Electric heating pad with electrosurgical grounding

Inventors

Augustine, Scott D. • Arnold, Randall C. • Augustine, Ryan S. • Deibel, Rudolf A. • Entenman, Scott A. • Augustine, Garrett J.

Assignees

Augustine Temperature Management LLC

Abstract

An electric heating pad with electrosurgical grounding comprising a heated underbody support, heated mattress or heated mattress overlay. In an illustrative embodiment the heating pad with electrosurgical grounding may include a flexible sheet-like heating element including an upper edge, a lower edge, and at least two side edges and a flexible sheet-like grounding electrode including an upper edge, a lower edge, and at least two side edges. A shell covering the heating element and grounding electrode and comprising at least two sheets (e.g., may be one sheet of material folded over to form two sheets) of flexible material, and a weld coupling the two sheets of flexible material together about the edges of the heating element and grounding electrode, wherein the weld is one of a RF weld, ultrasonic weld, or a heat bond, wherein the two sheets comprise PVC or urethane.

Core Innovation

The invention relates to an electric heating pad with electrosurgical grounding that includes a heated underbody support, heated mattress, or heated mattress overlay. The electric heating pad includes a flexible sheet-like heating element and a flexible sheet-like grounding electrode, and the grounding electrode includes conductive heater material such that the grounding electrode and the heating element form a heater assembly.

The heating element and grounding electrode are covered by a shell comprising at least two sheets of flexible material. The sheets are coupled together about the edges of the heating element and grounding electrode by weld coupling, where the weld is one of an RF weld, ultrasonic weld, or a heat bond, and the weld coupling hermetically seals the heating element and the grounding electrode therebetween without using connectors that pierce the two sheets.

The invention further includes electrosurgical grounding wiring by a return electrode wire electrically connected to the heating element and adapted to connect to an electrosurgical generator. The document also describes temperature sensing and control to maintain patient-contact zones near safe temperatures while other zones can run hotter, protective dielectric elastomeric coatings configured to prevent burns if the outer shell is pierced, and optional protection against hydrogen peroxide vapor using sacrificial MnO2-treated layers.

The document additionally describes patient accommodation structures that maximize skin contact area and pressure relief while reducing competition between warming placement and grounding electrode placement. These accommodation structures include compressible and visco-elastic or air-bladder designs and pediatric-specific mattress configurations.

Claims Coverage

The document provides three independent claims (clm-00001, clm-00009, clm-00027). Across these independent claims, the core inventive structure is a flexible sheet-like heating element and a flexible sheet-like grounding electrode forming a heater assembly, enclosed within a multi-sheet flexible shell coupled by RF weld, ultrasonic weld, or heat bond, with electrosurgical grounding connectivity via a return electrode wire in two claims and hermetic sealing without connector piercings in one claim.

Together, the independent claims define an electric heating pad with electrosurgical grounding in which conductive heater material in a flexible sheet-like grounding electrode forms a heater assembly with a flexible sheet-like heating element, enclosed in a multi-sheet flexible shell. The shell sheets are coupled about the edges by an RF weld, ultrasonic weld, or heat bond to hermetically seal the heating element and grounding electrode, with return electrode wire connectivity to an electrosurgical generator and features that avoid connector punctures.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications