Anti-Microbial Air Processor for a Personal Patient-Warming Apparatus

Abstract

An anti-microbial air processor is configured and arranged to fit at least substantially across an airway in a personal patient-warming apparatus to thereby inactivate airborne microbes before those airborne microbes are exposed to a patient via warming air delivered by the personal patient-warming apparatus. By one approach, the anti-microbial air processor comprises an anti-microbial air filter. By another approach, in lieu of the foregoing or in combination therewith, the anti-microbial air processor comprises one or more ultraviolet light sources configured to expose at least one inner surface of the personal patient-warming apparatus to ultraviolet light to thereby inactivate microbes.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus comprising:
 an anti-microbial air processor configured for use with a blower/heater that blows warmed air into a personal patient-warming apparatus, the anti-microbial air processor being configured and arranged to fit at least substantially across an airway that is disposed downstream of the blower/heater to thereby inactive airborne microbes before those airborne microbes are exposed to a patient via warming air delivered by the personal patient-warming apparatus.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the anti-microbial air processor comprises, at least in part, an anti-microbial air filter. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2  wherein the anti-microbial air filter includes at least one active layer of filter material. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3  wherein the active layer of filter material includes positively-charged ions that bind with negatively-charged groups present on at least some microbes to thereby inactivate the microbes. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4  wherein the positively-charged ions include at least one of copper ions, zinc ions, and silver ions. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 5  wherein the positively-charged ions include both of copper ions and zinc ions. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 6  wherein the copper and zinc ions are disposed within a fabric substrate. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7  wherein the fabric substrate is pleated to form a longer filter pathway. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 3  wherein the anti-microbial air filter includes at least a second active layer of filter material. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9  wherein the second active layer of filter material has a hydrophilic coating. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 10  wherein the second active layer of filter material has a low pH environment to thereby inactivate microbes. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11  wherein the low pH environment is created, at least in part, by citric acid. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 9  wherein the second active layer of filter material is disposed upstream of the first active layer of filter material. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising at least a second anti-microbial air processor that is also configured and arranged to fit at least substantially across an airway that is disposed downstream of the blower/heater to thereby also inactive airborne microbes before those airborne microbes are exposed to the patient via warming air delivered by the personal patient-warming apparatus.