Abstract:
An apparatus for delivery of therapeutically conditioned air to a patient may include a hollow flexible tube and at least one clamp attached to the tube. A shape retention wire may be engaged with the tube. The apparatus may be configured to direct the therapeutically conditioned air to a region near the patient&#39;s nose and mouth without being attached to the patient.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to methods and apparatus for delivering therapeutically conditioned air to a person for therapeutic purposes. 
     People suffering from numerous respiratory conditions may benefit from breathing humidified or nebulized misted air. Also, post-surgical patients may require such therapeutically conditioned air following post-operative intubation. This conditioned air may alleviate irritation to their respiratory system. In many cases, it is necessary to provide such therapeutically conditioned air to a patient when the patient is sleeping or recovering from anesthesia effects. Provision of such air is particularly effective if the air can be controlled to emerge from a treatment device (e.g., a nebulizer) in close proximity to a patient&#39;s nose and mouth. 
     Breathing masks may provide a desired focused release of therapeutically conditioned air near a patient&#39;s nose and mouth. However, such masks may be discomfiting or even frightening to a patient who may be emerging from effects of anesthesia. Such a patient may sub-consciously remove the mask and thus lose the beneficial effects of the therapeutically conditioned air. 
     As can be seen, there is a need for a system of providing therapeutically conditioned air in the proximity of a patient&#39;s nose and mouth while avoided the discomfiting effects of a mask applied to the patient&#39;s face. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for delivery of therapeutically conditioned air to a patient may comprise: a hollow flexible tube; at least one clamp attached to the tube; a shape retention wire engaged with the tube. 
     In another aspect of the present invention, a system for delivery of therapeutically conditioned air to a patient may comprise: a nebulizer; an air delivery device which includes a hollow flexible tube, at least one clamp attached to the tube and a shape retention wire engaged with the tube; and a connection tube interposed between the nebulizer and the air delivery device. 
     In still another aspect of the invention, and apparatus for delivery of therapeutically conditioned air to a patient prepared by a process may comprise the steps of: compressing a plurality of open-ring shaped wire supporting clips; passing a bendable shape-retention wire through a first hole in each of the clips; placing the shape retention wire and the clips inside a flexible tube; and allowing the clips to expand and engage with the tube so that, when the tube is bent into a desired configuration, the shape-retention wire maintains said configuration of the tube. 
     These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an air delivery device in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 1A  is an expanded perspective view circle  1 A of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIGS. 2 and 3  are perspective views of the device of  FIG. 1  showing operational features of the device; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a clamp of the device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIGS. 5 and 6  are perspective views of a wire-supporting clip of the device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a flowchart of a method by which the device of  FIG. 1  may be produced; and 
         FIG. 8  is a schematic diagram of a system for delivering therapeutically treated air in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims. 
     Various inventive features are described below that can each be used independently of one another or in combination with other features. 
     Broadly, embodiments of the present invention generally provide a system for delivering therapeutically conditioned air in the vicinity of a patient&#39;s nose and mouth without attaching a delivery device to the patient. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , it may be seen that an exemplary embodiment of an air delivery device  10  may comprise a tube  12 , an inlet member  16 , an outlet member  14  and one or more clamps  18 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , it may be seen that, in operation, the device  10  may be connected through a connection tube  20  to a source of therapeutically conditioned air such as a centralized hospital air source  22 . One of the clamps  18  may be attached to a horizontal portion of a bed rail  24 . Another one of the clamps  18  may be attached to a vertical portion of the bed rail  24 . It may be noted that the outlet  14  of the device  10  may be positioned next to, but not in contact with, a mouth and nose of a patient  30 . 
     The device  10  may be provided with shape-retention elements so that the device  10  may be bent and positioned in any one of many different configurations to align with the position of the patient  30 . Referring back to  FIG. 1  it may be seen that a shape-retention wire  32  may be placed inside the tube  12  and supported on wire-supporting clips  34 . Advantageously, the wire  32  may be soft stainless steel with a diameter between about 0.050 inch to about 0.10 inch. A plurality of the clips  34  may be spaced at approximately equal intervals along the length of the interior of the tube  12 . The tube  12  may be bent into a desired configuration so that it may be attached to any supporting structure such as the bedrail  24 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4  it may be seen that an exemplary embodiment of the clamp  18  may be spring-biased and may include a tube gripping member  18 - 1  which may be shaped as a partially open cylindrical structure that may be snapped onto the tube  12  at a desired location on the tube  12 . A first handle member  18 - 2  may be integrally formed with the tube-gripping member  18 - 1 . An arcuate connecting segment  18 - 3  may be interposed between the handle member  18 - 2  and the tube-gripping member  18 - 1 . The arcuate connecting segment  18 - 3  may have a concave curved shape that may correspond approximately to a shape of the bedrail  24 . A second handle member  18 - 4  may be affixed to the first handle member  18 - 2  with a torsion spring  18 - 5 . An arcuate rail-gripping member  18 - 6  may be integrally formed with the handle member  18 - 4 . The rail-gripping member  18 - 6  may be shaped into a concave curve that may correspond approximately to the shape of the bedrail  24 . 
     When the two handle members  18 - 2  and  18 - 4  are pressed together, the rail-gripping member  18 - 6  and the arcuate segment  18 - 3  may separate from one another so that the clamp may be placed over the bedrail  24 . When the handle members  18 - 2  and  18 - 4  are released, the torsion spring  18 - 5  may act to bring the rail-gripping member  18 - 6  and the arcuate segment  18 - 3  into engagement with the bedrail  24  so that the tube  12  may be held in position against the bedrail  24 . 
     Referring now  FIGS. 1A ,  5  and  6  it may be seen that in an exemplary embodiment, the tube  12  may be corrugated hollow plastic air hose having an inside diameter of about 0.08 inch to about 0.10 inch. The clips  34  may be adapted to interlock with corrugations  12 - 1  of the tube  12  so to maintain longitudinal or axial position of the clip  34  within the tube  12 . 
     The clip  34  may have a generally cylindrical or open-ring shape. The clip  34  may be formed from molded plastic and may be flexible. The clip  34  may be compressed so that it may have a compressed outer diameter smaller than an internal diameter of the tube  12 . When released from a compressed state, the clip  34  may spring back to a nominal size with its nominal outer diameter greater than the inner diameter of the tube  12 . An outer surface of the clip  34  may be provided with a retention ridge  36 . The ridge  36  may be shaped to correspond to an interior shape of any one of the corrugations  12 - 1  of the tube  12 . The clip  34  may be placed in the tube  12  in a compressed state and then allowed to expand to its nominal size. When the clip  34  is expanded within the tube  12 , its longitudinal or axial position is maintained because of interlocking engagement of the ridge  36  and one of the corrugations  12 - 1  of the tube. 
     The clip  34  may have a unique configuration that may facilitate assembly of the shape-retention wire  32  into the tube  12 . The clip  34  may be provided with a hollow internal projection  38  with a hole  39  through which the shape-retention wire  32  may pass. The hole  39  may have a diameter such that the wire  32  fits snugly in the hole  39 . Hollow lobes  40  may be provided and positioned in two different planes so that when the clip  34  is compressed, the lobes  40  may overlap one another (see  FIG. 6 ). When the lobes  40  are overlapped, holes  41  in the lobes  40  may be aligned so that an assembly wire  42  may be passed through both of the holes  41 . 
     The shape-retention wire  32  may be installed within the tube  12  by performing the following steps shown in a flowchart  700  of  FIG. 7 . In a step  702 , one of the clips  34  may be compressed so the holes  41  are aligned. In a step  704 , the assembly wire  42  may be threaded though both of the holes  41  of one of the clips  34 . In further successive steps, a plurality of the clip  34  may be similarly threaded onto the assembly wire  42 . In a step  706 , the shape-retention wire  32  may be pushed into the holes  39  of the clips  34  which are threaded on the assembly wire  42 . In a step  708 , the clips  34  may be spaced away from one another along the wire  32  so that each of the clips  34  is approximately equidistant from its adjacent clip  34 . In a step  710 , the equidistantly spaced clips  34 , the shape-retention wire  32  and the assembly wire  42  may be inserted into the tube  12 . In a step  712 , the assembly wire  42  may be pulled out of the holes  41  so that the clips  34  may expand and so that the ridges  36  may engage with the corrugations  12 - 1 . Thus the clips  34  may remain engaged with the tube  12  and the shape-retention wire  32  may be supported with the equidistantly spaced clips  34 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 8 , it may be seen that an exemplary standalone air delivery system  100  may be constructed and may be useful in a residential setting in which a patient may be in his or her own bed at home. The system  100  may comprise a nebulizer  102 , a connection hose  104  and one of the air delivery devices  10 . Optionally, the system  100  may include a medication dispensing device  106  which may be employed to inject medication into an air stream that may be conveyed to a patient though the air delivery device  10 . 
     It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.