WO2006125982A1

WO2006125982A1 - Resuscitators

Info

Publication number: WO2006125982A1
Application number: PCT/GB2006/001901
Authority: WO
Inventors: Philip Dabrowski
Original assignee: Smiths Group Plc
Priority date: 2005-05-25
Filing date: 2006-05-24
Publication date: 2006-11-30
Also published as: GB0510594D0

Abstract

An emergency resuscitator has a casing (1) containing a cylinder (30) of compressed oxygen and apparatus (31) for regulating the oxygen and producing a controlled, cyclical delivery of breathing gas to a face mask (60). The upper surface (15) of the casing at one end (10) is shaped anatomically to support the head and neck of the patient. The other end (11) of the casing supports the various controls (13) and instructions (44) as to how to use the resuscitator. The lower surface (20) of the resuscitator has a slide (21) at one edge and a grip to resist movement during ventilation. By lifting one end of the casing the grip can be raised off the floor and the weight of the resuscitator supported by the slide so that it can be easily slid under the patient's head.

Description

RESUSCITATORS

This invention relates to resuscitators of the kind including a casing containing an arrangement for providing a regulated supply of breathing gas to an outlet.

Resuscitators are often used in emergency situations to ventilate someone who has stopped breathing. The resuscitator provides a controlled cyclical delivery of a ventilation gas to a mask or breathing tube and includes various valves and controls well-known in the field. Some resuscitators are powered solely by a source of pressurized ventilation gas, such as bottle of compressed oxygen or air. Other resuscitators are powered from an electrical source, such as a battery. Different forms of resuscitators are described in, for example, US6588763, US5605148, US5564416, US5016626, US4922962, US5007457, US4682591, GB2174760, GB0500422.1, GB0419597.0, PCT/GB04/003758, PCT/GB04/003788 and GB2270629.

It is desirable for resuscitators to be provided in public areas so that they can be quickly obtained for treating a person who has stopped breathing. In such situations it is important that the resuscitator can be used safely by people who have received little or no training.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an alternative resuscitator.

According to the present invention there is provided a resuscitator of the above- specified kind, characterised in that the casing is shaped at one end to provide a support for the head and neck of a patient being supplied with the breathing gas.

The supply of breathing gas preferably includes a container of compressed breathing gas. The casing may be arranged in use to extend generally longitudinally of the height of the patient and the container of compressed breathing gas preferably extends laterally of the casing. The casing may include a slide on its lower surface to enable the resuscitator to be slid under the head of the patient. The casing preferably includes a grip on its lower surface spaced from the slide such that the grip contacts a surface on which the resuscitator rests during use to resist movement of the resuscitator and such that a part of the resuscitator can be raised to lift the grip away from the surface so that the resuscitator is supported by the slide and is free for sliding movement. The casing preferably has a first region at one end on which the head and neck of the patient are supported and a second region towards the opposite end on which resuscitator controls are mounted. The casing preferably carries instructions as to use of the resuscitator, the instructions being on a surface visible during use of the resuscitator. The casing may include a carrying handle towards one end and a visco-elastic pad in the region where the head rests.

A resuscitator according to the present invention, will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the resuscitator;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional side elevation view of the resuscitator;

Figure 3 is a view of the underside of the forward end of the resuscitator; and

Figure 4 is a side view of a modified form of the ventilator.

With reference first to Figures 1 to 3, the resuscitator has an external casing 1, preferably moulded in two parts from a tough, lightweight plastics material. When viewed from above, the casing 1 is substantially rectangular and is divided into a forward region 10 and a rear region 11. The casing 1, in use, extends longitudinally of the height of the patient. The forward region 10 serves to support the head and neck of a person being resuscitated; the rear region 11 contains the functioning components 12 of the resuscitator and the manual controls 13. The resuscitator is gas-powered without the need for any electrical power.

The forward region 10 is relatively thin with an upper surface 15, which is curved from front to back with a convex profile. The shape of the upper surface 15 is chosen to conform to the anatomy of the rear of the head and neck when the length of the resuscitator is aligned with the spine of the patient. In this way, when the patient's head is placed on the upper surface 15, it is supported in the correct position for ventilation, with the head tilted slightly rearwardly to ensure an open airway. A visco-elastic foam pad 16 is secured to the upper surface 15 of the casing 1, which moulds to the contours of the head and helps maintain its position by preventing sliding. Two shallow walls 17 and 18 extend along the sides of the forward region 10 in order to help maintain the head in position. Each wall 17 and 18 includes a strap locator 19 on its upper surface towards the rear end of the forward region 10. A strap (not shown) can be secured at each end to these locators, if desired, to pass over the forehead of the person being resuscitated, for additional stability, or during transport. The lower surface 20 of the casing 1 is substantially flat, in order to lie on the floor, but is formed with a row of five smoothly rounded runners or slides 21 at its forward edge, as shown in Figure 3. The resuscitator can be positioned easily on the floor by raising its rear end slightly so that it rests on the runners 21. Towards its rear end, the lower surface 20 incorporates a rubber strip (not shown) providing a grip so that the resuscitator does not slide easily when positioned on the floor.

The rear region 11 is thicker than the forward portion 10 in order to contain the various functioning components 12. More particularly, these components 12 include a bottle 30 of compressed oxygen and conventional gas regulating apparatus 31, which controls the frequency, pressure and tidal volume of oxygen supplied to a patient hose port 32. The oxygen bottle 30 is cylindrical and is oriented laterally of the casing 1 towards its rear end. The upper surface 25 of the rear region 11 has a rectangular user interface panel 26 extending laterally across the region between two side walls 27 and 28. The side walls 27 and 28 project slightly above the panel 26 in order to protect it. The panel 26 is flat and is angled downwardly from front to rear at an angle of about 20°. The upper, forward part of the panel 26 supports the various manual controls. and indicators 13. In particular, one, optional, control 40 is a rotary knob by which the function of the resuscitator can be controlled. By default, the control 40 is in a "Cardiac" setting but can be switched by the user to other settings to provide manual control of the frequency and/or the tidal volume of the regulating apparatus. In other embodiments, the control may be permanently set in the cardiac mode, or the control could be removed completely and the apparatus set to deliver always in the cardiac mode. This simplifies operation of the apparatus. Adjacent the function control 40 is an optional demand switch 41 by which the resuscitator can be selected to be in its normal ON state where the apparatus delivers gas in a manner suitable to provide forced ventilation to an unconscious patient who is not breathing of his own accord. If the patient should start to breath spontaneously, the switch 41 can be switched to an OFF state where the forced ventilation ceases and the patient is able to draw in the air/oxygen from the apparatus of his own accord. Again, in other embodiments, the switch 41 could be removed in order further to simplify operation. Next to the switch 41 is mounted a gas supply indicator 42 in the form of a conventional eyeball indicator containing a coloured member that is deflected by gas pressure to show that oxygen is being provided from the bottle 30. For example, when oxygen is being supplied this might have a white colour; when oxygen pressure drops this might change to red. At the right-hand end of the panel 26 is a manual oxygen supply button 43 or trigger, which the user can depress each time he wishes to deliver a breath of oxygen to the patient. On the lower, rear part of the panel 26, visible during use, there is printed a row of six blocks 44, being different pictures illustrating successive steps in how to use the resuscitator.

A carrying handle 50 in the form of a cylindrical bar extends across the rear end of the casing 1 between the two side walls 27 and 28.

The left-hand side wall 27 supports the patient hose port 32 and a recessed rotary knob 51 coupled to a regulator valve on the oxygen bottle 30. This knob 51 is twisted to turn the supply of oxygen on and off.

The resuscitator is preferably stored in a conspicuous place, such as flat on a wall and is protected by a removable cover (not shown). The resuscitator includes a mask 60 and hose 61 extending from the mask to a coupling 62, which may be provided loose or already connected to the patient hose port 32. In order to use the resuscitator, the user removes it from the wall and removes the cover so that it can be placed flat on the ground above the head of the person to be resuscitated. The user follows the steps represented in the picture blocks 44 and lifts the head and the rear end 11 of the resuscitator slightly by its handle 50 so that the forward part 10 of the resuscitator can be slid forwards on the runners 21 under the head. The user then lower the head onto the pad 16 so that the user interface panel 26 is located above the head for ready access. The gas supply for the resuscitator is turned on by twisting the knob 51, which causes the resuscitator to start delivering oxygen to the patient hose port 32 in a default, timed sequence. The user places the mask 60 over the mouth and nose of the person being resuscitated so that he is supplied with oxygen.

Incorporating a head and neck rest into the resuscitator casing ensures that the patient's head is placed in the correct position for ventilation. It also simplifies the resuscitation procedure because the manual controls and indicators of the resuscitator are located adjacent the head of the person being resuscitated.

Various modifications are possible. For example, instead of having the resuscitator aligned with the spine so that the user interface end is located above the head, it could be shaped so that it extends laterally, in the manner shown in Figure 4, with the user interface positioned to one side of the head H.

As in conventional resuscitators, the resuscitator of the present invention need not deliver pure oxygen but could be controlled to deliver a mixture of oxygen and air using the pressure in the oxygen bottle to entrain ambient air. Alternatively, instead of compressed oxygen, the resuscitator could include a bottle of compressed air. In another modification, the resuscitator could include an electric air pump driven by a battery, instead of a bottle of compressed gas.

The number of controls available to the user is preferably limited in order to simplify operation. It would, however, be possible for the resuscitator to have the full range of normal resuscitator controls and indicators. These could be concealed from ready access, such as behind a tear-off strip, which could be labelled "Paramedic Use Only" or the like.

Claims

1. A resuscitator including a casing (1) containing an arrangement for providing a regulated supply of breathing gas to an outlet (32), characterised in that the casing (1) is shaped at one end (10) to provide a support (15) for the head and neck of a patient being supplied with the breathing gas.

2. A resuscitator according to Claim 1, characterised in that the supply of breathing gas includes a container (30) of compressed breathing gas.

3. A resuscitator according to Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that casing (1) is arranged in use to extend generally longitudinally of the height of the patient.

4. A resuscitator according to Claims 2 and 3, characterised in that the container (30) of compressed breathing gas extends laterally of the casing (1).

5. A resuscitator according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the

' casing (1) includes a slide (21) on a lower surface (20) to enable the resuscitator to be slid under the head of the patient.

6. A resuscitator according to Claim 5, characterised in that the casing (1) includes a grip on its lower surface (2) spaced from the slide (21) such that the grip contacts a surface on which the resuscitator rests during use to resist movement of the resuscitator and such that a part of the resuscitator can be raised to lift the grip away from the surface so that the resuscitator is supported by the slide (21) and is free for sliding movement.

7. A resuscitator according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the casing (1) has a first region (10) at one end on which the head and neck of the patient are supported and a second region (11) towards the opposite end on which resuscitator controls (13) are mounted.

8. A resuscitator according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the casing (1) carries instructions (44) as to use of the resuscitator, and that the instructions are on a surface visible during use of the resuscitator.

9. A resuscitator according to any one of the preceding claims , characterised in that the casing (1) includes a carrying handle (50) toward one end.

10. A resuscitator according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that casing (1) includes a visco-elastic pad (16) in the region (10) where the head rests.