GB2431353A - Multipurpose incubator - Google Patents

Abstract

A multipurpose all-in-one neonatal incubation device comprising an incubator 1, transport incubator, operating table and open platform. Preferably the incubator may be converted from one form to another whilst allowing a sick neonate to remain on the main platform. The incubator may have points to allow the easy attachment of components such as a ventilator 6, monitor 3 or intravenous equipment stack 5 during transfer. The components may be detached after transfer to allow the incubator to be used in an operating theatre or neonatal nursing unit. The incubator may be mounted on an adjustable wheeled stand for transport, and may have a removable lid and drop down sides for conversion into an open platform or operating table.

Description

Title- Multi-Purpose Incubator Back ground World wide there are thousands

of neonatal transports are carried out annually between neonatal units. A vast majority of these neonates have medical conditions requiring surgical intreventions. We have and will always have less number of neonatal units providing neonatal surgical facilties (Quaternary Units) as compared to neonatal units providing neonatal medical care (Tertiary care units) and hence a continuing need of these transfers. Neonatal surgery and medicine has developed in last decade and increasing number of premature and low birth weight neonates are surviving, increasing the diseases associated with prematurity requiring surgical supervision and intervention (one common example being necrotising enterocolitis- condition causing inflammation of intestine which can lead to their rupture). As a consequence the number of neonates requiring transfer to the units with neonatal surgical facilities is increasing. The surgical conditions are also from congenital abnormalities or operation for vascular access to give total nutritional support through venous route. United Kingdom is undergoing a dramatic changes in the way neonatal transport is organised.

Once these neonates are diagnosed to have neonatal surgical conditions they are transferred to neonatl quatemary unit with expertise to deal with these neonatal surgical conditions. Neonate is shifted to transport incubator on its way from neonatal tertiary centre to quaternary centre with neonatal surgical facilities. In this quatemary centre they are shifted from transport incubator to the incubator in qauternary unit for medical stabilisation. They undergo operation once they reasonably stable. In standard practice they are shited from ordinary incubator to transport incubator to be taken to operating theatre and in the operating theatre they are shifted from transport incubator to operating table.

Once the operation is finished they are shifted from the operating table back to transport incubator to be taken to the neonatal unit and once in neoantal unit they are then shifted from transport incubator to the incubator in the neonatal unit.

Thus there are 6 shifts of a sick neanate who is attached to numerous intravenous lines and ventilator (in majority of instances) (shown in flow chart 1). These 6 shifts involve precious time, expert manpower and risk of various lines and tubes getting dislodged.

Some neonates are too sick to undergo a trip to operating theatre and are best managed by a minimum live saving intervention in the neonatal unit or some intervention room in the neonatal unit. In such emergent situations it is nice if procedure can be done on the incubator-turned to operating table. These sick neonates need to be watched more closely surigally especially if they are term and for this open platform is better than incubator. However preterm surgical neonates are are best nursed in an incubator. Thus there is a need for an incubator which can be tranfomed to an open system and back to incubator with ease.

Statement of Invention

To address the various problems mantioned in above discussion regarding transfer of neonates between Tertiary and Quatemary units, we present an invention which involves design of an incubator which has four functions in one model: * Incubator * Transport Incubator

* Operating Table

* Open Platform Once such neonatal incubators are designed they can be standardised and available in all centres all over the country, be it UK, USA or Canada or Australia or Europe or anywhere in the world. This way potentially sick babies requiring surgery or who can potentially require opeartion can be nursed, transported and operated in/on Multipurpose incubators/open platforms. This will avoid transfer of sick neonates between various incubators/open platforms as one will be excahnging a full incuabator with an empty one between tranfers inbetween two neonatal units. This will save time in sick contions like volvulous of small gut where one needs to intervene in 6 hours to save the bowel (picture 1).

* S **S * * : : * *** * * *S. S S S S S S S S 4 4 ** S S S S. S S * S Advantages 1. All the sick neonates who can have surgical conditions or have possibility of developing surgical problems like necrotising enterocolitis can be saved valuable time between transfers.

2. The risk of various live saving airways tubes and intravenous lines getting dislodged between transfers is reduced.

3. All surgical neonates will have flexibility of nursing between Open platforms and Incubators without any disadvantages of transfer.

It is estimated that more than 50% of the sick neonates will benefit from this specialised incubator.

The advantages are illustrated in flow chart I and flow chart 2 * a *.* * * * * I S * S * * a I S S *** * * S. I * * S * * * * I a ** * * * SI I S * S

Introduction to Drawings

An example of invention will be described by referring to accompanying drawings: Picture 1: One example where Multipurpose Incubator, with its speed and avoidance of multiple transplants, can save lives.

1. Entire small intestine twisted in Volvulus 2. If volvulus (twist) of intestine not surgically corrected within 6 hours 3. Death of entire mid intestine-subsequent referral for intestinal transplant -results of transplant are not very encouraging Flow Chart 1: Six transfers of a Surgical Neonate from Tertiary neonatal Unit to Quaternary unit after operation Flow Chart 2: Multipurpose Incubator saves all the six transfers without neonate leaving the Incubator Figure 1: Explains the general layout of the multipurpose incubator. The various parts are labelled with numbers (1 to 8), which are explained in brief below and in detail in other figures 1. This is the main Incubator Unit, which is more explained in Figure2 2. The removable and easily replaceable top part of the glass lid, removed while making main unit the Open Platform or Operating Table 3. Monitor, which can be connected to main unit (1) as well as to wheel stand (4) 4. Wheel stand, which can be used for monitor as well as ventilator 5. Intravenous fluid Stack-on wheels and can be connected to main unit.

6. Ventilator can be attached to main unit while transfer and can be mounted on wheels while nursing in Neonatal unit or while in Operating Theatre 7. Operating light- to be connected to main unit while using incubator as Operating

Table

8. Overhead heater to be connected to main incubator unit while operating or while using incubator as open platform Connectable and easily detachable to Main Unit (1) Figure 2: Detailed Design of Base of Incubator (1) A. For connection of intravenous stack and monitor B. Similar to A-For connection of Ventilator C. Height adjustable (Mechanical and or electric) to act likes Operating Table D. Good quality wheels for portability -easily changeable for sterile and clean before while shifting to operating theatre * a *a* * a a a a S * S * * S I * * a.. I S * I a * I S * a a * a * a. S I * I Figure 3: Detailed Design of Lid and side walls of base unit (2) E. Lid -easily removable to make incubator as open platform for nursing in Neonatal Unit, can be replaced easily to make Incubator. Lid also removed while converting the Incubator to Operating Table F. Side walls along the platform of incubator, which can be folded down while making it an Operating Table and can be folded back to make it Open system or incubator Figure 4: Design of Monitor

G. Adjustable Height

H. Connectable to base unit of incubator I. Connector to wheel Unit (1) Figure 5: Design of Intravenous Stack Unit J Connectable to base unit of incubator (Connector at back)

K. Adjustable Height

L Good quality wheels for portability -easily changeable for sterile and clean before while shifting to operating theatre Figure 6: Design of Ventilator

M Adjustable Height

N. Connectable to base unit of incubator O Connector to wheel Unit (1) Figure 7: Design of Operating Light P Connection to Base Unit Q. Head light easily rotatable to take out of way of head heater if need be R Height and direction of light adjustable Figure 8: Design of Overhead Heater S. Connectivity to main Unit 1. Height and direction of light adjustable U. Heater easily rotatable to take out of way of head light if need be * S *S. * * S S S S * S S S I S S ** * S S. S S S S S S S * 4 4 4* * * S S S * I S Figure 9: Design of Connectors V. Rotatabilty at the connector site W. Easy Connectors, which are robust and simple to lock and unlock equipment * a *** a * * a I I S * . * I I * I ** * I * I a S * S I S * , * a. * * . S. S S * S *1-

Detailed Description

The Multipurpose Incubator will have a main base unit (1) in Figure 1 to which following parts can be easily attached and detached by specialised connecting mechanisms: * Ventilator (6) * Monitor (3) * Intravenous Stack (5) * Overhead Radiator (8) * Operating Light (7) The Main Base Unit (I) of the multipurpose unit has mechanism to adjust its height so that it can be increased or decreased, this will be useful while using the multipurpose incubator in operating theatre (Figure 2). It will have a glass lid top which can be easily removed and by doing that the multipurpose incubator can be converted to and used as Open Platform. The four-side wall of this Open Platform unit can be lowered to convert it into Operating Table. The wheels are easily changeable so that sterile wheels can be installed easily while shifting the transfer incubator to operating theatre.

The Monitor (3) can be connected to main unit (1) at the time of transfer and can be placed on top of a wheel stand (4) while use in Operating theatre or in the neonatal unit as open platform or incubator Wheel stand (4) is the same for monitor as well as ventilator and wheels can be changed to sterile wheels while transfer to Operating Theatre.

Intravenous fluid Stack (5) is permanently on wheels and has height adjustment mechanism so that it can be connected to main unit while use as transfer incubator.

Ventilator (6) can be attached to main unit towards the head end (end towards which neonate will be nursed with its head) while transport. This will make movement of ventilator along with Incubator easy with out the fear of any dislodgement of airway tubing. The height of the monitor can be adjusted with an easy mechanism. The ventilator can be easily dismounted from the main unit and installed on a wheeled stand while the incubator is used in Operating Theatre or as an Incubator or Open Platform in the neonatal unit. This will give versatility to the position of ventilator vis a vis main incubator/open platform while the incubator is not used for the purpose of transfer.

* * us S * * S I * S * * * S * 5 5 S.. I S 5. S S S S S I S I SI * * S S. S * S S Overhead Heater (7) to be connected to main incubator unit while operating or while using incubator as open platform. It is easy to disconnect it while its use as main incubator.

Operating Light (8) can be connected to main unit while using incubator as Operating Table and this light has mechanism to move it out of the way while using the incubator as Open System. The light can be used along with Overhead Heater as well.

The connecting junctions between main unit where the ventilator, monitor, intravenous stack, overhead heater and operating light are connected are rotatable at the connector site, are robust and simple to lock and unlock the equipment.

* , Se. * . * S I I S $ a a I I I **. * $ I S I * * a S 4 $ ** I I $ IS I I * S

Claims (1)

1. Claims Claim I 4 in I Incubator - Neonatal Incubator, Transport Incubator,

   Neonatal Operating Table, Open Platform- all in one.

   Claim 2 The same incubator can be used as transfer incubator, neonatal operating table, simple incubator and Open platform with ease of conversion from one role to another so that a sick neonate never leaves the main platform of the multipurpose incubator between transfers Claim 3 Multipurpose Incubator has easy points for attachment of Ventilator, Monitors, Intravenous equipment stack such that it is easy to transport the sick neonate with incubator, ventilator, monitor and intravenous line stack as one piece.

   Claim 4 The design is simple and components can be easily detached once the transfer is finished and incubator is in operating theatre or neonatal nursing unit