Misting apparatus for the treatment of injured areas and method therefor

A misting apparatus for the treatment of injured areas and method therefor is disclosed having at least a containment portion for enclosing a patient's injured area, a plurality of misters located within the containment portion for atomizing medicinal type fluids for application to the injured area, flushing portion coupled to the containment portion for admitting cleaning fluids to the containment portion, and a drainage portion coupled to the containment portion for removing fluids located within the containment portion.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates generally to medical type devices and, more 
specifically, to misting apparatus for the treatment of injured areas and 
methods therefor having at least a containment portion for enclosing a 
patient's injured area, a plurality of misters located within the 
containment portion for atomizing medicinal type fluids for application to 
the injured area, a flushing portion coupled to the containment portion 
for admitting cleaning fluids to the containment portion, and a drainage 
portion coupled to the containment portion for removing fluids located 
within the containment portion. 
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
Medical treatments oftentimes require that a portion of a patient's anatomy 
be kept free from drying out and free from potential sources of 
contamination. For example, patients undergoing a fasciotomy, an extremity 
re-attachment, or burn therapy typically require that the area in need of 
the treatment be covered with gauze or some similar type of material that 
has been moistened with a medicinal type fluid. The primary problem with 
this prior art approach to providing these types of medical treatments is 
that they tend to be extremely painful for the patient. In particular, the 
injured areas requiring these types of treatments are exceptionally 
sensitive, open areas. The direct contact of wet gauze on top of an open 
wound can be very painful. Moreover, the sheer weight of the wet gauze of 
the prior art treatment tends to cause most patients some discomfort. In 
addition, as the gauze dries, it must be removed to allow the application 
of clean, moist gauze. The shortcomings of this gauze type treatment of 
the prior art can be summarized by at least two disadvantages. The weight 
of the wet gauze on top of a tender area is extremely painful and, the 
direct contact of the porous textured surface associated with the gauze 
literally pulls portions of the injured area when the gauze is 
periodically removed to allow the application of clean, moist gauze. 
Therefore, a need existed to create a misting apparatus for the treatment 
of injured areas that minimizes the exposure of injured areas to 
contamination and that provides a source of medicinal type fluids without 
having to directly contact the sensitive injured area. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In accordance with one embodiment of this invention, it is an object of 
this invention to provide misting apparatus for the treatment of injured 
areas and methods therefor. 
It is another object of this invention to provide misting apparatus for the 
treatment of injured areas that atomize at least one of either a warm and 
a cool medicinal type fluid for reducing the probability of the occurrence 
of infection and for preventing a patient's injured area from drying out. 
It is a further object of this invention to provide misting apparatus for 
the treatment of injured areas that permit removal of waste materials 
located within a containment portion without having to open the 
containment portion and expose the injured area to potential sources of 
contamination. 
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
In accordance with one embodiment of this invention, a misting apparatus 
for use in the treatment of an injured area is disclosed comprising, in 
combination, containment means having a first and a second open end to 
move the containment means into a position over the injured area of a 
patient for enclosing the injured area, clamping means coupled to the 
containment means and having a plurality of clamping portions for 
removably clamping around portions of the containment means adjacent to 
each of the first open end and the second open end of the containment 
means, misting means having a plurality of misters located within the 
containment means for atomizing at least one of a warm and a cool 
medicinal type fluid for application to the injured area, and drainage 
means coupled to the containment means and having at least one drain port 
for removing the fluid from the containment means. In addition, the 
clamping means have VELCRO strap means for providing rapid clamping and 
unclamping around the containment means. 
In accordance with another embodiment of this invention, a method of 
operating a misting apparatus for use in the treatment of an injured area 
is disclosed comprising the steps of providing containment means having a 
first and a second open end to move the containment means into a position 
over the injured area of a patient for enclosing the injured area, 
providing clamping means coupled to the containment means and having a 
plurality of clamping portions for removably clamping around portions of 
the containment means adjacent to each of the first open end and the 
second open end of the containment means, providing misting means having a 
plurality of misters located within the containment means for atomizing at 
least one of a warm and a cool medicinal type fluid for application to the 
injured area, and providing drainage means coupled to the containment 
means and having at least one drain port for removing the fluid from the 
containment means. In addition, this method also includes the step of 
providing clamping means having VELCRO strap means for affording rapid 
clamping and unclamping around the containment means. 
In accordance with yet another embodiment of this invention, a misting 
apparatus for use in the treatment of an injured area is disclosed 
comprising, in combination, containment means having an upper and a lower 
telescopic member for slideably adjusting a lengthwise portion of at least 
one of the upper and lower telescopic members for enclosing the injured 
area wherein the upper and lower telescopic members form an opening at one 
end of the containment means, inflatable seal means for insertion between 
a first space located between the upper and lower telescopic members and 
for sealing a second space located between a circumferential edge portion 
of the opening and a portion of a patient's anatomy extending through the 
opening, misting means located within the containment means and having a 
plurality of misters for atomizing at least one of a warm and a cool 
medicinal type fluid for application to the injured area, flushing means 
coupled to the containment means and having at least one port for 
admitting cleansing type fluids to clean an interior portion of the 
containment means, and drainage means having at least one drain port for 
removing fluids located within the containment means. In addition, the 
containment means has support means located therein for supporting a 
portion of the patient's anatomy. 
In accordance with yet another embodiment of this invention, a method of 
operating a misting apparatus for use in the treatment of an injured area 
is disclosed comprising the steps of providing containment means having an 
upper and a lower telescopic member for slideably adjusting a lengthwise 
portion of at least one of the upper and lower telescopic members for 
enclosing the injured area wherein the upper and lower telescopic members 
form an opening at one end of the containment means, providing inflatable 
seal means for insertion between a first space located between the upper 
and lower telescopic members and for sealing a second space located 
between a circumferential edge portion of the opening and a portion of a 
patient's anatomy extending through the opening, providing misting means 
located within the containment means and having a plurality of misters for 
atomizing at least one of a warm and a cool medicinal type fluid for 
application to the injured area, providing flushing means coupled to the 
containment means and having at least one port for admitting cleansing 
type fluids to clean an interior portion of the containment means, and 
providing drainage means having at least one drain port for removing 
fluids located within the containment means. In addition, this method 
includes the step of providing the containment means having support means 
located therein for supporting a portion of the patient's anatomy. 
In accordance with still another embodiment of this invention, a misting 
apparatus for use in the treatment of an injured area is disclosed 
comprising, in combination, containment means having an upper and a lower 
portion for enclosing the injured area, misting means having a plurality 
of misters located within the containment means for atomizing at least one 
of a warm and a cool medicinal type fluid for application to the injured 
area, flushing means coupled to the containment means and having at least 
one port for admitting cleansing type fluids to clean an interior portion 
of the containment means, and drainage means coupled to the containment 
means and having at least one drain port for removing fluids located 
within the containment means. In addition, the upper and the lower portion 
of the containment means are provided with fastening means for removably 
attaching the upper portion to the lower portion of the containment means. 
In accordance with still another embodiment of this invention, a method of 
operating a misting apparatus for use in the treatment of an injured area 
is disclosed comprising the steps of providing containment means having an 
upper and a lower portion for enclosing the injured area, providing 
misting means having a plurality of misters located within the containment 
means for atomizing at least one of a warm and a cool medicinal type fluid 
for application to the injured area, providing flushing means coupled to 
the containment means and having at least one port for admitting cleansing 
type fluids to clean an interior portion of the containment means, and 
providing drainage means coupled to the containment means and having at 
least one drain port for removing fluids located within the containment 
means. In addition, this method includes the step of providing the upper 
and the lower portion of the containment means having fastening means for 
removably attaching the upper portion to the lower portion of the 
containment means. 
The forgoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention 
will be apparent from the following, more particular, description of the 
preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying 
drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, one possible embodiment of a misting apparatus 
for use in the treatment of an injured area is shown and is generally 
designated by the reference number 10. A container 12 fits over an injured 
area of a leg 24. The container 12 is substantially transparent, flexible 
and occlusive. The occlusive feature allows the passage of air from the 
inside of the container 12 to the outside while simultaneously tending to 
restrict air passing from the exterior to the interior of the container 
12. A plurality of clamps 14 are held around the ends of the container 12 
by a plurality of VELCRO straps 16. Hook and loop fasteners which may be 
used. Medicinal type fluids are delivered at specific temperatures and 
flow rates through a conduit 18 and subsequently to a plurality of misters 
20 for atomizing the fluid for application to an injured area. Note that 
an external pressure source (not shown) such as a compressed air source 
provides the necessary driving head to propel the medicinal type fluids 
through the misters 20. Each of the clamps 14 have a plurality of access 
ports 15 for supporting the conduits 18, so a plurality of conduits 18 
each having a plurality of misters 20 could be implemented in conjunction 
with the plurality of access ports 15 if desired. A plurality of drains 22 
are coupled to the container 12 in order to remove fluids by gravity 
and/or suction. Also, a support member 26 rests beneath the container 12 
in the vicinity of the knee of the leg 24. 
Referring to FIG. 3, the clamps 14 are located near the open ends of the 
container 12 and the VELCRO straps 16 are open. The use of the VELCRO 
straps 16 allows for both easy removal and application of the clamps 14. 
It should also be noted that the container 12 may include a fastener to 
allow easy access to the injured area. 
Referring to FIG. 4, one of the misters 20 is shown while atomizing a fluid 
for application to an injured area of the leg 24. Each of the misters 24, 
are adjustable in the direction of flow of the fluid. 
Referring to FIG. 5, another possible embodiment of the misting apparatus 
10 is shown. An upper 28 and lower 30 telescopic member form a containment 
portion for enclosing a patient's injured area. Either of the upper 28 and 
lower 30 telescopic members, or perhaps even both members 28 and 30, may 
be transparent in order to allow a physician to observe the results of the 
misting treatment without having to open the misting apparatus, thereby 
exposing the injured area to potential sources of infection. Both the 
upper 28 and lower 30 telescopic members are adjustable in length in order 
to accommodate injured areas of different lengths. A plurality of tracks 
32 provide the slidable feature of each of the mister plates 34. Each of 
the plurality of mister plates 34 have a plurality of misters 36 although 
only one is shown in FIG. 5. A sealing gasket 38 helps seal the edges 
between the upper 28 and the lower 30 telescopic members. A drain 40 is 
coupled to the lower telescopic member 30 to remove fluids and/or debris 
that collects in a portion of the lower telescopic member 30. A plurality 
of flushing connections 42 are also coupled to the lower telescopic member 
30 in order to admit cleansing fluid to flush and clean a portion of the 
lower telescopic member 30. An opening is formed between the upper 28 and 
the lower 30 telescopic members of the apparatus 10 for passing an injured 
area through the opening and into the apparatus 10. An inflatable seal 44 
fits around a portion of a patient's anatomy that is passed through the 
opening at the end of the apparatus 10 for sealing the space between a 
portion of the patient's anatomy and the circumferential edge formed by 
the opening. If desired, the upper 28 and the lower 30 telescopic members 
may have an opening at both ends in order to allow a portion of a 
patient's anatomy to pass completely through the apparatus 10, and 
similarly, a second inflatable seal 44 could be used with this second 
opening. A support structure such as the web support 46 is provided to 
brace a portion of a patient's anatomy. 
Referring to FIG. 6, a patient's arm 48 extends into the misting apparatus 
10 while the misters 34 are atomizing a medicinal type fluid for 
application to an injured portion on the arm 48. In addition, the flushing 
connections 42 admit a cleansing fluid onto and across a portion of the 
lower telescopic member 30 to flush stagnant fluids and debris to the 
drain 40. 
Referring to FIG. 7, this cross sectional view taken along line 7--7 of 
FIG. 6, shows how the mister plates 34 can slide in the tracks 32. The 
tracks 32 are connected to a portion of the lower telescopic member 30 by 
connections 52. Moreover, each of the plurality of mister plates 34 have a 
slide knob 54 for moving the mister plates 34 along the tracks 32. The web 
support 46 is provided with a plurality of connections 50 for holding up 
the web support 46 within the apparatus 10. 
Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, yet another embodiment of the misting apparatus 
10 is shown. An upper cover 56 is coupled to a lower container 58 via a 
connection portion 70. A plurality of movable mister plates 60 fit within 
a track 62 located within the apparatus 10. Each of the plurality of 
mister plates 60 have at least one mister 64. The lower container 58 also 
has both a plurality of flushing connections 68 for admitting a cleansing 
type fluid and at least one drain connection 66 for removing excess fluids 
from the misting apparatus 10. The misting apparatus 10 also has a support 
web 72 for holding a portion of a patient's anatomy. 
Referring to FIG. 10, the arrangement between the connection portion 70 and 
a portion 74 for receiving the connection portion 70 is shown. This 
arrangement allows for the quick and easy access into the misting 
apparatus for accessing the patient's injured area. It should also be 
noted that the upper cover 56 and/or the lower container may be 
transparent in order to allow a physician to see the progress of the 
treatment without having to open the misting apparatus, thereby 
potentially exposing the injured area to sources of contamination. 
OPERATION 
Referring to FIGS. 1-4, the container 12 is placed over the patient's 
injured area. The clamps 14 and the VELCRO straps 16 are then used to 
enclose the ends of the container 12. The conduit 18 is inserted through 
two small openings in the container 12 so that it may rest upon the access 
ports 15. At this stage, medicinal type fluid may be applied to a 
patient's injured area, and excess fluids are removed from the container 
12 via drains 22. 
Referring to FIGS. 5-7, the upper 28 and lower 30 telescopic members are 
placed together along the sealing gasket 38. The inflatable seal 44 is 
then placed around a portion of a patient's anatomy which is inserted into 
the apparatus 10 to rest upon the web support 46. The inflatable seal 44 
is inflated to seal the space between a portion of the patient's anatomy 
and the edge of the opening formed by the upper 28 and lower 30 telescopic 
members. Medicinal type fluids may then be applied to a patient's injured 
area and excess fluids are removed from the apparatus 10 via the combined 
action of the flushing connections 42 and the drain 40. 
Referring to FIGS. 8-10, the misters 64 are properly aligned using the 
movable mister plates 60, and a portion of a patient's anatomy is placed 
into position on the support web 72. Once connection between the upper 
cover 56 and the lower container 58 is completed, the misting treatment 
may begin. As previously explained, any excess fluids are removed from the 
apparatus 10 via the combined action of the flushing connections 68 and 
the drain 66. 
While the invention has been particularly shown and described with 
reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by 
those skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in form and 
details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of 
the invention. For example, although the misting apparatus has been used 
to treat human patient's, it would be obvious for one skilled in the 
medical art to use the misting apparatus to treat animals. In addition, 
since several different features of the different embodiments of the 
misting apparatus have been defined, it would be obvious for one with 
reasonable skill in the medical art to combine one or more of these 
features to create similar misting apparatus.