Medical dressings, systems, and methods with thermally-enhanced vapor transmissions
View Patent ↗Wounds dressings, systems, and methods are presented that involve using a patient's body heat to enhance liquid removal from the wound dressing through a high-moisture-vapor-transmission-rate drape. Additional heat sources or devices, such as nano-antennas or electrical heating elements, may be added or used separately to enhance the removal liquid from the wound dressing. Other dressings, systems, and methods are presented herein.
1. A wound dressing comprising:
a high-moisture-vapor-transmission-rate drape having a first side and a second, patient-facing side;
a thermally-conductive, vapor-permeable member comprising:
a drape-interface member having a first side and a second, patient-facing side, wherein the first side of the drape-interface member is proximate the second, patient-facing side of the high-moisture-vapor-transmission-rate drape,
a patient-interface member having a first side and a second, patient-facing side, wherein the second, patient-facing side of the patient-interface member is proximate to the patient, and
a coupling member that thermally couples the drape-interface member and the patient-interface member,
wherein a planar surface area of the drape-interface member is less than a planar surface area of the patient-interface member;
a liquid-processing member disposed between the drape-interface member and the patient-interface member, wherein the liquid-processing member is operable to at least temporarily retain liquids from the wound; and
wherein the thermally-conductive, vapor-permeable member is operable to conduct body heat from the patient to the high-moisture-vapor-transmission-rate drape to enhance transmission of vapor through the high-moisture-vapor-transmission-rate drape.
2. The wound dressing of claim 1 , wherein the high-moisture-vapor-transmission-rate drape is less than or equal to 30 microns in thickness.
3. The wound dressing of claim 1 , wherein the thermally-conductive, vapor-permeable member comprises an active carbon member.
4. The wound dressing of claim 1 , wherein the thermally-conductive, vapor-permeable member comprises a material with metallic fibers.
5. The wound dressing of claim 1 , wherein the thermally-conductive, vapor-permeable member comprises zinc oxide.
6. The wound dressing of claim 1 , wherein the thermally-conductive, vapor-permeable member comprises silver.
7. The wound dressing of claim 1 , wherein the liquid-processing member comprises one of the following: a foam member, a non-woven member, a super absorbent material, and a gel material.
8. The wound dressing of claim 1 , further comprising a filtering layer disposed between at least a portion of the liquid-processing member and the thermally-conductive, vapor-permeable member.
9. The wound dressing of claim 1 , further comprising nano-antennae coupled to the first side of the high-moisture-vapor-transmission-rate drape for receiving external energy.
10. The wound dressing of claim 1 , wherein the high-moisture-vapor-transmission-rate drape is at least partially corrugated.
11. The wound dressing of claim 1 , wherein the liquid-processing member comprises a hydro-activated, exothermic material that reacts with wound exudate to generate heat.
12. The wound dressing of claim 1 , wherein the liquid-processing member comprises a calcium oxide that exothermically reacts with wound exudate to generate heat.
13. The wound dressing of claim 1 , further comprising:
an electrical heating element that is operable to provide thermal energy when energized, wherein the electrical heating element is thermally coupled to the high-moisture-vapor-transmission-rate drape;
a power supply electrically coupled to the electrical heating element; and
a control circuit coupled to the power supply and electrical heating element.
14. The wound dressing of claim 1 , further comprising a piezoelectric member that is operable to provide thermal energy when moved, wherein the piezoelectric member is thermally coupled to the high-moisture-vapor-transmission-rate drape.
15. The wound dressing of claim 1 , further comprising:
a manifold member disposed proximate to the patient-interface member of the thermally-conductive, vapor-permeable member; and
a reduced-pressure source fluidly coupled to the manifold member.
16. The wound dressing of claim 1 , further comprising:
a manifold member disposed proximate to the patient-interface member of the thermally-conductive, vapor-permeable member; and
a micro-pump fluidly coupled to the manifold member and thermally coupled to the high-moisture-vapor-transmission-rate drape to deliver heat thereto.
17. The wound dressing of claim 1 , further comprising a motion-activated heating element thermally coupled to the high-moisture-vapor-transmission-rate drape.
18. The wound dressing of claim 1 , further comprising an external heater for transmitting heat to the first side of the high-moisture-vapor-transmission-rate drape.
19. The wound dressing of claim 1 , further comprising external baffles on the first side of the high-moisture-vapor-transmission-rate drape and an air mover for delivering an air flow in the baffles.
20. The wound dressing of claim 1 , wherein the wound dressing is operable to process more liquids over time than the dressing can hold without evaporation.
21. A method for treating a wound on a patient, the method comprising;
covering the wound with a wound dressing comprising:
a high-moisture-vapor-transmission-rate drape having a first side and a second, patient-facing side,
a thermally-conductive, vapor-permeable member,
a liquid-processing member, and
a plurality of nano-antennae on the first side of the high-moisture-vapor-transmission-rate drape and the method further comprises exciting the nano-antennae with infrared radiation; and
conducting heat from the patient's body to the high-moisture-vapor-transmission-rate drape through the thermally-conductive, vapor-permeable member to enhance vapor transmission.
22. The method of claim 21 , further comprising heating the high-moisture-vapor-transmission-rate drape with an external heat source.
23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the external heat source comprises an LED light.
24. The method of claim 21 , further comprising heating the high-moisture-vapor-transmission-rate drape with an internal heat source.
25. The method of claim 24 , wherein the internal heat source comprises a piezoelectric member.
26. The method of claim 24 , wherein the internal heat source comprises:
an electrical heating element that is operable to provide thermal energy when energized, wherein the electrical heating element is thermally coupled to the high-moisture-vapor-transmission-rate drape;
a power supply electrically coupled to the electrical heating element; and
a control circuit coupled to the power supply and electrical heating element.
27. The method of claim 24 , wherein the internal heat source comprises a motion-activated heating element thermally coupled to the high-moisture-vapor-transmission-rate drape and the method further comprises moving the motion-activated heating element.
28. The method of claim 24 , wherein the internal heat source comprises a hydro-activated exothermic material.
29. The method of claim 21 , wherein the wound dressing further comprises an inductive member and further comprising exciting the inductive member using magnetic energy.
30. The method of claim 21 , further comprising capturing external energy with nano-antennae coupled to the first side of the high-moisture-vapor-transmission-rate drape.
31. The method of claim 21 , further wherein the high-moisture-vapor-transmission-rate drape is at least partially corrugated.
32. The method of claim 21 , further comprising:
disposing a manifold member proximate to the a patient-interface member of the thermally-conductive, vapor-permeable member;
coupling a micro-pump to the high-moisture-vapor-transmission-rate drape and the manifold member, and wherein the micro-pump is thermally coupled to the high-moisture-vapor-transmission-rate drape; and
heating the high-moisture-vapor-transmission-rate drape with the micro-pump.
33. The method of claim 21 , further comprising moving air across the high-moisture-vapor-transmission-rate drape.
34. A method of manufacturing a wound dressing, the method comprising:
providing a thermally-conductive, vapor-permeable member comprising:
a drape-interface member having a first side and a second, patient-facing side,
a patient-interface member having a first side and a second, patient-facing side, wherein the second, patient-facing side of the patient-interface member is for placing proximate to a patient,
a coupling member thermally coupling the drape-interface member and the patient-interface member, and
coupling nano antennae to the first side of the high-moisture-vapor-transmission-rate drape;
disposing a liquid-processing member between the drape-interface member and the patient-interface member, wherein the liquid-processing member is operable to at least temporarily retain liquids from a wound; and
disposing a high-moisture-vapor-transmission-rate drape having a first side and a second, patient-facing side over the thermally-conductive, vapor-permeable member, wherein the first side of the drape-interface member is proximate the second, patient-facing side of the high-moisture-vapor-transmission-rate drape.