GAS PROCESSING UNIT

Abstract

A gas processing unit in patient circuits for use in anaesthesia or respiratory care. The patient circuit comprises a gas source for creating gas mixture for patient breathing and circulating arrangement for delivering the gas mixture to the patient. The circulating arrangement comprises tubes through which gases flow to the patient and from the patient. The circulating arrangement has a proximal end connected to the gas source for creating gas mixture, and a distal end connected to the patient, and a processing unit. The processing unit comprising a housing and at least one processing element placed in the housing. The processing element is arranged to form an angle other than 90 degrees with respect to a direction of gas flow in the tubes.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the embodiments of the invention described in the attached drawing, of which

FIG. 1 shows schematically a conventional patient breathing circuit with a conventional gas processing unit,

FIG. 2 shows a conventional gas processing element used in the arrangement shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 shows one embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 6 shows a fourth embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 7 shows a structure used for example in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, and

FIG. 8 shows the principles how the pores distribute in the structure shown in FIG. 7.

Claims

1. A gas processing unit in a patient circuit for use in anaesthesia or respiratory care, the patient circuit comprising: a gas source for creating gas mixture for patient breathing; anda circulating arrangement for delivering the gas mixture to the patient, wherein the circulating arrangement comprises tubes through which gases flow to the patient and from the patient, the circulating arrangement having:a proximal end connected to the gas source for creating gas mixture,a distal end connected to the patient, anda processing unit, the processing unit comprising a housing and at least one processing element placed in the housing, wherein the processing element is arranged to form an angle other than 90 degrees with respect to a direction of gas flow in the tubes.

2. A gas processing unit according to claim 1, wherein the angle is between about 2 degrees to about 68 degrees.

3. A gas processing unit according to claim 2, wherein the angle is between about 7.5 degrees to about 60 degrees.

4. A gas processing unit according to claim 1, wherein ratio between the housing diameter and the tube diameter is between the values about 0.8 mm and about 3.5 mm.

5. A gas processing unit according to claim 1, wherein the housing diameter varies between the values about 20 mm to about 50 mm.

6. A gas processing unit according to claim 1, wherein the processing element is a filter element.

7. A gas processing unit according to claim 1, wherein the processing element is a humidifier element.

8. A gas processing unit according to claim 1, wherein the processing element comprises a filter element and a humidifier element.

9. A gas processing unit according to claim 6, wherein the filter or/and humidifier elements are shaped as cylinders.

10. A gas processing unit according to claim 7, wherein the humidifier element is shaped as a cylinder.

11. A gas processing unit according to claim 8, wherein the filter element or/and humidifier elements are shaped as cylinders.

12. A gas processing unit according to claim 6, wherein the filter element is wrapped around a supporting frame.

13. A gas processing unit according to claim 8, wherein the filter element is wrapped around a support frame.

14. A gas processing unit according to claim 6, wherein the filter element is shaped as a cone.

15. A gas processing unit according to claim 7, wherein the humidifier element is shaped as a cone.

16. A gas processing unit according to claim 8, wherein the filter or/and humidifier elements are shaped as cones.

17. A gas processing unit according to claim 14, wherein the filter element is wrapped around a supporting frame.

18. A gas processing unit according to claim 16, wherein the filter element is wrapped around a supporting frame.

19. A gas processing unit according to claim 6, wherein the filter element is a plane element.

20. A gas processing unit according to claim 8, wherein the filter element is a plane element.

21. A gas processing unit according to claim 7, wherein the humidifier element is formed of one or more elements.

22. A gas processing unit according to claim 8, wherein the humidifier element is formed of one or more elements.

23. A gas processing unit according to claim 19, wherein that the filter element is supported by a mesh structure.

24. A gas processing unit according to claim 20, wherein the filter element is supported by a mesh structure.

25. A gas processing unit according to claim 21, wherein the humidifier element is a hemispherical element.

26. A gas processing unit according to claim 22, wherein the humidifier element is a hemispherical element.

27. A gas processing unit according to claim 23, wherein the mesh structure has larger distance between pores at the centre of the structure and the distance between the pores gradually degreases towards the edges of the mesh structure.

28. A gas processing unit according to claim 24, wherein the mesh structure has larger distance between pores at the centre of the structure and the distance between the pores gradually degreases towards the edges of the mesh structure.

29. A gas processing unit according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is placed at a distal end of the patient circuit.