Patent Application
20220347008
The disclosure herein relates generally to the field of infant radiant warming. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a portable, foldable infant radiant warmer which provides not only thermal stability but also resuscitation resources.
Childbirth in communities having less sophisticated healthcare infrastructure has a higher risk of infant mortality that could be remediated through simple but effective interventions. One such intervention involves the use of infant radiant warmers. Infant radiant warmers are frequently used in delivery rooms to receive newborn babies immediately after delivery. The heat loss in some newborns is rapid and without compensation can lead to life-threatening complications. Radiant warmers are used to maintain the body temperature of newborn infants, thus minimizing the energy expended for metabolic heat production. Common examples of radiant warmers may incorporate some form of servo control to facilitate the maintenance of substantially constant body temperature.
Many newborns, both mature term and premature infants, are born outside of delivery rooms, such as at home or in other under-resourced settings, unexpectedly due to maternal reasons or due to unavoidable circumstances. Infants born outside of delivery rooms are vulnerable to uncontrolled environmental temperatures and the absence of routine resuscitative measures, factors which can increase morbidity and mortality, especially in premature infants. In such settings, urgent newborn care, including temperature maintenance and ventilation support, is needed to stabilize the baby prior to transport to a hospital maternity facility for further management. Currently available radiant warmers, which provide for both thermal stability and resuscitation, are heavy, not suited for portability, and are complex and expensive.
Radiant warmers typically afford easy access to the patient without disturbing the thermal environment. The infant is normally located on a bed which may be surrounded by a peripheral barrier which serves to inhibit convective heat loss.
However, radiant warmers that are currently known and available are heavy and very bulky. Delivery of such warmers to remote areas requires the use of vehicles with a significant cargo capacity. A typical ambulance would not have room to accommodate such a unit without removing standard equipment such as the stretcher. Specialized lift mechanisms or multiple people capable of lifting and maneuvering the large warmer are also required. In rural environments, bringing such a device to a mother in labor may be impracticable. Further, such systems may be too expensive for communities with modest healthcare budgets.
An alternative to the typical prior art infant radiant warmer in terms of size, bulk, and weight would enable the ready use of radiant warming with infants delivered in rural and/or low resource settings. Such an alternative warmer would ideally be able to provide the same functionality as known warmers but would also be reconfigurable to make it more easily transported and deployed.
In order to overcome the complexity and bulk of the prior art infant radiant warmers, the present disclosure provides for a reconfigurable, foldable, and manually transportable infant radiant warmer. The slim configuration when in a collapsed configuration enables the warmer to be conveyed within a vehicle such as an ambulance while not consuming a significant amount of space. Further, the collapsed warmer is provided with wheels and a handle that enable one person to easily relocate the unit to a remote location. The small size when collapsed requires a relatively small space for storage, a benefit for medical facilities of limited size and resources. At the same time, the presently disclosed reconfigurable warmer may also assume a deployed configuration in which open access to an infant lying on a bed platform is provided while the infant receives warmth from a radiant heater disposed upon an adjacent mast.
In addition to enabling temperature maintenance for a newborn patient, one embodiment of the presently disclosed device is also equipped for full resuscitation, thus significantly increasing the chances of survivability. The portability of such a unit thus enables the provision of critical thermal and cardiac and/or pulmonary resuscitation in remote settings, thereby reducing the mortality and morbidity of these fragile patients.
The reconfigurable infant radiant warmer of the present disclosure is comprised of at least three main components: a bed module; a mast module; and a suspension module. The bed module includes a bed platform for receiving an infant, a bassinet frame surrounding the bed platform, and a mattress on the bed platform. The bassinet frame is provided with a notch at one end of the bed module. Ideally, accommodation is provided for a battery which is used to power the electronics including the radiant heater. A solar panel may also be integrated into the disclosed system.
The mast module may include a mast, a radiant heater, which may be an IR ceramic heater, an observation lamp for illuminating the bed module, an accessory mounting pole substantially parallel to the mast, a utility tray for supporting diagnostic equipment such as a resuscitation unit, a user interface, an interface for a thermal sensor, and a locking hinge for attaching the mast to the bed module. The interface may take a variety of forms, including a digital display, a touchpad, and a keypad. Visual and aural annunciators may also be provided. The locking hinge enables the mast to be oriented substantially orthogonal to the bed module in a deployed configuration and substantially parallel to the bed module when in the collapsed configuration. The bassinet frame notch facilitates the positioning of the mast in the collapsed configuration.
The suspension module is disposed beneath the bed module and serves to both support the reconfigurable infant radiant warmer during use, in the deployed configuration, and to enable the easy transport of the warmer by a single user, in the collapsed configuration. In a first embodiment, the suspension module comprises legs, or frames, that rotatably intersect in an X-shape when in the deployed configuration and that are substantially parallel when in the collapsed configuration. A first of the frames is a base frame that is pivotably attached at one end to the underside of the bed platform. It may be rectangular in shape. A second of the frames is a mobility frame that is also pivotably attached at one end to the underside or side of the bed platform. The mobility frame may be U-shaped with free ends at a lower extent, with wheels disposed thereon. At an upper extent, the mobility frame preferably forms a handle. Intermediate the base frame and the mobility frame is a hinge that enables the frames to rotate relative to each other. The hinge may be locking to assist in maintaining the warmer in either the deployed or collapsed configuration. When the warmer is in the collapsed configuration, the wheels at the lower extent of the mobility frame extend beyond the bed platform and the handle at the upper extent of the mobility frame projects away from the bed platform.
In a second embodiment, the suspension module includes first and second utility frames joined at an upper extent thereof by a hinge. Each utility frame includes parallel legs having at least one wheel at a lower extent thereof, the wheels each having a horizontal axis of rotation. The suspension module also includes a primary stand connected to the first and second utility frames by the hinge. In a deployed configuration of the second warmer embodiment, the first and second utility frames and the primary stand form an invert Y-shape, with the wheels on the ground and the primary stand projecting upwards.
The upper extent of the primary frame is pivotably mounted to one end of the bed module. In the deployed configuration, the bed module extends horizontally with respect to the vertical primary stand. The mast module also extends vertically above the primary stand.
In the collapsed configuration of this second embodiment, the first and second utility frames are mutually adjacent, with the wheels of the second utility frame extending downward. Both utility frames are adjacent the underside of the bed module. The mast module is rotated down and into the bassinet frame of the bed module. A handle portion of the primary stand is extended upwards, forming a handle by which the collapsed warmer may be manually transported on the second utility frame wheels.
The reconfigurable infant warmer is solar powered in one embodiment. This is important for use in remote locations lacking in any or reliable line power. This may also contribute to a lower weight unit. Embodiments include accommodations for ancillary medical equipment including gas cylinders, such as oxygen tanks, resuscitation units, heart monitors, etc.
Illustrative embodiments of the disclosed technology are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, which are incorporated by reference herein and wherein:
Disclosed herein is a reconfigurable, foldable, and manually transportable infant radiant warmer. A collapsed configuration minimizes the footprint required for storing the warmer and enables convenient manual transportation, while a deployed configuration provides a fully functional warmer.
Various aspects of at least one embodiment of the present invention are discussed below with reference to the accompanying figures. It will be appreciated that, for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shown in the drawings have not necessarily been drawn accurately or to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity or several physical components may be included in one functional block or element. Further, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the drawings to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. For purposes of clarity, however, not every component may be labeled in every drawing. The figures are provided for the purposes of illustration and explanation and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.
With respect to
The bed module 121 includes a bed platform 122 and an upright bassinet frame 120 which extends peripherally about the bed platform. The bed platform and bassinet frame together define a treatment area where an infant 180 may be placed. A mattress or other cushioning material may be disposed within the treatment area and, if provided, is fluid impervious and easily cleaned or disposable.
One end of the bassinet frame 120 may include a discontinuity or notch at a proximal end of the bed platform for receiving a mast 104 therein when the warmer 100 is in the collapsed configuration, as will be discussed subsequently. The bassinet frame is preferably formed of a transparent, pliant material such as acrylic. The bed platform may also comprise a storage drawer 130 which may open from a distal end of the bed platform. A notch 154 may be provided on either side of the bed platform for accommodating a rotating frame hinge 152 when the warmer is in the collapsed configuration, as will be discussed subsequently. The notch may be provided with a locking mechanism for engaging with the frame hinge and for restraining the frame hinge in the collapsed configuration.
Other optional elements of the bed module 121 include storage space for a battery 170 and/or an electrical transformer (not shown), such as for converting current from a solar panel 160 to line current required to operate electric instruments associated with the warmer, as will be discussed subsequently.
The mast module 105 illustrated in
The mast module 105 may further include, in certain embodiments, an observation lamp 112 oriented for illuminating the bed platform 122. An accessory mounting pole 114 may be disposed on and parallel to the mast 104 for enabling additional equipment to be mounted thereon. A utility tray 108 may also be disposed on the mast to provide a platform for equipment such as an optional resuscitation unit 110. Preferably, the accessory pole and utility tray are mounted on the mast such that they do not interfere with the orientation of the mast in the laterally extending position. Alternatively, the accessory pole and utility tray are removable.
The warmer 100 illustrated in
The mast 104 may include in one embodiment a thermal sensor interface 118 for receiving a cable associated with a thermal sensor (not illustrated) to be placed on or in a body cavity of an infant disposed on the bed module 121. The output of such a sensor may be processed by a data processor (not shown) integrated into the mast module 105 or bed module. For example, the data processor may be a printed circuit board integrated into or in communication with the user interface 116, which may then provide a representation of the sensed temperature as an output to a user. The user may set a desired sensed body temperature via the user interface. The user interface may, in response to output from the data processor, provide a visual and/or aural annunciation of alarm conditions which are definable by the user. Such alarm conditions may include low and/or high body temperature. Wireless technologies such as Bluetooth may be integrated into the user interface and/or data processor to enable wireless interfacing with a user mobile device, such as a tablet computer or smart phone.
The suspension module 141 illustrated in
The mobility frame 140 as illustrated is substantially U-shaped. The upper end of the mobility frame includes a handle portion 148, formed by the upper, closed end of the mobility frame, that may extend out of the plane of the remainder of the mobility frame. When the warmer 100 is in the deployed configuration, as shown in
The opposite narrow end of the mobility frame 140 includes two long arms that each terminate in a respective free end. Disposed on each free end is a respective wheel 146. While each free end in
The frame hinge 152 may be provided with a locking mechanism such that the base frame 142 and mobility frame 140 may be maintained in either the deployed configuration (
When the warmer 100 is in the collapsed configuration, as seen in
The suspension module 141 in general, and the mobility frame 140 in particular, may also include an oxygen cylinder receptacle 150 for selectively receiving an oxygen cylinder therein.
As noted above, certain embodiments of the warmer 100 as presently disclosed may include a solar panel 160, such as a 12 volt solar panel, which may be connectable via one or more conductors to electronics within the warmer, such as a transformer (not shown) or battery 170, such as a 12 volt, 50 amp hour lithium ion deep cycle battery. In particular, the rear face of the solar panel may be provided with mechanical features enabling it to be fastened to complimentary mechanical features provided on an upper edge of the bassinet frame 120. With such features, the solar panel may be attached to the top of the bassinet frame once the warmer 100 is in the collapsed configuration with the mast module 105 stowed within the bed module 121. This serves the purpose of enabling easy transport of the solar panel along with the collapsed warmer as well as reducing the quantity of foreign objects, dirt, and dust entering the bed module during transport or storage.
Another embodiment of the presently disclosed reconfigurable, foldable, and manually transportable infant radiant warmer 300 is illustrated in
The bed module 321 includes a bed platform 322 and an upright bassinet frame 320 which extends peripherally about the bed platform. The bed platform and bassinet frame together define a treatment area for receiving an infant. A mattress or other cushioning material, forming a bed, may be disposed within the treatment area and, if provided, is fluid impervious and easily cleaned or disposable.
One end of the bassinet frame 320 may include a discontinuity or notch at a proximal end of the bed platform 322 for receiving a mast 304 therein when the warmer 300 is in the collapsed configuration. The bassinet frame is preferably formed of a transparent, pliant material such as acrylic. The bed platform may also comprise a storage drawer 330 which may open from a distal end of the bed platform. The storage drawer may provide storage for a resuscitation kit, among other resources. A notch 354 may be provided on either side of the bed platform for accommodating a rotating frame hinge 352 when the warmer is in the collapsed configuration. The notch may be provided with a locking mechanism for engaging with the frame hinge and for restraining the frame hinge in the collapsed configuration.
The mast module 305 illustrated in
The mast module 305 may further include, in certain embodiments, a suctioning outlet 317 connectable to a source of vacuum and an oxygen outlet 339 connectable to a source of oxygen gas, such as from an associated oxygen cylinder 340. A timer 343 may also be provided on the mast for use in determining an APGAR score.
The warmer 300 illustrated in
The suspension module 341 illustrated in
The collapsed configuration of the embodiment of
Another embodiment of the presently disclosed reconfigurable, foldable, and manually transportable infant radiant warmer 200 is illustrated in
Thus, the mast module 205 includes a mast 204 which may have other ancillary components attached thereto, such as a radiant heater, observation lamp, accessory mounting pole, utility tray, user interface, and thermal sensor interface, as shown and described with respect to
The suspension module 241 of the embodiment of
As illustrated, each of the first utility frame 232 and the second utility frame 234 comprises a pair of mutually parallel legs, an upper end of which is rotatably attached to the frame hinge 244 and a lower end of which has rotatably attached thereto at least one wheel 240, 242, respectively. As shown in
The primary stand 236 extends between the frame hinge 244 and the bed module 221. The primary stand is rotatably connected to a proximal end of the bed platform 202. In a deployed configuration, such as shown in
The mast 204 in the embodiment of
In the warmer 200 collapsed configuration, seen in
The primary stand 236 also includes a retractable handle portion 231. The handle portion may be attached to the remainder of the primary stand via a handle hinge (not shown), which in one embodiment is the same hinge or coincident with the hinge interconnecting the mast 204 with the bed module 221 and/or the lock hinge interconnecting the suspension module 241 with the bed module. In this embodiment, the handle portion may be selectively swung up and away from the frame hinge 244 to form a handle extending above the warmer 200, as seen in
The embodiment of
The foregoing description has been directed to particular embodiments. However, other variations and modifications may be made to the described embodiments, with the attainment of some or all of their advantages. It will be further appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that modifications to the above-described systems and methods may be made without departing from the concepts disclosed herein. Accordingly, the invention should not be viewed as limited by the disclosed embodiments. Furthermore, various features of the described embodiments may be used without the corresponding use of other features. Thus, this description should be read as merely illustrative of various principles, and not in limitation of the invention.
Many changes in the details, materials, and arrangement of parts and steps, herein described and illustrated, can be made by those skilled in the art in light of teachings contained hereinabove. Accordingly, it will be understood that the following claims are not to be limited to the embodiments disclosed herein and can include practices other than those specifically described, and are to be interpreted as broadly as allowed under the law.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/869,295 filed on Jul. 1, 2019, the content of which is incorporated herein in its entirety.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2020/040232 | 6/30/2020 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62869295 | Jul 2019 | US |
