the adaptor through the inlet port that is not cooled by the ice but is mixed with air cooled by the ice, thereby raising the temperature of the air exiting the adaptor. Adjustable control of the temperature of air exiting the adaptor is achieved by controlling one or more parameters of the uncooled air, including its temperature, its volume, and its velocity. FIGS. 10A, 10B,  11  and  12  illustrate embodiments of mechanisms that adjustably control the temperature of air exiting the adaptor by diverting air at an ambient temperature entering the adaptor through the inlet port. The diverted air circumvents the ice and is mixed with cooled air before or as the cooled air exits the adaptor. Diversion and mixing are supported by provision of a first passage through the cavity in which air flows through ice in the cavity, and a second passage that circumvents the ice. In FIGS. 10A &amp; 10B, the wall  26  is shown having a plurality of bypass holes  50  covered by a removable cover  52 . In FIG. 10A, the cover  52  is in place so no air can flow through the bypass holes  50 . In FIG. 10B, the cover  52  is partially removed, exposing some of the bypass holes  50  in the wall  26 , allowing pressurized air  45  to flow through the uncovered holes  50  and circumvent the ice bed  33 . Preferably, the air flowing through the bypass holes is at an ambient temperature. The air  45  then mixes with the air cooled by the ice bed, raising the temperature of the exiting cooled pressurized air  46 . The temperature of the cooled pressurized air  46  can be adjustably controlled by controlling any one or more of the volume, velocity, and temperature of the air  45  that is allowed through the bypass holes  50 . FIG. 11 shows another embodiment that uses one or more bypass air passage tabs  54  to allow the air  45  to flow around the wall  26 . In this case, the upper tab  54  is open allowing the air  45  to flow around the wall  26  while the lower tab  54  is bent over prohibiting the flow of the air  45 . The tabs  54  may also be partially open or closed to control the flow of air  45  thereby controlling the cooled air  46  temperature. FIG. 12 shows still another embodiment that uses one or more bypass cutouts  56  in the wall  26 . Clips  58  are used to open and close the bypass cutouts  56 . With the clip  58  in place, the front  22  and rear  24  enclosures are pinched against the wall  26 , closing the bypass cutout  56 . When the clip  58  is removed, the front  22  and rear  24  enclosures separate from the wall  26  allowing air  45  to flow through the bypass cutout  56  and mix with the air cooled by the ice bed. Opening and closing the bypass cutouts  56  can adjust the exiting air temperature. To monitor the air temperature exiting the adaptor, a chromatic temperature strip, or other means of air temperature measurement, may be placed near the adaptor air outlet, near the end of the air hose or near the entry to a thermal blanket, to provide feedback to the user on the delivered air temperature.  
         [0048]    [0048]FIG. 13 shows another embodiment of the adaptor  200 , comprising an enclosure  202  with an internal membrane  204  joined along a top  206  extending down short of a bottom  208  of the enclosure  202  forming a “U” shaped cavity  210  in the enclosure  202 . Opposing ends of the “U” shaped cavity  210  open to an air inlet  212  and an air outlet  214 . Ice is placed in the enclosure  202  forming an ice bed  214 . A stream of pressurized air flows through, around, over, and past the ice bed. In some cases, the ice bed does not melt uniformly, and the preferred air paths melt faster, forming channels that open to greater and greater airflow. This channeling reduces both the dwell time of air in the ice bed and the amount of surface area of ice that contacts the airflow. One way to attenuate this mode of channeling is to make the enclosure flexible. With this design, the channels collapse from the weight of the surrounding ice over time, due to the flexible enclosure, or they may be collapsed by physically pinching the bag. The delivered air temperature may increase  1  ° C. due to channeling, and the collapse of those channels may drop the air flow  1  ° C. The adaptor may also have a handle or structure  216 .  
         [0049]    [0049]FIG. 14 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the adaptor  300 , comprising an enclosure  302  with an air inlet  304  and an air outlet  306 . The enclosure  302  has an internal shaped cavity with a inverted conical or cone-shaped section  308  and a hook or “J” shaped section  314 . The conical section  308  has a circular top opening  310  and a lower opening  312  near an apex  313 . The top  310  may have a flexible filament  311  that forms the circular shape of the top and stiffens the conical section  308  to keep it open. The air inlet  304  is positioned near the top opening  310 . Along a side of the conical section  308 , the shaped cavity has a “sealed in hose”, that is the hook or “J” shaped section  314 , with a lower end  316  in fluid communication with the lower opening  312  and a closed upper end  320  with the air outlet  306 . The enclosure  302  also includes an openable top  322  and a clamp or handle  324  to attach the adaptor  300  to an IV pole or other suitable structure. An open mesh  326  is positioned inside the conical section  308  above the opening  312 . The mesh  326  supports ice portions (which may be cubes, nuggets, flakes, shavings, crushed portions or any equivalents) that form an ice bed (not shown for clarity but as described in the other embodiments). The mesh  326  has a plurality of openings  327  that allow air to flow through it but are sized to prohibit ice portions from passing through. To insert ice into the enclosure  302 , the top  322  is opened and the ice portions are placed inside on the mesh  326 , usually below the air inlet  302 , forming the ice bed. As the ice melts, water pools or collects at the bottom of the enclosure. The water that collects in the bottom of the enclosure may be drained as the ice melts. This can be done by means of a drain tube  328 , which may drain the water into a drain bag  330  or other container, such as a 5 gallon pail, as described with the other embodiments.  
         [0050]    [0050]FIG. 15 is an isometric view showing another embodiment of the adaptor  400 , comprising an enclosure  402  with an air inlet  404  and an air outlet  406 . The enclosure  402  has an internal shaped cavity with a inverted conical or cone-shaped section  408  and a hook or “J” shaped section  414 . The conical section  408  has a circular top opening  410  and a lower opening  412  near the apex  413 . The top  410  has a flexible filament  411  that forms the circular shape of the top and stiffens the conical section  408  to keep it open. The air inlet  404  is positioned near the top opening  410 . Along a side of the conical section  408 , the shaped cavity has a “sealed in hose”, that is the hook or “I” shaped section  414 , with a lower end  416  in fluid communication with the lower opening  412  and a closed upper end  420  with the air outlet  406 . The enclosure  402  also includes an openable top  422 . In the embodiment shown, the top has a Ziploc® type seal  424  that can be opened and re-sealed. In other embodiments, the top may be completely removable or there may be a flap in the top that is openable and sealable. An open mesh  426  is position inside the conical section  408  near the opening  412 . The mesh  426  supports ice portions (which may be cubes, nuggets, flakes, shavings, crushed portions or any equivalents) that form an ice bed (not shown for clarity but as described with the other embodiments). The mesh  426  has a plurality of openings  427  that allow air to flow through but are sized to prohibit ice portions from passing through. To deposit ice into the enclosure  402 , the seal  424  is opened and the ice portions are placed inside on the mesh  426 , usually below the air inlet  402 , forming the ice bed. As the ice melts, water is pools or collects at the bottom of the enclosure. The water that collects in the bottom of the enclosure may be drained as the ice melts. This can be done by means of a drain tube  428 , which may drain the water into a drain bag or other container, such as a 5 gallon pail, as described with the other embodiments. The adaptor  400  may be attached to an IV pole, such as described in previous embodiments. In the embodiment shown, hanging elements  440  are attached around the opening  410 . The hanging elements can be attached to section  408 , the flexible filament  411  or both. The hanging elements  440  are attachable to an IV pole, or other suitable structure capable of hanging, such as a hanger in the ceiling or structure over a bed.  
         [0051]    One method of manufacturing the adaptor  400  is now described. The conical section  408  and conduit section  414  may be made using patterns of film, similar to the pattern  430  shown in FIG. 16. The patterns of film can be made out of a plastic material, such as vinyl, between 4 to 12 millimeters thick. The patterns  430  are joined around lower edges  432  and along an internal seam  434 . Along a top edge  436  are a number of tabs  438 . These tabs  438  are folded over the flexible filament  411  that forms the circular shape at the top opening  410 . Once folded, the tabs  438  can be heat sealed in place, making belt-loop type openings for the filament  411  to go through. The flexible filament  411 , also referred to as a rigid rim, may be constructed from a flexible plastic, such as PVC. In one embodiment, a piece of PVC, approximately 48 inches long, ½ inch wide and 0.086 inch thick is flexed into a circular shape and joined at the ends. The hanging elements  440  may be made of plurality of cotton strings attached to the flexible filament  411 . Three hanging elements  440  are shown in FIG. 15. The mesh  426  may be formed from a hard plastic, such as acrylic. In one embodiment, the mesh  426  is formed in the shape of a bowl with a plurality of ¼ inch holes forming the openings  427 . One of the advantages of the bowl shape is that as the ice melts, it keeps collapsing upon itself, “self-healing”. Another advantage is that water from the melting ice drains out of the middle of the bowl, at its lowest point, instead of along the sides, which lessens the chance of water being blown up the conduit  414  and into the hose  114 . The mesh  426  is inserted into the top opening  410  and attached in place, for example with tape. The air inlet  404  is formed in the conical section  408  and the air outlet  406  is formed in the conduit section  414 . A cover  422  is used to seal the top opening  410 . The cover should be capable of withstanding the pressure of the air as it enters the conical section  408  and hits the cover  422  from the air inlet  404 , the cover  422  acting as a diffuser. One of the advantages in this type of construction is that the only relatively rigid member is the flexible filament  411 , therefore, the entire adaptor  400  may be collapsed and positioned inside the flexible filament  411  perimeter, forming a disk shape for easy storage or shipping.  
         [0052]    In a method illustrated in FIG. 6, a blower assembly  103  is deployed to provide a stream of pressurized air  44  to the adaptor  10 ,  200 ,  300 ,  400  through a first air hose  112 . The pressurized air will enter the adaptor through air inlet  18 ,  212 ,  304 ,  404 . If the air hits the ice directly in one place, it tends to melt the ice unevenly and an air bypass can form, making for unpredictable cooling by the device. One way to avoid this mode of channeling is to aim the air away from the ice as it enters. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the air strikes the air diffuser  48  upon entering the adaptor  10 . In the embodiment shown in FIG. 13, the air strikes the center wall  204  after entering the adaptor  200 . In the embodiment shown in FIG. 15, the air is aimed toward the cover  422  so that as the air enters, it is deflected by the cover  422  and flows downwardly, going through the nooks, crannies, channels or voids of the ice bed where the air is cooled. In other embodiments, the air inlet may direct the air in other directions and from locations (such as the top in FIG. 14). As the air flows through the ice bed, it is cooled. The now cooled air  46  travels out of the air outlet  20 ,  214 ,  306 ,  406  and into the second hose  114 . The cooled air  46  travels through the second hose  114  into the thermal blanket  106 , where it is expelled through the apertures, bathing a person  101  in cooled, pressurized air. The temperature of the cooled air may be maintained for long periods of time without interruption, or continuously if ice is added to compensate for the melting ice. If the air is too cool, the temperature may be adjusted, for example, by use of one or more air bypasses, as described with the embodiments.  
         [0053]    When used with a convective treatment device, the adaptor provides an effective means to cool a person. Useful convective treatment devices are widely available to clinicians. The adaptor may be disposable, or it may be reusable; it may support a unidirectional flow of air, or it may support a reversible flow of air. The adaptor may be small and easy to store, as many clinicians use cooling only on an infrequent basis. The adaptor may eliminate the need for a large or dedicated refrigeration cooling system. The adaptor may also be used in the field, at marathons, sporting events, or other events in hot climates where heat stroke may occur. The adaptor would be effective in humid environments where mist and evaporative cooling products may not function adequately.  
         [0054]    Many modification and variations of the invention will be evident to those skilled in the art. It is understood that such variations may deviate from specific teachings of this description without departing from the essence of the invention.