Patent ID: 6952605

Claim:
A patient contacting assembly, comprising: a patient contacting member including a first surface adapted to overlie a portion of a patient and a second surface; an adhesive disposed on the first surface and adapted to secure the first surface to a surface of such a patient; a stem having a first end portion operatively coupled to the second surface of the patient contacting member and an exposed second end portion; and a channel defined through the stem from the first end portion to the second end portion and defined through the patient contacting member from the second surface to the first surface, wherein the second end portion of the stem is adapted to receive a release fluid for introduction into the channel, wherein the channel communicates the release fluid proximate to the first surface so as to dispense such a release fluid from the channel between the first surface and a surface of a patient to which the patient contacting member is adhered, wherein the channel is sized and configured such that introducing the release fluid into the channel urges the first surface and the surface of the patient apart, thereby dislodging the patient contacting assembly from the patient in a pneumatic fashion, and wherein the channel includes multiple branches emanating from the channel to disperse the release fluid over an area of the first surface.