Incubator for the treatment of premature infants and equipment comprising the incubator

摘要

1501281 Infant incubators HOWORTH AIR ENG Ltd 26 May 1976 [14 March 1975] 10829/75 Heading A5R An incubator for an infant comprises a clear plastics crib 30 having an aperture 32 in its base through which project supports 26 for a plate 34 on which the infant lies and spaced from the sides of the crib by projections 35. The crib rests on a plinth 21 formed as a shallow box with insulation 23 and an inturned peripheral L-shaped flange 24 on which the crib is located with the interposition of foamed plastics, sealing material 25. The space between the inner surface of the rim and the inside surface of the plinth forms a passage 27 for conditioned air entering via an inlet 28 and this air passes through a diffuser 36, the aperture 32 in the crib base and the spaces between the projections 35 to the infant. A clear plastics hood 40 of U-section is located on the upper outwardly curved edges 31 of the crib walls and may be retained in a half-open position by slots 43 engaging pins 39 pivotable to an in-use position from a stored position and located on clips 37 on the end edges of the crib walls and joined by elastic cord 38 to the plinth. A number of incubators may be supplied with conditioned air from a single unit. The base of the plinth may have a recess for an X-ray cassette. For treatment of the infant the crib may be placed in a recess 58 in a table 54, the plate 34 being located on a pedestal 60 via weight cells 62 and with a seal 59 between the crib and recess. In a further embodiment the crib and plinth are placed on a base 71 containing an air conditioning unit 80 which draws air downwards through the crib and apertures 77 in the plinth base and supplies it via columns 70 containing a regulating valve 84 and flow meter 83 to a canopy 73 containing peripheral and central diffusers. The central diffuser is of higher permeability than the peripheral diffuser so that a faster moving central column of air is protected from the atmosphere by a peripheral slower moving curtain of air. The canopy contains fluorescent tubes 87 and ultra-violet lamps. In a modification the diffusers are dispensed with, and two separate streams of air leave the unit 80 and pass respectively to a peripheral grille and central bacteria filter in the canopy, the air supply from the filter having a greater velocity than that from the grille.