Thermal system with thermal pad filters

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12285355-B2
Application number	US-202218080344-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 13, 2022
Priority date	Dec 11, 2018
Publication date	Apr 29, 2025
Grant date	Apr 29, 2025

Abstract

A thermal pad is adapted to be placed in physical contact with a patient and to receive temperature controlled fluid from a thermal control unit. The temperature controlled fluid circulates through the thermal pad and controls the patient's temperature. The thermal pad includes first and second sheets that are sealed together about their periphery to define a fluid chamber there between. A fluid inlet and fluid outlet are fluidly coupled to the fluid chamber. In some embodiments, a filter sheet is sandwiched between the first and second sheets and arranged such that fluid entering the fluid inlet must pass through the filter sheet before exiting out of the fluid outlet. A plurality of bonds may be included that seal the first and second sheets together at a plurality of locations. In some embodiments, a non-sheet filter is positioned within the fluid chamber and filters the circulating fluid.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thermal pad adapted to be placed in physical contact with a patient and to receive temperature controlled fluid for controlling the patient's temperature, the thermal pad comprising:
a first sheet adapted to face toward the patient;
a second sheet adapted to face away from the patient;
a peripheral seal coupling a periphery of the first sheet to a periphery of the second sheet to thereby define a fluid chamber between the first and second sheets;
a fluid inlet into the fluid chamber;
a fluid outlet out of the fluid chamber;
a first connector adapted to releasable couple to a supply hose from a thermal control unit;
a second connector adapted to releasably couple to a return hose of the thermal control unit;
an inlet hose segment having a first end coupled to the first connector and a second end coupled to the fluid inlet such that the inlet hose segment cannot be decoupled from the first connector or the fluid inlet without damage;
an outlet hose segment having a first end coupled to the second connector and a second end coupled to the fluid outlet such that the outlet hose segment cannot be decoupled from the second connector or the fluid outlet without damage; and
a filter adapted to filter temperature-controlled fluid supplied from the thermal control unit as it passes through the thermal pad, wherein the filter is positioned in at least one of the following locations: (a) inside the inlet hose segment, (b) inside the outlet hose segment, or (c) inside the fluid chamber.

2. The thermal pad of claim 1 further comprising a second filter, wherein the filter is positioned in the inlet hose segment and the second filter is positioned in the outlet hose segment.

3. The thermal pad of claim 2 further comprising a third filter positioned within the fluid chamber.

4. The thermal pad of claim 3 wherein the third filter has a different pore rating than the filter and the second filter.

5. The thermal pad of claim 4 wherein the third filter is a filter sheet coupled to the first and second sheets by a plurality of bonds.

6. The thermal pad of claim 1 wherein the filter is positioned inside the inlet hose segment or inside the outlet hose segment.

7. The thermal pad of claim 1 wherein the filter is positioned inside the fluid chamber.

8. The thermal pad of claim 7 wherein the filter includes a filter sheet having a first surface facing toward the first sheet and a second surface facing toward the second sheet, the filter sheet positioned within the fluid chamber such that fluid entering the fluid inlet must pass through the filter sheet before exiting out of the fluid outlet.

9. The thermal pad of claim 8 wherein the filter sheet, the first sheet, and the second sheet are all substantially parallel to each other; and wherein the filter sheet, the first sheet, and the second sheet all have a surface area of substantially the same magnitude.

10. The thermal pad of claim 8 further comprising a plurality of bonds, each of the bonds coupling the first sheet, second sheet and filter sheet together; and wherein the first sheet and the second sheet each have a surface area of substantially the same magnitude and the filter sheet has a surface area less than the magnitude of the first and second sheets.

11. The thermal pad of claim 10 wherein the filter is a bag shaped filter having an interior that defines a fluid channel that extends into the thermal pad; and wherein the bag shaped filter includes a top filter sheet and a bottom filter sheet and the plurality of bonds also bond the top filter sheet and the bottom filter sheet to each other and to the first sheet and the second sheet.

12. The thermal pad of claim 8 wherein the filter sheet is adapted to filter particles having a size of 0.2 microns or larger; and wherein the thermal pad further comprises a second filter sheet adapted to filter particles larger than 0.2 microns and to allow particles of 0.2 microns to pass there through.

13. The thermal pad of claim 8 wherein the first surface of the filter sheet is secured to the first sheet at a first plurality of locations and the second surface of the filter sheet is secured to the second sheet at a second plurality of locations different from the first plurality of locations; and wherein the thermal pad further comprises a non-woven sheet positioned adjacent the first sheet and adapted to come into contact with the patient, wherein both the non-woven sheet and the first sheet are embedded with antimicrobial substances.

14. The thermal pad of claim 7 wherein the filter includes antimicrobial substances embedded therein, the antimicrobial substances adapted to come into contact with and kill microbes filtered by the filter.

15. The thermal pad of claim 7 wherein the filter defines a fluid channel that extends into the thermal pad, and wherein the filter is made of a material that stretches in response to a first threshold pressure of the fluid, the first threshold pressure being less than a second threshold pressure required to cause the first and second sheets to stretch.

16. The thermal pad of claim 7 further comprising a second filter positioned inside the fluid chamber, wherein both the filter and the second filter define first and second channels that extend a distance into the thermal pad.

17. The thermal pad of claim 16 wherein both the filter and the second filter are each bag shaped.

18. The thermal pad of claim 1 wherein the first sheet is constructed of a material having antimicrobial substances embedded therein, and wherein the thermal pad further comprises a non-woven sheet positioned adjacent the first sheet and adapted to come into contact with the patient, wherein the non-woven sheet is also embedded with antimicrobial substances.

19. The thermal pad of claim 1 further comprising:
a second filter positioned in fluid communication with the fluid chamber; and
a third filter positioned in fluid communication with the fluid chamber and between the filter and the second filter such that fluid flowing through the filter must pass through the third filter before reaching the second filter;
wherein the filter and the second filter both have a common pore rating for filtering particles of a first size, and the third filter has a pore rating for filtering particles of a second size, the second size being smaller than the first size.

20. The thermal pad of claim 19 wherein the third filter has a pore rating for filtering particles having a size of 0.2 microns or larger and the filter and the second filter both have a pore rating for allowing particles having a size of greater than 0.2 microns to pass therethrough.

Assignees

• Stryker Corp

Inventors

• Bentz Andrew M
• Hopper Christopher John

Classifications

• A61F2007/0086

  with a thermostat · CPC title

• A61F2007/0056

  for cooling · CPC title

• A61F2007/0054

  with a closed fluid circuit, e.g. hot water · CPC title

• B01D29/00

  Filters with filtering elements stationary during filtration, e.g. pressure or suction filters, not covered by groups B01D24/00 - B01D27/00; Filtering elements therefor · CPC title

• A61F7/0085 Primary

  Devices for generating hot or cold treatment fluids · CPC title