Isolation suit with two-way air supply/disinfection pump

An isolation suit has a two-way air supply/disinfection pump attached to it. The pump has a pair of through-passages each communicating with an interior of the suit by respective airlines. There is a fan in each through-passage, one of which delivers air to the suit and the other of which extracts air from the suit. The isolation suit has an ultraviolet light in each through-passage for disinfecting air that is drawn through by the fans.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to isolation suits. More particularly, although not exclusively, the invention relates to a protective isolation suit as might be worn by hospital staff or hospital patients especially in infectious disease wards.

Infectious airborne diseases are readily transmitted from person-to-person in environments such as hospital infectious disease wards. Protective suits are worn in such environments as a form of physical barrier.

It would be impractical for an uninfected person wearing a protective suit to carry an oxygen tank for example. Such tanks are heavy and have a limited oxygen supply and are expensive and time-consuming to replenish.

Furthermore, in the instance where an infected person is wearing a protective gown to protect those in the vicinity, some means of filtering his or her exhaled air is needed.

In early stages of infection, an infected person might not know that he or she is infected and therefore a two-way air filtering system is desirable.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate at least one of the above disadvantages and/or more generally to provide a protective gown having a two-way filtering pump for exhaled air and air to be inhaled by its wearer.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

There is disclosed herein an isolation suit having a two-way air supply/disinfection pump attached thereto, the pump comprising a pair of through-passages each communicating with an interior of the suit by respective airlines, and a fan in each through-passage, one of which delivers air to the suit and the other of which extracts air from the suit.

Preferably, the pump further comprising a disinfection means in each through-passage for disinfecting air that is drawn therethrough by the fans.

Preferably, the disinfection means each comprise an ultraviolet light.

Preferably, the fans draw air through each through-passage in mutually opposite directions.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In the accompanying drawings there is depicted schematically a protective suit10having a hood11. Attached to a belt13about the suit10is a two-way filter pump12having a pair of flexible airlines14and15extending therefrom to the hood11. The flexible airlines might be attached to short pipe extensions formed integrally with or attached to the hood11.

The filter pump12comprises a pair of cylinders16and17each having an electrically powered fan18therein. Power to each fan might be from rechargeable or disposable batteries located within respective compartments19and20. Each fan is driven by an electric motor (not shown, but located within the respective compartments19and20or nearby those compartments). The fans rotate in opposite directions to one another.

One or more ultraviolet fluorescent tubes21are located within each cylinder.

At one end of each cylinder there is provided a airline attachment port22to which the flexible airlines14and15are connected. At the other end of each cylinder there is a vent or grate23. Immediately behind each vent or great there might be provided a physical particle filter (not shown).

There is a switch24connected electrically with the batteries so as to activate the fans18and the ultraviolet fluorescent tubes21.

In use, the switch24is turned on so as to activate the ultraviolet tubes21and the fan motors. Air that is drawn through each cylinder is disinfected by ultraviolet light emanating from the fluorescent tubes so that air passing both to and from the isolation suit10via the tubes14and15is disinfected. The interior of each cylinder might be reflective to increase efficiency. Furthermore there might be just a single motor driving both fans in opposite directions by a twisted belt for example extending about drive pulleys.