IES85813Y1 - Microwave technology - Google Patents
Microwave technology Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- IES85813Y1 IES85813Y1 IE2009/0350A IE20090350A IES85813Y1 IE S85813 Y1 IES85813 Y1 IE S85813Y1 IE 2009/0350 A IE2009/0350 A IE 2009/0350A IE 20090350 A IE20090350 A IE 20090350A IE S85813 Y1 IES85813 Y1 IE S85813Y1
- Authority
- IE
- Ireland
- Prior art keywords
- water
- product
- splint
- container
- heat
- Prior art date
Links
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 37
- 230000002745 absorbent Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 22
- 239000002250 absorbent Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 22
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 27
- 239000004020 conductor Substances 0.000 claims 1
- 229920000642 polymer Polymers 0.000 abstract description 3
- 239000012528 membrane Substances 0.000 abstract description 2
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 description 14
- 229920001169 thermoplastic Polymers 0.000 description 10
- 239000000758 substrate Substances 0.000 description 9
- 239000004416 thermosoftening plastic Substances 0.000 description 7
- 229920000307 polymer substrate Polymers 0.000 description 4
- 239000004698 Polyethylene (PE) Substances 0.000 description 3
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 description 3
- 210000003491 Skin Anatomy 0.000 description 2
- -1 polyethylene Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 229920000573 polyethylene Polymers 0.000 description 2
- PAPBSGBWRJIAAV-UHFFFAOYSA-N ε-caprolactone Chemical compound O=C1CCCCCO1 PAPBSGBWRJIAAV-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 229920002972 Acrylic fiber Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 229920003043 Cellulose fiber Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 210000003414 Extremities Anatomy 0.000 description 1
- 238000010521 absorption reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000002238 attenuated Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229920002678 cellulose Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 235000010980 cellulose Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000011109 contamination Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000945 filler Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920001519 homopolymer Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000000017 hydrogel Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000007654 immersion Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229920001610 polycaprolactone Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000004632 polycaprolactone Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920002959 polymer blend Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 229920000098 polyolefin Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 230000035943 smell Effects 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61F—FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; PROSTHESES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF, TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, e.g. STENTS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; FOMENTATION; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; FIRST-AID KITS
- A61F5/00—Orthopaedic methods or devices for non-surgical treatment of bones or joints; Nursing devices; Anti-rape devices
- A61F5/01—Orthopaedic devices, e.g. splints, casts or braces
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61F—FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; PROSTHESES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF, TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, e.g. STENTS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; FOMENTATION; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; FIRST-AID KITS
- A61F5/00—Orthopaedic methods or devices for non-surgical treatment of bones or joints; Nursing devices; Anti-rape devices
- A61F5/01—Orthopaedic devices, e.g. splints, casts or braces
- A61F5/04—Devices for stretching or reducing fractured limbs; Devices for distractions; Splints
- A61F5/05—Devices for stretching or reducing fractured limbs; Devices for distractions; Splints for immobilising
- A61F5/058—Splints
- A61F5/05825—Strips of substantially planar form
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D81/00—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents
- B65D81/34—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents for packaging foodstuffs or other articles intended to be cooked or heated within the package
- B65D81/3446—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents for packaging foodstuffs or other articles intended to be cooked or heated within the package specially adapted to be heated by microwaves
- B65D81/3461—Flexible containers, e.g. bags, pouches, envelopes
Abstract
ABSTRACT ’ energy transparent material wherein said apparatus and splint are separated from each other by a water-impermeable, heat-conducting membrane in the form of a septum or separate pouches for the splint or absorbent. The splint filrther comprises a layer of skin—contacting padding material which is carried on the polymer on the surface opposed to that adjacent the absorbent material.
Description
Thermoformable Support Products and Heating Means Therefor This invention relates to thermoplastic polymeric products used for supporting body portions the and to methods for the use thereof. Suchrproducts include splints, casts and braces for supporting limbs, the trunk or neck of an animal body. Herein such products are thermoformable can be heated to skin tolerant temperatures and moulded around the body portion to be treated. Herein these thermoformable products will be generally referred to as “splints” or “splinting products”.
Splints usually comprise a layer or substrate of a thermoplastic polymeric material such as a polycaprolactone. The polymeric substrate may carry a layer of a padding material on its body facing surface. in use the splint is heated until it is sufficiently pliable to be wrapped around and conform to the shape of the body portion to be treated. The splint is then allowed to cool and “set".
Heating of the splint is conventionally carried out by immersion in a hot water bath.
However, there are several disadvantages to this method. Firstly, there is the danger of scalding to both the technician and patient from the hot water and secondly if padding material isattached to the polymer substrate it will become wet and, at the very least will be uncomfortable to the wearer until it dries out. Since the padding is likely to retain water, the risk of scalding the patient will be further increased. Althird disadvantage is that the provision of facilities to house the water bath and its associated operation increases the cost of the treatment and limits the availability of the treatment to fixed locations.
Attempts to “dry heat" the splint in microwave ovens have been largely unsuccessful because it has been difficult to uniformly heat the product safely without creating hotspots which could burn the patient.
The present invention seeks to provide means for heating thermoplastic polymer splints, including splints bearing a skin-contacting padding layer, safely and uniformly, using heating apparatus which does not suffer from the disadvantages associated with the prior art hot water baths.
According to the present invention there is provided a packaged splinting product comprising a thermoformable polymeric splint in combination with a water laden absorbent material sealed in a water-impervious, heatgconducting pouch, wherein said material is adapted to permit microwave energy to enter and heat the contained water and wherein the pouch material is microwave transparent.
As used herein the combination of a water laden absorbent material sealed in a water- impervious, heat—conducting, microwave transparent pouch will be referred to as a pad)! By the term “microwave transparent” we mean that the pouch material is unreactive to microwave energy. Such materials are characterised by having a structure which lacks dipolar molecules. Suitably the pouch material may be a polyethylene. Pouches may be produced from “Food Grade” polyethylene.
The thermoplastic polymers employed in the present invention should be reactive to microwave energy,» i.e. contain dipolar molecules. Polymers which are useful in the present invention include those based on the caprolactone molecule. The polymeric splint material may comprise homopolymers of caprolactone or polymer blends thereof either alone or in a mixture with fillers such as fibrous Iigneous materials. Preferred splinting products for use in the present invention are those described in our published patent specifications US20080154164 and WO20080412151, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. The most preferred splinting products are multi- component products comprising a thermoplastic polymer substrate bearing a skin- contacting padding layer over one surface of the substrate. Such multi-component splinting products are disclosed in our aforementioned published patent specifications Aptly, the splint and the heater pad are packaged within an outer container formed from a water-impervious, microwave energy transparent material. The container may be of rigid construction or, more preferably, is aflexible pouch.
Thus, according to a first embodiment of the invention, the splint and heater pad are contained in a single outer container.
Alternatively the pouch which contains the water laden absorbent pad may be adapted to separately contain the splint.
Thus, in an alternative embodiment of the invention, a pouch is provided having two compartments, separated by a water-impervious, heat-conducting membrane or septum, wherein the first compartment contains said water laden absorbent material and the second compartment contains the splinting product.
The compartments or pouches which contain only the water laden absorbent material may also be provided with means for pressure releasing device such as a frangible rupture seal to vent steam outside the package, in the event of excess steam build-up, to prevent distortion or contamination of the splinting product.
The compartments or pouches which contain the splint are also provided with means to allow ready removal of the heated splint. The removal means and the pressure releasing, whilst independently operable, may be formed into a unitary device The splint and heater pad should be arranged to lie adjacent to each other as closely as possible whether both components are packaged together or placed separately in the microwave heater.
We have found that the presence of the heater pad in close proximity to the thermoplastic substrate being heated, attenuates the microwave irradiation during heating and changes favourably the permittivity values of the nearby thermoplastic splint material and decreases the so called “Edged heating phenomena” a problem found common in heating food. This results in more even heating of the thermoplastic substrate, and reduces “hot spots”. The edge heating phenomena may be further attenuated if the heater pad is placed in close proximity to the skin-contacting padding layer of a multi-component splinting product. The even distribution of heat will reduce the occurrence of hot spots andenable higher microwave energy settings to be used and/or shorten time for heating. Even distribution of heat also prevents the occurrence of “cool spots” since evaporated water contacting andcondensing on the areas of the pouch material or septum adjacent any cooler spots on the polymer substrate of the splint will heat such areas.
The water absorbent material may comprise any known material which will absorb and retain water. Such materials may comprise a hydrogel such as those based on celluloses or be composed, at least in part, of hydrophilic fibres such as those known as super- absorbing polyolefin filaments. The water absorbent material will be a material which will permit microwave heating of the absorbed water.
Preferably the water absorbent material will contain and retain sufficient absorbed water such that no free water exists outside the water absorbent material. This ensures even distribution of water over the cross sectional area of the product being heated by microwave and therefore ensures more even heat absorption and dissipation into the underlying substrate. Aptly, the absorbent will contain water in an amount ranging from 0.01 to 0.15 ml.cm2. Typically the absorbent material will contain about 0.05 ml of water per cm2 of absorbent material.
Preferably, the water laden absorbent material should lie adjacent any body-contacting padding material which may form part of the-splint in order to ensure not only adequate and even heating of the thermoformable polymer but also to reduce the amount of heat applied to the body-contacting layer of the splint. Since the permittivity of the padding will be different to that of the polymer substrate it is not heated to the same temperature as that of the substrate. ' Depending on the power of the microwave energy employed and other characteristics of the energy source, the time setting should be calibrated to allow heating of the substrate to a temperature such that it becomes sufficiently pliable to be wrapped or formed around the body portion to be supported and yet not high enough to cause discomfort or burning of the skin. For a commercial microwave oven generating energy at a frequency of 2.54GHz we have found, for example, a time of a about 3 minutes is required to heat the polymer substrate of a lower arm splint to about 60°C The invention will now be illustrated by reference to the following example.
A heater pad was formed by inserting 50ml of water into a 125 micron PE pouch containing an absorbent pad measuring 300mm x 330mm and the pouch sealed, using a heat sealer. The absorbent pad was made from a commercial grade of Cellulose and Acrylic fibres made by Elliot and sold under the name "Dryline" T The heater pad was placed inside a commercial microwave oven (Sharp model R21AT), rated at 1000 watts at 100% power setting and a thermoplastic arm splint with padding attached , roughly having the same dimensions as the heater pad was placed on top of the heater pad with the padding side down..
The power of the oven was adjusted to the 60% setting (equating to 600 watts) and switched on for 3 minutes.
After 3 minutes the thermoplastic splint was removed and it was found to be fully activated. The product was soft and pliable and there was no evidence of over-heating, hot spots, burning or smell.
Claims (1)
1.A packaged product comprising a thermo-formable polymeric body supporting product in combination with a water laden absorbent material and sealed in a first water—impervious, heat-conducting container, wherein 0 said absorbent material is adapted to permit microwave energy to enter and heat the contained water, o pouch material is microwave transparent and o the product and the absorbent are disposed adjacent each other but are separated by a water-impervious, heat conducting barrier. A product as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which one of the product or absorbent material is enclosed in a second container formed from a water—impervious, heat conducting material to separate it from the other. A product as claimed in claim 4 wherein the second container is wholly enclosed by the first container. A product as claimed in claim 4 wherein said first container is separated by a septum into two compartments. one of said compartments defining said second container. A product as claimed in claim 1 wherein the product further comprises a layer of skin-contacting padding material and wherein the padding layer is disposed to lie adjacent the the absorbent material.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
ES10161918T ES2390854T3 (en) | 2009-05-05 | 2010-05-04 | Thermoformable support products and heating means thereof |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
IE20090350U1 IE20090350U1 (en) | 2011-04-13 |
IES85813Y1 true IES85813Y1 (en) | 2011-07-20 |
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