Delivery system for therapeutically conditioned air

Abstract

An apparatus for delivery of therapeutically conditioned air to a patient may include a hollow flexible tube and at least one damp attached to the tube. A shape retention wire may be engaged with the tube. The apparatus may be configured to direct the therapeutically conditioned aft to a region near the patient's nose and mouth without being attached to the patient.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus or delivery of therapeutically conditioned air to a patient comprising:
 a hollow flexible tube;   at least one damp attached to the tube; and   a shape-retention wire engaged with the tube.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the shape-retention wire is positioned inside the tube. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the shape-retention wire is soft stainless steel with a diameter between about 0.050 inch to about 0.10 inch. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising a plurality of wire supporting clips positioned inside the tube and engaged with the shape-retention wire. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4  wherein the tube is corrugated and the clips are provided with ridges that are engaged with corrugations of the tube. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 4  wherein the clips have a compressible open-ring configuration with a compressed outer diameter smaller than an inner diameter of the tube and with an uncompressed nominal outer diameter greater than the inner diameter of the tube. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 4  wherein the clips include hollow lobes positioned on two different planes so that when the clips are compressed the lobes overlap one another. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7  wherein the hollow lobes have holes that are aligned with one another when the lobes are overlapped with one another. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein at least one clamp includes:
 an open cylindrical tube gripping member configured to be snapped onto the tube at a desired location on the tube, the tube gripping member having an arcuate rail-gripping segment; and 
 an arcuate rail-gripping member attached to the tube gripping member and spring biased to apply clamping pressure against the tube gripping member. 
 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9  comprising at least two of the clamps. 
     
     
         11 . A system for delivery of therapeutically conditioned air to a patient comprising:
 a nebulizer;   an air delivery device which includes a hollow flexible tube, at least one clamp attached to the tube and a shape-retention wire engaged with the tube; and   a connection tube interposed between the nebulizer and the air delivery device.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11  further comprising a medication dispensing device configured to inject medication into an airstream that passes through the air delivery device. 
     
     
         13 . An apparatus for delivery of therapeutically conditioned air to a patient prepared by a process comprising the steps of:
 compressing a plurality of open-ring shaped wire supporting clips;   passing a bendable shape-retention wire through a first hole in each of the clips;   placing the shape retention wire and the clips inside a flexible tube; and   allowing the clips to expand and engage with the tube so that when the tube is bent into a desired configuration, the shape-retention wire maintains said configuration of the tube.   
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 13  wherein the process further comprises positioning the clips axially along the shape-retention wire so that the clips are substantially equidistant from one another. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 3  wherein the process further comprises the steps of:
 overlapping two hollow lobes of each of the clips during the compressing step so that holes in the lobes are aligned with one another; 
 passing an assembly wire through the aligned holes of the lobes of all of the clips so that the assembly wire secures the clips in a compressed state; 
 inserting the assembly wire into the tube along with the clips and the shape-retention wire; and 
 removing the assembly wire from the clips after the clips are in position in the tube so that the clips expand and engage with the tube.