DE20302580U1 - Device for exchanging moisture and heat in breathing air for patients lacking a natural nose function, comprises a housing holding elastic elements impregnated with active substances, and elastic filter elements - Google Patents

Abstract

A device for exchanging moisture and heat in breathing air for patients lacking a natural nose function, comprises a housing (1) holding elastic elements (3, 3a) impregnated with active substances, and elastic filter elements (4). The crossed slits (5) in the lid and in the elements held in the housing serve for introduction of a suction device for removal of mucus.

Description

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Humidity - heat - exchange device for the breathing air

Description

The invention relates to a moisture-heat exchange device for breathing air with active ingredient inserts for enriching the breathing air with essential oils or medicines.

The wet heat exchangers are intended for patients with spontaneous breathing and are attached to the universal cone of the tracheostomy tube or an airway tube.

The moist heat exchangers remove the moisture and heat from the patient's exhaled air and return it to the patient via the inhaled air. This filters and humidifies the breathing air and prevents particles from entering the patient's respiratory tract.

The device is particularly suitable for releasing vaporizable essential oils and pharmaceutical active ingredients so that they reach the patient's respiratory tract directly, preventing infections and contributing to the healing process. 10

A number of devices are known that act as wet heat exchangers and as filters for particles.

The Dahlhausen company, Emil-Hoffmann-Strasse 53 in 50996 Cologne, offers a non-sterile wet heat exchanger that has too high a water loss. This is due, among other things, to the irregular cut design of a valve in the lid for suctioning off secretions. The breathing air partially reaches the respiratory tract through the valve without being moistened with moisture.

Another wet heat exchanger, the so-called Provox stoma filter, is offered by ATOS Medical, P.O. Box 183.SE-24222 in Hörby, Sweden. Central mucus suction is not possible with this wet heat exchanger.

From DE - A - 4307 a breathing mask for the controlled supply of breathing air is also known, in which substances suitable for inhalation can be added to the purified air.

In general, it has been shown that the known options for moisture-heat exchange for breathing air after total laryngectomy do not adequately replace the function of the natural nose for the patient. This means that the breathing air is not sufficiently warmed and humidified. Excessive mucus production, coughing, increased sputum and reduced lung function are negative phenomena.

Accordingly, the invention is based on the object of achieving a moisture-heat exchange device with release of active substances into the breathing air and reduction of a negative water loss in the inhaled breathing air.

This task is solved with a device which is designed as a moisture-heat exchanger and has in its contents an active substance carrier which is impregnated or can be impregnated with an active substance.

The device according to the invention basically consists of four elements:

- a housing

- a lid

- an active ingredient carrier

- a wet heat exchanger insert or a filter insert.

The housing is used to hold and position the active ingredient carrier and the wet heat exchanger insert or the filter insert and is attached to the open end of an endotracheal or tracheostomy tube.

The active ingredient is absorbed by the patient through normal breathing, since the active ingredient carrier releases the active ingredient in mg/l into the breathing air from an active ingredient depot in a unit of time, depending on the indication.

The housing is closed with a slotted lid. Mucus and sputum can be sucked out of the trachea through the slot in the lid using a suction device. To reduce the water loss (mg/1) of the inhaled air and the resulting lung damage, a foam-like, elastic and slotted moisture-heat exchanger insert moistened with active ingredients is used to close any uncontrolled openings in the slot in the lid.

This means that the respective suction device can be used without hindrance. Mucus, sputum, etc. are removed externally through the slotted moisture-heat exchanger insert or the slotted filter insert in the filter housing when the suction device is pulled out of the trachea.

The active substance carrier, which is inserted into the housing, can consist, for example, of an absorbent, air-permeable, elastic fleece, foamed polymer, coated textiles, polymer fleece, viscose, cotton or air-permeable, elastic mixtures. 15

The presented application form ensures that the active ingredient carrier releases the active ingredient into the air inhaled by the patient, so that the active ingredient enters the breathing air and develops its healing effect there.

The active ingredients used may be pharmaceutically active substances and essential oils which are in a form that allows them to be released into the air in a dosed manner on the basis of a depot.

This requires either easy vaporization or an auxiliary substance that carries the active ingredient along.

Such preparations are known.

Also suitable are essential oils with various active ingredients, fragrances and substances with a therapeutic effect on the respiratory tract, e.g. for the treatment of respiratory tract damage.

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The invention is explained in more detail by the accompanying figures.

Fig. 1: a wet heat exchanger with a closed active substance carrier shell and filter insert

Fig. 2: a wet heat exchanger with an open active substance carrier shell and filter insert

Fig. 3: a wet heat exchanger with a closed active substance carrier shell without filter insert
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The device according to the invention as shown in Fig. 1 has a cage-like round housing shape (1) with an oxygen connection (8) into which the active substance carrier (3) and the filter insert (4) are embedded.

The upper active ingredient carrier (3a) and the upper filter insert (4) are designed with a cross slot (5) for the unhindered insertion of a suction device and are locked against slipping by the hook (6).

The active ingredient carriers (3) and (3a) consist of an absorbent, air-permeable, elastic nonwoven, air-permeable, elastic, foamed polymer, air-permeable coated textiles, air-permeable cotton or mixtures thereof, which are impregnated with the active ingredient.

The design according to Fig. 2 shows the illustration of a moisture-heat exchange device with an open, air-permeable, elastic active substance carrier cover (3b) and an upper slotted, air-permeable, elastic filter insert (4).

Fig. 3 shows a third embodiment without a filter insert with a compact, air-permeable, elastic active ingredient insert (3c), which is slit in the area (5). 15

Summary

The invention relates to a moisture-heat exchange device with an air-permeable, elastic active substance carrier for psychotherapeutic, antiseptic effects on the human body.

The object of the invention to create such a moisture-heat exchanger which enables the patient, e.g. after total laryngectomy, to function as a natural nose, achieves a healing effect on diseased airways and limits the loss of moisture in the inhaled air to a harmless minimum, is achieved by equipping the housing with an air-permeable, elastic active substance carrier which is impregnated with essential oils or antiseptic, pharmaceutically active substances, and by using a slotted, air-permeable, elastic active substance and filter insert in the lid area of the housing.

Claims (9)

1. Moisture-heat exchange device for breathing air, characterized in that an air-permeable, elastic, slotted active ingredient insert ( 5 ) soaked with active ingredient and an unslotted active ingredient insert ( 3 ) with a slotted and unslotted, air-permeable, elastic filter insert ( 4 ) are deposited in a housing (1), which enriches the inhaled air with active ingredients and moisture and strips off mucus from a suction device inserted in the slotted lid area when pulled out. 2. Moisture-heat exchange device according to claim 1, characterized in that the active substance insert ( 3 b) is double-walled. 3. Moisture-heat exchange device according to claim 1, characterized in that the active ingredient insert is used without a filter insert. 4. Moisture-heat exchange device according to claim 1, characterized in that the active ingredient insert and filter insert are slotted in the cover area. 5. Moisture-heat exchange device according to claim 1, characterized in that in the cover area a slotted active substance and filter insert seals the slotted cover by elasticity. 6. Moisture-heat exchange device according to claim 1, characterized in that the slotted active ingredient insert and filter insert, due to their elasticity, strips off mucus and other liquids from an inserted suction device. 7. Moisture-heat exchange device according to claims 1-6, characterized in that the packaging of the device has an outer wall impermeable to the active substance. 8. Moisture-heat exchange device according to claims 1-7, characterized in that the active ingredient insert, which releases the active ingredient in a metered manner into the air, is a compatible, essential or pharmaceutical substance. 9. Moisture-heat exchange device according to claims 1-8, characterized in that the active substance carrier contains a therapeutically active substance.