| 摘要 |
<p>A humidifier system including a humidifier chamber (8) and heater assembly, microprocessor based control circuitry (23), and a housing (1) for the control circuitry. The humidifier system is adapted to provide air at nearly 100 percent relative humidity and at a predetermined temperature (e.g. 35oC) to a medical (e.g. critical care) patient. The humidifier chamber (8) includes a continuous spiral heat exchange path which extends between a vapor storage chamber and an outlet (34) of the humidifier chamber (8) at which an air heating tube (36) is connected, so that outgoing air can be delivered to the patient. The vapor storage chamber is interfaced with a ventilator source of incoming air (inlet (32)) and a relatively small reservoir in which a supply of water is boiled by the heater assembly for providing vapor saturated air from the vapor storage chamber to the heat exchange path. The control circuitry includes a pair of sensors (10, 12) which are responsive to the temperatures of the outgoing humidified air at the humidifier chamber outlet (34) and at the patient end (14) of the heating tube (36). The temperatures sensed are used to control the energization of both the heater assembly and a heating element (42) of the heating tube (36), so that humidified air can be delivered to the patient at the predetermined temperature and with minimal condensate rainout.</p> |
