Inflatable convective pad for surgery
View Patent ↗An inflatable convective pad for warming a person during surgery has two ends, two sides, and at least two openings, each located in an area of the pad between the two ends and between a respective side and the center of the pad. The openings, which may be in the form of slits, allow the threading of a sheet or the person's arms through the pad to restrain the arms during surgery.
1. An inflatable convective pad for warming a person, comprising:
first and second layers joined by a seal around a common periphery to form a pneumatic structure, at least the first layer being air permeable and including an air permeable surface;
at least one inlet port opening into the pneumatic structure, the at least one inlet port opening having an opening and a collar of stiff material surrounding the opening;
a first inactive area near a first end of the pad within the common periphery;
a second inactive area near a second end of the pad within the common periphery;
elongate seals between the first and second layers, within the common periphery; and
only two elongate slit means, each slit means located in a different one of the elongate seals and adapted to thread a limb or limb retainer.
2. The inflatable convective pad of claim 1 , wherein each slit means is defined in one of the elongate seals by a line of weakness or perforations.
3. The inflatable convective pad of claim 1 , further comprising one or more retaining flaps on the first or the second layer.
4. The inflatable convective pad of claim 1 , further comprising a portion of the air permeable surface adapted to support the person's feet and means for preventing convection through the portion.
5. An inflatable convective pad for warming a person, comprising:
first and second layers joined by a seal around a common periphery to form a pneumatic structure, at least the first layer being air permeable and including an air permeable surface;
at least one inlet port opening into the pneumatic structure, the at least one inlet port opening having an opening and a collar of stiff material surrounding the opening;
a first inactive area near a first end of the pad within the common periphery;
a second inactive area near a second end of the pad; and
two spaced-apart seals between the first and second layers, within the common periphery, and means in each of the spaced-apart seals for threading a limb or a limb retainer through the inflatable convective pad, wherein the length of the means is at least the length of a person's arm.
6. The inflatable convective pad of claim 5 , wherein the spaced-apart seals are continuously closed.
7. The inflatable convective pad of claim 6 , wherein each of the spaced-apart seals establishes an elongate uninflatable area.
8. The inflatable convective pad of claim 7 , wherein each means includes an elongate line of weakness in one of the spaced-apart seals.
9. The inflatable convective pad of claim 8 , wherein each line of weakness is selectively opened to define a slit through the inflatable pad.
10. The inflatable convective pad of claim 5 , wherein the spaced-apart seals are generally parallel.
11. The inflatable convective pad of claim 10 , further comprising one or more retaining flaps on the first or the second layer.
12. The inflatable convective pad of claim 11 in combination with a draw sheet threaded through the slits.